Cellunova to Present KNOCK KNOCK Next Month

Cellunova, a New York-based interdisciplinary theatre production company founded in 2023 by first-generation immigrant artists, will present a psychological thriller, Knock Knock, from September 5th to September 8th, 2024, at MITU580.

Tickets are available at https://www.cellunova.org/whats-on/knock-knock.

A slaughterhouse is set on fire, and the man believed to be responsible is questioned. A disturbing game of cat and mouse ensues until a series of flashbacks and recalled memories finally exposes the truth.

Knock Knock is written by British playwright Floyd Toulet and directed by Asian American director Amy Namei Wang. Through a mixture of performance disciplines, including dance movements and shadow puppetry, this production attempts to capture the profound echo of childhood trauma, and the epic sacrifice and salvation of one for himself.

"We decided to bring this story to the stage because it transcends a traditional suspense tale", Amy notes, "it is an exploration of the mind, probing our connection with ourselves and the non-human lives intertwined with ours."

By having different actors interpret a role written for one, this production offers a more intricate exploration of the complexity of the human mind. The play features AJ Lily as Man, and stars Michelle Principi, Saima Huq, and Jianing Zhao as Woman. The intensive and yet subtle chemistries between the multiple polarities played by the actors' deep reckon on the possibility and ways of self-healing.

The scenic design is by Qingan Zhang. A peaceful horror, exemplified through the elements of Dreamcore, lays a suspenseful backdrop to the unsettling journey of interrogations. The lighting design is by Sophia Zhu. Through the non-stationarity of colors and dramatic shift of focus, the lights lead the exploration and healing of the main character. The music and sound design are by Changshuo Liu. Suspension by string and catharsis by metal guitar revolve around a recurring childhood motif, creating a lingering, unerasable imprint like the trauma itself. The costume design is by Yixiao Li, through the subtle variations of shades of grey, the costumes embody and refract the trauma from the mystical washed past. Cellunova's technical director Jiaxin Guan, marketing director Kaiwen Zheng, and Ruiyao Shen support the production.

The play will run for four performances: September 5th @8PM, September 6th @8PM, September 7th @8PM, and September 8th @2PM.

Cellunova creates interdisciplinary theatre to tackle social challenges prevalent at this very moment you're reading this mission statement, and beyond. We believe that in this turbulent era filled with non-stopping social changes, political nightmares, technology advances, and heartbreaking warfares, it is ever more important to nurture and stage new plays and art pieces that shed light on the present from multifaceted lenses and that create new experiences that break the boundaries of theater.

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