Francis Weiss Rabkin and Tight Braid Group to Close Dixon Place Residency with WON'T BE A GHOST

Playwright Francis Weiss Rabkin and their company Tight Braid Group present the culmination of a four-month residency at Dixon Place, with a performance of their interdisciplinary play WON'T BE A GHOST, September 3 & 4, 2015.

Growing out of several years of development, WON'T BE A GHOST engages the history ofradical sexologist Magnus Hirschfeld and his Weimar-era Berlin Institute of Sexology, braiding it together with the story of trans-hacktivist Chelsea Manning, the lore of St. Sebastian, and the Greek tragedy Agamemnon. By interrelating these histories and myths, WON'T BE A GHOST examines the truth-telling body, specifically the queer/outsider body, encountering and in conflict with the state. A chorus, led by composer Leslie Allison, draws on Brechtian and Greek tragic traditions to help navigate this rich emotional-political territory.

Earlier work-in-progress showings of Won't Be A Ghost have been presented at Prelude '14, The Drama League of New York, and HERE. The 2015 Kilroy List recognized WON'T BE A GHOST as an Honorable Mention.

Anchored in a research and rehearsal practice that prioritizes emotional and political engagement, Tight Braid Group pulls from diverse practices and experiences to tell complex stories and build close community bonds. Collaborators include poets, playwrights, musicians, choreographers, visual artists, dancers, and others.

Francis Weiss Rabkin's plays and collaborations have been presented in Philadelphia, Chicago, and in New York at HERE Arts, Dixon Place, the Bushwick Starr, and the Prelude Festival. They are the author of the plays Yay! Synchronicity in the Universe (Dixon Place, 2013) and Collecting Dust (Cha- Cha 'Razzi, 2008). They are honored to have received residencies at the Wassaic Project, the Millay Colony, the Drama League of New York, and Dixon Place.

Composer Leslie Allison writes songs, poems, and criticism. She has been creating choral works for collaborations with her partner Francis Weiss Rabkin since 2013, and she studies voice with Nick Hallett. Leslie's first book of poetry, Martha, was released this year by Ugly Duckling Presse.

For more, visit www.francisweissrabkin.net, www.tightbraidgroup.org or www.dixonplace.org.

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