La MaMa to Present World Premiere of Untitled Theater Company No. 61's EXAGOGE

La MaMa will present the world premiere of Untitled Theater Company No. 61’s Exagoge, with original music by Avner Finberg, script and libretto by Edward Einhorn, directed by Einhorn. Exagoge runs from April 26 - May 12, 2024 in a limited engagement at La MaMa’s Ellen Stewart Theatre, located at 66 East 4th Street in New York City. Previews begin April 26 (the 5th night of Passover) for an April 29 opening (the 8th night of Passover).

An immersive opera/play/Passover seder, based on the oldest known Jewish play, written in Alexandria in the second century BCE by Ezekiel the Tragedian. The audience gathers round the seder table or watches from the risers, joining the performers for a traditional 15-part modern seder. An opera composer, Zeke, has brought home his girlfriend Aliya, a non-practicing Muslim, for the first time. Meanwhile, in the middle of it all, opera performers sing an adaptation of the ancient Greek interpretation of the Book of Exodus.

Edward Einhorn states, “Ezekiel the Tragedian wrote a play that he hoped would reconcile the Jewish and pagan cultures which lived side by side in ancient Alexandria. It didn’t work. The play was destroyed by the Jewish elders as idolatry, and within another three hundred years the Jewish community was massacred under Roman rule. But it is a hope that perseveres. The Passover seder always ends with the phrase “Next year in Jerusalem.” This phrase dates back to well before modern Israel, and its meaning is essentially a longing. Next year, all will be well. Next year in a Jerusalem that has all the answers, that finds dignity and respect for all, that finally finds the way towards peace. History shows that the hope is foolish, but it also shows that the hope is necessary. Like Ezekiel, another naively idealistic artist, it is my job to hope.”

The performers include Matthew Curran, Tharanga Goonetilleke, James Rodgers, Hershel Blatt, Meena Knowles, Maxwell Zener, Rebecca Jay Caplan, Yanniv Frank and Parker Sera.

The music team includes Mila Henry (Music Director/Pianist), Mariana Ramirez (Percussion), Sunny Sheu (Violin), Johnna Wu (Violin), Sara Dudley (Viola) and Paul Swensen (Cello).

The production team includes Tom Lee and Grace Needlman (Set Design & related puppets), Evolve Puppets - Tanya Khordoc and Barry Weil (Puppet Design), Ramona Ponce (Costume/Mask Design), Federico Restrepo (Light Design), Berit Johnson (Production Stage Manager), D Henry Hanson (ASM/Food coordinator), Eric Shanower (Art), Jim Freeman (Special fabrication) and Sarah Murphy (Associate Producer at La MaMa).

Performances are Thursdays - Saturdays at 7pm and Sundays at 3pm. Special opening night show on Monday, April 29 at 7pm. There will be a livestream available for the Thursday, May 2 performance at 7pm. Run time is approximately 90 minutes. Tickets are $35 (adults) and $30 (students and seniors). First 10 tickets are $10 (limit 2 per person). To purchase tickets and for more info visit https://www.lamama.org/shows/exagoge-2024.

Untitled Theater Company No. 61 is a Theater of Ideas: scientific, political, philosophical, and above all theatrical. Their shows mix tragedy and comedy in a manner inspired by classic absurdism, while often incorporating music, technology, and physical theater. Early defining events include their Havel Festival and Ionesco Festival, in which they produced their full works (with the participation and attendance of President Havel and with Ionesco’s daughter, Marie-France, respectively). Though they now produce only original work, their responses to the absurd and terrifying moments of their history are a continuing inspiration as they try to navigate a contemporary response to our time. 2024 marks their 29th season. For info visit http://www.untitledtheater.com.

Edward Einhorn is a playwright, director, and the Artistic Director of Untitled Theater Company No. 61. Prominent shows include The Marriage of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein (HERE & The Jermyn Street Theatre in London), Critic’s Pick from Jesse Green at The New York Times; The Pig, or Vaclav Havel’s Hunt for a Pig (3LD & The New Ohio), Critic’s Picks from The New York Times and The Village Voice; and The God Projekt (La MaMa), 4 stars from Helen Shaw at Time Out New York.

Avner Finberg’s compositions successfully combine seemingly eclectic sources such as traditional Arab music, Jewish prayer, Klezmer, jazz, and experimental electronica into a musical tapestry that is both fluid and distinct. As a composition fellow at American Opera Project’s Composers and the Voice workshop in 2013-14, a collaboration with librettist Edward Einhorn resulted in their first opera, A Taste of Damnation, later performed at Fort Worth Opera’s Frontiers showcase. His first original solo album, The Four Seasons of Isolation (2022), which he both composed and performed, was released with Ravello Records, and was hailed as “intriguing, entertaining and thought-provoking” by Gramophone Magazine and featured on Spotify’s Classical New Releases playlist. His awards include the Chamber Music Rochester Award, the Bard Prize, and the Kol Emet Young Composers competition for Jewish Music. Avner’s compositions have been performed by ensembles across the world such as Meitar Ensemble, ensemble mise-en, The Boston New Music Initiative, and Ensemble Platypus Wien.

La Mama Experimental Theatre Club is dedicated to the artist and all aspects of the theatre. La MaMa’s 62nd “Radical Access” Season comes on the heels of their 61st season when they re-opened their newly-renovated, original theater at 74 E. 4th St. The building’s $24 million makeover provides the return of the fully accessible Club, a new Community Arts Space for neighboring groups in the East Village, and an expanded public lobby and galleries. Their “Radical Access” initiative builds an infrastructure of opportunity that supports new ways of connecting us to people and communities around the world, expanding our means of connectivity and providing space where artists and digital tools converge from multiple points of entry.

La MaMa has been honored with 30+ Obie Awards, dozens of Drama Desk, Bessie Awards, Villager Awards, the 2018 Regional Theatre Tony Award, and most recently a 2023 New York Drama Critics’ Circle Special Citation. They are a creative home to artists and resident companies from around the world, many of whom have made lasting contributions to the arts, including Blue Man Group, Bette Midler, Ed Bullins, Ping Chong, Jackie Curtis, André De Shields, Adrienne Kennedy, Harvey Fierstein, Diane Lane, Playhouse of the Ridiculous, Tom Eyen, Pan Asian Rep, Spiderwoman Theater, Tadeusz Kantor, Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, Mabou Mines, Meredith Monk, Peter Brook, David and Amy Sedaris, Julie Taymor, Kazuo Ohno, Tom O’Horgan, Andrei Serban, Liz Swados, and Andy Warhol. La MaMa’s vision of nurturing new artists and new work from all nations, cultures, races and identities remains as strong today as it was when Ellen Stewart first opened the doors in 1961.
 

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