Experiments 17: The Mouth
Written by Mike Albo & Amanda Duarte
Jess, a feminist activist and writer, reluctantly decides that she should “legitimize” her relationship and get married to her longterm boyfriend. Meanwhile, a belligerent entity known as The Mouth is beginning to consume more and more media attention.
Jess downloads an app to help organize her wedding, which ends up making things complicated instead of efficient, forcing Jess to confront some difficult IRL realities, while The Mouth, growing in influence, lurks around the edges of Jess’s psyche.
“The Mouth” is a look at how our digital lives are affecting our bodies, minds and hearts. In the production, the stage is a giant computer screen, and while disembodied dramas happen in the internet, the emotions are fully felt in the analog world, where people have hearts that can break, eyes that can wander, and minds that can be lost — even while they are still staring at their phones.
Mike Albo is a writer and performer. His most recent solo show, Spermhood, directed by David Schweizer, appeared at Dixon Place in the fall. In 2014, he performed his solo show The Junket, also directed by David Schweizer, Off-Broadway at the Lynn Redgrave Theater. He is the author of the novels Hornito and The Underminer (written with Virginia Heffernan) and the Amazon Kindle Singles, The Junket and Spermhood.
Amanda Duarte is the creator and host of the monthly show Dead Darlings, in which artists present work they’ve had to cut or abandon, at Judson Memorial Church in New York City. She is also the co-host of the new Cafe.com podcast Girl Friday, an outspoken feminazi cunt on social media, and the co-creatrix of the meme and movement #PussyGrabsBack. She has contributed to The New York Times, The New Yorker, Salon, Marie Claire, BuzzFeed, High Times and Next Magazine, and, with her partner-in-crime Mike Albo, co-created the “Hurt Locker: The Musical” faux-Playbill featured in the recent Broadway production and current national tour of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch.”
Experiments Play Reading Series
For the 23rd season of La MaMa Experiments we will focus on theatrical works in progress addressing mental health issues. No one is more familiar with the need to create greater access to mental healthcare than our New York audience, who come face to face with this crisis on a daily basis. After 3 years of a global pandemic, all of us are feeling the upsurge of anxiety and depression, but these trends have been on the rise long before Covid-19. The works this season shed light on important, personal stories and deal with this subject matter in many different and unique ways. From tongue in cheek comedies to absurdist tragedies, Experiments hopes to create a season that will destigmaify, enlighten and, yes, even entertain.