Two lives steeped in sex, drugs, and grifting collide in "Pretty Babies," a new play written and directed by Antony Raymond, when two long lost siblings meet for the first time. Manipulation, abuse, and perversion cause the relationship and ones around it to quickly devolve into animalism, throwing the characters into a downward spiraling whirlwind that crashes in a fit of jealously. Theater for the New City's Dream Up Festival will present the play's world premiere September 2 to September 11.
"My Name is not Actually Maria" is a multidisciplinary devised ensemble theater piece that seeks to investigating the phrase "and then I never saw them again." Using Craigslist missed connections ads and verbatim stories as source material, this piece blends movement, text, music, and technology to create a dream land of opportunities lost. It is a search for something that disappeared while your back was turned. Dreamy, ethereal and haunting, it is performed to a mix of contemporary music and soundscapes. The work is conceived by Allie Marotta and devised by Cucumber Dogs in association with Sitting Shotgun. It is co-facilitated by Marotta and Fernando Moya Delgado. Movement is directed by Delgado.
In "Lucinda and the Wolves," written and directed by Robyn Migel and performed by Sandi Milne, Lucinda is a featured speaker for a group of individuals in recovery from abuse, addiction, and other traumas. She tells them the story of her life, first reminiscing about her tranquil childhood days with her mom. Wolves lurk throughout the story, representing the traumas of her family's formerly peaceful life. It's a harrowing tale of her loss of innocence, fall from grace and subsequent efforts to piece herself back together.
"The Rounds" by Justin Moriarty is an experimental dance-theatre performance about the US War on Drugs, its soldiers, and its battles. The piece is is a one-act play divided into nine parts that exhibits the internal conflicts associated with individual and communal experiences with addiction and mental illness. Incorporating true stories from the lives of both patients and professionals in the medical industry, "The Rounds" addresses the relationships that exist within the shared struggle of addiction and the desire for recovery. Theater for the New City's Dream Up Festival will present the work's New York premiere August 27 to September 9. Jonathan Schwolsky directs.
Do you believe in ghosts? In "The Ones Upstairs," a new comedy by Jillian Stevens, lost loved ones are not as far away as you might think-perhaps just up a flight of stairs. This heartwarming tale features the playful and wistful relationship between the living and the dead and teaches a difficult but important lesson about letting go. Theater for the New City's Dream Up Festival will present the world premiere of "The Ones Upstairs" August 28 to September 2.
At the peak of the true crime boom in a world oversaturated in podcasts, "Single Dead Female," a cheeky black comedy by Lana Schwartz reveals an unconventional way in which a true crime podcast host can find her edge. When her intern accidentally kills a hot, young woman, the two conclude they have no choice but to use her as their subject. Will their listeners discover the truth? Find out, right after this ad for Harry's Razors. Theater for the New City's Dream Up Festival will present the comedy August 26 to September 16.
In 'Hedda' a new adaptation by Kelly Lamanna, one performer and one stage manager, armed with puppets, dolls, gizmos, and gadgets will attempt to perform the lamentable tale of Hedda Gabler as first written by Henrik Ibsen. Theater for the New City's Dream Up Festival will present the world premiere of the piece August 31 to September 13.
In a dark, disorienting immersive movement theater piece, "Girl Inside the Mirror" by Peruvian-Italian director Nicoletta Mandriotti, psychological and physical forces bear down on a Latina girl who travels to a parallel world through a mirror. In this place, her past trauma and current mentality are reflected through the tormenting voices and shadows of her own subconscious, leading her nearer and nearer to her doom. Theater for the New City's Dream Up Festival will present the work's New York premiere September 6 to 15.
"For (give) me" is a new work of ensemble aerial dance from Circus Solaris. It is an exploration of storytelling in movement that comments on the effects of emotional trauma, the damaged psyche, long term stresses, coping mechanisms, and how these sources of stress and agitation manifest in the body over time. The world premiere of the piece will be presented by Theater for the New City's Dream Up Festival September 5 to 9.
Even after the legalization of same-sex marriage in 2015, there is no shortage of hate surrounding the gay community. We are powerfully reminded of this in "Adam & Brian," a drama by Craig Donnelly that tells the story of New York City gay couple who are viciously attacked after leaving the movies one night. As they cope with the physical and emotional damage in the aftermath of their assault, their relationship begins to unravel, revealing the devastating potential of a few hateful individuals on the lives of others. Theater for the New City's Dream Up Festival will present "Adam & Brian" September 12 to September 16.
Have you ever wanted something from someone to your own detriment? Or struggled to keep your cool after being told the same thing over and over and over again? These are the questions Indian-born playwright Ajinkya Desai asks in his new drama, "A Case Study of People With Labels: Meeks and Minorities." Narrated by a social scientist presenting his research, Desai's play looks at the struggles of one "meek" and one minority, revealing the frustrations with their own fraught identities. Theater for the New City's Dream Up Festival will present the world premiere of the piece September 1 to September 6.
'Glitched,' written and directed by Melissa Maney, is a dark fantasy horror story in which a woman faces a phobia on a carnival ride but finds more to fear than she'd bargained for. Theater for the New City's Dream Up Festival will present the play's world premiere August 26 to September 4.
"Sleep F$@cking: Revision" by Margot Mejia is an exploration of the physical experience of writing and revising a work that delves into a troubled writer's mind. Wine-addled and in a mire of insomnia, a character named John begins to lose sight of what is real and what is the novel. The world of the play and the novel overlap and become one, as John physically enters his book and the stage is overtaken by both realities, making both him and the audience question their interpretation of events. Theater for the New City's Dream Up Festival will present the play's world premiere August 26 to September 4.
From September 9 to 16, Theater for the New City's Dream Up Festival will present 'Two Men Walk Into a Bar' by Monica Bauer, a Cain and Abel story that takes place in a Texas dive bar in the middle of the Iraq War.
Salisbury Playhouse marks the centenary of women being given the right to vote with the regional premiere of Her Naked Skin by Rebecca Lenkiewicz this autumn.
On The Quays, a New York City based production company aimed at producing works that promote inclusivity, has announced it will present the world premiere production of Gary Duggan's STOP/OVER, a swift new play about rekindled friendship, as part of the 2018 Dublin Fringe Festival. Directed by Nicola Murphy, and supported by The Arts Council of Ireland,FringeLab, and The Lir Academy, The Production will run September 12th-23rd on the third floor of The Chocolate Factory (26 Kings Inn Street).
It was inevitable, perhaps, that our post-truth politics would seep into 21st century absurdist theater. One sunny example is 'Occasionally Nothing' by Natalie Menna, which takes us to a dismal time-to-come when something can become a profound, obvious nothing. Life becomes the time in between the sometimes which sometimes happen. The piece won awards in Planet Connections Festivity for developmental staging's, with critics cheering the playwright for her mastery of Theater of the Absurd. Theater for the New City's Dream Up festival will present the work September 8 to 16. Ivette Dumeng directs.
From August 26 to September 16, 2018, Theater for the New City (TNC), under the direction of Crystal Field, Artistic Director, will present its ninth annual Dream Up Festival, a feast of adventurous theater mixing world premieres, American premieres and New York premieres. It's an ultimate new work festival dedicated to the joy of discovering new authors and edgy, innovative performances.
