As Philadelphia attempts to achieve inclusion and equity for black creatives, Dezi Tibbs interviews BIPOC Philly artists about visions for the future and the creation of The Black Theatre Alliance of Philadelphia.
Jan Cohen-Cruz invites theater makers working in community-based and socially engaged art in the United States to take part in research about commonalities across the field, the practices and principles adhered to, where people work and with whom, and more.
Through music, immersion and metathearics, “Our New Town” calls us all to wake up and take ownership of our personal relationship to guns and gun violence.
It’s always fascinating to be a small piece of an enormous work, such as This is Reading. For months, you hear bits and bobs about the grand scheme but focus only on your tiny piece. This past weekend, we saw it all come together at Franklin Street Station.
With this production, I’m venturing into new, fertile territory. Immersive & its close cousin Interactive theater has tremendous potential. In the case of “J & K 1965” it has the potential to give audiences an up-close look at drug addiction.
London’s National Theatre and the National Film Board of Canada helped facilitate Jordan Tannahill’s virtual reality story “Draw Me Close,” which debuted at Tribeca Film Festival’s Storyscapes.
Alan Bounville, Artistic Director of In Our Words, writes about turning gay sex — pre and post AIDS — into an immersive theater experience called “Adonis Memories.”
“Years ago as an audience member, I was the one shushing people if they made what I considered too much noise. I worried about what I wore and glared at people who texted during shows. Now I go to the theater and all I can see is what an inhospitable environment we have created.” – Larissa FastHorse
With its current productions of “Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme” in Dublin and “Quietly” in New York, the Abbey Theatre mines Irish history to pose universal questions about human violence.
“It’s so refreshing to be able to explore all the possibilities public spaces have to offer. It’s a very rich canvas available to you all the time in this concept.” – Peca Stefan
“I’ve never wanted Elastic City to institutionalize in a way where we’re beholden to anyone — I see it like a small record label or an indie press— it’s always been a project with a focus to produce rigorous work and get it out there directly to the public.” – Todd Shalom, Elastic City artistic director
Campaign Office is a new physical and digital installation where would-be candidates can self-nominate for President of the United States. Visitors are invited to launch their campaign by recording an announcement speech, generated automatically from 2016 campaign speeches, and filing paperwork necessary to be an official candidate for president.
Lifejacket Theatre Artistic Director Travis Russ describes the process of creating a play about the enigmatic writer and artist Edward Gorey.
On Juliet: “That’s a ride or die girl — they don’t make them like that anymore.” (Urban Dictionary cites, “ride or die chick” as a girl willing to “do anything her man needs her to do.”)
Carlo D’Amore, Creative Director of the Drama Desk-nominated Live in Theater, discusses the very personal inspiration for his company’s new interactive and immersive show, “The Trial of Typhoid Mary.”
Copyright © Extended Play 2014
