Cast Announced for World Premiere of MODERN SWIMWEAR at The Tank

The Tank has announced casting for the World Premiere of Modern Swimwear by Caitlin Saylor Stephens (When We Went Electronic), directed by Meghan Finn (Simon and His Shoes), and featuring dramaturgy by Amauta Marston-Firmino (Slave Play). A Tank Core Production, Modern Swimwear will run January 19-February 12, 2023, with an opening night set for January 20, at The Tank's 98 Seat Proscenium Theater (312 West 36th Street). For tickets and more information, visit www.thetanknyc.org.

The cast of Modern Swimwear will include Fig Chilcott (72 Miles to Go) as "Sylvie," Chad Pierre Vann (Antony and Cleopatra) as "Staffer," and Frank Zwally ("Manifest") as "Nick."

On December 9, 2010, celebrated swimwear designer Sylvie Cachay was found dead in a bathtub overflowing with water at a members-only club in the Meatpacking District. Modern Swimwear is a new American play about the last night of Sylvie's life and the cost of female ambition. Before she died, Sylvie's debut collection was a hit. She had been actively designing her next collection and seeking investors for her line, Syla, when she was murdered.

In Modern Swimwear, the clock ticks as Sylvie attempts to prepare for an important pitch meeting the next morning. Her troubled boyfriend, Nick, repeatedly diverts her from her task until conflict erupts between them. Modern Swimwear celebrates Sylvie's extraordinary body of work and talent. Woven throughout the play are pieces inspired by numerous designs from Sylvie's first collection, which was featured at New York Fashion Week.

Modern Swimwear is penned by Caitlin Saylor Stephens (When We Went Electric) collaborating with dramaturg Amauta Marston-Firmino (Slave Play) and directed by Artistic Director of The Tank, Meghan Finn (DOOMOCRACY). It will feature a design installation inspired by Sylvie's work, co-created by Creative Director and Designer Yasmin Santana and theater designers Christopher and Justin Swader. Props and costumes will similarly be inspired by Syla, Cachey's celebrated collection, and executed by multi-disciplinary artist Patricia Marjorie (You Will Get Sick). Lighting design is by Sarah Johnston (BAM: Sun & Sea, Medea).

Tickets are available beginning at $25 at www.thetanknyc.org. The performance schedule for Modern Swimwear is Thursdays-Saturdays at 7pm. There will be additional performances on Wednesday January 25 at 7pm, Sunday January 22 and February 12 at 3p, and Saturday February 11 at 3pm.

The Tank's Core Production series serves companies and solo artists as they create new works for performance. Core Productions are central to the mission of The Tank to give emerging artists resources to build their careers and artistic voices. These productions receive institutional support in the form of financial assistance, performance and rehearsal space, press, marketing and more, culminating in a world premiere production run. Alongside our Presented Works model, which provides free performance space and fifteen free hours of rehearsal and tech time, our Core Production series offers a way for emerging artists to fully realize their artistic vision in partnership with The Tank.

All attendees and artists of an in-person performance at The Tank NYC will be required to have proof of full covid vaccination to being admitted to the space, either confirmed by a vaccination record (vaccination card) at least two weeks out from the final dose of an approved vaccine, or by New York's free Excelsior Pass service, available here.

Patrons will also be required to wear medical grade masks while indoors at all times.

ABOUT THE TANK

Founded in 2003, The Tank is an Obie Award-winning, multi-disciplinary non-profit arts presenter and producer, which provides a home to emerging artists working across all disciplines, including theater, comedy, dance, film, music, puppetry, and storytelling. Led by Artistic Director Meghan Finn, Managing Producer Molly FitzMaurice and Director of Artistic Development Johnny G. Lloyd, The Tank champions emerging artists engaged in the pursuit of new ideas and forms of expression. In doing so the company removes the economic barriers from the creation of new work for artists launching their careers and experimenting within their art form. From the company's home with two theaters on 36th Street, The Tank serves over 2,500 artists every year, presents over 1,000 performances, and welcomes 36,000 audience members annually. The company fully produces a curated season of 13-18 theatrical World or New York premieres each season. During the ongoing COVID-19 public health crisis, The Tank has launched CyberTank, a virtual gathering space and programming platform for artists to share work. CyberTank has presented the work of over 4,000 artists in over 500 performances to 20,000 audience members across the country and the world since March 17, 2020.

Recent Tank-produced work includes The New York Times Critics' Picks Taxilandia by Flako Jimenez (2021), OPEN by Crystal Skillman, directed by Jessi D. Hill (2019); Red Emma & The Mad Monk by Alexis Roblan, directed by Katie Lindsay (2018); and The Offending Gesture by Mac Wellman, directed by Meghan Finn (2016), as well as Drama Desk Award-nominated productions The Hunger Artist (2018), The Paper Hat Game (2017), the ephemera trilogy (2017), Ada/Ava (2016) and youarenowhere (2016).

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

www.TheTankNYC.org

Caitlin Saylor Stephens

(Playwright, Modern Swimwear) is a Brooklyn-based playwright, performer, and filmmaker. The recent world premiere of her play When We Went Electronic was hailed as "absurdist edginess" and "taut and brutal" by The New York Times. Her work has been presented at The Tank, The Flea, NYTW, The Lark, New Georges, The Amoralists, and elsewhere. Among her awards are fellowships, scholarships, grants, and residencies from Santa Fe Art Institute, Headlands Center for the Arts, Ucross, VCCA, New Georges, The Whiting Foundation, and The Jerome Foundation. She's received two honorable mentions on The Kilroy's List and has been a finalist for New Dramatists, The NYFA Made in NY Women's Grant, Princess Grace Award, Sundance Theatre Lab, a 2019 Creative Capital Award, BAPF, P73 Fellowship, multiple Jerome Fellowships, Berkeley Rep Ground Floor, and the Boris/Segal Fellowship at WTF. Her short films on Instagram are currently under commission with Borscht Film Festival's #nobrozone with support from The Knight Foundation. Caitlin is currently under commission with Lincoln Center Theater. Follow Caitlin on social @caitlinsaylor. www.caitlinsaylorstephens.com

Amauta Marston-Firmino

(Dramaturg, Modern Swimwear) is a writer and artist born in Miami, raised in Washington D.C. and based in New York City. He studied performance and creative writing at NYU's Gallatin School of Individualized Study and is currently working and engaging with contemporary theatre, sound art, and performance in the New York City area.

Meghan Finn

(Director, Modern Swimwear) is the Artistic Director of The Tank. Her directorial work has been seen at the Tank, the V&A, Serpentine Galleries, The Wexner Center, SCAD, The Logan Center for the Arts in Chicago, Museo Jumex Mexico City, The Roes Theater, Athens Greece and OnStage! Festival Rome and Milan, The Power Plant/Canadian Stage, Brooklyn College, MIT, NYU, the Great Plains Theater Conference and others. She is a frequent collaborator of conceptual artist and sculptor Pedro Reyes and directed Doomocracy for Creative Time. Finn collaborated with photographer Mitch Epstein on a live performance with cellist Erik Friedlander as well as celebrated premieres by Mac Wellman, Laurel Haines and Steph Singer, Barbara Cassidy, Nick Flynn, Caitlin Saylor Stephens, Soomi Kim, Kaaron Briscoe, Matthew Paul Olmos, Greg Kotis, Erin Courtney, Peggy Stafford, Julia May Jonas, Gary Winter, Ben Gassman, Alexandra Collier, Carl Holder, Paul Hufker, Jess Barbagallo, Valerie Work, Misha Shulman, Eliza Bent and Cori Copp. BA Theater The University of Southern California, MFA Directing Brooklyn College.

Actor/Playwright Fig Chilcott

is a lifetime member of The Actors Studio and received her M.F.A. from The Actors Studio Drama School. Her Off-Broadway debut was at Laura Pels Theatre in 2020, in 72 Miles To Go, written by Hilary Bettis and directed by Jo Bonney.

CHAD PIERRE VANN

is a NY based artist. TV: "Let The Right One In" (Showtime). Theater: Antony and Cleopatra, The Cherry Orchard, In the Blood, Too Heavy for Your Pocket (The Juilliard School). Education: The Juilliard School. Instagram: @chadpvann

FRANK ZWALLY

(he/him) is an actor from Kissimmee, Florida and recent graduate of The Juilliard School Drama Division. Select credits include Netflix's "Manifest" Season 4 (Reoccurring Guest Star),

Meet Me With a Mask On by Kathleen Capdesuñer (San Francisco Indie Film Festival, Ft. Lauderdale Int'l Film Festival), and Juilliard's first one man show Thom Pain Based on Nothing by Will Eno. Frank is a program lead of StART, a program that brings professional artistic experiences to public school students in his hometown. Frank would like to thank all of the educators who got him here.

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