YOUR WAR’TRY GRAVE
Conceived, created and assembled by Arthur Adair
Theatre auteur Arthur Adair returns to La MaMa in a highly anticipated musically-charged theatrical installation of psychedelic modernism informed by our species’ relationship to water and war. “The production is a celebration of the human condition within the 21st century amidst the many challenges we as a community face, such as climate change, population explosion, an aging baby boomer generation, post-traumatic stress disorder, inequality of wealth distribution and civil dis-engagement,” says Adair.
A live sound-scape underscores a “man vs. self vs. nature” non-linear narrative woven from a mash-up of scientific, classical and original contemporary text, composed and arranged to offer an intimate journey of self-reflection. The environmental production utilizes theatre, dance, music, and visual art in its storytelling.
Performance Company: Khari Constantine | Alana DiMaria | Heather Huggins | Diana Lovrin | Amanda Morris | Eugene the Poogene | James Savage | Jason Spooner | Victoria A. Villier | Matthew Dean Wood
Musical Composition & Performance: Juan Bayon | Richard Cohen | Chriz Zaborowski
Production Design Assistant/Stage Manager: Annamarie Carcione
Arthur Adair is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society; Dramatist Guild of America; Actors’ Equity Association; and an award-winning designer – set (Innovative Theatre Award, NYC) and light (B. Iden Payne, ATX). Known for original works of “total theatre” including Sound of the Sun, Sss-tone-ddd: An American Oration and Manifest the Whale, the Teacup Destiny, as well as, faithful/illuminating “classically-contemporized” staged adaptations of works such as Eugene O’Neill’s The Emperor Jones, Anton Chekhov’s Three Sisters (Translation-Adair), and Euripides’ Bacchae. Present Assistant Professor at Queensborough Community College/CUNY; Great Jones Repertory Member; Educational Outreach Coordinator, Coffeehouse Chronicles. Artist-in-Residence, La MaMa (97-07).
Arthurs sat down with La MaMa for an exclusive interview about his inspirations for the show and working with LaMaMa. To find out more read 6 Questions with Arthur Adair
Press for Arthur Adair
“The mind’s eye and the real-life ears both receive an invigorating workout from Arthur Adair’s streamlined version of “The Emperor Jones” at La MaMa… The playing space, a large, deep rectangle that makes you feel as if you are peering into a diorama, is awash in eerie sound (credited to Mr. Adair), including those tom-toms O’Neill specified. And daring lighting (again Mr. Adair) enhances everything.”
– Neil Genzlinger, New York Times
“Arthur Adair’s production of Three Sisters is a masterpiece. I can’t remember when I’ve enjoyed, and understood, one of Chekhov’s works so well… Adair is adaptor, director, and designer of this intimately epic/epically intimate nearly-four-hour rendition… Pass four hours at La MaMa this week with these Three Sisters. You don’t have time not to.”
– Martin Denton, NYTheatre.com