HELL AND HIGH WATER To Play Hudson Guild Theatre 4/1-4/18

MultiStages will present its 2009 New Works Winner HELL AND HIGH WATER, WHAT TO DO WHEN THE SKY FALLS from April 1-18 at the Hudson Guild Theatre (441 West 26th St.).

This Fantasia on Survival is a poignant and sharply satiric account of playwright Jamuna Yvette Sirker's experiences during Hurricane Katrina. This new work is poetic, at times brutal, and surprisingly funny. We follow Teacher Alice (Anna Lamadrid) on her journey through the abyss of sudden homelessness, and hell and high water. Alice's very survival hinges on the help of Bag L (Joyce Griffen), the ghost of a bag lady who serves as her spirit guide. Along the way we meet Katrina (Frederick Mayer) and an array of colorful New Orleans characters. Ms. Sirker weaves the historical and political with farcical and surreal elements, to explore the psychological impact of loss, abandonment, and displacement. This multidisciplinary new work includes multimedia, poetry, dance, and New Orleans music.

The cast of the production will feature Richarda Abrams, Frances Chewning, Ross DeGraw, Joyce Griffen, Cary Hite, Russell Jordan, Anna Lamadrid, Frederick Mayer, and Paul Christian Mischeshin.
Playwright Jamuna Yvette Sirker is a native of New Orleans of Nicaraguan and East Indian decent. HELL AND HIGH WATER was presented as a one-act by The Drilling Company in SECURITY 2 Festival; Early Version Readings at Lark Play Development Center, Stanford University Department of Theater, American Theater Higher Education Conference (New Orleans, LA.). Recipient National Endowment for the Arts, the Arts Council of New Orleans, LA Division of the Arts, RosaMary Foundation, the Kabacoff Foundation; LA Division of the Arts Fellowship, Gambit Weekly's 40 Under 40 Award. Ms. Sirker holds a B.A. in English from Cornell University; MFA in Acting from NYU. Founding Artistic and Executive Director of Zhoux Zhoux Theatre Company, and founding Executive Director of Creative Resources for Creative Learning an arts education/arts infusion service for K-12 educators and students.

Artistic Director and Director of HELL AND HIGH WATER, Lorca Peress, founded MultiStages in 1997. This multidisciplinary multicultural theatre company has presented over thirty world premiere festivals, readings, and productions. Peress recently directed Kathleen Chalfant in the LPTW Turning Points Benefit at Cherry Lane.

The Artistic Company also includes Jennifer Chin (choreography) Josh Allen (sound design), Alex Moore (lighting design), Geoffrey Nixon (stage manager), and Lorca Peress (set design).

For tickets and further details call Smarttix at (212) 868-4444, or visit www.smarttix.com.

 

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