| NEW PLAY "AFFECTING EXPRESSION" WILL PREMIERE IN NEW YORK WITH A FULL PRODUCTION AT THE TANK | |
| Posted by: Official_Press_Release 09:21 am EDT 09/27/24 | |
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| NEW PLAY "AFFECTING EXPRESSION" WILL PREMIERE IN NEW YORK WITH A FULL PRODUCTION AT THE TANK The new tragicomedy about three 19th-century queer female artists will be presented by The Tank, a home for emerging artists, from October 7th to October 13th. Affecting Expression Venue: The Tank (312 W 36th St New York, NY, 10018) Opening Performance: October 7th at 7pm Closing Performance: October 13th at 7pm Total Performances: 5 Run Time: 90 Minutes, No Intermission October 7, 9, 11, 13 at 7pm, with a 3pm matinee on October 12th Tickets and more info can be found at https://thetanknyc.org/calendar-1/affectingexpression or by calling (212) 563-6269 Tiered ticket model ($25, $20 or $15) with no rush or standing room Affecting Expression is written by Eliana Cohen-Orth, directed by Eliyana Abraham, and is being produced by Kate Semmens in association with The Tank. Eliana Cohen-Orth's Affecting Expression explores queer history and three female artists' multi-layered relationships with each other, art-making, legacy, and home. In 1852, renowned crossdressing Shakespearean actress Charlotte Cushman retires from the stage to move to Rome with her long-term partner, writer Matilda Hays. Joining their party is an eccentric young sculptor named Harriet Hosmer and an enigmatic figure representing Charlotte's stage persona. As the women navigate their intersecting artistic paths and the complexities of their relationships, the walls of their home and boundaries between art and reality become increasingly unreliable. Imagining a queer household before modern language to describe that experience, this queer tragicomedy combines history with fantastical elements to explore the thin line between finding and losing oneself in art. The complete cast of Affecting Expression includes Nora Aguiar as Charlotte Cushman, Paige Elizabeth Allen as Matilda Hays, Juliette Carbonnier as Hatty Hosmer, and Sam Melton as Dramatis Personae. The rest of the creative and production team includes BT Hayes (Lighting Designer), Olivia Kormos (Intimacy Director), and Giao Vu Dinh (Production Stage Manager). Affecting Expression was previously performed in an academic context as Eliyana Abraham's undergraduate thesis in theater at Princeton University in 2022. A staged reading was also presented by Kitchen Sink Theatre Company in February 2024 at the Sheen Center in New York City. Eliana Cohen-Orth first became interested in Charlotte Cushman as a historical figure after reading her biography When Romeo was a Woman by Lisa Merrill. This sparked a research project that became Cohen-Orth's playwriting thesis at Princeton University, which she continued to develop over the next three years. Cushman (1816-1876) was an internationally celebrated stage actress, known in particular for playing male roles such as Hamlet and Romeo. She lived openly with female romantic partners throughout her life. For some time, Cushman was surrounded by a community of female writers and artists living in Rome, many drawn there by Cushman. This community included Matilda Hays—British novelist, translator, journalist, and advocate for women's rights, and Charlotte's long-term partner—and Harriet Hosmer, who would eventually become the most well-known female sculptor in America in the 19th century. These three women (and the relationships between them) are the core of Affecting Expression. |
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