[NEohioPAL] NWPL holds open rehearsal of Devil's Milk

[Slowiak,James R via NEohioPAL]

NEW WORLD PERFORMANCE LAB HOLDS OPEN REHEARSAL OF THE DEVIL’S MILK, PART 1

Akron, OH –New World Performance Laboratory (NWPL) will hold an open rehearsal of “Death of a Man” the first part of the company’s Devil’s Milk Trilogy, a long-term project based on Akron’s relationship with rubber, on Friday and Saturday, March 20 and 21, 2015 at 8pm in The Balch Street Theatre, 220 South Balch Street, Akron Oh, 44302.  Attendance at these first open rehearsals is by invitation only. For information or to obtain an invitation call 330-867-3299. There will be more open rehearsals for “Death of a Man” in May. Each open rehearsal will be followed by a talkback session.

“Death of a Man” is a solo performance-in-process conceived by and featuring Colombian actor, long-time Akron resident, and NWPL Co-Artistic Director Jairo Cuesta. In this moving evocation of the jungles of the Amazon (and the Congo) where countless indigenous men, women, and children were mutilated and massacred in the mad search for natural rubber, Cuesta seeks to lead the public on a quest for the sources of a city’s sorrow. Through his virtuosic physical and vocal skills, Cuesta will enact a ritual of storytelling, a sacrifice to heal the city by confronting the violence and blood on which the city is built.  “Death of a Man” is an attempt at authentic intercultural understanding by reengaging the past and bringing it alive in the present. The performance is not meant to sentimentalize the story or invoke empathy, but to interrogate, criticize, and empower by opening a dialogue between text, past, present, performer, and audience.  The performance event will be based loosely on John Tully’s book, “The Devil’s Milk: A Social History of Rubber,” along with other historical and fictional sources.

NWPL in conjunction with the Center for Applied Theatre and Active Culture (CATAC) will devise “The Devil’s Milk Trilogy” in six intensive two-week work sessions between March and November 2015. Each work session will culminate in an open rehearsal and talkback session with the public. The entire trilogy will begin performances in January 2016 at the company’s home base, The Balch Street Theatre, 220 South Balch Street in Akron. Each part of the trilogy will stand on its own as a performance event and take on a very distinct theatrical form and style, providing a stimulus and forum for a frank discussion about the city and the rubber that shaped it. A grant from The Knight Foundation will help pay for artists’ stipends during the development process and allow CATAC/NWPL to offer ensemble members and local theatre artists the opportunity to refine their craft.

About CATAC and NWPL
CATAC serves as the administrative umbrella for NWPL, an internationally acclaimed ensemble of theatre artists that has been active in Northeastern Ohio since 1992. Since taking up residence at The Balch Street Theatre in 2011, CATAC has produced a number of exceptional NWPL productions including “Virginia Woolf’s ORLANDO” and “Gilgamesh: He Who Saw Everything” as well as hosting various theatre companies such as Studium Teatralne from Poland, TAPIT Theatre Ensemble from Madison, WI, and Ma’Sue Productions. CATAC/NWPL spearheads numerous community projects, training sessions, educational programs, and performances throughout the region, nationally, and internationally.

About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation promotes journalism excellence worldwide and invests in the vitality of communities where the Knight brothers once owned newspapers.  Knight Foundation supports ideas and projects that can lead to transformational change.

Contacts
CATAC/NWPL:  James Slowiak, nwplab at gmail.com, 330-867-3299
Website:  www.nwplab.com
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Center-for-Applied-Theatre-and-Active-CultureNew-World-Performance-Lab/61058670907?
Knight Foundation: Nicole Chipi, chipi at knightfoundation.org
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