St. Ann's Warehouse will present a colossal celebration of tiny art, Great Small Works' Tenth International Toy Theater Festival, today, June 14-23. As it has with great success in 2005, 2008 and 2010, Great Small Works will transform the vast and versatile St. Ann's Warehouse into numerous smaller performance arenas and an extensive, free exhibition, The Temporary Toy Theater Museum, which will juxtapose classic examples of miniature, working theaters alongside radical, contemporary interpretations of the form. In addition to new productions by Great Small Works, the festival will feature performances by hundreds of theater miniaturists from around the world (Berlin, Mexico City, San Juan, London), the city (Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan), and places in between (Chicago, Philadelphia, San Diego, Vermont).
A highlight of this year's festival is the New York premiere of Janie Geiser's The Reptile Under the Flowers, a peepshow/diorama performance in twelve scenes that incorporates puppetry, mechanical performing objects, small projections, music and sound to create an intimate miniature spectacle. Performed by an ensemble of 15 performers for audiences of eight people at a time, The Reptile Under the Flowers builds its narrative through the accumulation of small actions and events, without text or dialogue, and follows the intersecting lives of a father, mother and son. The Reptile Under the Flowers was conceived, directed and designed by Janie Geiser and features original music composed by Valerie Opielski. The work is not recommended for children under 14.
This tenth edition of the festival, the largest to date, is presented in multiple-show programs of performances-six main stage programs, nine small stage programs, plus four family-oriented programs. Please see below for a schedule of performances, including brief descriptions of the works. Complete festival information is available at www.greatsmallworks.org/TTF2013/schedule.html.
A $75 festival pass includes access to all adult and family toy theater performances, including the late-night toy theater slam, except for Janie Geiser's The Reptile Under the Flowers and the public workshop on Saturday, June 22. Reservations must be made for individual programs. Single tickets for Main Stage, Family Programs, and the Workshop are $20 and $10 for kids, single tickets for Great Small Stages performances are $10, and single tickets to Janie Geiser's The Reptile Under the Flowers are $15. Tickets can be purchased online at www.stannswarehouse.org, by phone at 718.254.8779 (Tue-Sat,1pm-7pm) or 866.811.4111 (Mon-Fri, 9am-9pm; Sat and Sun, 10am-6pm) and in person at the St. Ann's Warehouse Box Office at 29 Jay Street in DUMBO, Brooklyn (Tue-Sat, 1pm-7pm).
Festivities on Saturday, June 15th begin at 2:00 P.M. with the Greatest Smallest Parade. Tiny floats accompanied by a full-force marching brass band will wind through the sidewalks of DUMBO and finish at St. Ann's Warehouse, where all the rolling, shoebox-sized masterpieces will be displayed. From 3:00 - 5:00 P.M., an opening reception for the Toy Theater Museum will take place. Exhibited throughout The Warehouse, the Toy Theater Museum includes the finest examples of traditional and contemporary toy theaters, representing 100 artists and collectors, and including historical models, stages used for performance, stage models for full-scale Theater Productions, and visual artwork inspired by the Toy Theater form. The exhibit is free and open to the public 1 hour before all show times.
On Sunday, June 16 at 4:00 P.M., the festival will include a symposium titled Toy Theater and the Camera Symposium. Excerpts from Pontine Theater's "House of Seven Gables" will be shown, and festival artists will examine the different ways they combine live-action film, projection and animation with paper theater to celebrate the compressed power of the miniature.
The Public Workshop on Saturday, June 22 at 1:00 P.M. will teach participants to tell their own stories using this simple, inexpensive form. Workshops begin with an introduction to the history of Toy Theater and a Museum tour. The workshop will last approximately three hours, and all ages are welcome. Tickets are $20 ($10 for children) and are not included in the festival pass.
GREAT SMALL WORKS' TOY THEATER FESTIVAL SCHEDULE:
FREE EVENTS
Greatest Smallest Parade through DUMBO: June 15, 2:00 P.M.
Toy Theater Museum Opening Reception: June 15, 3:00-5:00 P.M.
Toy Theater Museum Hours: June 14-23, one hour before show times
Toy Theater and the Camera Symposium: June 16, 4:00 P.M.
Museum and Lobby Mini-Performances: June 23 at 7:00 P.M.
TICKETED EVENTS
The Reptile Under the Flowers: June 19 & 23 entry every 15 minutes from 8:00-9:00 P.M., June 20-22 entry every 15 minutes from 8:00-9:45 P.M.
Toy Theater Slam!; June 14, 10 P.M.
Main Stage Program 1: June 14 & 15 at 7:30 P.M.
Main Stage Program 2: June 15 at 10 P.M. June 16 at 7:30pm
Main Stage Program 3 - Disaster! : June 19 & 20 at 7:30 P.M.
Main Stage Program 4: June 20 at 10 P.M. and June 21 at 7:30 P.M.
Main Stage Program 5: June 21 at 10 P.M. and June 22 at 7:30 P.M.
Main Stage Program 6: June 22 at 10 P.M. and June 23 at 7:30 P.M.
Family Program 1A & 1B: June 16 at 11:00 A.M. and 2:00 P.M.
Family Program 2A & 2B: June 23 at 11:00 A.M. and 2:00 P.M.
Great Small Stages Program 1: June 14 at 7:30 P.M.
Great Small Stages Program 2: June 14 at 9:00 P.M.
Great Small Stages Program 3: June 15 at 7:30 P.M.
Great Small Stages Program 4: June 15 at 9:00 P.M.
Great Small Stages Program 5: June 16 at 7:30 P.M.
Great Small Stages Program 6: June 16 at 9 P.M.
Great Small Stages Program 7 & 8: June 19 & 20 at 7:30 P.M.
Great Small Stages Program 9-11: June 21-23 at 7:30 PM
Public Workshop: June 22, 1:00 P.M.
For a full calendar schedule, visit http://www.greatsmallworks.org/TTF2013/schedule.html.
PERFORMANCES AND EVENTS IN THE GREAT SMALL WORKS' TENTH INTERNATIONAL TOY THEATER FESTIVAL:
TOY THEATER SLAM!
JUNE 14 at 10 P.M.
Featuring violin and voice interludes by musician/composer Rima Fand.
Dave Worobec/Tophat Theater (Boston, MA)
Excerpts from Oklahoma!
Using action figures and plastic toys, recent Boston Conservatory graduate Worobec sings and speaks all the parts.
Alma Sheppard-Matsuo (NYC)
Little Red Riding Hood (a story about student debt)
Activist and puppeteer Alma brings the current debt crisis to an age-old fairy tale.
Drama of Works (NYC)
Celebrity Wizard of Oz
A fun romp with impersonations, bad puns and an exploration of the little-told literary story which has long been bastardized by the well-known film.
Charlie Kanev (NYC)
The Curious Adventures of Morbid Melvin
14-year-old puppeteer Kanev tells the story of Melvin as he runs away from home and his crazy mother's reign of evil. With original music created and performed by Rima Fand.
Michael Sommers /Open Eye Theater (Minneapolis, MN)
Suitcase Narrative: Three Small Things
Performed in a suitcase, with trick marionettes, a "cranky" and gibberish, narrating three small things: Before, Now and Later.
Liz Joyce & Alex Khludov (Sag Harbor, NY)
Baba Yaga vs. Bat Man
Gotham City hasn't been the same since she got here and her bad habit of baked young boys is creating a plume of trouble. Will Baba Yaga be stopped by our Dynamic Duo? Find out in this thrilling episode in living color and on paper!
Marta Mozelle (NYC)
Who's Lovin' You
A short work inspired by the Jackson 5 song blending comic book conventions, toy theater, and cinematic effects.
MAIN STAGE PROGRAM 1
JUNE 14 & 15 AT 7:30 PM
People's Puppets of Occupy Wall Street
How Do We Show Solidarity?
Originally created for an international live-stream performance based in Cairo, by the still vibrantly active OWS puppeteers. Follow them on Twitter: #Power2thePuppet.
HiveMind Theater (NYC)
Chan Thou's Tuk-Tuk
What does a devout Buddhist do when confronted with an enemy? The true story of a Cambodian tuk-tuk driver faced with a moral dilemma: how to deal with his passenger, a former Khmer Rouge leader. Inspired by real-life travels in Cambodia, and the complexities of life in a nation recovering from trauma. HiveMind Theater is: Emily Leshner, Ryan Minezzi, and Jennifer Onopa.
Little Did Productions (NYC)
Eli the Luthier
A dark and haunting fairy tale about a lonesome luthier and the Baron's daughter, conceived by Jessica Marie Lorence using pop-up puppetry, and original music by Luke Santy.
Martina Plag & Lorna Howley (Philadelphia, PA)
Emma's Parlor
An adaptation of Howard Zinn's play about the life and times of Emma Goldman, "embodies the notion of innovation in performance." (Philadelphia City Paper)
Valeska Populoh (Baltimore, MD)
Garment Workers Tale
Inspired by historic accounts and archival photos of garment workers and immigrants at the end of the 19th century in Baltimore and New York City.
Ariel Goldberger Blau (Olympia, WA)
Terapia
A fantastical and voyeuristic journey into the mental landscape of a person during psychotherapy,the performance mines the deepest and darkest layers of the mind where unimaginable beings do unimaginable and sometimes beautiful things.
MAIN STAGE PROGRAM 2
JUNE 15 AT 10 PM & JUNE 16 AT 7:30 P.M.
Great Small Works (NYC)
Toy Theater of Terror As Usual, Episode 13: Whistles and Leaks
The latest in Great Small Works' 20-year-running news-based series, this episode addressing freedom of information and the travails of PFC Bradley Manning.
Michael Sommers/Open Eye Theater (Minneapolis, MN)
Suitcase Narrative: Three Small Things
Performed in a suitcase, with trick marionettes, a "cranky" and gibberish, narrating three small things: Before, Now and Later.
Liz Joyce & Alex Khludov (Sag Harbor, NY)
Baba Yaga vs. Bat Man
Gotham City hasn't been the same since she got here and her bad habit of baked young boys is creating a plume of trouble. Will Baba Yaga be stopped by our Dynamic Duo? Find out in this thrilling episode in living color and on paper!
Dolly Wagglers Puppet Co. (Glover, VT)
Bavarian Folk Tale
With cardboard cut-outs and original live music, five scenes depict the migration of a band of comical miners in pursuit of "stuff." Greed, protest, owls, donkeys and a ferocious giant!
Pontine Theater (Portsmouth, NH)
A Memorable Murder
The story of a famous 19th century crime, "one of the most monstrous tragedies ever enacted on this planet," which took place on the Isles of Shoals off the coast of Portsmouth. Design by Greg Gathers; performed by Gathers and Marguerite Mathews.
MAIN STAGE PROGRAM 3: DISASTER!
JUNE 19 & 20 at 7:30 P.M.
A themed program about the social responses to and consequences of natural and unnatural disasters.
Great Small Works and Friends (Cambridge, MA and Townshend, VT)
Blue Skies
Scenes of flood, tornado, wind and rain question the politics of weather disaster. Created and performed by Isaac Bell, Trudi Cohen, Cate Kelley, Jonathan Kelley and Ron Kelley.
Erik Ruin and MaryAnn Colella (Providence, RI)
One Touch of Nature Makes the Whole World Kin
Artist Ruin's sprawling silkscreened graphics come to life to address disasters and the organic mutual aid efforts which arise in their wake. Text from Rebecca Solnit's A Paradise Built In Hell.
Puppeteers Cooperative (Boston, MA)
Street Scene
Watching the city dance to the rhythms of daily life, as the waves of disaster break against the walls of habit and small pleasures.
Great Small Works (NYC)
Sandy Sandy Sandy
A terrible storm has just hit, and the underwater population of New York is dealing with its aftermath. The third installment of an oral history-based soap opera created in a fish tank by Jenny Romaine and Roberto Rossi.
Special Post-Show Discussion?Wednesday June 19?
Who Is Feeling the Heat??
The Program 3 performance on Wednesday June 19 will be followed by a Post-Show Discussion: Who Is Feeling The Heat? Moving the National and Local Discussion of Climate Change.?Hosted by Jenny Romaine and Rachel Schragis.
MAIN STAGE PROGRAM 4
JUNE 20 at 10 P.M. and JUNE 21 at 7:30 P.M.
Beth Nixon/ Ramshackle Enterprises (Providence, RI)
Lava Fossil
A suitcase theater show about a dad, a crab, a dentist and where things go when they are gone. Plus! The secret life of eel grass, and how to measure grief with a ruler.
Animal Cracker Conspiracy (San Diego, CA)
The Way of the Mask
A poetic journey into personal history in the shadow of First Nations identity and Colonialist incursions into the environment, an homage to growing up adopted and connecting with the spirit of the cedar.
Daniel Rosza Lang/Levitsky (NYC)
a little ambiguity over there (theater poems by ruth krauss)
Showcasing the beloved children's book writer ("The Carrot Seed,""A Hole Is To Dig") and lifelong radical's playfully surreal work for the stage.
Jessica Peri Chalmers & Mike Stumm (Chicago, IL)
Let's Copy Each Other So We Can Be Copy Cats
Part-puppet, part-people show about parents who speak for, through, over and sometimes even to their puppet-kids. With Mike Stumm, Diana Slickman, Jeanette Vigne and Billy Dee
Zach Dorn (Pittsburgh, PA)
Five Excruciatingly Ordinary Toy Theater Shows
In 1994, brothers Bert and John Jacobs created the first t-shirts, baseball hats, and coasters branding their credo "Life is Good" across life-loving Americans. 20 years later, Dorn hopes to revitalize the Jacob Brothers' slogan for a new generation with his own motto, "Life is Unremarkable." He transforms five ordinary journal entries into live projected toy theater spectacles.
MAIN STAGE PROGRAM 5
JUNE 21 at 10 P.M. and JUNE 22 at 7:30 P.M.
Clare Dolan/The Museum of Everyday Life (Glover, VT)
Elephant
Alternating scenes between the streets of Shanghai, a savannah in Africa, and her parents' modest Chicago bungalow, Dolan weaves the stories of these diverse locations into a brief, humorous, and ethereal meditation on her mother's last few days on earth.
Great Small Works with Ensemble Pi (NYC)
Eisler on the Go
A visual narrative set to the music of one of the great, politically engaged composers of the mid-20th century. Created by Stephen Kaplin, Jenny Romaine, Roberto Rossi. Musical direction and piano: Idith Meshulam. Vocals: Richard Chang. With Meredith Holch, Gregory Corbino.
Kathleen Kennedy Tobin (NYC)
The Storming of the Winter Palace
A 2013 Puppet Re-enactment of the 1920 Bolshevik Re-enactment of the Storming of the Winter Palace October 1917.
Papel Machete (San Juan, PR)
We'll Fight with You
About foreclosures and the struggle for affordable housing in Boston, using actual stories and images from the campaigns of housing rights organization City Life/Vida Urbana.
Kevin P. Hale / Playlab NYC (NYC)
Poe-Dunk - A Matchbox Entertainment
An itty-bitty puppet repertoire of obscure curios, marginalia, and even a couple of popular classics from America's most versatile writer.
MAIN STAGE PROGRAM 6
JUNE 22 at 10 P.M. and JUNE 23 at 7:30 P.M.
Facto Teatro (Mexico City)
Don Chico con Alas
Based on a story by Mexican writer Eraclio Zepeda, the brave Don Chico decides he must build himself wings to reach the sky. Alejandro Benítez, Mauricio Martínez and Antonio Cerezo.
Paul Spirito (Hartford, CT)
Phoomie
A biographical suitcase show about Filomena Capirchio, the grandmother of the artist, and her experiences growing up in a depression era immigrant family in America.
Handsome Meat Company (San Diego, CA)
The Apprentice
Tradesman: long lost. Porterhouse: master. New York: counter clerk. Ground chuck: apprentice. Banjo: the giggler. A paper doll piece based on "Of Abattoir and Oleander," the story of Max Robert Daily's journeyman travels. Sound by Scott Neilson, music by Dom Gambini.
Amanda Villalobos & Kate Scelsa (NYC)
Sister Adorers in the Cardboard Convent
It's a night for entertainments here in the Cardboard Convent, but before you may enter the theater, Sister Redempta must ask you to account for your sins. "Particular Friendships" between sisters will not be tolerated. Only through an examination of consciousness will you be absolved.
Julia Smith (NYC)
21 Things I Never Told Chicago
Wander through the city's myths and memories, peeping and peering into worlds on a scale from the Sears Tower to a stick of Wrigley's gum.
FAMILY PROGRAMS
PROGRAM 1A JUNE 16 at 11 A.M., PROGRAM 1B JUNE 16 at 2 P.M.
PROGRAM 2A JUNE 23 at 11 A.M., PROGRAM 2B JUNE 23 at 2 P.M.
Barbara Steinitz & Björn Kollin (Berlin, Germany) - Programs 1A, 1B, 2B
Schnurzpiepegal (Like Master, Like Dog)
A picture book written and illustrated by Ms. Steinitz comes to life, performed out of a suitcase, with live music created and played on an array of instruments by Mr. Kollin. A humorous love story about outsiders who overcome their loneliness and people's prejudices by accepting themselves.
Puppetkabob (Portland, OR) - Programs 2A, 2B
The Snowflake Man
Inspired by Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley, the self-educated farmer and scientist who attracted world attention when he became the first person to photograph a single snow crystal.
Puppet Junction Productions (Brooklyn) - Programs 1B, 2A
Vrooom!
A young spider goes on an accidental family vacation inside a vacuum cleaner-a vacation that turns into a great escape! Created by Serra Hirsch, playwright Benjamin Walker Sampson, original music by Arlen Hart.
Alphabet Arts (NYC) - Programs 2A, 2B
Fable of the Flying Fox
A gluttonous fox soars through treetops stealing eggs from unguarded bird nests. A blend of toy theater, poetry, and live music creates a haunting allegory about greed.
You and Me Puppets (Reading, MA) - Program 1A
Sleeping Beauty
The classic fairy tale told with the use of pop-up scenery and set by Agusta Agustasson, and toy theater figures designed, built and performed by Judith O'Hare.
GREAT SMALL STAGES PERFORMANCES:
PROGRAM 1, JUNE 14 AT 7:30 P.M.
Torry Bend (Durham, NC) in Paper Hat Game
Fusing video and toy theater in a constantly shifting landscape of city life, the true story of the Paper Hat Guy who handed out paper hats on the Chicago L.
Evolve Company (NYC) in Secrets History Remembers
Performed in and around the body of a 7-foot tall doll, Tanya Khordoc & Barry Weil's multimedia collage is an hilarious and moving journey through the conflicted soul of 20th Century America.
PROGRAM 2, JUNE 14 AT 9:00 P.M.
Michael & Valerie Nelson's Little Blue Moon Theater (Vallejo, CA) in Roman Reverie
Harold and Eve go to Italy for a vacation, have a big fight on their first night, split up, and each go on their own involuntary quest through the Roman pantheon. Presented by the adult-themed wing of Magical Moonshine Theater.
PROGRAM 3, JUNE 15 at 7:30 P.M.
Evolve Company (NYC) in Secrets History Remembers
Michael & Valerie Nelson's Little Blue Moon Theater (Vallejo, CA) in Roman Reverie
PROGRAM 4, JUNE 15 at 9 P.M.
Torry Bend (Durham, NC) in Paper Hat Game
Yulya Dukhovny (Los Angeles, CA) in Fisherman's Dream
In this adaptation of A. Pushkin's 1875 fairy tale, live performance in a 13x18" proscenium is accompanied by a silent movie where small paper figures appear in real-life natural settings. Original piano score composed by Y. Dukhovny.
PROGRAM 5, JUNE 16 at 7:30 P.M.
Michael & Valerie Nelson's Little Blue Moon Theater (Vallejo, CA) in Roman Reverie
Yulya Dukhovny (Los Angeles, CA) in Fisherman's Dream
PROGRAM 6, JUNE 16 at 9 P.M.
Torry Bend (Durham, NC) in Paper Hat Game
PROGRAM 7 & 8, JUNE 19 & 20 at 7:30 P.M.
Deborah Kaufmann (NYC) in Buried Alive! A Matchbook Theater
Based on historical and medical facts, a frightfully funny exploration of our fear of being buried alive and of the curious phenomenon of 19th Century "waiting mortuaries."
PROGRAM 9, 10 & 11, JUNE 21-23 AT 7:30 PM
Robert Poulter's New Model Theatre (Ramsgate, U.K.) in The Mummy's Purse
A comic historic romp based on classic Egyptian horror movies of the 30's, with fast moving changes of scene and location from Egypt's ancient past. This "Titan of toy theater" literally wrote the book on modern paper theater technique.
MUSEUM AND LOBBY MINI-PERFORMANCES:
JUNE 23 at 7:00PM, FREE
Ed Valentine, The Lives and Deaths of Sea Monkeys
Amanda Villalobos, Confessionals from Sister Adorers in a Cardboard Convent
Chris Green, Bioscope
Alphabet Arts, Folk Opera
Julia Smith, Peep Shows from 21 Things I Never Told Chicago
Toni Schlesinger, A Tropical Love Poem
About Great Small Works: Great Small Works is a collective of theater artists who produce outdoor spectacles with scores of volunteers, indoor miniature shows with paper and objects, variety cabarets with food and music, puppet parades and street pageants, and public school workshops and productions, all created with a wide circle of collaborators and volunteers. On any scale, Great Small Works Productions renew, cultivate and strengthen the spirits of their audiences by reinventing ancient, popular theater techniques as models for engaging in modern public life.
Founded in 1995 and based in DUMBO, Brooklyn (with outposts in Boston and Montreal), the company curates and hosts the Spaghetti Dinner series, variety evenings that include music, live performance and heaping plates of spaghetti, which were founded in the East Village in 1978 by veterans of Bread and Puppet Theater. The company has staged five annual street pageants for the DUMBO Art Under the Bridge Festival, beginning with Procession to End All Evil in October 2001. It has held building and performance workshops with school and community groups of all kinds. The company was awarded a Village Voice OBIE (1997), two UNIMA-USA Citations for Excellence (1997 and 2008), and the 2006 Puppeteers of America Jim Henson Award for innovation in puppetry.
Full-length theater works include: A Mammal's Notebook: The Erik Satie Cabaret, dir. John Bell in collaboration with pianist Margaret Leng Tan; The Memoirs of Gluckel of Hameln, dir. Jenny Romaine, created with Yiddish music luminaries Adrienne Cooper and Frank London; The Man Who WasThursday: A Nightmare, dir. Mark Sussman; and The Rapture Project, collectively created using Sicilian-style marionettes.
Great Small Works wishes to thank the following for their support: NY State Council on the Arts, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, Scherman Foundation, Mental Insight Foundation, Mexican Cultural Institute, The Jim Henson Foundation and many individual donors. We are also profoundly grateful for the generosity of scores of puppeteers, performers, visual artists, and volunteers.
Why Toy Theater?: Using flat, paper cut-out figures and miniature scenery, Toy Theater (also known as "paper theater") originated with 19th century advances in printing and engraving. The original toy theaters of Europe were complete dramas modeled on stage hits of the day, do-it-yourself home entertainment kits containing scripts, characters and scenery which you could take home, assemble, and perform for family and friends.
During the countdown to the first Gulf War in 1990, inspired by Walter Benjamin's notion of a culture in a permanent "state of emergency," and responding to the banal terror of the mass media, members of Great Small Works began performing a topical serial drama using excerpted texts and images quickly cut from the daily news.
The Toy Theater of Terror As Usual is now in its 13th episode. Great Small Works has continued to reinvent the 19th-century form, teaching Toy Theater to people of all ages, and inspiring both performing and visual artists to do their own Toy Theater experimentations. This is a do-it-yourself storytelling form which can be elaborate yet simple, grand yet inexpensive, full of deep critical thinking yet accessible to all. Great Small Works sparked what has become a full-scale toy theater revival movement.
Great Small Works has produced nine festivals of Toy Theater in New York-at Theater for the New City (1993, 1994), Los Kabayitos Puppet Theater (1996, 1998), the Dream Music Puppetry Program at HERE (2000, 2003), and St. Ann's Warehouse (2005, 2008, 2010). In recent years, the festival has become international in scope and has grown to include hundreds of visual and theater artists and scores of volunteers who participate with performance, art and labor. Touring programs of Toy Theater have been presented at Jim Henson Foundation's International Festival of Puppet Theater, Fecamp Scene Nationale (France), Preetz Papiertheatertreffen (Germany), Mikrofestival (Dordrecht, Holland), Recontre Internationale de Theatres de Papier (France), Puppeteers of America Festival (St. Paul, MN), The World is Flat (Chicago), Barents Region Puppet Festival (Finland), and Castelliers Festival (Montreal). Great Small Works has taught this form in workshops which combine storytelling and pedagogy, at places as diverse as NYC public schools, Museum of Popular Culture (Mexico), Calgary Children's Theater Festival, and Wesleyan University.
About St. Ann's Warehouse: For over 30 years, St. Ann's has commissioned, produced and presented an eclectic body of innovative theater and concert presentations that meet at the intersection of theater and rock and roll. Since 2001, the organization has helped vitalize the emerging Brooklyn waterfront neighborhood, DUMBO, where St. Ann's Warehouse has become one of New York City's most important and compelling live performance destinations. After twelve years at 38 Water Street, St. Ann's has activated a new warehouse at 29 Jay, which will be home for the next three years, while the organization designs and raises funds to adapt the Tobacco Warehouse in Brooklyn Bridge Park into a thriving cultural center.
Through its signature multi-artist concerts and groundbreaking music/theater collaborations, St. Ann's Warehouse has become the artistic home for the American avant-garde, international companies of stature and award-winning emerging artists. Highly acclaimed landmark productions include Lou Reed's and John Cale's Songs for 'Drella; Marianne Faithfull's Seven Deadly Sins; Artistic Director Susan Feldman's Band in Berlin; Charlie Kaufman and the Coen Brothers' Theater of the New Ear; The Royal Court Theater's 4:48 Psychosis; The Globe Theatre of London's Measure for Measure; Druid Company's The Walworth Farce, The New Electric Ballroom and Penelope; Enda Walsh's Misterman, featuring Cillian Murphy; Lou Reed's Berlin; the National Theater of Scotland's acclaimed Black Watch; Kneehigh Theatre's Brief Encounter and The Wild Bride; Yael Farber's Mies Julie; and Dmitry Krymov Lab's Opus No. 7. St. Ann's has championed such artists as The Wooster Group, Jeff Buckley, Cynthia Hopkins, Enda Walsh, Emma Rice, and Daniel Kitson.
St. Ann's Warehouse has been awarded the Ross Wetzsteon OBIE Award for the development of new work. The OBIE Award Committee honored St. Ann's for "inviting artists to treat their cavernous DUMBO space as both an inspiring laboratory and a sleek venue where its super-informed audience charges the atmosphere with hip vitality."
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