LAYER THE WALLS, A Puppet Show About Immigration, To Play The Tank

The Tank (Meghan Finn and Rosalind Grush, Artistic Directors) is pleased to a limited engagement of a new kids show, Layer the Walls. Performances will take place at The Tank (312 West 36th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues) on Thursday, March 1 at 11am & 8pm, Friday, March 2 at 11am & 8pm, Saturday, March 3 at 3pm & 8pm, and Sunday, March 4 at 3pm. Tickets ($18 for adults; $10 for children) are available for advance purchase at www.thetanknyc.org. Layer the Walls is appropriate for ages 7 and up.

There are 40 layers of wallpaper on the walls of an aging New York City tenement building. 40 Layers plastered to the walls by the hundreds of immigrant families who called this building home. Each layer contains stories of everyday Italian, Jewish and Irish immigrants surviving storms, building bridges, creating new policies and shaping a new American identity. The steady walls of this aging building have been keeping these stories safe for over 100 years, but soon the building will be torn down. What will happen to these extraordinary stories of ordinary immigrants when the wrecking ball arrives? The building is determined to save the stories even if it can't save itself. Brought to life with puppetry, mask, live action and music.

Layer the Walls was part of New Victory LabWorks in 2016 and is generously supported by a Jim Henson Foundation Family Grant. The show began with a trip to the NYC Tenement museum when the creators learned of the layers of wallpaper found on the tenement walls - layers that contained stories of the families who inhabited the apartments long ago. Utilizing shadow puppetry, Bunraku puppets, masks and toy theater, the show is able to bring the immigrants' stories to life and stimulate an investigation about immigration in today's world.

Created and performed by Liz Parker and Rachel Sullivan with Puppetry Design by Spica Wobbe, Set Design by Peiyi Wong, Sound Design by Caroline Eng, Lighting Design by Sarah Johnston, Costume Design by Cat Fisher, Original Music by Vlada Yaneva, and Assistant Director/Production Stage Manager Margaret Baughman.

The Tank is a non-profit arts presenter serving emerging artists engaged in the pursuit of new ideas and forms of expression. We serve over 1,000 artists every year in over 400 performances, and work across all disciplines, including theater, comedy, dance, film, music, public affairs, and storytelling. Our goal is to foster an environment of inclusiveness and remove the burden of cost from the creation of new work for artists launching their careers and experimenting within their art form. The heart of our services is providing free performance space in our 98 seat proscenium and 56 seat blackbox that we operate in Manhattan, and we also offer a suite of other services such as free rehearsal space, promotional support, artist fees, and much more. We keep ticket prices affordable and view our work as democratic, opening up both the creation and attendance of the arts to all. Since its founding in 2003, artists who have come through The Tank include Alex Timbers, Amy Herzog, Lucy Alibar, Mike Daisey, Reggie Watts, Kyle Abraham, Andrew Bujalski, We Are Scientists, and tens of thousands of others. www.thetanknyc.org

Photo credit: Marielle Solan