Broken Box Mime Theater to Present Affinity Nights

Broken Box Mime Theater will collaborate with Victoria Detres, an inaugural producer of the Shubert Artistic Circle, on their first mainstage production since 2019, the World Premiere of Take Shape at the Jeffrey and Paula Gural Theatre at A.R.T./New York Theatres (502 West 53rd Street New York, NY 10019), April 1-May 1.

With Take Shape, Broken Box Mime has created a series of events that will welcome specific communities who may experience barriers to attending live theater. These groups include neurodiverse communities, d/Deaf audiences, people whose first language is not English, parents, educators, and more. BKBX is particularly interested in cultivating a welcoming environment for communities for whom their non-verbal storytelling medium could provide enhanced access. Non-English speakers, for example, can experience Take Shape without need for translation, allowing for a shared imaginative experience with theater-goers of various language backgrounds. For more information, visit www.brokenboxmime.com.

In Take Shape a clandestine plot between friends becomes a high-stakes heist, a night with a YouTube cooking show goes awry, a relationship outgrows its shell like a hermit crab, and an astronaut learns to move again after years of being alone. Join BKBX as they explore ten stories of emergence and transformation, apocalyptic farce, metaphorical image collage, and grounded naturalistic drama. In each narrative piece, the modern mimes of BKBX illustrate how the shapes of our worlds, bodies, and ideas can shift and reshift around and within us.

Take Shape is an invitation to a shared imaginative experience. Join in the process of theater again in a way that is only possible when many individuals are present together, experiencing the same human exchange. Let BKBX activate your imagination as they contemporize the art of mime and bring these nonverbal stories to life, reminding us all of the power of live storytelling.

In collaboration with Victoria as their audience development producer, BKBX has announced the following affinity nights through the course of their run:

Educator Night - Friday, April 8 at 7:30pm

For all who identify as educators, including but not limited to classroom teachers, teaching artists, and education administrators. BKBX is an Arthur Miller Foundation Cultural Partner, Artists In Residence at Smith Street Arts & Lettres, and works extensively with the NYC Department of Education.

Parent Night - Saturday, April 9 at 7:30pm

For parents and/or caregivers who wish to attend theater with others in their community. Several of the pieces in Take Shape are about parenthood, and three of the performing members are parents themselves.

Relaxed Performances

Sunday, April 10 & 17 at 2pm & Thursday, April 21 at 7:30pm

For neurodiverse communities, people who need or wish to vocalize in the theater, and/or caregivers with young babies. All BKBX shows welcome individuals with disability; relaxed performances normalize noise-making in the theater and encourage audience members to take breaks when needed by keeping the doors to the lobby open and the house lights at a low glow.

Industry Night - Monday, April 11 at 7:30pm

For theater industry professionals who wish to reconnect during a traditional Monday "dark night."

Global Night - Thursday, April 14 at 7:30pm

For individuals for whom English is not their first language and/or who are new to the United States, as well as anyone for whom English is a barrier to attending live theater.

Deaf Night - Monday, April 18 at 7:30pm

For members of d/Deaf communities. Note: Take Shape will have a musical soundtrack. All other aspects of the show are nonverbal. Deaf Night will include ASL interpretation for curtain speech and post-show With Words series.

Each affinity night provides a limited number of complimentary tickets to those who identify as members of the featured communities, and affinity discount codes are additionally offered for these nights or any performances in the run. Each show hosted on an affinity night will be followed by BKBX's With Words Series: a talkback with the cast and a special guest honoree who is a leader in their field.

"I am so grateful to be working again with this incredible team," said Victoria Detres, BKBX Audience Development Producer. "BKBX is founded on collaboration and this value is weaved through their work. I was so excited when they asked me to join and shared their hopes and aspirations with this mainstage. Through these small acts of intentional care we can better accommodate audiences that actually reflect our global majority".

"As a values-driven theater company, we couldn't be more excited to produce these affinity events," said Tasha Milkman, BKBX Associate Artistic Director & Head of Relationship Design. "We see this program as an expression of our commitment to making our spaces as inclusive as possible, and also a joyous occasion to celebrate our community. As artists, we are endlessly inspired by the magic of nonverbal storytelling, and we can't wait to share our work with new audiences."

Additional performances for Take Shape will take place on Friday, April 1 at 7:30pm, Saturday, April 2 at 7:30pm, Sunday, April 3 at 2pm, Monday, April 4 at 7:30pm, Thursday, April 7 at 7:30pm, Friday, April 8 at 7:30pm, Saturday, April 9 at 7:30pm, Sunday, April 10 at 2pm, Monday, April 11 at 7:30pm, Thursday, April 14 at 7:30pm, Friday, April 15 at 7:30pm, Saturday, April 16 at 7:30pm, Sunday, April 17 at 2pm, Monday, April 18 at 7:30pm, Thursday, April 21 at 7:30pm, Friday, April 22 at 7:30pm, Saturday, April 23 at 7:30pm, Sunday, April 24 at 2pm, Friday, April 29 at 7:30pm, Saturday, April 30 at 7:30pm, and Sunday, May 1 at 2pm. General admission tickets ($25 advance; $30 door) are available for advance purchase at www.brokenboxmime.com. The performance will run approximately 80 minutes, with no intermission.

Broken Box Mime Theater (BKBX) is a collaborative theater company that performs original, contemporary short plays entirely through movement. Based in NYC and founded in 2011, we reimagine French pantomime through the lens of contemporary US American theater. The diverse group of artists who call BKBX their artistic home believe in making innovative, provocative theater that erases the spoken language barrier and champions the power of simplicity in performance. Our short plays range from realistic to metaphorical, heart-wrenching to hilarious, and cinematic to intimate. Winners of New York Innovative Theatre Awards for Outstanding Movement/Choreography, Performance Art, and Ensemble.

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