Yes, we may have Fringe on the brain, but that doesn’t mean that other things aren’t going on this weekend.  And, quite fittingly one of those other things is something called The OTHERS Project.  Paul Bedard, co artistic director for Theater in Asylum, took a moment to chat with me about a very exciting evening of theater, music, dance, poetry and drinks that will be going on this Sunday night.   Read on as Paul explains their particular definition of “asylum”, how they’re using their themes, and what their version of Frankenstein will look like …

Theater in Asylum’s mission is to “suspends beliefs and moralities through visceral, emotional and thrilling dance-theater to rigorously investigate our world and to believe again more wholly”. Tell me more about the work Theater in Asylum has been doing to showcase this mission.

Paul Bedard: THEATER IN ASYLUM’s name came from its first piece, NIJINSKY IN ASYLUM. We have been obsessed for a while with the idea of asylum not as a place for the crazy but as a sanctuary for the volatile (politically, morally and ethically). We try to pick characters or ideas that would benefit from the temporary suspension of the rules and of our preconceptions. We then try to unpack the origins of those rules and preconceptions surrounding the subject. We have offered this theatrical asylum to Vaslav Nijinsky, Poe’s “Me” in Annabel Lee, Lucia Joyce, and now “the other” with The OTHERS Project. This November we tackle our biggest task yet by offering asylum to Victor Frankenstein and his Creature. For each performance, we hope audiences will suspend their beliefs upon entering, engage in a visceral investigation, and experience a transformation or affirmation of those beliefs upon leaving.

The OTHERS Project is happening on Sunday night. I love the fact that the audience can mingle with the artists. Tell me about this up-close-and-personal approach.

The OTHERS Project is our second cabaret-style event we are holding at New York Theater Workshop, following April’s The DEATH / MEMORY Project. For each event we have invited artists to create short works to bring to event and to complicate the events overall theme. April’s theme was time as it relates to memory at one end of the spectrum and death at the other. The order of the night was constructed to create as many contradictions and complications as possible in the discussion around this theme. Breaks between each performance offer audiences the chance to engage with each other and with the artists on night’s theme. The OTHERS Project will investigate the idea of “the other,” both how “the other” is identified and separated. We again follow a cabaret structure with breaks to spur conversation and debate.

What other wonderful things can we expect down the road from Theater in Asylum?

This September THEATER IN ASYLUM will travel to Connecticut to teach a devised-theater intensive to 7-12th graders, hoping to theatrically empower them with a form of theater new to them. Then, this November, THEATER IN ASYLUM’s FRANKENSTEIN comes to life at NYC’s Looking Glass Theatre. Our modern retelling of Mary Shelley’s classic once again asks: At what point is your creation alive? What responsibility do you have to your creations? What will happen if you abort your creations? FRANKENSTEIN will feature aspects of traditional theater, dance, media and a chilling warning to humanity’s future.

Paul, that sounds terrific!  Thanks so much for giving us a glimpse into Theater in Asylum and what you’ll be offering on Sunday night.   I can’t wait to see more of the work you’ll be doing … and to check in again with you later this year.

~~~

For more information on this Sunday’s event please click here for ticket info.

All seating is general admission, first come first serve. Standing room available.

Complimentary wine all night with $15 donation

Special Reserved seat with $25 donation

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Redd Tale Theatre Company has a knack for taking well-worn stories and delivering them with a fresh perspective.  Currently during their “summer of creation” they are exploring the themes of what it means to be human and how our need to connect on a deeper level drives all living creatures.  By currently pairing a well-known and time-honored old fashioned horror story – Frankenstein – with a newly written modern sci-fi piece – Gabriel – this talented ensemble is virtually flipping a coin for us and showing two sides of a very complex issue during one ambitious night of theatre.

The first act begins long ago, with Frankenstein With Mary Shelley (adapted by Virginia Bartholomew / directed and edited by Will Le Vasseur).  As the title indicates, this is as much Mary Shelley’s chronicle of how the story came to possess her as it is the story of the Doctor and his Creature.  Virginia Bartholomew not only adapted the original text but interprets all three characters brilliantly.  She moves fluidly from young writer to consumed scientist, to unfortunate monster – imbuing each with the same spirit of determination that drove them to complete their task.   Bartholomew is a gifted actress who commands the stage and holds you in the palm of her hand; she is mesmerizing, dynamic and radiant.

By illuminating and juxtaposing Mary Shelley’s journey as she creates “Frankenstein” the story,  Bartholomew (as playwright) examines the way Shelley herself took a lifeless form and lovingly worked upon it until it rose … sparked by the electricity of her desire to create not merely new life, but new heights to which the reader’s imagination could ascend.

The second act vaults us into the future – or at least a parallel present – with Gabriel written by Le Vasseur and directed by Lynn Kenny.   In this sci-fi tale of creation we meet  Henry (Le Vasseur), a wealthy British geneticist who, it appears, has time and resources to dabble in much the same work that Doctor Frankenstein did – minus the grave robbing. When we come upon Henry he’s nervously awaiting his friends Pierce (James Stewart) and Susan (Cameran Hebb) – fellow scientists and dear friends.  He is about to introduce them to his own creation: Gabriel.

Gabriel is not your father’s test tube baby.  In fact, he’s no baby … after only six months he has formed into a fully grown man and his skills include being brilliant, being able to link to others in order to speak telepathically, and getting drunk far faster than the average human.  Since Gabriel doesn’t actually speak he is played by two actors: Michael Komala voices Gabriel remotely in dulcet tones while Michael Wetherbee moves about the stage and stares intently.

What worked so well in Gabriel was the exploration of the theme of Frankenstein taken to a “what if” level.  What if the Doctor had been successful in creating a being that could be accepted by society?  What if the creator could find a way to not only connect with the new creature, but celebrate its existence and delight in its actualization?  What if the bond between the two was mutual and fulfilling, rather than horrific and filled with despair?

By presenting this as the through-line which ties both ends together, Frankenstein and Gabriel amount to a thoughtful, entertaining, engaging night of theatre.

~~~

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