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Third Rail Projects follows up its critically acclaimed, long-running production of THEN SHE FELL with the World Premiere of THE GRAND PARADISE, a fully immersive, multi-sensory experience in which visitors travel to a tropical paradise. Based on a concept by Tom Pearson, it is directed, designed, written and choreographed by Tom Pearson, Zach Morris and Jennine Willett in collaboration with The Company and produced in association with Bill Caleo and Zach Stern. Performances take place at The Grand Paradise, a venue in Bushwick, Brooklyn custom-built for the production.
Due to unforeseen permitting delays with the NYC Department of Buildings, preview performances of THE GRAND PARADISE have been postponed until 2016. The date of the first preview is still TBA , but an official opening date has been set for January 30, 2016.
Set in those hazy and culturally liminal years of the late 1970s becoming the 1980s, the experience begins as you are handed a vintage plane ticket by a polyester-clad airline attendant. You and other guests find yourselves transported to THE GRAND PARADISE, a tropical resort that purports to be the home of the original, genuine Fountain of Youth. Greeted with a tropical drink, a garland of flowers, and an overly-cheerful Activities Director, visitors encounter the resort's resident population, characters who embody the era's shifting and blurring values - a rogue's gallery of eccentrics, hustlers, eternal youths, gods, monsters, disco queens, and con men. Visitors to THE GRAND PARADISE are invited to explore the grounds and the beaches, watch a floorshow, quench their deepest longings, follow performers into one-on-one encounters, and trade their faded ideals for shiny new illusions. Ultimately, THE GRAND PARADISE offers a pas de deux of desire and death, a midlife crisis, a coming of age, and search for the revitalizing waters of the Fountain of Youth at the resort of the eternally brokenhearted.
THE GRAND PARADISE is created in collaboration with company members Erik Abbott-Main, Elizabeth Carena, Alberto Denis, Ashley Handel, Roxanne Kidd, Jeff Lyon, Rebekah Morin, Lauren Muraski, Marissa Nielsen-Pincus, Tara O'Con, Wil Petre, Joshua Reaver, Katrina Reid, Edward Rice, Ashley Robicheaux, Sebastiani Romagnolo, Jessy Smith, Tori Sparks, Niko Tsocanos, and Carlton C. Ward. The production features original music & sound design by Sean Hagerty, costumes by Karen Young with Third Rail Projects, environment design by Zach Morris, Tom Pearson and Elisabeth Svenningsen, production/project management by Andrea Dohar Corbett, stage management by Kristina Vnook, technical direction by Carlton C. Ward.
Hailed as one of the foremost companies creating site-specific, immersive and experiential performance in the US, Third Rail Projects, led by Artistic Directors Zach Morris, Tom Pearson, and Jennine Willett, is dedicated to re-envisioning ways in which audiences can engage with contemporary performance. They have made work in New York, internationally, and abroad for over 15 years, and their long-running, award-winning work, Then She Fell, was named as one of the "Top Ten Shows of the 2012" The New York Times and acclaimed as one of the best theater experiences of 2013 by Vogue Magazine. Third Rail Projects has been the recipient of several prestigious awards, including New York Dance and Performance (Bessie) Awards for Then She Fell (2013) and Vanishing Point (2008). For more info, visit thirdrailprojects.com.
THE GRAND PARADISE runs January 30 - March 31, 2016 with additional January preview dates to be announced shortly. Performances are Tuesday - Sunday at 7:00pm, with occasional late-night 10:30pm performances. The Grand Paradise is located at 383 Troutman Street at Wyckoff Avenue in Bushwick, Brooklyn -- just off the L train at Jefferson Street. Tickets are $95 - $150, available at www.thegrandparadise.com. Private events are also available; visit the website for more information. Performances begin promptly and there is absolutely no late admittance and no refunds. The show features nudity and adult themes, so admittance is strictly limited to audience members 18 years of age and over; all audience members must bring valid government-issued photo IDs. The performance lasts roughly 2 hours. Because of the immersive nature of this piece, audiences may be standing for significant periods of time over the course of the performance. Audiences are encouraged to wear comfortable shoes. This performance is not recommended for audience members who are not comfortable standing, walking or being alone. For more information call 718-374-5196.
