New Plays from Chicago, Baltimore, Norway, Paris & NC Set for The Tank's 2015-16 'Flint & Tinder' Series

The Tank - a midtown theater company dedicated to developing and presenting new works for the stage by emerging artists, announces its 2015 - 2016 Flint & Tinder series, which includes five new plays from Chicago, Baltimore, Norway, Paris and North Carolina.

THE TANK Artistic Director Rosalind Grush announces its season of exciting new plays, curated by Josh Luxenberg and Jon Levin, featuring physical theater, clowning and puppeteering. These plays are presented as part of Flint & Tinder, The Tank's flagship theater series, and follow on the heels of this summer's sold-out, extended smash-hit ADA|AVA by Manual Cinema, co-produced by The Tank and 3-Legged Dog.

This season's shows are:

§ Theater Oobleck's THERE IS A HAPPINESS THAT MORNING IS by Mickle Maher (New York premiere), a comedy delivered in rhymed verse and centered on the poetry of William Blake, September 10 - 27, 2015; Anna Fitzgerald's's REVERSE CASCADE (New York premiere), based on the life of acclaimed juggler Judy Finelli, a story about control and identity, and what happens when you lose it all. Conveyed with puppetry and object manipulation - March 4 - 20, 2016;

§ RemoteControl Theatre's LA DONNA E MOBILE (New York premiere), a feast of sensual and disturbing imagery dissecting womankind and inspired by extraordinary photographs of hysteria from a 19th century Parisian hospital - April 8 - 24, 2016;

§ Ariel Lauryn's and Lucy Shelby's LIPSTICK, SLAPSTICK, GUNFIRE, AND HEELS (New York premiere), a slapstick send-up of the dramatic ladies of the 20th century theater - May 6 - 21, 2016; and Torry Bend's PAPER HAT GAME (first New York City full-length run), a true tale of a prankster bringing whimsy to subway commuters using puppets and projections - June 2016 (Exact Dates TBD).

THERE IS A HAPPINESS THAT MORNING IS by Mickle Maher will premiere as the season opener in September, running from the 10th - 27th. Maher's comedy in rhymed verse is told via two lectures on the poetry of William Blake: one given in the morning by Bernard, a middle-aged, barely published poet of scant scholarship, on the Songs of Innocence, and the other in the afternoon by his lover, Ellen, a reputable Ph.D., on the Songs of Experience. Having engaged the evening before in a highly inappropriate display of public affection on the main lawn of their rural New England campus, the two undergraduate lecturers must now, in class, either apologize for their behavior or effectively justify it if they want to keep their jobs.

REVERSE CASCADE tells a story through music and object puppetry about the remarkable life of Judy Finelli, a renowned juggler and circus performer whose body betrays her after she is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. We encounter Judy's journey in a world of circus objects. Scarves, clubs, juggling balls and juggling rings are the characters, the environment, and the elements of her world. In this unique form of puppetry performance objects, worlds, and characters magically transform before your eyes. REVERSE CASCADE will play March 4th - 19th 2016.

LA DONNA E MOBILE comes to New York by way of Paris and Norway. The Award-winning RemoteControl Theatre presents a feast of sensual and disturbing imagery in this "scalpel-sharp piece" that dissects womankind and dares to delve into the dark worlds of obsession, perversity and irrationality. La Donna é Mobile is inspired by extraordinary photographs of hysterics taken at the Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris at the end of the 19th century.

LIPSTICK, SLAPSTICK, GUNFIRE, AND HEELS and PAPER HAT GAME will round out the season; Lipstick, Slapstick, Gunfire and Heels in May and Paper Hat Game in June. The plot of LIPSTICK, SLAPSTICK, GUNFIRE AND HEELS by Ariel Lauryn and Lucy Shelby follows Blanche, a local star for TV car insurance commercials, inviting life-long friend and successful New York stage actress Stella to her apartment for a catching-up drink. Reunited after two years, Stella arrives to find that Blanche has actually organized a surprise party for her, with guests comprised of Stella's fanciest and most well-connected friends. Blanche delightedly informs Stella that they will be doing a reading of Marsha Norman's 'night Mother for the guests as the evening's entertainment. Outrageous revelations escalate, and as the two unravel the many secrets they still hold from each other, they tear apart the living room and each other, while the audience gets tangled up in the mess. LIPSTICK, SLAPSTICK, GUNFIRE AND HEELS is an age-old story exploring the depths of female relationships told with comedy, drama and accessories.

PAPER HAT GAME by Torry Bend closes the season. This true story of Scotty Iseri's adventures (and misadventures) as whimsical prankster "The Paper Hat Guy" using live puppetry, intricate models, photo-motion video and a collage of shifting scenery. The hero of this visual kaleidoscope has a simple game: handing out paper hats on the subway with the intention of bringing a bit of childlike joy to daily commuters. But even heroes fall on hard times, and despite the Paper Hat Guy's daily attempt to brighten the city, the city isn't always able to reciprocate. With dreamlike video designed by Raquel Salvatella de Prada, a gritty soundscape, and live puppetry, the performance offers a voyage into the psychological and physical workings of a large city.

These five works are presented as part of Theater at The Tank's flagship program, Flint & Tinder which is curated by Josh Luxenberg, Jon Levin, and Rosalind Grush. Flint & Tinder is a series of exciting and newly devised shows featuring physical theater, clowning and puppeteering. "I am so excited to be following up our wildly successful 2015-16 season by bringing such beautiful and powerful work from around the country and the world to New York City, and we are also very proud that the majority of this season supports work by incredibly talented women." The Flint & Tinder season as presented by The Tank fills a gap in the New York art scene by showcasing incredibly imaginative artists for a diverse audience, and providing a unique package of resources for artists pushing the boundaries of the theatrical artform.

For tickets, call 212-563-6269 or visit www.thetanknyc.org. Tickets: $15.

The Tank is a non-profit arts presenter serving emerging artists engaged in the pursuit of new ideas and forms of expression. We serve over 1,000 artists every year in over 350 performances, and work across all disciplines, including theater, comedy, dance, film, music, public affairs, and storytelling. Our goal is to foster an environment of inclusiveness and remove the burden of cost from the creation of new work for artists launching their careers and experimenting within their art form. The heart of our services is providing free performance space in the intimate 62-seat blackbox that we operate in Manhattan, and we also offer a suite of other services such as free rehearsal space, promotional support, and a cut of the box office. We keep ticket prices affordable and view our work as democratic, opening up both the creation and attendance of the arts to all.

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