The Wirelings Announce Formation, Inaugural Season

TEL AVIV, October 22, 2020-The Wirelings, an experimental digital theatre company, have announced their formation, as well as their first production season.

Their intention, according to founder Abraham Benson-Goldberg, is not to replicate live theatre during a pandemic, but to create an entirely new type of experience.

"This sort of digital theatre places you in an intimate audience setting, where live theatre is happening before your very eyes in the comfort of your favorite chair", said Abraham Benson-Goldberg, also the company's producing artistic director. "You know that the stakes are real--something could go wrong-and you know this show is special. Pre-recorded theatre can't do that."

The Wirelings' first season will begin with Cobbler: A Recipe, a new play by Ian August. The play tells the story of Peach and Cherry, a brother and sister whose relationship is repeatedly tested by both their life circumstances and the choices they make.

"These two siblings love each other dearly," Benson-Goldberg said. "Peach and Cherry are, just like us, navigating a tricky and rapidly changing world, while also negotiating new boundaries and terms to their own relationship.

"It's funny, heartfelt, and best of all, highly relatable."

Later in the season, The Wirelings will be producing Mowgli&Bagheera&Baloo, a new adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, as well as an evening of specially-commissioned short plays. Also in the works is Journeying Jack, a play for children by storytellers Jack and David Novak.

"We think that it's important to offer theatre for young audiences along with our more traditional offerings," said Benson-Goldberg. "It challenges us to be the best versions of our storytelling selves, and we know how much our young audiences are hungry for stories that reflect their world."

As befits a digital ensemble, the members are spread across the world. In their preliminary experimental productions, actors performed from Chicago and Los Angeles; other ensemble members reside in New York, Seattle, and Jacksonville. Benson-Goldberg organizes it all from his home in Mikhmoret, a small town on Israel's Mediterranean coast.

"In socially-distanced times, I'm so excited to have a digital happening, a virtual fireside, a shared story," said Kelby Siddons, an ensemble member who also serves on the company's Artistic Advisory Board. "The Wirelings is articulating and realizing digitally native theater in beautiful ways."

Cobbler will run online November 1 at 2 PM Eastern time, November 7 at 8 PM Jerusalem time, and November 8 at 2 PM Pacific time. Tickets are $5 and are available to purchase now at thewirelings.com.

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About The Wirelings

The Wirelings are a digital Native Theatre ensemble, the brainchild of a group of artists seeking to make work under unprecedented circumstances. They create meaningful, experimental, and accessible theatrical encounters by centering intimate, emotionally authentic, and direct connections between the performer and the audience.

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