HERE Presents PARIS SYNDROME, 6/3-19

 

HERE presents Ex.Pgirl's Paris Syndrome, Thursday, June 3 – Saturday, June 19 at HERE Arts Center. The show depicts the real-life phenomenon of the extreme culture shock experienced by some Japanese women when visiting Paris. Created by Bertie Ferdman and Suzi Takahashi and directed by Emma Griffin, this production's official opening night is set for Saturday, June 5 at 8:30 PM.

Each year, a dozen or so 30-something Japanese women vacation in Paris, only to lose their minds. The only cure is never to go back. Watch as the six women of Ex.Pgirl journey to their own 'Paris,' combining theatrical, musical and cinematic genres into a riotous world of desires, delusion and disappointment. In a one-of-a-kind theatrical event driven by language games, spoken scenes,video interviews, vaudeville and dance, Ex.Pgirl investigates themes of identity, gender, place, expectations and belonging...all through a multicultural lens.

Founded in 2002, Ex.Pgirl is a movement theater company led by Bertie Ferdman and Suzi Takahashi. Since its inception, the company has created four new works: Ablution, Waving Hello, 10 Plates and Paris Syndrome – each generated through months of collaboration with a team of performers and designers. Ex.Pgirl is a two-time member of the HERE Artist Residency Program (HARP) and has received grants from the Department of Cultural Affairs, Franklin Furnace, New York State Council on the Arts, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Swing Space, Urban Artist Initiative and Chashama.

Paris Syndrome was also supported in development by a residency at New York City College of Technology's Entertainment Technology Department and Theatreworks Residency. Ex.Pgirl stands as a call for an "experimental" and "expatriate" theater by women. Its mission is to create original performance works that address cultural identity in today's globalized community, featuring the talents of a diverse group of female performers of various nationalities and performance backgrounds. Dedicated to a collaborative development process, Ex.Pgirl works in close association with artists hailing from Japan, Argentina, United States, Peru, France, Korea, and Puerto Rico, who now reside permanently in New York. Influenced equally by high art and pop cultural references, Ex.Pgirl's world is a whimsical tapestry of scenes, songs, games, video interviews, dances and text that create a layered landscape of poetry and meaning for audiences. In a style somewhere between Pina Bausch and The Monkees, Ex.Pgirl uses satire, humor and parody along with powerful visual imagery to create a landscape of cross-cultural interactions, misunderstandings, and revelations resulting in innovative storytelling in which nothing is ever quite what it seems.

Paris Syndrome features performances by Bertie Ferdman, Suzi Takahashi, Elsa Carette, Valerie Issembert, Kiyoko Kashiwagi and Soomi Kim. This production features Original Music by LaBulo, Set Design by Obie Award-winning Peter Ksander, Video Design by Shaun Irons and Lauren Petty, Lighting Design by Lucrecia Briceno, Sound Design by Mike Rugnetta, and Technical Direction by Nathan Lemoine.

Since 1993, the OBIE-winning HERE has been one of New York's premier arts organizations and aleader in the field of producing and presenting new, hybrid performance work which we view as aseamless integration of artistic disciplines-theatre, dance, music, puppetry, visual, multi-media art. Past productions includes Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues, Basil Twist's Symphonie Fantastique, Hazelle Goodman's On Edge, Trey Lyford & Geoff Sobelle's all wear bowlers, Young Jean Lee's Songs of the Dragons Flying to Heaven, Corey Dargel's Removable Parts and Theatre Of a Two-headed Calf's Drum of the Waves of Horikawa, among many other standout works. HERE's work is challenging and alternative and offers audiences the opportunity to feel that they are part of something new and fresh. Its core program is the HEREArtist Residency Program (HARP), which invites artists to develop complex hybrid work at HERE over three years.

Each season, HERE produces 4 to 6 Resident Artist productions as mainstage works. By providingvaried levels of artist participation – Resident Artists, Visiting Artists, and Guest Artists who rent the space through HEREstay, our curated rental program – HERE keeps the artists' vision paramount.

Paris Syndrome plays June 3 – 19 with performances Tuesday through Saturday at 8:30 PM. PLEASE NOTE: No performance Tuesday, June 8. Tickets are $18.00 and can be purchased at www.here.org or by calling (212) 352-3101 or at the HERE Box Office (4 PM until curtain on show days). VIP Opening Night tickets are available for $30.00. HERE Arts Center is located at 145 Sixth Avenue, one block below Spring Street. For more information, visit www.here.org.