12 Peers Theater Welcomes Playwright Back For A New Interactive Experience
By: Stephi Wild Apr. 19, 2019
12 Peers Theater begins their eighth main stage season with Blank, featuring the return of White Rabbit Red Rabbit playwright Nassim Soleimanpour and his latest "story machine." Blank features a script full of blanks, to be filled by the audience in attendance and a new performer at every performance, ensuring no two performances are the same.
"In 2019, 12 Peers Theater continues to examine the stories that are important to our community. Blank allows us, our performers, the playwright, and most importantly, our audience to become co-creators in the stories we tell. No two performances will be identical, and the experience will be directly influenced by the people in the room. This is the real beauty of an immediate theatre."
Performed by a new actor at each performance and continuing the formal experiment that marked White Rabbit Red Rabbit, Nassim Soleimanpour brings us Blank. Through a joint effort between audience and performer, the gaps in the script are filled in to reveal a story that celebrates the human imagination. As formally inventive as it is engaging, Blank reverses the typical theatre experience: A script riddled with blanks leaves the audience in charge of how the story will unfold. The concept might be simple, but the result is nothing short of empowering as a random audience member sees his or her future determined by the imagination of others.
Parking available on Bigelow Blvd., Forbes Ave., Fifth Ave., or at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Parking Garage on Bigelow Blvd.
BOX OFFICE INFORMATION
412-626-6784 or www.12peers.org.
Single Tickets range from Name Your Own Price to $20.00.
MAIN STAGE PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
May 2 - 8:00 PM - Demetria Marsh
May 3 - 8:00 PM - Daina Michelle Griffith
May 4 - 8:00 PM - Martin Giles
May 5 - 2:00 PM - Hazel Leroy
May 9 - 8:00 PM - Missy Moreno
May 10 - 8:00 PM - Brittany Tague
May 11 - 8:00 PM - Randy Kovitz
May 12 - 2:00 PM - Hope Anthony
May 13 - 8:00 PM - Karen Baum
May 16 - 8:00 PM - Kelly Trumbull
May 17 - 8:00 PM - Parag Gohel
May 18 - 8:00 PM - Sharon Brady
May 19 - 2:00 PM -Gayle Pazerski
There will be moderated talkbacks following the Sunday performances on May 5, May 12, and May 19.
For a complete listing of performance times, please visit www.12peers.org or call 412-626-6784.
TICKETS
Single Tickets range from Name Your Own Price to $20.00
DISCOUNTS
Artist: $15.00
Student: Name Your Own Price
Senior: Name Your Own Price
Dramatists Guild Members: Free through the Playwrights Welcome Program
Thursday May 2 (Preview), Sunday May 5, May 12, and May 19, and Monday May 13 (Industry Night) are Name Your Own Price.
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
Nassim Soleimanpour is an independent multidisciplinary theatre maker from Tehran, Iran. His plays have been translated into 20 languages. Best known for his play White Rabbit Red Rabbit, written to travel the world when he couldn’t, his work has been awarded the Dublin Fringe Festival Best New Performance, Summerworks Outstanding New Performance Text Award and The Arches Brick Award (Edinburgh Fringe) as well as picking up nominations for a Total Theatre and Brighton Fringe Pick of Edinburgh Award.
By the time Nassim was permitted to travel for the first time in early 2013, his play White Rabbit Red Rabbit had been performed over 1000 times in 20 languages. Since then Nassim has facilitated workshops and panels in different countries including World Theatre Festival (Brisbane), Tolhuistuin (Amsterdam), SESC Vila Mariana (Sao Paulo), Schauspielhaus (Vienna), DPAC (Kuala Lampur), Theatertreffen (Berlin), British Council (London), Asia House (London) and University of Bremen (Germany).
Nassim’s second play Blind Hamlet for the London based Actors Touring Company premiered at the 2014 Edinburgh Festival Fringe and has since toured extensively around the UK and was received well in Bucharest and Copenhagen. His third play BLANK premiered in November 2015 at Dancing on the Edge Festival in Amsterdam and Utrecht followed by performances at Radar Festival in London.
2017 saw the premiere of Nassim’s latest play, the eponymously titled NASSIM which features the playwright himself on stage. Co-produced by the Bush Theatre in London, the play premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to great acclaim, winning the prestigious Scotsman Fringe First Award. Nassim now lives in Berlin with his wife Shirin and dog Echo, and tours the world with NASSIM while working on new material for the stage.
ABOUT THE COMPANY
Founded in 2011 and taking their name from the Twelve Peers of Charlemagne, 12 Peers Theater is a 501(c)(3) organization operating in the Greater Pittsburgh Area. 12 Peers Theater's mission is to provide challenging and engaging theater through contemporary works exploring myth and cultural identity.
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