BEING HERE: A DIGITAL THEATRE EXPERIENCE at Solas Nua

SOLAS NUA CELEBRATES 15TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON WITH

BEING HERE

a digital theatre experience

created by John King and Rex Daugherty

June 18 - 28, 2020

Exploring the digital landscape of theatre, Solas Nua is commissioning a new play to capture the self isolation that people around the world are experiencing during the COVID 19 pandemic. Audiences can tune into the production to enjoy a live performance of a play specifically written for the online platform. The performance will feature optional, mild audience interaction.

ABOUT THE PLAY

Solas Nua artistic director Rex Daugherty shares that, "I've been thinking about what makes digital theatre actually theatre, and I keep returning to the idea that theatre needs to be experienced live. But how do can audiences share a live, intimate experience without proximity? I've seen a lot of archival productions being streamed, which has been a wonderful way the arts industry has quickly responded to the global pandemic. What excites me about BEING HERE is that this is an experience that is created with the digital medium in mind from the ground up. The production will be a live-digital performance, with mild audience interaction involved. This show doesn't work without an audience. That's what makes theatre special, and that togetherness is what we're all longing for during this time of isolation."

A HISTORY OF NON-TRADITIONAL THEATRE

Over their 15 year history, Solas Nua has garnered a reputation for innovation in non-traditional theatre spaces, which earned them the prestigious DC Mayor's Arts Award for "Innovation in the Arts." Solas Nua has staged 11 site-specific productions, with locations including private residences, the Georgetown Swimming Pool, an under-construction office building, The U-Line Arena/parking garage, a floating pier on The Anacostia River, cocktail bars around the city, and many more diverse locations. These productions have set box office records, been praised by The New York Times and The Washington Post as "best theatre of the year" and garnered Helen Hayes nominations and awards. And now, Solas Nua is thrilled to be a pioneer for digital theatre experiences.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

John King (playwright) is a theatre-maker from Dublin. His previous work as a playwright includes the short play Somewhere in the future dark, developed with Solas Nua in 2019 as part of Rorschach Theatre's Klecksography Project. His first play ERIS ran for three weeks at the Bunker Theatre in 2018 and is published by Methuen Drama. John is an alumnus of the Royal Court's Introductory Writers' Group, and is currently a Resident Artist at FringeLAB, Dublin. Directing credits include Summertime (Abbey Young Curators' Festival and Drogheda Arts Festival, 2019; Dublin Fringe Festival, 2018), The Overcoat (Omnibus Theatre and OSO Barnes, 2018 and 2017), Pippin (Edinburgh Fringe and ADC Theatre, 2015), and an ongoing collaboration with London-based performance artist Joseph Morgan Schofield, on work that has been seen at Camden People's Theatre, Fierce Festival, Birmingham, and ]performance space[, Folkestone. John was an Artistic Apprentice at Studio Theatre in Washington D.C. on their 2018-2019 season. He holds an MA from RADA/Birkbeck, and BA in English from the University of Cambridge. www.johnking.ie

Rex Daugherty (producer/director/co-creator) is a DC based theatre artist and currently serves as the Artistic Director of Solas Nua. During his five years as AD of Solas Nua's theatre programming, Rex has garnered international acclaim for his productions, earned multiple Helen Hayes Award nominations, and has produced the top three, highest grossing plays in Solas Nua history. His work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Irish Times and aired on RTE - Irish TV. His recent production of The Smuggler was listed by The New York Times as one of the best theatre productions of 2019. The Washington Post said that Rex, "is hope for Solas Nua to re-plant its imaginative flag forcefully on this city's theatre map." As an actor, he has performed at The Kennedy Center, The Shakespeare Theatre Company, The National Theatre, The Warner Theatre, Ford's Theatre, Signature Theatre, Round House Theatre, Folger Theatre, Rep Stage, Solas Nua, and Off Broadway at 59E59. Daugherty has received three Helen Hayes nominations as part of Outstanding Ensembles and is a member of Actors' Equity Association. Writing credits include: Snow Day, BEEP BEEP! (Arts on the Horizon) nominated for a Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding TYA Production; His musical The Devil and June Gantry (lyrics/music) was a semi-finalist for the American Musical Theatre Workshop at The Eugene O'Neill Center. Daugherty created the immersive theatre game, DC Dead - a zombie apocalypse survival experience, which has enjoyed sold out shows in Washington, Oklahoma City, Atlanta, and Santa Fe. Daugherty also co-devised and originated the title role in Wake Up, Brother Bear at Imagination Stage, which has been produced regularly in DC and on regional stages for more than a decade. Rex-Daugherty.com

Rebecca Wahls (associate producer/associate director) is a freelance director and theatre administrator working in Washington, DC. Previously with Solas Nua, she directed Book Day, part of Cyber Craic, a digital arts festival, and was the assistant producer for The Frederick Douglass Project. She is the Co-Artistic Director of Who What Where Theater Collective, where she directed Spills, We Found the Wild Things, and Midnight Tracks. Other directing work includes Pippin (Monumental Theatre), Swings and Slides (Acting for Young People) and assistant directing projects with Constellation, Forum, and 1st Stage. Rebecca currently works at Studio Theatre as Executive Assistant and Artistic Coordinator and will be attending Carnegie Mellon University in the fall, pursuing an MFA in Directing. rebeccawahls.com

Navid Azeez (audio/video designer) is a Sri Lankan-American performer, musician, composer, writer, graphic designer, and visual artist. He resides in the greater Washington DC area, where he works on strange art in whatever form it takes. Additionally, he's the Director of Visual Communications for Pointless Theatre, performs with the psychedelic punk hop band Picnibus, and is all about Instagram (@YourLocalNavi)

DATES, TICKETS, OTHER INFO

• The play will run online via Zoom June 18 - 28; full calendar at solasnua.org
• Run time is 25 minutes
• Tickets are $20
• Purchase tickets at solasnua.org
• Purchase of ticket will gain access to a Zoom invite code. Audiences will need access to a computer and WIFI
• The performance has optional interactive exchanges. Show up ready to engage or just sit back and enjoy.

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