Cafe La MaMa Live: Melody of Things

New Stage Theatre Company presents a work-in-progress showing of the early development of its original production, Melody of Things.  In a Route 66-style motel a group of travelers gather at nightfall, each fleeing a troubling past, each on a quest. Their intertwining stories unfold across territories of the real, the imaginary, and the magical. Inspired by Italo Calvino's Crossed Destinies series, the project is concerned with subterranean longings and fears—the complex, ancient currents that exist beyond human language, with language always reaching. A series of monologues give voice to the travelers' memories, struggles, and dreams, their words sometimes revealing and sometimes concealing. Through these monologues, improv exercises, and explorations of movement, the presentation creates an intricate picture of characters coming to terms with their fractured existence, feeling their way toward moments of connection.

This presentation is the result of a three-week workshop/rehearsal process led by Nemeth and includes improvisations, vignettes, and text developed during the rehearsals. These rehearsal exercises will inform further development of the eventual piece. The project is created by Ildiko Nemeth and Marie Glancy O'Shea, in collaboration with lighting designer Federico Restrepo, costume designer Olimpia Dior, and performers including Gina Bonatti, Maciej Bartoszewski, Lisa Giobbi, Markus Hirnigel, Tatyana Kot, Justine Ivan Brown,Daniella Hauser, and Olimpia Dior. Original music by Kris Force.

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and the Café Royal Foundation.

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