public look - fall 2014
DESCRIPTION
The October 2014 edition of PublicLook highlights one of our dearest programs with a feature on the Mobile Shakespeare Unit! The Mobile Unit is all about the journey, and so is this year's production of PERICLES, PRINCE OF TYRE! Our profiles in this issue look at the brilliant Young Jean Lee, playwright and director of this season's STRAIGHT WHITE MEN, and the complicated question, "What makes an Under the Radar artist?" Catch a glimpse of this Fall's Public Forum lineup, a recap of Public Works' THE WINTER'S TALE, and a celebratory shout-out to last season's FUN HOME, which heads to Broadway this spring!TRANSCRIPT
LAST
“this is the m
oment w
hen one stops being w
ho one thinks one is, and becom
es the person they are.”
“Do our fictions reflect the world, or is the world a distorted projection of our fictions?”
“Going out of m
y comfort zone
compels m
e to challenge my
assumptions and find value in
unexpected places.” Lee’s body of w
ork, from a variety show
tackling black stereotypes to a fem
inist m
ovement piece exploring gender
fluidity (the cast performs entirely
nude), is just that: unexpected (and provocative, and com
pelling, and good). C
oming from
a background in academ
ia with a focus on
Shakespeare, both as an undergrad and in the English PhD
program at U
C
Berkeley, Lee dove headfirst into
playwriting and m
oved to NYC
in 20
02. H
er process is unique: using the idea of discom
fort as a catalyst, she w
rites shows as she’s directing them
, w
orks collaboratively with her
performers and artistic team
, and uses feedback from
workshop audiences.
The goal is to push past an audience’s defenses against uncom
fortable subjects and ask them
to confront difficult questions. H
er rise in the experim
ental theater scene has been sw
ift and celebrated, and The Public w
as lucky enough to host her w
onderful, bizarre cabaret piece We’re
Gonna D
ie at Joe’s Pub in 2011.
Next m
onth, Lee’s newest play Straight
White M
en will have its N
ew York
premiere at The Public. The heart of
the play confronts the intersection of identity, self-w
orth, and privilege in the context of being, w
ell, straight white
men. C
hallenging and unexpected? Yes. N
ecessary? Definitely. In deep
contrast to her previous work, the
show is traditionally structured, and is
framed as a classic Am
erican father-son dram
a. During the show
’s last stretch of rehearsals in August, Lee struggled w
ith a crucial scene for an entire w
eek before she finally broke through and pointed herself in the right direction. “Learning how
to write
a naturalistic three-act drama has
been something of a torm
ent to me, but
every show is kind of like that since I’m
alw
ays trying new things.” M
oreover, as the m
ost straightforward piece she’s
ever written, she is as excited as w
e are to see how
the play is received by her typically edgy audience.
What’s next for Lee? Perhaps
filmm
aking. With a screenplay
comm
ission for Plan B/Param
ount Pictures, as w
ell as a short film, H
ere C
ome the G
irls (Locarno International Film
Festival, Sundance Film Festival,
and BAM
cinemaFest), under her belt,
Lee is already actively exploring the difference betw
een stage and screen. “O
ne thing that bothers me a lot about
theater is that shows change from
night to night. I know
for most people
that is the magic of theater, but I hate
it. I want to m
ake something the w
ay I w
ant it, and then for it to stay that way.
Film allow
s me to do that.” If her
ambitious theaterm
aking is any indication, w
e absolutely can’t wait to
see her take the film w
orld by storm.
STRA
IGH
T
WH
ITE MEN
N
ew York Prem
iere W
ritten & directed by Young Jean Lee
Featuring Austin Pendleton, Pete Sim
pson, James Stanley,
& G
ary Wilm
es N
ovember 7 – D
ecember 7, 20
14
WH
AT’S
THE
I WO
ULD
EVER
WA
NT TO
MA
KE?
SHO
WIN
THE W
OR
LD
UTR What
makes a
artistSPO
TLIGH
T ON
:M
AR
IAN
O PEN
SOTTI
New York Shakespeare Festival425 Lafayette StreetNew York, NY 10003212.539.8500 | publictheater.org
FALL 2014
After kicking off our 10th edition in
2014, U
nder the Radar C
o-Directors
Meiyin W
ang and Mark R
ussell have been keeping busy curating another festival of explosive, diverse perform
ances (coming January 7-18,
2015). In the m
eantime, w
e’re delighted to shine a spotlight on a U
TR
artist we’re particularly excited about:
MAR
IANO
PENSO
TTI.
Pensotti is the perfect example of an
Under the R
adar artist — one w
ho creates com
pelling, visually stunning
work that challenges the audience’s
perception of what theater can do.
Based in B
uenos Aires, Mariano
Pensotti has become a noted
experimental director w
orldwide. H
e has been heralded as one of Latin Am
erica’s brightest theater talents, touring around the w
orld with his
company extensively throughout the
year. The presence of his work at U
TR,
both past and future, is a testament to
his ongoing growth as an artist and
the boundaries he continues to push.
Pictured: (left) A scene from EL PASADO ES UN ANIMAL GROTESCO, photo by Almudena Crespo; A scene from CINEASTAS, photo by Carlos Furman; (right) Young Jean Lee, photo by Blaine Davis.
Pictured: (cover) The cast of PERICLES, photo by Tammy Shell. (this spread) Adam Chanler-Berat and Kyle Beltran, photo by Tammy Shell; the cast of THE WINTER’S TALE, photo by Joan Marcus; Noah Hinsdale, Griffin Birney and Sydney Lucas in FUN HOME, photo by Joan Marcus
We
call P
ublic
For
um th
e “t
heat
er
of id
eas”
– a
n im
puls
e th
at p
uts
the
thea
ter w
orld
into
co
nver
satio
n w
ith o
ther
art
ists
, in
telle
ctua
ls, a
nd p
ublic
figu
res.
Th
e Pu
blic
For
um D
ram
a Cl
ubs
this
sea
son
feat
ure
som
e su
rpris
ing
mas
h-up
s be
twee
n th
eate
r art
ists
and
the
mos
t fa
scin
atin
g th
inke
rs o
f our
tim
e.
Wel
com
e to
our
Fal
l edi
tion
of P
ublic
Look
! Th
is m
onth
, we’
re ta
king
our
sho
w o
n th
e ro
ad w
ith th
e M
obile
Sha
kesp
eare
Uni
t, pr
esen
ting
Peric
les
for f
ree
to p
rison
s, h
omel
ess
shel
ters
, and
com
mun
ity c
ente
rs
arou
nd N
ew Y
ork’
s fiv
e bo
roug
hs a
s a
part
of T
he P
ublic
’s lo
ng-s
tand
ing
com
mitm
ent t
o m
akin
g th
eate
r acc
essi
ble
to a
ll. A
s yo
u w
ill re
ad in
this
issu
e’s
mai
n fe
atur
e, th
e M
obile
U
nit i
s al
l abo
ut th
e jo
urne
y –
and
so is
the
play
! Man
y th
anks
to th
e in
cred
ible
You
ng
Jean
Lee
, pla
ywrig
ht a
nd d
irect
or o
f thi
s se
ason
’s St
raig
ht W
hite
Men
, and
to w
riter
/di
rect
or M
aria
no P
enso
tti a
nd o
ur U
nder
the
Rad
ar s
taff
for c
ontr
ibut
ing
to o
ur fe
atur
e on
thei
r wor
k to
geth
er –
pas
t, pr
esen
t and
futu
re. A
spe
cial
than
ks to
you
for y
our
ongo
ing
supp
ort,
and
we’
ll se
e yo
u do
wnt
own!
We
are
so th
rille
d th
at o
ur 2
013
prod
uctio
n of
FU
N H
OM
E, d
evel
oped
in P
ublic
Lab
then
bro
ught
to o
ur
New
man
The
ater
for a
mul
tiple
-ext
ensi
on ru
n, is
hea
ding
to B
road
way
! The
sho
w w
ill b
egin
pre
view
s on
Ap
ril 4
, 201
5 at
Circ
le in
the
Squa
re T
heat
er.
Last
mon
th, P
ublic
Wor
ks o
nce
agai
n br
ough
t jo
y to
The
Del
acor
te w
ith a
n in
cred
ible
, 20
0-p
erso
n m
usic
al a
dapt
ion
of T
HE
WIN
TER’
S TA
LE. T
he c
ast w
as a
s ric
h an
d di
vers
e as
our
city
: pro
fess
iona
l act
ors,
our
co
mm
unity
par
tner
s fr
om C
hild
ren’
s Ai
d So
ciet
y, D
ream
Yard
Pro
ject
, For
tune
Soc
iety
, Br
owns
ville
Rec
reat
ion
Cent
er, a
nd D
omes
tic
FALL
PAST
FUTURE
FUN
HO
ME
WIN
TER
’S
THE
TALE
BROA
DWAY
BOU
ND!
The LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust provides leadership support for The Public Theater’s year-round activities.
Wor
kers
Uni
ted,
dan
ce tr
oupe
s, a
stil
t ba
nd, p
ark
rang
ers,
and
a s
peci
al
appe
aran
ce b
y Se
sam
e St
reet
! The
sh
ow w
as a
wild
suc
cess
, and
rem
inde
d us
that
thea
ter i
s a
plac
e of
pos
sibi
lity,
w
here
the
boun
darie
s th
at s
epar
ate
us
from
eac
h ot
her i
n th
e re
st o
f life
can
fa
ll aw
ay.
When O
bie-award
winning playw
right Young Jean Lee, hailed as the “the m
ost adventurous dow
ntown
playwright of her
generation,” begins w
ork on a new project,
she asks herself,
Then she makes it.
(UTR 2012) EL PASAD
O ES U
N
ANIM
AL GROTESCO (TH
E PAST
IS A GROTESQU
E ANIM
AL)
(UTR 2015) CINEASTAS
Chec
k ou
t the
se su
perh
eroe
s in
The F
ortr
ess o
f Sol
itude
(NOW
-Nov
2)
UTR
is made possible w
ith the generous support of The How
ard Gilm
an Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the R
obert Sterling Clark Foundation.
Elizabeth
Streb
Salman Rushdie
Denis O
’Hare
Cynthia Nixon
Wallace Shawn
Margaret
Mitch
ell
THE MOBILE
SHAKESPEARE UNIT SETS SAIL
FIRST CLASS PRESORT
U.S. POSTAGE
PAIDNEW YORK, N.Y.
PERMIT NO. 2377
Of Montreal evolves into a fast-paced record of the past, both true and imaginary.
together from damaged photographs left behind in a photo lab and the anthem by indie rock group
Mariano Pensotti’s “fi lmic drama” threads together the lives of four fi lmmakers over the course of a year in Buenos Aires.
cross-fades, long takes—Pensotti crafts an epic tale of love, money, work, and art.
In this intricate portrait of a city and its inhabitants, a handful of actors fl uidly shift between the characters’
real lives and their fi lms on an elaborate split-screen set. By adapting cinematic techniques—voice-over,
Argentinians in a bittersweet fragmentary chronicle of a decade (1999-2009). What began as a story pieced
Epic and cinematic in scope, with a slowly revolving stage El Pasado… tracks the lives of four young
LAST
“this is the moment when one stops being who one thinks one is, and becomes the person they are.”
“Do
our f
ictio
ns
refle
ct th
e w
orld
, or
is th
e w
orld
a
dist
orte
d pr
ojec
tion
of
our f
ictio
ns?”
“Going out of my comfort zone compels me to challenge my assumptions and find value in unexpected places.” Lee’s body of work, from a variety show tackling black stereotypes to a feminist movement piece exploring gender fluidity (the cast performs entirely nude), is just that: unexpected (and provocative, and compelling, and good). Coming from a background in academia with a focus on Shakespeare, both as an undergrad and in the English PhD program at UC Berkeley, Lee dove headfirst into playwriting and moved to NYC in 2002. Her process is unique: using the idea of discomfort as a catalyst, she writes shows as she’s directing them, works collaboratively with her performers and artistic team, and uses feedback from workshop audiences. The goal is to push past an audience’s defenses against uncomfortable subjects and ask them to confront difficult questions. Her rise in the experimental theater scene has been swift and celebrated, and The Public was lucky enough to host her wonderful, bizarre cabaret piece We’re Gonna Die at Joe’s Pub in 2011.
Next month, Lee’s newest play Straight White Men will have its New York premiere at The Public. The heart of the play confronts the intersection of identity, self-worth, and privilege in the context of being, well, straight white men. Challenging and unexpected? Yes. Necessary? Definitely. In deep contrast to her previous work, the show is traditionally structured, and is framed as a classic American father-son drama. During the show’s last stretch of rehearsals in August, Lee struggled with a crucial scene for an entire week before she finally broke through and pointed herself in the right direction. “Learning how to write a naturalistic three-act drama has
been something of a torment to me, but every show is kind of like that since I’m always trying new things.” Moreover, as the most straightforward piece she’s ever written, she is as excited as we are to see how the play is received by her typically edgy audience.
What’s next for Lee? Perhaps filmmaking. With a screenplay commission for Plan B/Paramount Pictures, as well as a short film, Here Come the Girls (Locarno International Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, and BAMcinemaFest), under her belt, Lee is already actively exploring the difference between stage and screen. “One thing that bothers me a lot about theater is that shows change from night to night. I know for most people that is the magic of theater, but I hate it. I want to make something the way I want it, and then for it to stay that way. Film allows me to do that.” If her ambitious theatermaking is any indication, we absolutely can’t wait to see her take the film world by storm.
STRAIGHT WHITE MEN New York Premiere Written & directed by Young Jean Lee Featuring Austin Pendleton, Pete Simpson, James Stanley, & Gary Wilmes November 7 – December 7, 2014
WHAT’S THE
I WOULD EVER WANT TO MAKE? SHOW IN THE WORLD
UTR
What makes a
artistSPOTLIGHT ON:MARIANO PENSOTTI
New
York Shakespeare Festival
425 Lafayette S
treetN
ew York, N
Y 10
00
3212.539
.850
0 | publictheater.org
FALL 2014
After kicking off our 10th edition in 2014, Under the Radar Co-Directors Meiyin Wang and Mark Russell have been keeping busy curating another festival of explosive, diverse performances (coming January 7-18, 2015). In the meantime, we’re delighted to shine a spotlight on a UTR artist we’re particularly excited about: MARIANO PENSOTTI.
Pensotti is the perfect example of an Under the Radar artist — one who creates compelling, visually stunning
work that challenges the audience’s perception of what theater can do. Based in Buenos Aires, Mariano Pensotti has become a noted experimental director worldwide. He has been heralded as one of Latin America’s brightest theater talents, touring around the world with his company extensively throughout the year. The presence of his work at UTR, both past and future, is a testament to his ongoing growth as an artist and the boundaries he continues to push.
Pict
ured
: (le
ft) A
scen
e fro
m E
L PAS
ADO
ES U
N AN
IMAL
GRO
TESC
O, ph
oto b
y Alm
uden
a Cre
spo;
A sc
ene f
rom
CIN
EAST
AS, p
hoto
by C
arlo
s Fur
man
; (rig
ht) Y
oung
Jea
n Le
e, p
hoto
by B
lain
e Dav
is.
Pictured: (cover) The cast of PERICLES, photo by Tamm
y Shell. (this spread) Adam Chanler-Berat and Kyle Beltran, photo by Tam
my Shell;
the cast of THE WINTER’S TALE, photo by Joan M
arcus; Noah Hinsdale, Griffin Birney and Sydney Lucas in FUN HOME, photo by Joan M
arcus
We call Public Forum the “theater of ideas” – an impulse that puts the theater world into conversation with other artists, intellectuals, and public figures. The Public Forum Drama Clubs this season feature some surprising mash-ups between theater artists and the most fascinating thinkers of our time.
Welcome to our Fall edition of PublicLook! This month, we’re taking our show on the road with the Mobile Shakespeare Unit, presenting Pericles for free to prisons, homeless shelters, and community centers around New York’s five boroughs as a part of The Public’s long-standing commitment to making theater accessible to all. As you will read in this issue’s main feature, the Mobile Unit is all about the journey – and so is the play! Many thanks to the incredible Young Jean Lee, playwright and director of this season’s Straight White Men, and to writer/director Mariano Pensotti and our Under the Radar staff for contributing to our feature on their work together – past, present and future. A special thanks to you for your ongoing support, and we’ll see you downtown!
We are so thrilled that our 2013 production of FUN HOME, developed in Public Lab then brought to our Newman Theater for a multiple-extension run, is heading to Broadway! The show will begin previews on April 4, 2015 at Circle in the Square Theater.
Last month, Public Works once again brought joy to The Delacorte with an incredible, 200-person musical adaption of THE WINTER’S TALE. The cast was as rich and diverse as our city: professional actors, our community partners from Children’s Aid Society, DreamYard Project, Fortune Society, Brownsville Recreation Center, and Domestic
FALL
PAST
FUTURE
FUNHOME
WINTER’S
THE
TALE
BROADWAY BOUND!
The LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust provides leadership support for The Public Theater’s year-round activities.
Workers United, dance troupes, a stilt band, park rangers, and a special appearance by Sesame Street! The show was a wild success, and reminded us that theater is a place of possibility, where the boundaries that separate us from each other in the rest of life can fall away.
When Obie-award winning playwright Young Jean Lee, hailed as the “the most adventurous downtown playwright of her generation,” begins work on a new project, she asks herself,
Then she makes it.
(UTR 2012) EL PASADO ES UN
ANIMAL GROTESCO (THE PAST
IS A GROTESQUE ANIMAL)
(UTR 2015) CINEASTAS
Check out these superheroes in
The Fortress of Solitude (NOW-Nov 2)
UTR is made possible with the generous support of The Howard Gilman Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation.
Eliza
beth
Streb
Salm
an R
ushd
ie
Denis
O’Har
e
Cynth
ia Nixo
n
Wall
ace S
hawn
Mar
garet
Mitc
hell
THE M
OBILE
SHAKESPEARE
UNIT SETS SAIL
FIRST CLASS PRESORT
U.S. POSTAGE
PAIDNEW
YORK, N.Y.PERM
IT NO. 2377
Of Montreal evolves into a fast-paced record of the past, both true and im
aginary.
together from damaged photographs left behind in a photo lab and the anthem by indie rock group
Mariano Pensotti’s “fi lm
ic drama” threads together the lives of four fi lm
makers over the course of a year in Buenos Aires.
cross-fades, long takes—Pensotti crafts an epic tale of love, money, work, and art.
In this intricate portrait of a city and its inhabitants, a handful of actors fl uidly shift between the characters’
real lives and their fi lms on an elaborate split-screen set. By adapting cinematic techniques—voice-over,
Argentinians in a bittersweet fragmentary chronicle of a decade (1999-200
9). What began as a story pieced
Epic and cinematic in scope, with a slowly revolving stage El Pasado… tracks the lives of four young
LAST
“this is the moment when one stops being who one thinks one is, and becomes the person they are.”
“Do our fictions
reflect the world,
or is the world a
distorted projection of our fictions?”
“Going out of my comfort zone compels me to challenge my assumptions and find value in unexpected places.” Lee’s body of work, from a variety show tackling black stereotypes to a feminist movement piece exploring gender fluidity (the cast performs entirely nude), is just that: unexpected (and provocative, and compelling, and good). Coming from a background in academia with a focus on Shakespeare, both as an undergrad and in the English PhD program at UC Berkeley, Lee dove headfirst into playwriting and moved to NYC in 2002. Her process is unique: using the idea of discomfort as a catalyst, she writes shows as she’s directing them, works collaboratively with her performers and artistic team, and uses feedback from workshop audiences. The goal is to push past an audience’s defenses against uncomfortable subjects and ask them to confront difficult questions. Her rise in the experimental theater scene has been swift and celebrated, and The Public was lucky enough to host her wonderful, bizarre cabaret piece We’re Gonna Die at Joe’s Pub in 2011.
Next month, Lee’s newest play Straight White Men will have its New York premiere at The Public. The heart of the play confronts the intersection of identity, self-worth, and privilege in the context of being, well, straight white men. Challenging and unexpected? Yes. Necessary? Definitely. In deep contrast to her previous work, the show is traditionally structured, and is framed as a classic American father-son drama. During the show’s last stretch of rehearsals in August, Lee struggled with a crucial scene for an entire week before she finally broke through and pointed herself in the right direction. “Learning how to write a naturalistic three-act drama has
been something of a torment to me, but every show is kind of like that since I’m always trying new things.” Moreover, as the most straightforward piece she’s ever written, she is as excited as we are to see how the play is received by her typically edgy audience.
What’s next for Lee? Perhaps filmmaking. With a screenplay commission for Plan B/Paramount Pictures, as well as a short film, Here Come the Girls (Locarno International Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, and BAMcinemaFest), under her belt, Lee is already actively exploring the difference between stage and screen. “One thing that bothers me a lot about theater is that shows change from night to night. I know for most people that is the magic of theater, but I hate it. I want to make something the way I want it, and then for it to stay that way. Film allows me to do that.” If her ambitious theatermaking is any indication, we absolutely can’t wait to see her take the film world by storm.
STRAIGHT WHITE MEN New York Premiere Written & directed by Young Jean Lee Featuring Austin Pendleton, Pete Simpson, James Stanley, & Gary Wilmes November 7 – December 7, 2014
WHAT’S THE
I WOULD EVER WANT TO MAKE?
SHOWIN THE WORLD
UTR
What makes a
artist SPOTLIGHT ON:MARIANO PENSOTTI
New
Yor
k S
hake
spea
re F
esti
val
425
Laf
ayet
te S
tree
tN
ew Y
ork,
NY
100
03
212.
539
.850
0 | p
ublic
thea
ter.o
rg
FALL 2014
After kicking off our 10th edition in 2014, Under the Radar Co-Directors Meiyin Wang and Mark Russell have been keeping busy curating another festival of explosive, diverse performances (coming January 7-18, 2015). In the meantime, we’re delighted to shine a spotlight on a UTR artist we’re particularly excited about: MARIANO PENSOTTI.
Pensotti is the perfect example of an Under the Radar artist — one who creates compelling, visually stunning
work that challenges the audience’s perception of what theater can do. Based in Buenos Aires, Mariano Pensotti has become a noted experimental director worldwide. He has been heralded as one of Latin America’s brightest theater talents, touring around the world with his company extensively throughout the year. The presence of his work at UTR, both past and future, is a testament to his ongoing growth as an artist and the boundaries he continues to push.
Pictured: (left) A scene from EL PASADO ES UN ANIM
AL GROTESCO, photo by Almudena Crespo; A scene from
CINEASTAS, photo by Carlos Furman; (right) Young Jean Lee, photo by Blaine Davis.
Pict
ured
: (co
ver)
The
cast
of P
ERIC
LES,
pho
to b
y Tam
my S
hell.
(thi
s spr
ead)
Ada
m C
hanl
er-B
erat
and
Kyle
Bel
tran,
pho
to b
y Tam
my S
hell;
th
e cas
t of T
HE W
INTE
R’S
TALE
, pho
to b
y Joa
n M
arcu
s; No
ah H
insd
ale,
Grif
fin B
irney
and
Sydn
ey Lu
cas i
n FU
N HO
ME,
pho
to b
y Joa
n M
arcu
s
We call Public Forum the “theater of ideas” – an impulse that puts the theater world into conversation with other artists, intellectuals, and public figures. The Public Forum Drama Clubs this season feature some surprising mash-ups between theater artists and the most fascinating thinkers of our time.
Welcome to our Fall edition of PublicLook! This month, we’re taking our show on the road with the Mobile Shakespeare Unit, presenting Pericles for free to prisons, homeless shelters, and community centers around New York’s five boroughs as a part of The Public’s long-standing commitment to making theater accessible to all. As you will read in this issue’s main feature, the Mobile Unit is all about the journey – and so is the play! Many thanks to the incredible Young Jean Lee, playwright and director of this season’s Straight White Men, and to writer/director Mariano Pensotti and our Under the Radar staff for contributing to our feature on their work together – past, present and future. A special thanks to you for your ongoing support, and we’ll see you downtown!
We are so thrilled that our 2013 production of FUN HOME, developed in Public Lab then brought to our Newman Theater for a multiple-extension run, is heading to Broadway! The show will begin previews on April 4, 2015 at Circle in the Square Theater.
Last month, Public Works once again brought joy to The Delacorte with an incredible, 200-person musical adaption of THE WINTER’S TALE. The cast was as rich and diverse as our city: professional actors, our community partners from Children’s Aid Society, DreamYard Project, Fortune Society, Brownsville Recreation Center, and Domestic
FALL
PAST
FUTUREFUN HOME
WINTER’S
THE
TALE
BROADWAY BOUND!
The LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust provides leadership support for The Public Theater’s year-round activities.
Workers United, dance troupes, a stilt band, park rangers, and a special appearance by Sesame Street! The show was a wild success, and reminded us that theater is a place of possibility, where the boundaries that separate us from each other in the rest of life can fall away.
When Obie-award winning playwright Young Jean Lee, hailed as the “the most adventurous downtown playwright of her generation,” begins work on a new project, she asks herself,
Then she makes it.
(UTR 2012) EL PASADO ES UN
ANIMAL GROTESCO (THE PAST
IS A GROTESQUE ANIMAL)
(UTR 2015) CINEASTAS
Check out these superheroes in
The Fortress of Solitude (NOW-Nov 2)
UTR is made possible with the generous support of The Howard Gilman Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation.
Elizabeth Streb
Salman Rushdie
Denis O’Hare
Cynthia Nixon
Wallace Shawn
Margaret M
itchell
THE
MOB
ILE
SHAK
ESPE
ARE
UNIT
SETS
SAIL
FIRS
T CL
ASS
PRES
ORT
U.S.
POS
TAGE
PAID
NEW
YOR
K, N
.Y.
PERM
IT N
O. 2
377
Of Mon
treal
evolv
es in
to a
fast
-pac
ed re
cord
of t
he p
ast,
both
true
and
imag
inar
y.
together from damag
ed ph
otog
raph
s lef
t beh
ind
in a
pho
to la
b an
d th
e an
them
by
indi
e ro
ck g
roup
Mar
iano
Pen
sott
i’s “fi
lmic
dra
ma”
thre
ads
toge
ther
the
lives
of f
our fi
lmm
aker
s ove
r the c
ourse of a year in
Buenos Aires.
cros
s-fa
des,
long
take
s—Pe
nsot
ti cr
afts
an
epic
tale
of l
ove,
money
, work, and art.
In th
is in
tric
ate
port
rait
of a
city
and
its
inha
bita
nts,
a h
andf
ul o
f act
ors fl
uidl
y s
hift betw
een the characters’
real
lives
and
thei
r fi lm
s on
an
elab
orat
e sp
lit-s
cree
n se
t. By
adap
ting c
ine
matic t
echniques—voice-over,
Argentinians in a bittersw
eet frag
menta
ry ch
roni
cle o
f a d
ecad
e (1
999-
200
9). W
hat b
egan
as
a st
ory
piec
ed
Epic and cinematic in scope, with
a slo
wly re
volvi
ng st
age
El P
asad
o… tr
acks
the
lives
of f
our y
oung
JOURNEYTHE
THE MOBILE SHAKESPEARE UNIT
NEW
YORK
CIT
Y
ANCI
ENT M
EDIT
ERRA
NEAN
PERICLES, PRINCE OF TYRE
12
15
13
11
8
12
10
4
2
3
7
6
5
8
13
5
4
2
14
9
6
7
1
1. ANTIOCH
CHOOSING THE PLAY
3. TARSUS
SCHEDULING
4. PENTAPOLIS
AUDIENCE REACTIONS
5. TARSUS
THE SIT-DOWN
6. TYRE 7. MYTILENE
CLOSING
8. EPHESUS/SEA/
HITTING THE ROAD
/SEA/
PLAYING IN PRISON
2. TYRE
SELECTING VENUES
Pericles solves a riddle put forth by the incestuous King Antiochus, revealing royal scandal, and must flee for fear of his life.
Our artistic staff considers which of Shakespeare’s plays might best serve the Mobile Unit audiences. We gravitate to dynamic characters and plots/themes that speak to our Mobile community.
Our hero sails to Tarsus, a city suffering from famine, and gifts the city grain from his ship to save their people.
Scheduling the tour is a big puzzle. The team must consider each venue’s needs, logistical parameters, holidays, and most agonizing of all: traffic!
The fishermen inform Pericles of a tournament whose winner will win the Princess Thaisa’s hand in marriage. Rusty armor and all, Pericles wins the tournament and marries Thaisa.
The Mobile Team loves seeing the first time an audience member speaks up or responds to Shakespeare’s characters, then watching the actors learn how to communicate with the audience in a way they aren’t used to doing.
Pericles is devastated and, fearing Marina may not survive the storm, brings her to Tarsus, thinking she’ll be safe there. Unfortunately she is eventually captured by pirates.
The final stop on the tour is back at The Public, where the show stays for a three week run. We invite community groups to these shows as well – the audiences we couldn’t get to; we bring them to us.
A depressed Pericles vows to stop speaking and stop cutting his hair. Fifteen years pass.
While out at sea, Pericles is serendipitously reunited with Marina, whose moral fortitude and intelligence has saved her from her evil captors.
The intense bond of the cast breaks at closing – it’s the end of a voyage; like disembarkation. Knowing you’ll see each other around but never in the same unique circumstances. It’s akin to everyone coming into port together and going their separate ways.
The whole family – including Thaisa, who as it turns out is still alive – are reunited!
SHIPWRECK! Pericles lucks out: he’s rescued by fishermen AND his suit of armor is saved from the storm.
Each morning, coffee in hand, the team loads into the legendary tour van. They often journey to remote areas of each borough, so they quickly become versed in road-trip games.
Pericles receives a letter causing him to return to Tyre with the pregnant Thaisa. A storm arises while at sea, and Thaisa “dies” giving birth to their child, Marina. The sailors insist that Thaisa’s body be set overboard in order to calm the storm.
The first prison performance really brings the company together in a deep way, because the audience is truly unlike any other.
Pericles returns home, where he is immedi-ately advised to leave the city, as Antiochus is on his trail.
Next we work on booking our community venues! We want a balance of new stops and continu-ing partnerships, as well as a diversity of the populations served.
2014 TOUR VENUES:
1. Charlotte
’s Place
2. Women’s Mental H
ealth Shelter at
Park Avenue Arm
ory
3. Brownsville Recreation Center
4. Crossroads Juvenile Detention Facility
5. Queensboro Corre
ctional Facility
6. Faber Park Field House
7. Rikers Island Corre
ctional Facility
8. Fortune Society
9. Taconic Correctional Facility
10. The GO Project
11. Bedford Hills
Correctional Facility
12. St. John’s Recreation Center
11. DreamYard Project
12. Hamilto
n Partnership for P
aterson
13. Pelham Fritz Recreation Center
“Do people get to see this
on the outside?” he asked.
“Because I’d recommend
it to anyone.”
– Ramon Lopez, Inmate at R
iker’s Island
“Everyone brings their b
est work,
because there’s a deep
understanding and appreciation
of our purpose.”
– AZ Kelsey, Actor in
2013 Mobile production of Much Ado About N
othing
“This is how
Shakespeare really
lives, 400 hundred
years later.”
– Jim Shapiro, R
esident Shakespeare Scholar
Stephanie Ybarra,
Director o
f Special Artis
tic Projects at The Public,
knows better th
an anyone that th
e Mobile Shakespeare
Unit experie
nce is all about th
e journey. “When we go
out on tour, every stop, th
ere is an energy crackling
between audience and actor that ra
rely happens in
traditio
nal spaces with tra
ditional audiences. It
can be a
grueling couple weeks, with
early mornings and long
drives, but the re
sults are magical.”
This year’s Mobile production is Pericles, Prin
ce of Tyre,
Shakespeare’s epic tale of loss, re
venge, and
redemption. The stage might only be a 14x14 foot square
taped down on the floors of gyms, cafeteria
s, and rec
centers but the M
obile Unit delivers all th
e intensity of
Pericles’ odyssey while embarking on an odyssey of
their own! T
ake a look at some of the adventures th
at
cross the paths of P
ericles and of the M
obile Team!
At The Public, w
e believe that cultu
re belongs to
everyone, and The Mobile Unit b
rings cultu
re to
communities who might otherw
ise never get th
e chance
to experience it.
Join us to see the show durin
g its ru
n
at The Public!
Following its tour, P
ericles, Prince of Tyre will r
un at The
Public November 11 – 30.
The
Mob
ile S
hake
spea
re U
nit i
s m
ade
poss
ible
with
the
supp
ort o
f the
For
d Fo
unda
tion
and
The
Stav
ros
Nia
rcho
s Fo
unda
tion.
Add
ition
al g
ener
ous
supp
ort i
s pr
ovid
ed b
y B
loom
berg
and
R
obin
s, K
apla
n, M
iller
& C
iresi
, LLP
. Spe
cial
than
ks to
The
Phi
lip a
nd J
anic
e Le
vin
Foun
datio
n’s
lead
sup
port
for T
he P
ublic
’s ac
cess
and
eng
agem
ent p
rogr
amm
ing.
Follow the journey #mobileshakes