Kingdom Crosses Over |
"On my first day, two guards came to my house. They asked if I lived here. I answered yes. They smiled. They asked if I was an architect by profession. I answered yes. They smirked. They asked if they could come in. I answered yes. They grinned. Then they asked if I would make them some tea. I turned around to make some tea. Then the first guard grabbed me from behind while the second guard blindfolded me. I was dragged five miles through the city-that-isn’t-a-city through the streets-that-are-not-streets, and was brought to wait in a room in the palace for hours before the Queen arrived."
About The Queen is in distress. The capital of her kingdom has burned down; the Architect has been taken prisoner; and her son has been taken away. The Architect is drafting the plans for the city as fast as she can. But it’s difficult to work with so much screaming in the palace. Kingdom Crosses Over is an examination of torture and power—and just how terrifying cello music can be. Kingdom Crosses Over is inspired by the Argentinian grotesco criollo tradition, and its use of black humor, irony and fragmented storytelling to examine political power dynamics. Development Kingdom Crosses Over is written and directed by Eric Marlin, in collaboration with Sarah Lusche and Molly O'Keefe, with original music by Abby Beggs. In December 2014, Mots de Changer presented a reading of an early draft of the piece, featuring Sarah Lusche and Molly O'Keefe. The piece was further developed in a series of workshops, starting with a presentation in the summer of 2015 as part of PTP/NYC's After Dark series at the Atlantic Stage 2, featuring Kate Benson & Sarah Matusek, followed by a workshop at Manhattan Repertory Theatre featuring Josephine Wheelwright & Sarah Matusek. Most recently, a workshop production of Kingdom Crosses Over was presented at Dixon Place in December 2015. It was directed by Eric Marlin, and featured Tara Collins, Christo Grabowski, Sarah Matusek and Josephine Wheelwright.. |