WHY WON'T YOU LET ME BE GREAT!! Group Show Plays PS122 7/30-8/1

WHY WON'T YOU LET ME BE GREAT!!! is a group show inspired by Kanye West's ground-breaking, "Thom Yorke in the Strip Club" crossover pop album 808s & Heartbreak. Conceived by Brendan Kennedy and presented by Neal Medlyn and Catch in association with Performance Space 122, the evening-length performance will feature work by a vast array of downtown superstars showing pieces inspired by each song from the album, much as the Joffrey Ballet's (in)famous Billboards choreographed the songs of Prince.

WHY WON'T YOU LET ME BE GREAT!!! is performed by Dance Gang, Christine Elmo, Justin Jones & Elliott Durko Lynch, Myles Kane, Karinne Keithley, Juliana May, Neal Medlyn, Kenny Mellman, Jennifer Monson, asubtout, Varsity Interpretive Dance Squad and Ann Liv Young.

Founded in Brooklyn, NY in 2003 by Jenny Seastone Stern as a home for the emerging avant-garde, Catch has become an integral part of the downtown community, presenting both short and in-progress works by Big Dance Theater, David Neumann, Jennifer Monson, Cynthia Hopkins, Sam Kim, Taylor Mac, Dean Moss, Young Jean Lee, Miguel Gutierrez, Christopher Williams, Karinne Keithley, Adrienne Truscott, Neal Medlyn, Faye Driscoll, Ivy Baldwin, Jeanine Durning, John Moran, Heather Olson, Dynasty Handbag, Witness Relocation, Chris Yon, members of the National Theater of the United States of America and dozens of terrific artists you may not have heard of ... yet.

Catch presents a stunning array of emerging artists, giving them an opportunity to share the stage with an expanding galaxy of downtown luminaries. This makes everyone's work more exciting, raising the stakes for young creators and encouraging experimental freedom in our more accomplished artists. Not only does Catch have "the best short-form programming going," it also has the liveliest and best-looking audience - beautiful, young ladies and gentlemen (and lowlifes) who come to drink, see great work and mingle with the artists after the show. Catch is a social event and a serious show, where loyal fans of the individual artists mingle with Catch allegiates to view work they know will be rough ... and ready.

Brendan Kennedy is a writer, producer and director of photography for television, documentaries and web content. He also was Sean Paul to Neal Medlyn's Beyonce in The Neal Medlyn Experience Live! at The New Museum, and at the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (P.I.C.A.)'s TBA Festival. He is a co-creator of Our Hit Parade, a monthly variety show at Joe's Pub which takes the best of downtown performers - like Kenny Mellman, Bridget Everett, and Neal Medlyn - and puts them together with the Billboard Top 10.
 
Neal Medlyn is a New York based performer who does shows that have a lot of pop songs in them and also usually feature some dramatic doings. His work has appeared at the New Museum for Contemporary Art, P.S. 122, Dance Theatre Workshop (where his full length show HER'S A QUEEN will premiere in October), in several editions of CATCH!, and on tour around the country in festivals and in some parking lots. He has co-starred with Karen Finley, danced for Adrienne Truscott and David Neumann, and worked with Miguel Gutierrez. He has a monthly show at Joe's Pub with Kenny Mellman, Bridget Everett, Brendan Kennedy and Ada Calhoun called Our Hit Parade.

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.

WHY WON'T YOU LET ME BE GREAT!!! runs Thursday, July 30 through Saturday, August 1 on the following schedule: Thursday - Saturday at 8:00pm. 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.

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