En Garde Arts Presents THRESHOLD By Amy Brenneman
By: Julie Musbach Jul. 23, 2019
Amy Brennenman and Sabrina Peck, "Threshold" from The Yard on Vimeo.
En Garde Arts presents Amy Brenneman's THRESHOLD, an autobiographical theater piece that tells the story of how Brenneman became a true ally to her daughter, Charlotte, who has a rare chromosomal abnormality. This abnormality and a lack of diagnosis from doctors, therapists, and neuropsychologists result in (what the school system deems) an intellectual disability. Years of testing, evaluations, and assessments yield frustratingly few results and Brenneman must decide for herself how she will choose to approach her situation for the benefit of both herself and her daughter. Funny, poignant, relatable and bold, THRESHOLD asks: what does our society consider a disability? Who gets marginalized in our competitive world? What does our society consider a success? And can we attempt to go beyond acceptance and aspire to celebrate the diversity of abilities and neurologies? Can we fulfill the promise of an authentically inclusive society?
THRESHOLD will be the most recent in En Garde's ongoing developmental series, Uncommon Voices, that is held monthly at The Commons Cafe in Brooklyn, New York. En Garde Arts continues their mission to break down artistic, social, and political barriers by uniting marginalized populations and traditional theatre-going audiences with the intergenerational series Uncommon Voices that promotes art, activism, conversation and community.
Upcoming Uncommon Voices performances include Tony Award-winning actor André De Shields (Hadestown) performing Balboa Is Not Drowning on September 9th, a queer exploration into August Wilson's Century Cycle written by Kevin R. Free and directed by Zhailon Levingston. On October 7th, we will see Em Weinstein's Soldier Girls, which uses real letters and a collage of history and music to examine the untold story of the queer female soldiers of the U.S. Army's newly formed Women's Army Corps in World War II.
Threshold will be performed at the Commons Cafe at 388 Atlantic Avenue (Between Hoyt and Bond) on Monday July 8th, at 7:30 p.m. Doors will open at 6:30 to allow for purchase of food and drinks before the start of the performance. Tickets are $17.50 in advance, $20.00 at the door and $15.00 for seniors and students with IDs (available for purchase online at https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/cal/34637).
Amy Brenneman (Author/Performer) is an actress, writer, and producer. She is a founding member of Cornerstone Theater Company and has received recognition for her work in film and television, including: Judging Amy (3 Golden Globe nominations, 3 Emmy nominations, SAG nomination, People's Choice nomination, Producer's Guild nomination, two TV Guide awards), NYPD Blue (SAG Award, 2 Emmy nominations), and Frasier (Emmy award for writing).
Sabrina Peck (Director) is a director and choreographer of socially-engaged theater, creating original productions in collaboration with diverse communities: Odakle Ste with Bosnian Muslim refugees; Speaking our Streets with NC tobacco workers; and Commodities with NYC Wall Streettraders. This is the third piece she has developed with Amy Brenneman (including Mouth Wide Open at the American Repertory Theater and Interstates). Other directing and/or choreography: Lincoln Center Theatre; The NY Shakespeare Festival; Play On Festival; La Mama; Oregon Shakespeare Festival; Yale Repertory Theatre; Arena Stage; New World Theater. She has taught socially-engaged theater at Columbia University, NYU Tisch School of the Arts and Duke University and was Iver's Visiting Artist at Harvard. She was a founding member of Cornerstone Theater Company and is the founder and executive director of CityStep. SabrinaPeck.com | CityStep.org
En Garde Arts is an award-winning New York City-based theatre company that pioneered site-specific theatre in New York City. Founded in 1985 by Anne Hamburger, the company led audiences to unexpected locations across the city for innovative, contemporary, highly visual new work. En Garde's productions earned 6 OBIE Awards, 2 Drama Desk Awards, the Special Outer Critics Circle Award and the Edwin Booth Award. The company ceased operations in 1999 when Hamburger relocated to the West Coast, first as Artistic Director of the La Jolla Playhouse, and later to run a global division for the Walt Disney Company. She returned to the east coast, reformed the company, and re-launched En Garde in the fall of 2014. By bringing together artistic teams with non-arts partners from the outset, and merging seasoned theatre-goers with new audiences, En Garde Arts continues to spark dialogue among people not normally in conversation, both in New York and beyond. En Garde's next fully mounted production will be Fandango for Butterflies (and Coyotes) by Andrea Thome, premiering in February at La Mama in New York, NY, as part of a five borough tour.
Threshold Video from Anne Hamburger on Vimeo.
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