by The Happiest Medium on January 19, 2012
The Knocking Within
ANIKAI Dance Theater
Texts from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, MacBeth, Titus Andronicus and Othello
Selected and compiled by Wendy Jehlen
Direction, concept: Wendy Jehlen
Choreographer: Wendy Jehlen with Pradhuman Nayak
ANIKAI Dance Theater premieres “The Knocking Within,” a new text-based work looking at insanity and a dysfunctional relationship through texts from three of Shakespeare’s tragedies – Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello and Titus Andronicus.
The scenes will not play out in a linear manner, but rather will be woven into each other, so that the effect is of the disorientation of unmitigated mental illness and a relationship out of control, or is it the nightmares of two lovers?
Show Times:
- Tues 1/17 @ 6:00pm
- Fri 1/20 @ 8:30pm
- Sun 1/22 @ 3:00pm
Answers by Wendy Jehlen
Artistic Director
ANIKAI Dance
Karen Tortora-Lee’s Question
This is an international festival. What part of the world are you coming from … and will your show tantalize the NYC audience with a taste of your nation’s culture?
Wendy Jehlen:
We are from India and the US, by birth. However, this work, and all ANIKAI works, draws on influences and deep study of traditions from throughout the world. The subjects are also universal – dreaming, the space between waking and sleeping, relationship, love, fear. I believe that our work speaks to that culture of people who do not identify themselves with any one place, but rather with a global community.
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by Diánna Martin on June 25, 2010
Austin Pendleton (photo by George Hartpence)
In the fourth and final installment of our Oberon Theatre Ensemble Rep Interview Series, we’ve got a treat – actor, director, and teacher Austin Pendleton. With a body of work on stage and screen that has spanned several decades, Austin is a vocal and active member of the Off-Off-Broadway community, who has championed the need to recognize the importance of theatre at all levels. Austin is the director of Order, now extended until July 3rd at Theatre Row.
Austin took some time out of his insanely busy schedule to answer some questions about his work both with Oberon and his long career.
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by Diánna Martin on June 20, 2010
In the third part of our interview series on Oberon Theatre Ensemble’s Summer Rep 2010, I was delighted to be able to speak with Cara Reichel, Director of Othello, and Producing Artistic Director for Prospect Theatre Company. Coincidently I finally got to see Othello last night (Othello is one of my favorite plays of The Bard). Cara’s ability to weave music (brilliant violin and djembe) in as a way to accentuate both the beauty and horror of the piece was brilliant. That shouldn’t be surprising, considering that Cara has much experience with and an affinity for music and theatre – as we can see from the following interview:
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by Diánna Martin on June 18, 2010
Order - Ryan Tramont as Tom Blander and Amanda Plant as Maisy Blander
Next up in our Oberon Theatre Ensemble Rep interview series is Brad Fryman, the Artistic Director of this esteemed theatre company, who produces the shows, and who essentially decides what will be running season after season. Not only is Brad producing two shows simultaneously at Theatre Row, he is also co-starring in Order, as the anything-but-sane psychotherapist, Dr. Fine. Having co-starred in numerous theatrical productions year after year with an impressive body of work, Fryman continues to strive toward providing the public with thought-provoking theatre, and if this season is any indication, then provoking the senses and minds of audiences are definitely a given.
I had a chance to catch up with Brad in between shows to find out his thoughts on this Summer Rep season and working on Order with Austin Pendleton and Christopher Boal. Here’s what he had to say:
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by Diánna Martin on June 16, 2010
One theatre company very near and dear to my heart is Oberon Theatre Ensemble, now celebrating its 13th season bringing invigorating theatre to New York City. Their M.O. is usually a Rep that involves both a play by The Bard and an original piece or revival. The last few years they have been doing their Reps at Theatre Row.
This year is very exciting for the company; they are again on 42nd Street, and they bring us Othello, directed by Prospect Theatre’s Cara Reichel (yes, THAT Cara Reichel), and Order, by Christopher Stetson Boal (of 23 Knives fame), directed by Austin Pendleton (yes, THAT Austin Pendleton – is there any other?). The pairing of these two plays is perfect; both involve men that strive to do good, but end up committing the most atrocious of crimes – both with their dearest “friends” whispering in their ear to bring about their own end. Only in Order . . . one must be careful not to mix friends with demons . . .
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by Sarah V. Schweig on June 6, 2010
Who would you bring to Othello? Someone you love? Someone you once loved?
Summer. Not exactly the time of year a New Yorker wants to venture into Hell’s Kitchen on a Friday night. Tourists. Bad smells. Bad-smelling tourists. Every out-of-towner at this time of year wants to get drunk, screw one another, and go to musicals. And the Friday I was slated to see Oberon Ensemble’s production of Othello, directed by Cara Reichel, was no exception.
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