THE CLIMATE FABLES: DEBATING EXTINCTION & THE TRASH GARDEN at Torch Ensemble

Torch Ensemble, an acclaimed Gen Z theatre company fresh off a successful run at the 2023 Edinburgh International Festival Fringe, is proud to announce their debut at UNDER St. Marks as part of the return of the New York City Fringe Festival this April with a double bill of environmentalist plays, "Debating Extinction" and "The Trash Garden," collectively titled "The Climate Fables".

In "Debating Extinction", a climate change retelling of Rapunzel, audiences will be transported to the wasteland of New England, where a young climate refugee couple grapples with the decision of whether to bring a child into a world facing environmental uncertainties. Alongside their journey, a Witch seeks to restore the forest without human intervention, exploring the complex relationship between humanity and nature.

Meanwhile, "The Trash Garden" brings a comedic twist to the tale of Adam and Eve. Through the skilled performances of two Gaulier trained clowns, the play depicts the last two remaining human beings on Earth playing games in the rubble, raising questions about survival, responsibility, and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of ecological collapse.

These captivating plays, born out of Torch Ensemble's engagement with real-world climate disasters like Hurricane Ida and the Canadian Wildfire Smog, are deeply informed by environmental science predictions about the actual future of our planet in the context of climate change.

The cast of "The Climate Fables" features the exceptional talents of Penelope Deen, Luis Feliciano, Kristen Hoffman, and artistic director and playwright Padraig Bond, who are all Hunter College alumni that incorporated after performing together in Tony award winning director Gregory Mosher’s college production of Hamlet. 

Torch Ensemble previously enchanted audiences at the Edinburgh International Festival Fringe in August 2023, garnering critical acclaim and leaving a lasting impression with their unique theatrical vision. Now, they are thrilled to bring "The Climate Fables" to the New York City Fringe Festival , offering audiences in their home city an opportunity to engage with pressing environmental issues through the power of theatre.

The performances of "The Climate Fables" will take place on April 3, 4, 6, and 10 at UNDER St. Marks. Tickets are available for purchase through the New York City Fringe Festival website and on TDF. The performance will also be streamed  for those unable to attend in-person.

For more information about The Torch Ensemble, please visit: www.linktree.com/torchensemble 

Instagram: @torchensemble

About The Company: 

Padraig Bond (Playwright/Artistic Director/Ghost/Teddy/Producer) is an American playwright, director, actor, and producer from New York City. He is the founder of The Torch Ensemble, a new theater company that performed at Greenside Venues in the 2023 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the largest arts festival in the world. He has trained with the SITI Company in New York and Paris, performed with OYL Theatre Company in northern Greece, and studied comedy improv with Upright Citizens Brigade. He is a graduate of Hunter College in Manhattan, double majoring in Theatre and Political Science. He most recently worked at the Climate Change Subcommittee in the United States House of Representatives, and in the Advancement and Innovation Department at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

Penelope Deen (Susan/Producer) is a graduate of Hunter College with a Women & Gender Studies/Theatre Double Major and a Dance Minor. A dual citizen of Canada and the U.S., she is mixed-race and proudly queer. She made her Off-Broadway debut in 2019 as the lead in the internet-famous feminist musical Oceanborn and most recently played the role of Hamlet. She has also been seen on the Off-Off Broadway Scene in multiple New Perspectives’ Women’s Work Playwriting Festivals, where she also works as an Associate Program Manager and Project Coordinator for NPTC's Theatre From the Streets project since its inception. She works as a Dancer, Choreographer, Dance Teacher and is an Instagram famous, published model. Penny is known for her activism, mostly in regards to Sexual Assault with her organization “Save Title IX” and she produced The League Of Professional Theatre Women’s Women Stage The World March for gender equality in theatre last June.

Luis Feliciano (Atlas/Teddy/Producer) is an actor who focuses on clowning. He is currently an apprentice for Christopher Bayes and can be found every Tuesday at Clown Gym working as Studio Manager. Training: Philippe Gaulier (Le Jeu/Clown), Christopher Bayes (Clown/Commedia), Giovanni Fusetti (Bouffon), Benjamin Moore (Linklater/Stanislavski/Meisner), Emmanuelle Delpech (Lecoq Pedagogy). Theatre credits include: Hispanic Whiteboy (Oscar), Sonnets for an Old Century (Boy), Rhinoceros (Berenger), Hamlet (Polonius), The Sex Myth: A Devised Play (Ensemble Director)

Kristen Hoffman (Miranda/Evelyn) is an Actor-Creator originally from Florida now based in NYC. This Summer she made her international debut at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in In the Climate Fables as Evelyn in The Trash Garden and Miranda in Debating extinction! Training Includes: Philippe Gaulier (Le Jeu/Clown), Christopher Bayes (Clown/Commedia), Giovanni Fusetti (Bouffon), Benjamin Moore (Linklater/Stanislavski/Meisner), Richard Crawford (Lecoq). Theatre credits include: The Climate Fables (Evelyn and Miranda), American Fruit (Mother/ coDirector-Producer) Mother Courage and Her Children (Cook), COCK (W), The Tempest (Ariel), Talking With (Scraps/Marked), 12 Angry Men (Juror 8),  Fuddy Meers (Claire), Y.G.M.C.B (Sally Brown), The Sex Myth: A Devised Play (Self / Assistant Director). IG @thekristenhoffman

CONTACT: torchensemble@gmail.com