YOU ON THE MOORS NOW
February 13 - 28, 2015 at HERE
YOU ON THE MOORS NOW
February 13 - 28, 2015 at HERE
ENSEMBLE
created and produced by Theater Reconstruction Ensemble
written by Jaclyn Backhaus
conceived and directed by John Kurzynowski
Performers: Harlan Alford, Michael Barringer, Nathaniel Basch-Gould, Sam Corbin, Eben Hoffer, Lena Hudson, Emily Marro, Preston Martin, Anastasia Olowin, Jon Riddleberger, Kelly Rogers, Claire Rothrock, Patrick Scheid, Lauren Swan-Potras
Producing Director: Reed Whitney
Sound Design: Alex Hawthorn | Lighting Design: Marika Kent | Scenic and Costume Design: Joseph Wolfslau | Stage Manager: Kristy Bodall | Technical Director: Markus Paminger | Asst. Sound Designer: Adrianna Brannon | Asst. Lighting Designer: Brian Abbott | Press Rep: David Gibbs / DARR Publicity
SYNOPSIS
You On The Moors Now is a sprawling theatrical examination of four well-known literary heroines of the 19th-century and their shocking rejection of the men who so ardently loved them. What results is a confluence of love, anger, grief, haunting, bloody battles and single tears shed by an ensemble of actors struggling to reconcile the romantic confines of the past with their own contemporary ideas of courtship. You On The Moors Now takes everything you’ve ever learned about love, gleaned from the pages of Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and Little Women, and puts it somewhere in the tall grasses, hidden from view, where only the truly brave will ever traverse to earn it.
photos by Suzi Sadler / video by Michael Barringer
press
“‘You On The Moors Now’ is a wild send up of classic literature and an examination of women’s rights in a time that was sorely lacking in that category. Theater Reconstruction Ensemble develops their work over long periods of time and ‘You On The Moors Now’ is the culmination of two years of development. Their efforts have paid off with a hit.”
“The cast begins tearing up the floor boards of the stage. Underneath, there are pages of their stories scattered everywhere, poking up through the cracks in the floor. They do it because these characters and tropes are deeply ingrained into our culture. These battles for feminism and equality are colored by them. Until the foundation is torn up and the toxicity revealed for the world to see, men and women will continue to be held back. There needs to be a chance for another ending to be written, one where Elizabeth Bennett got an Alzheimer’s research grant, Jo is a war correspondent, and Jane Eyre is an astronaut. That is an ending worth fighting for, and a show and message worth celebrating.”
SET IN THE LIVING ROOM OF A SMALL TOWN AMERICAN PLAY
February 21 - March 9, 2013 at Walkerspace
SET IN THE LIVING ROOM OF A SMALL TOWN AMERICAN PLAY
February 21 - March 9, 2013 at Walkerspace
ENSEMBLE
created and produced by Theater Reconstruction Ensemble
written by Jaclyn Backhaus
conceived and directed by John Kurzynowski
Performers: Harlan Alford, Jaclyn Backhaus, Michael Barringer, Andrew Butler, Nick Fesette, Nick Lehane, Emily Marro, Sydney Matthews, Anastasia Olowin, Patrick Scheid, Tina Shepard, Lauren Swan-Potras
Producing Director: Reed Whitney
Scenic and Lighting Design: Jonathan Cottle | Sound Design: Kate Marvin | Stage Manager: Nick Smerkanich | Asst. Stage Manager: Marlena Holman | Production Intern: Sam Corbin | Press Rep: Off Off PR / Paul Siebold
SYNOPSIS
In this reconstruction of the classic American drama, the Lorimer family has gathered to welcome home their former golden boy after tragedy has forced him to retreat to the living room of his youth. A revolving door of newly explored stock characters reveal their inner demons while struggling to achieve the American dream - life, liberty and the pursuit of authenticity.
Theater Reconstruction Ensemble's critical dissection of the American "real" attempts to rebuild the most iconic and praised theatrical style of the past century while simultaneously questioning its core components. Can we ever truly capture ordinary reality on the extraordinary stage? Or is it only in the struggle to do so that we stumble across reality's greatest counterpart - truth?
photos by Hunter Canning / video by Michael Barringer
press
“Theater Reconstruction Ensemble’s challenging but ultimately rewarding production of ‘Set in the Living Room of a Small Town American Play’ does more than deconstruct the style of the great American dramas from the 20th century. [Backhaus and Kurzynowski] essentially present a staged rehearsal, which turns out to be an apt forum for meditation on the techniques through which plays spring to life. The production’s organic hunt for an emotional authenticity that it doesn’t always find is exhilarating.”
“The dialogue is so impeccably written in the speech of that era it could have just as easily been taken directly from the pages of a Tennessee Williams or Arthur Miller classic. Kurzynowski manages to weave the actors throughout the stage as if the whole piece were a dream ballet. All together Theater Reconstruction Ensemble’s piece is a surprising, fascinating, and engaging work of art that causes us to reflect on post-war America and ask if we’ve really changed that much since.”
THE THREE SEAGULLS, OR MASHAMASHAMASHA!
March 1 - 10, 2012 at HERE
THE THREE SEAGULLS, OR MASHAMASHAMASHA!
March 1 - 10, 2012 at HERE
ENSEMBLE
created and produced by Theater Reconstruction Ensemble
written by Jaclyn Backhaus
after Anton Chekhov
conceived and directed by John Kurzynowski
Performers: Celeste Arias, Jaclyn Backhaus, Michael Barringer, Robbie Baum, Caitlin Bebb, Scarlett Bermingham, Andrew Butler, Matt Carr, Matt Connolly, Nick Fesette, Leigh Jones, Nathaniel Kent, Alex Kveton, Whit Leyenberger, Emily Marro, Christopher Norwood, Josh Odsess-Rubin, Anastasia Olowin, Jon Riddleberger, Kelly Rogers, Eugene Michael Santiago, Patrick Scheid, Lauren Swan-Potras, Merlin Whitehawk, Brian Williams
Producing Directors: Sydney Matthews and Reed Whitney
Scenic Design: Jonathan Cottle | Lighting Design: Marika Kent | Sound Design: Kate Marvin | Stage Manager: Dina Rodriguez
SYNOPSIS
Subtext and samovars run Russianly rampant in this Chekhovian mash-up, featuring a cast of twenty-four actors slapping on some of the most famous (patronymic) names in the history of modern theater. In combining Chekhov’s The Seagull and Three Sisters, Theater Reconstruction Ensemble seeks to explore the foundation of contemporary theatrics by inventing our own elaborate experiment of truly Russian proportions.
photos by Suzi Sadler
press
“‘The Three Seagulls’ is a thoughtful, astute, and invigorating performance by a sensational, energetic cast that never stops. The staging, seamless design, and flawless ensemble work reveal this show as a directorial tour-de-force by John Kurzynowski. This script and its execution represent the kind of premium quality production that comes from a fruitful and synergetic collaboration between writer and director. ‘The Three Seagulls’ is a must see for any Chekhov lover or follower of indie theatre. This fabulous production signals Theater Reconstruction Ensemble and its members as up-and-comers to watch in years to come.”
“‘The Three Seagulls, or MASHAMASHAMASHA!’ is GREAT! It is so refreshing to see Chekhov presented in a vibrant, fun manner and Theater Reconstruction Ensemble’s production does a beautiful job of capturing the essence and intention, rather than the heaviness and nostalgia, of Chekhov. This is how Chekhov should be!”