OCCUPY THE EMPTY SPACE to Play March 18

Peter Brooke, in his book The Empty Space, teaches that a theatre is empty, devoid, even—until people create in it. As beautiful as that is (and as much as those involved with this event may agree) there is a harsher, far less poetic battle for literal empty space – for housing-- going on, press notes state. Occupy the Empty Space believes housing is a human right. Unfortunately, the 1% has turned it into something barely accessible—if accessible at all--for far too many of the 99%.

As a result, on March 18th, 2012 New York artists affiliated with Occupy Wall Street will stage a theater festival and direct action and housing rights education/outreach in the main hall of Judson Memorial Church.

This completely free event will include 15 new plays and 8 teach-ins by well known activist groups, including 040, NLG, Time’s Up! (there will be a Time’s Up! bike ride to the event at 1:30 starting from Liberty Plaza), Picture the Homeless, Queer Rising, and more.

Sarah Duncan, a playwright and one of the original two organizers of the event, explained the idea behind the title. "The title, Occupy the Empty Space, came from the title of the Peter Brook book, The Empty Space. But really, it's fitting on more than a theatrical level. Space is so valuable these days, and yet it is often abandoned or wasted. In NYC there is a 'lack of space,' or so it seems--but really, there is plenty of it. Apartments, parking lots, all sorts of shelter and open areas--but they've been purchased by large corporations who aren't doing anything with their real estate except separating valuable resources from those who need it."

“All the best activism is theater,” notes Benjamin Shepard, an organizer of Occupy the Empty Space and member of Judson Church. “This is a space where performers have long taken their theater to the streets, restaging what life could be like in New York City. We’ve had villains such as Robert Moses take on hero’s such as Jane Jacobs, the Freedom Riders, and ACT UP. Each preached about the need for a different kind of stage, in which everyone has a voice, not just those with the access to power and money. Occupy the Empty Space continues this tradition of engaged theater.”

“What attracted me to the occupy movement, initially, was it's horizontal nature,” noted Kate Foster, playwright and other original organizer of Occupy the Empty Space. “There was no climb, there was no pyramid of who was in charge--everyone had the power and the capability to make something happen. Sarah and I have taken that model--a model for a leader-full movement--and applied it to the theatrical process. How can we celebrate everyone? How can we stay non-commercial and still selective? How can we be selective and equally inclusive? It's a valuable conversation to have, not in just in terms of this event, but in the larger context of the theatre community and entertainment industry.”

PLAYS:

Granny Smith Monologue, by Heather Violanti
He is Gonna See Stars, by Lavinia Turner
The Retreating World, by Naomi Wallace
Turquoise and Cloves, by Matt Kelly
Arab Spring and Revolution 2.0, two plays by Paco Madden
How to Stop the Empire While Keeping Your Day Job, by Dan Kinch
Democracy, by Caridad Svich
Deconstructed, by Sarah Duncan
Corporations are People, Too, by Dean Poynor
Zombie Killers Brigade, by Damian Sebouhian
Captain Corporate Personhood, by Adam Sharp
The Princess and Her Peas, by Daniel Glenn

EVENT: Occupy the Empty Space
WHEN: March 18th from 2:30 – 7:30
WHERE: Judson Memorial Church, New York, NY south side of Washington Square Park (55 Washington Sq South) via the West 4 stop (A/B/C/D/E/F/M) or the 8th St- NYU stop (N/R).

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