Photos: IN THE DEVIL'S HANDS Opens at New Queens Micro Theatre Zoopraxic

Helen Banner’s new play IN THE DEVIL’S HANDS starts previews on Wednesday. The world premiere production will run until June 13 premiere at the new micro theatre space Zoopraxic in Long Island City (first stop in Queens). Check out photos of the production.

Set in the Channel Islands in the 1940s, this intimate and immersive production marks the inaugural production at Zoopraxic, an innovative performance venue that blends theatre, installation art, film, live music, and digital immersive media to tell stories. In the Devil’s Hands features live sound performance by composer Joshua Dumas, with Banner also serving as director. 

After a series of attacks in the Channel Islands in the 1940s, local gossips target a young agricultural worker. Determined to prove his innocence he gets his friend to row him out to some uninhabited rocks and leave him there in the middle of the sea. As the seasons pass it gets harder to return and each night the performers get to choose whether it’s worth returning home again. 

Playwright Banner, who is from the Channel Islands, was inspired to write about the region while touring the theatre space and studio now known as Zoopraxic. “When I got a stage into the studio, it looked like a little island floating on the floor and I realized I wanted to write about the Channel Islands, where I'm from, and recreate for an audience the sense of being in the middle of the sea with an enormous sky and no escape from nature or yourself.” She added about the new performance space, “I wanted a tiny space to make really intimate theatre that connects all the things I am passionate about: narrative story telling, digital and immersive media, 3D studio arts, animation, film, installation art and applied theatre. Each thing we're making is totally unique and designed to be as immersive an experience as possible.”

The cast of In the Devil’s Hands features Rory Greenwood, Umer Khan, and Phoebe Lloyd, with voiceover performances by Helen Banner and Joshua Dumas.

The creative/production team includes Joshua Dumas (sound designer/composer), Helen Banner (production design), Allison Parker (line producer), Alleese Eldridge (associate producer), Courtney Seyl (stage manager), and Levvy Banner (production assistant). In the Devil’s Hands is a New Georges supported production.

In the Devil’s Hands runs May 20 - June 14 with performances, Wednesday through  Friday at 7pm, Saturday’s at 3pm and 7pm, and Sunday’s at 4pm. Opening night is slated for Saturday, May 23 at 7pm. Running time: 90 minutes (no intermission). Please note, there is no matinee performance on Saturday, May 23 and no 7pm performance on Wednesday, May 27, Thursday, June 11, and Friday June 12.

Zoopraxic is located at 11-51 44th Rd, Long Island City, NY 11101 (Subway: E/F/G/7 trains to Court Square/23rd Street - first stop in Queens - 4 minute walk from train.) Tickets are $15 (students), $25 (LIC resident), and $30 (general admission).

Rory Greenwood, Umer Khan

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