CulturalDC and Theater In Quarantine Partner to Present Screenings for Window Projection Series

CulturalDC Projects Theater in Quarantine on Source Theatre exterior

Selections from innovative performance lab featured on NPR runs nightly through April 5

Washington, D.C. - CulturalDC is partnering with the co-creators of Theater in Quarantine to present a limited-run screening as part of the ongoing window projection series at CulturalDC's Source Theatre. Four works have been selected, edited, and combined into a single installation by creators Joshua William Gelb, a Drama Desk-nominated director, and Katie Rose McLaughin, Associate Choreographer of the Tony award-winning Broadway show Hadestown.

Shortly after the coronavirus pandemic closed all theaters, Gelb transformed a 2' x 4' x 8' closet inside his New York City East Village apartment into a white-box theater. Starting on March 30, Gelb and his collaborators began releasing pre-recorded studies in movement, clown, camera orientation, and perspective, building towards more complex theatrical experiences. On April 23, they premiered Theater in Quarantine's first live-stream performance: an adaptation of Kafka's The Neighbor which was followed by an unauthorized edit of Beckett's Krapp's Last Tape and collaborations with artists like Scott R. Sheppard (Underground Railroad Game), Nehemiah Luckett (Jazz Singer), and Ellen Winter (36 Questions).

From Mar. 5 through Apr 5, the selected works from Theater in Quarantine will be projected nightly from 8 to 11 p.m. on the storefront windows of CulturalDC's Source Theatre, 1835 14th St., NW. No reservations or tickets are required. Please wear masks and observe social distancing while viewing the work.

"My evenings were spent commiserating on Zoom over the loss of paid work and productions, years in the making, now summarily shut down," said Joshua William Gelb, founder of Theater in Quarantine. "Rightly so, of course, flatten the curve, wash your hands, quarantine the virus. But for theater artists, whose entire industry relies on communal gathering, the professional grief was compounded by an existential uncertainty. How long will this last, we wondered? When can we return to what passes for normal? - A year later and these questions remain still unanswered."

"After having been stuck in Zoom for just a few weeks I was desperately missing being in a room with other humans, making dances for full bodies, not just torsos," said Katie Rose McLaughin, choreographer and co-creator for Theater in Quarantine. "I also missed collaborating, playing with ideas until something was perfected. As soon as Josh showed me the closet, I knew he had invented something special."

"As we mark a year of pandemic lockdowns, it's compelling to collaborate with artists who've embraced innovation during this difficult and isolating time," said Kristi Maiselman, Executive Director of CulturalDC. "For a year now, Theater in Quarantine has been expanding the ways artists work together and audiences experience art. It is a natural fit for our public programming at Source and will offer DC residents an opportunity to re-engage with live performance."

The complete archive of original works by Theater in Quarantine is available for free at www.youtube.com/theaterinquarantine. Please visit www.theaterinquarantine.com for more information.