InTandem Lab's 'INSTRUCTIONS TO DECODE A(N IN)HUMAN TRANSFORMATION' Begins Tonight at Dixon Place

Dixon Place presents InTandem Lab's Instructions to Decode A(n In)human transformation, a postmodern punk "roach" Kabaret inspired by Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis. Written in verse by Gisela Cardenas and delivered as spoken poetry by a cast of three, I2Decode explores the intertwining of live music, video mapping and words. Ryan Justesen (Playwrights Horizons/NYU) will direct the inaugural production under the artistic direction of InTandem Lab.

I2Decode portrays the protagonist of The Metamorphosis, Gregor Samsa, on a high ride after his transformation into a bug. Interspersed seamlessly throughout the piece, Milica Paranosic's wild, eerie and sensual score is played by an electronic cello, which takes the audience on a journey from the wildness of a punk rock kabaret to the subtle underscoring of the bug's world.

"I2Decode is a meditation on human change and transformation from the point of view of one of the most irritating yet invulnerable omnivores around: roaches," said Artistic Director Gisela Cardenas. "It is a sampling of InTandem Lab's ambition in offering audiences an alternative theatergoing experience. The production integrates materials from classical literature and revamps it with multi-media technology, an original punk rock score and razor-sharp text."

I2Decode will play four performances only tonight and tomorrow, September 23rd & 24th, September 30th and October 1st at 10:00pm at Dixon Place (161 Chrystie Street). Tickets are $15 in advance, $18 at the door, and $12 for students and seniors, and can be purchased at www.dixonplace.org or by calling (866) 811-4111 or (212) 219-0736. More details at www.dixonplace.org/performances/instructions-to-decode-an-inhuman-transformation-2.

InTandem Lab was co-founded by Gisela Cardenas (Artistic Director) and Vivian Chiu (Producing Director) to create theatrical experiences capable of challenging and reconfiguring the audience's perspective. InTandem's approach to theater-making focuses on the performer's body as the source of meaning. Our collaborations not only cross artistic disciplines but also geographical boundaries in creating pieces performed in multiple languages. At InTandem, the practice we develop seeks to train artists capable of generating thoughts through their bodies in order to become truly versatile and independent creators. For more, visit www.intandemlab.org.

Gisela Cardenas (Artistic Director) Gisela has directed, performed and written in the UK, Germany, Peru, Romania, Brasil, The Netherlands, Norway and USA. Awards: Princes Grace Theater Fellowship, Women's Project Director's Lab, TCG/ NEA Career Development Program. Recent credits: Aeschylus "Agamemnon" (Drama Desk Nomination);"Antigone" (Romania), Euripides' Medea(Peru), Brecht's In The Jungle of Cities(Holland), Richard III (Norway), Weskler's "The Kitchen", Fassbinder's Katzelmaher(NYC), Peter Asmussen's "Nobody Meets Anyone" (Brazil), "Miss Blanche Tells It All" a musical in development. Co-founder of InTandem Lab with whom is a HARP artist in residence at HERE Arts Center developing an electronic opera: "Hybrid Suite No.2: The Carmen Variations".

Vivian Chiu (Producing Director) Vivian is an actor, producer, curator and theater maker. She has appeared in the Broadway production and International tour of David Henry Hwang's "Chinglish". Selected New York credits include Agamemnon (dir. Gisela Cardenas); Limbs: A Pageant (dir. Niegel Smith); and an off-Broadway revival of Night Over Taos (dir. Estelle Parsons). TV and film credits include The Blacklist, Beijing, New York, OVUM, The Heart She Holler. Former Artistic Director of the Asian Cultural Festival at Queens Theatre in the Park. MA in Theatre: Northwestern University.

Ryan Justesen (Director) Faculty at NYU/Tisch (Playwrights Horizons Theater School). Performance credits include: The Ohio Theatre, The Kitchen, PS122 and others. Highlights: Benvenutto Cellini at the Metropolitan Opera (dir. Andrei Serban); West Pier and Power of the Dog (dir: Jay Scheib); Godard: Distant and Right (dir. R. Woodruff/J. Scheib -winner of the peer and professional juries at the Theatre Nanterre des Amandiers in Paris); Woyzeck (Mabou Mines Resident Artist Program). Devised Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea" at the O'Neill-NTI. In development: Preferences of a Russian Poet, based on the writings of Edouard Limonov. MFA: Columbia University

An artistic incubator since 1986, Dixon Place is a Bessie and Obie Award-winning non-profit institution committed to supporting the creative process by presenting original works of theater, dance, music, puppetry, circus arts, literature & visual art at all stages of development. Presenting over 1000 creators a year, this local haven inspires and encourages diverse artists of all stripes and callings to take risks, generate new ideas and consummate new practices. Many artists, such as Blue Man Group, John Leguizamo, Lisa Kron, David Cale, David Drake, Deb Margolin and Reno, began their careers at DP. In addition to emerging artists, Dixon Place has been privileged to present established artists such as Mac Wellman, Holly Hughes, Justin Bond, Karen Finley, Kate Clinton & Martha Wainwright. After spawning a salon in her Paris apartment in 1985, founding Artistic Director Ellie Covan pioneered the institution in her NYC living room for 23 years. Covan was a recipient of a Bessie, a New York Dance and Performance Award and a Bax10 Award for her service to the community. Dixon Place received two Obie Awards, and an Edwin Booth Award for Excellence in Theater. Dixon Place has organically developed & expanded into a leading professional, state-of-the-art facility for artistic expression.

Dixon Place is located at 161A Chrystie Street (between Rivington and Delancey), in Manhattan's Lower East Side (By subway: F to 2nd Ave, J/Z to Bowery, 6 to Spring St, M to Essex St).

The Dixon Place Lounge is open before and after the show. Proceeds directly support Dixon Place's artists and mission.

For more, go to www.dixonplace.org.

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