P.S.122 Presents Jester of Tonga November 13-23

PERFORMANCE SPACE 122 PRESENTS Joseph Silolvsky's Jester of Tonga world premiere from November 13 - November 23rd. Joe Silovsky woke up on his birthday in 2001 and read the paper. What he discovered dramatically affected how he would spend the next seven years of his life. Now the man known as one of downtown's technological wizards steps out from behind the curtain and into his first full length solo theatrical production.

Joe and his engaging robot Stanley tell the very true and very dramatically complicated story of Jesse Bogdonoff, the sensational and modern-day Court Jester to the Tongan Royal Court (he was appointed in 1999). Twenty suitcases packed full with island lore spill their secrets, scandals and adventures onto the stage. Jaw-dropping stories diverge, mountains of money are exchanged, and fish are bombed out of the water. Silovsky masterfully merges his first hand knowledge of Bogdonoff and all things Tongan with his technological expertise, and takes us on an unforgettable trip to the island nation. These stories are shown through the lens of Silovsky's handmade machines, including a suitcase diorama, an ancient Chinese Southern-facing chariot, pop up projection screens and of course, Stanley the robot, who sits in as the Jester and speaks with the actual Jester's voice.

Joseph Silovsky has been performing and making machines for the theatre since 1990. He has performed solo work at St Anne's Warehouse, Performance Space 122, Tonic's Little Theater and Pete's Candy Store in New York, as well as various venues in Chicago and at the Kananahk Performance Art Festival in Rakveres, Estonia. Joseph has collaborated with Victor Morales as Tutto and the Ragman as well as the Radiohole, The Builders Association, Lucky Pierre, HMS, and the Cook County Theater Department. Joseph has contributed to other theatre companies by constructing robotic and/or mechanical devices for their shows: the mechanical moon for Radiohole's Fluke, the contest winning robot in NTUSA's What's That on My Head?, and the human-sized R/C robot for Richard Maxwell's Joe.

More about Performance Space 122
Performance Space 122 is New York's ultimate destination for cutting-edge theatre, dance, music, live art and cross-media. Founded in 1979, Performance Space 122 is dedicated to supporting and presenting artists whose work challenges the traditional boundaries of dance, theatre, music, and performance. Committed to exploring innovative form as well as material, P.S. 122 is steadfast in its search for pioneering artists from a diversity of cultures and points of view.

Jester of Tonga runs Thursday, November 13 - Sunday, November 23 on the following schedule: Wednesday - Saturday at 8:00pm/Sunday at 6:30pm. Tickets from $20, $15 (students/seniors), $10 (P.S. 122 members). Tickets may be purchased online at www.ps122.org or via phone at (212) 352-3101. Performance Space 122 is located at 150 First Avenue at East 9th Street, New York, New York 10009. www.ps122.org.

To post a comment, you must register and login.