Ian W. Hill & Berit Johnson have been making theatre as partners in life and work for ten years - Ian in front as director and actor; Berit, who only wants anonymity, behind-the-scenes. 7 years ago, they decided to marry. In order for it to have meaning for them, they chose to make their marriage a piece of theatre. So for this personal show, a personal press release, adapted from an email response from a member of the press, who asked us, "Is this wedding valid and legal?" The response from Ian at Gemini CollisionWorks:
Yes, Gemini CollisionWorks' The Wedding of
Berit Johnson & Ian
W. Hill: A Theatre Study by Ian
W. Hill &
Berit Johnson contains the ACTUAL legally binding elements that will marry Berit and myself. Noted author/playwright/performer Trav S.D. has graciously got himself registered with the state of New York to act as our officiant, and there will be a wedding party of friends from the Indie Theatre community, going back to our early days producing theatre at NADA on Ludlow Street. The company will be costumed by Karen Flood, best known for her wonderful creations for Inverse Theater, who has also worked with us before.
The performance itself - mostly a monologue for Ian
W. Hill as "himself" with pointed interjections from
Berit Johnson, as well as several standard Gemini CollisionWorks dance-movement numbers, a recreation of "the proposal," a photo history of the couple's childhoods, and helpful marriage ceremony hints from the wedding party - will concern itself with what constitutes for this theatrical couple a "valid" marriage, especially between two people who have considered themselves married for 10 years, and for whom the creation of any piece of theatre is a FAR more important ceremony than a normal wedding, as well as an attempt for me to create a work that is not only personal - ALL my plays are personal - but uses actual autobiographical materials of my life, which for me is usually distasteful, unseemly, fetishistic, and self-indulgent. I'm still trying to work this out.
Also, while Berit HAS agreed to speak (in limited amounts) from the tech booth during the ceremony, she has NOT agreed to appear physically on stage, as she is "not a performer" and HATES being looked at or having any attention focused in her direction. How the absence of a "bride" might effect a wedding may yet be discovered . . . Maybe this whole "public performance" thing WASN'T such a good idea . . .
Is this wedding happening too soon? Too late? Or "just right?" You decide. Hope to see you there.
best wishes, Ian
W. Hill, Gemini CollisionWorks, Brooklyn, NY
This show will play Sat. 6/19 @ 4:45 pm / Sun. 6/20 @ 3:00 pm [SOLD OUT] / Tue. 6/22 @ 8:45 pm / Sat. 6/26 @ 4:30 pm
as part of the Too Soon Festival
at The Brick (575 Metropolitan Avenue near Lorimer Street, Brooklyn).
Tickets ($18) may be purchased online at
www.bricktheater.com or by calling 1-866-811-4111.
GEMINI COLLISIONWORKS is Ian
W. Hill (arts) &
Berit Johnson (crafts), and has been producing theatre in NYC since 1997. This show is the 64th created by GCW, which has produced acclaimed productions of plays by by Foreman, Eliot, Havel, Ionesco, Wellman, Shakespeare, Fassbinder, Jeff Goode, and Marc Spitz, along with many original works by
Mr. Hill.
THE BRICK was founded in 2002 by Robert Honeywell and
Michael Gardner. Formerly an auto-body shop, a yoga center, and various storage spaces, this brick-walled garage in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, was completely refurbished as a state-of-the-art performance space. Since then, The Brick has launched, produced and presented hundreds of world-premiere stage works from New York emerging artists and theater-makers from around the globe. The theater company is a proud member of New York's burgeoning Indie Theater community and informal home to an ever-expanding family of artists and avid theatergoers. Winner of the New York Innovative Theater Awards Caffé Cino Fellowship Award 2009.
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