hell prepared at theatre dybbuk at the Philosophical Research Society

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2. hell prepared

Enter the gates of the Venice Ghetto of the 17th century and go on a journey of dominance, separation, and survival that spirals down through the pits of Gehenna. "hell prepared: a ritual exorcism inspired by kabbalistic principles, performed within a dominant cultural context" takes place in multiple locations on the campus of the Philosophical Research Society, allowing you to be immersed in the secluded world of the Ghetto and dissolve into places beyond the corporeal.

Featuring a landscape of choreographed movement, poetic text, shadow puppetry, and choral scoring, "hell prepared" follows a spiritual leader as he endeavors to exorcise the dominant culture and its influence on his world. In the process, he is driven down through the pits of hell where he sees visions of a challenging past and an uncertain future.

"hell prepared" is inspired by the 17th century narrative poem Tofteh Arukh, written by Moses Zacuto in the Jewish Ghettos of Venice and Mantua in what is now Northern Italy, which depicts a descent into hell from a Jewish perspective.

This immersive, multidisciplinary work features a cast of three performing alongside a vocal sextet.

Rehearsal still: performers Julie A. Lockhart and Jonathan C.K. Williams expand and contract in the pits of Gehenna.

Rehearsal still: the singers in a shadow tableau in the pits of Gehenna

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