The Cell Theatre Announces 2021 Season
Programming includes Life Is Drag, concerts by Canadian violinist and teaching artist Janey Choi and more.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Mar. 30, 2021
Nancy Manocherian's the cell theatre has announced their programming for 2021, which will include collaborations with local and regional artists including One Whale's Tale (Founders Camilo Quiroz-Vazquez and Ellpetha Tsivicos), Amy Engelhardt, The Playhouse at White Lake, Off The Wall Productions, and HOLDTIGHT company. the cell is located at 338 W. 23rd Street in Chelsea. For more information and tickets for current shows visit www.thecelltheatre.org.
Now through April 18:
Currently on view at the cell is Life Is Drag, which showcases the video portraits of Rachel Rampleman. Exploring gender, artifice, and spectacle, Rampleman documents the most innovative and singular performers of the currently exploding alt-drag burlesque scenes. The portraits include performances by Untitled Queen, C'etait Bon Temps, Robyn Edges and more.The exhibition will open on Saturday, February 13 at 6PM at the cell on 338 W. 23rd St. Open Saturdays and Sundays from 12PM-6PM. New York, NY. Masks are required and capacity will be limited.
Saturday, April 3 at 6pm:
In conjunction with Rachel Rampleman's exhibition, the cell will host a special pop-up performances entitled Life is Drag: Live! to be performed in the windows of the cell along 23rd street. Performers include Sweaty Eddie, Muscles Monty, Richard DiCocko, Dick TransDyke. Free and open to the public. Audiences are asked to adhere to social distancing guidelines while viewing the performances on the sidewalk and a donation link for the artists showcased will be accessible on site.
April 4, April 18, May 2, and May 16 at 3pm:
Throughout the spring, Canadian violinist and teaching artist Janey Choi will host a series of intimate chamber music concerts in the open air with Pickup Chamber Music, which evolved out of her own outdoor gatherings organized on her lawn during the 2020 COVID-19 quarantine. Seating is limited, tickets available for a suggested donation of $25. Season Passes are also available for all performances.
April 22, 2021:
Joseph Hendel's fifth installment of Tolerance Party entitled Waiting for I Dunno featuring Richard Urquiza, Peyton Rowe, and Brian Reager with production design by DimlyWit Productions will be available to stream via the cell's website. Tickets will be available on a sliding scale. More information to come.
May 21, 2021:
Resident Artist Amy Engelhardt (Bastard Jones, Grammy-nominated band The Bobs) will premiere her new play, Impact, in a co-production with the cell, The Playhouse at White Lake, and DimlyWit Productions. Impact tells the story of a chain of remarkable "follow-signs" that lead Amy to Lockerbie, Scotland shortly after the 30th Anniversary of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. What starts out as a bucket list trip quietly evolves into a personal and global exploration of grace, kindness and simplicity. The performance will be available to stream online, tickets will be available on a sliding scale. More information to come.
May 2021:
the cell will collaborate with One Whale's Tale on its first in-person theatrical residency with The Queen of Cyprus conceived by founders Camilo Quiroz-Vazquez and Ellpetha Tsivicos (Quince at People's Garden with the TEAM). A rejection of the colonial interpretation of Hellenism, "bacchanals," and Anglicized portrayals of Eastern Mediterranean culture, The Queen of Cyprus is an immersive ceremony that invites the audience to participate in a mysterious ancient festival ushering in the rebirth of Spring. This production will engage with artists from the Eastern Mediterranean diaspora whose ancestral traditions will color the piece. "As we eagerly approach a new season and cautiously look to a world beyond the pandemic, we offer our weary pilgrims the seedlings of possibility." writes One Whale's Tale. More information and dates to come.
July 2021:
the cell will workshop a new version of Jean-Paul Sartre's The Respectful Prostitute adapted by actor and playwright Corey Allen and helmed by Shanara Gabrielle. More details to come.
September 2021:
The premiere of HOLDTIGHT's first in-person production of 2021, What Keeps You Going? as a part of their ongoing residency. Conceived by founder Gwendolyn Gussman and HOLDTIGHT, an interdisciplinary dance theater company. HOLDTIGHT was last seen at the cell in 2019 for It's Not What You Think inspired by the work of Mikel Glass. The company has also touted a series of smaller virtual "Bites" ranging from video productions to interactive online experiences throughout the pandemic. Ticket information and dates to come.
October 2021:
the cell will present the New York Premiere of Hoard written by Lissa Brennan and directed by Brian Reager in a co-production with Off the Wall Productions in Pittsburgh. Meet Viv: a Pittsburgh woman living alone in a house cluttered by a troubled past. Meet Claire: an organizational life consultant living a life filled with secrets. When Claire comes to assist Viv sort through her things, both women must face some difficult truths, without which neither can hope to persist beyond the walls that they have created for themselves. Hoard is a dark comedy that explores the things we choose to keep close to us and the things we choose to let go. "A compassionate, dark, thrilling ride" (Pittsburgh Current) this new play received its premiere at Off The Wall Productions in Pittsburgh in the months before the pandemic and features performances by Erika Cuenca and Virginia Gruenert with set design by Tucker Topel and stage management by Kayla Santos.
November 2021:
the cell will present a developmental workshop of Arctic Explorations, a new opera by award winning composer Michael Dellaira (The Secret Agent) in association with the New Amsterdam Singers. Arctic Explorations tells the story of 19th century explorer Elisha Kent Kane and his curious romance with Maggie Fox, the noted spiritualist and medium. Despite being complete opposites in almost every respect, they were each American celebrities who entertained crowds with tales of mysterious places and phenomena: glaciers, polar bears and the Inuit communities, or the world of the hereafter, and how to communicate with the dead. More details to come.
The 2021 season will also feature new work by Steven Shikhel, Seamus Scanlon, David Goldman, Nancy Manocherian and more. The cell theatre has been and will continue to closely adhere to all federal, state and city guidelines regarding COVID-19 protocol. All audience members will be required to present a vaccination card or negative PCR test for in-person indoor events starting April 2nd. Masks are required and hand sanitizer is available for all visitors. We strive to keep our venue well ventilated by replacing the air filters in our HVAC system and opening doors and windows when possible. Our staff will be fully inoculated this Spring and we are working hard to help all eligible artists and associates receive their vaccine appointments as the rollout continues.
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