Human Animals Presents Their Inaugural Production 'middlemen' at Walkerspace 10/9-30
By: Gabrielle Sierra Sep. 10, 2009
Human Animals, a Manhattan-based theater collective committed to "the exploration and celebration of the idiosyncrasies of the Human Animal," will present their inaugural production: the World Premiere of middlemen, an existential office comedy concerning adulthood, non-dairy creamer, and the collapse of the American workplace. Written by David Jenkins and directed by Josie Whittlesey, performances begin at Walkerspace (46 Walker Street) on Friday, October 9th, 2009. Opening night is Saturday, October 10th at 8pm. The show will run through Friday, October 30, 2009.
In middlemen, Michael and Stan are mid-level employees of a large, nameless corporation. As they continue work on an annual report-and try to justify their absent team of coworkers-they fight the nagging suspicion that they might be the last people remaining in the entire 60 story building. Added to this, it seems that they may have played a role in the financial annihilation Bolivia - and someone, somewhere would very much like to speak with them. They've worked hard. They've stayed in place. They've done exactly what's been asked of them. Now, they're bracing for the consequences.
The cast of middlemen includes Christopher Burns (Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf, Incident at Vichy) and Michael Patrick Crane (West Moon Street, From Doris to Darlene).
The creative team is comprised of Alexis Distler (sets), Mavis Bruce (costumes), Seth Reiser (lights), and Peter McCain (sound). Ronald Turlington is Production Stage Manager.
middlemen will have the following performance schedule: Monday at 8pm; Thursday - Saturday at 8pm; Saturday and Sunday at 3pm. Tickets are $18.00 and are available through Smarttix.com/212-868-4444. Walkerspace is located at 46 Walker Street (2 blocks below Canal Street between Broadway & Church Streets).
A Note From the Playwright
I had originally set out to write a dark comedy concerning the "Eronization of America" and have often described this play as "Laurel and Hardy meet Enron." However, the events of the last year have given this two-character comedy about financial destruction new relevance. On the day we started workshopping this play at the Lark's Playwrights' Week last fall, Lehman Brothers had announced bankruptcy. By the time we were wrapping up four days later, the Lehman Brothers building in Times Square was already emblazoned with the Barclays logo. What had started as a retrospective play in a lot of ways became eerily prescient, and reflective of my own experiences in Corporate America.
I work in the human resources department of a large credit card company to pay the bills, and am very fortunate to still have a job. In the last eight months, my company has laid off 7,000 people, and another round of layoffs will be announced shortly. As these former employees leave with their belongings, I know there is no other work waiting for them. Most of these employees did everything right. They were upstanding and productive members of society. They accepted the social contract and played by the rules they were given. They contributed to their 401k's. They stayed in place. Now they are bracing for the consequences.
As this play deals primarily with the wide scale loss of employment in what is (hopefully) a cathartic way, it is Human Animals' pleasure to offer free admission with proof of unemployment. These tickets will be available on a standby basis on the day of performance.
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