World Premiere Of MY ONLINESS Will Be Presented With American Sign Language Interpretation

One-Eighth Theater, New Ohio Theatre and IRT Theater will present the world premiere of MY ONLINESS, directed by Daniel Irizarry, with text and lyrics from Witkacy by Robert Lyons, original music by Kamala Sankaram and artistic sign language direction by Alexandria Wailes and Kailyn Aaron-Lozano.

MY ONLINESS, presented in American Sign Language and English, is a fable/cabaret/circus entertainment about a mad king's desperate attempt to impress a mysterious petitioner. (The poor writer is simply collateral damage!) Is this a glimpse of our dystopian future? Or just the structure of human consciousness?

Laced with songs of torture, truth, and tenderness; with fully integrated American Sign Language performed by two "Mediums" of the royal court; this is sexy, visceral, dark buffoonery reimagined as The New Absurd; a homage to Stanislaw Witkacy and his theories of "pure theatre."

The cast includes Daniel Irizarry, Cynthia LaCruz, Rhys Tivey, Dickie Hearts, Malik Paris and musicians Joanie Brittingham and Drew Fleming.

The production team includes Alexandria Wailes and Kailyn Aaron-Lozano (Co-Directors of Artistic Sign Language), Kamala Sankaram (Composer), Kori Ruston (Creative Producer), Jungah Han (Set Design), Christina Tang (Lighting Design), Brittani Beresford (Costume Design), Lawrence Schober (Sound Engineer), Zilvinas Jonusas (Technical Director), and Hannah Staffer and Emily Hart (Production Stage Managers). Additional support is provided by the Seoul Institute of the Arts.

MY ONLINESS runs September 2 - 24, 2022 in a limited engagement at New Ohio Theatre (154 Christopher St.) in New York City. Previews begin September 2 for a September 7 opening.

The September 15 performance at 8:30pm EST will include a live-stream educational collaboration between La MaMa's Culture Hub and the Seoul Institute of the Arts.

Tickets are $25 and $17 for students and seniors. Running time is approximately 80 minutes. Schedule varies - for exact days and times, and to purchase in-person or live-stream tickets, visit https://newohiotheatre.org.

Coinciding with the world premiere, Mercer Street Books, a brand-new small press, is publishing their inaugural book this fall, My Onliness & Others: Select plays by Robert Lyons. The collection of plays will be available for sale in the lobby.

Check out the show's trailer at https://vimeo.com/613686342.

One-Eighth Theater has been creating new, bold, international theater since 2008. One-Eighth has been both a New York Times and Time Out New York critic's pick, developed work as a part of the New Ohio Theater and IRT's Archive Residency, a four-year resident artist at INTAR Theatre, and a two-time resident artist with Mabou Mines. Artistic Director Daniel Irizarry has directed The Inspector General at NCPA in Mumbai, India, staged the world premiere of Witkacy's The Madman and The Nun with Turkish actors in Ankara, Turkey and the world premiere of Mishima's Busu at the Tennessee Williams Festival in Provincetown, USA. Traveling and connecting is the key to their company and they have proudly shared sweat all around the world - offering acting labs and kicking ass sharing theatrical pieces along the way! More info at https://www.one-eighththeater.com.

New Ohio Theatre is a two-time Obie Award-winning theatre under the leadership of Robert Lyons (Artistic Director) and Jaclyn Biskup (Creative Producer). The New Ohio serves New York's most adventurous theatre audiences by developing and presenting bold work from today's vast independent theatre community. They believe that the best of this community, the small artist-driven ensembles and the daring producing companies that operate without a permanent theatrical home, are actively expanding what theatre is, how it's made, and who makes it. From their home in the West Village's historic Archive Building, the New Ohio provides a high-profile platform for downtown's most mature, ridiculous, engaged, irreverent, gut-wrenching, frivolous, sophisticated, foolish and profound theatrical endeavors. For info visit https://newohiotheatre.org, Like them on Facebook at https://www.Facebook.com/NewOhioTheatre, and follow on Twitter (https://twitter.com/NewOhioTheatre) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/newohiotheatre) at @NewOhioTheatre.

IRT Theater is a grassroots laboratory for independent theater and performance in New York City, providing space and support to a new generation of artists. Tucked away in the old Archive Building in Greenwich Village, IRT's mission is to build a community of emerging and established artists by creating a home for the development and presentation of new work. Producing Artistic Director is Kori Rushton. More info at http://irttheater.org.

Audience members are required to provide proof of vaccination and must wear a N95 or KN95 mask to be admitted into the theatre. Masks will be available to audience members if they arrive without one. Masks are required at all times for all audience members. Performers will not be masked.

Photo courtesy of Suzanne Fiore Photography.

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