| NEW YORK PREMIERE OF WAKKA WAKKA'S DEAD AS A DODO - 2025 UNDER THE RADAR FESTIVAL | |
| Posted by: Official_Press_Release 10:18 am EDT 11/01/24 | |
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| WAKKA WAKKA, IN ASSOCIATION WITH BARUCH PAC, PRESENTS THE NEW YORK PREMIERE OF DEAD AS A DODO IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE 2025 UNDER THE RADAR FESTIVAL, JANUARY 8 – FEBRUARY 9, 2025 "These People May Be Geniuses" – The New York Times Drama Desk and Obie award-winning international theatre company Wakka Wakka triumphantly returns to New York with the local premiere of Dead as a Dodo, presented in association with Baruch PAC and in partnership with the 2025 Under The Radar Festival. Infused with puppetry, humor, and stunning visual effects, Dead as a Dodo is a mesmerizing musical odyssey about survival, transformation, and the power of true friendship. Running January 8 – February 9, 2025, with an opening set for Sunday, January 12, performances take place at Baruch PAC (55 Lexington Ave, Manhattan). Tickets are now on sale at https://bpac.baruch.cuny.edu/ . "These people may be geniuses," declared the The New York Times back in 2006 when Wakka Wakka first burst onto New York's theatrical landscape with The Death of Little Ibsen, "an exquisite little one-act show that evokes the best of Jim Henson's early, dangerous days with the Muppets." Since then, the "stunning" (The New Yorker) company has created bold and unpredictable works for over 20 years. Led by Gwendolyn Warnock and Kirjan Waage, the company was last seen in 2023 with their fourth New York Times Critic's Pick production The Immortal Jellyfish Girl, a "futuristic fable that is as suspenseful as it is sobering" (Theatermania). Wakka Wakka's newest creation, Dead as a Dodo, is set deep within the underworld, where two skeleton friends, a Dodo and a boy, tirelessly dig for fresh bones. Their ancient skeletal forms are deteriorating and without them they will disappear completely. One day something peculiar happens: The Dodo miraculously sprouts feathers! A wave of transformation begins, shattering the established order of the dead. As the Dodo continues to grow flesh, fear and chaos erupt. The two friends must flee, fighting to stay together as they are drawn into the heart of an epic battle between life and death. "We created the world of this show based on Tales from the Crypt, Dante's Inferno , and old Silly Symphonies cartoons," says Warnock and Waage, co-writers and co-directors of Dead as a Dodo. "As a species, our relationship with death has changed over time, from early humanity until the present day. In our lifetime, the birth and growth of AI, gene editing, and biotechnology have all thrust us into new realities and ideas of what is possible. Science is now looking at resurrecting the extinct. Dead as a Dodo engages with this new present, and the future that will come of it. In a mostly cartoonish way, it exposes our most basic fears and desires, wrestling with our need for love, our fight for survival, and our quest for immortality." Dead as a Dodo is written and directed by Gwendolyn Warnock and Kirjan Waage with help from the ensemble: Alexandra Bråss, Lei Lei Bavoil, Dorothy James, Andy Manjuck, Hanna Magrete Muir, Sigurd Rosenberg, Peter Russo, Marie Skogvang-Stork, Anna Soland, Kirjan Waage, and Olivia Zerphy. Thirty-five performances of Dead as a Dodo will take place January 8 – February 9, 2025 at Baruch PAC, located at 55 Lexington Ave in Manhattan. Critics are welcome as of Friday, January 10, which also serves as the official opening. The performance schedule is Tuesday through Saturday at 7pm and Saturday and Sunday at 3pm with performances at 2pm and 5pm on Sunday, January 12. Tickets, which are $40 for performances January 8–19 and $55 for performances January 20–February 9, can be purchased at https://bpac.baruch.cuny.edu/ . $25 student rush tickets are available 90 minutes before each performance at the box office. Dead as a Dodo incorporates fog, loud noises, and strobe lighting. It is appropriate for ages 7 and up. The running time is 75 minutes with no intermission. Dead as a Dodo is a co-production with Nordland Visual Theatre, Nord University and The Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival. Funded by the Arts Council of Norway and FFUK. Baruch PAC's presentation of Dead as a Dodo is made possible with support from The Jim Henson Foundation. Dead as a Dodo is part of the 20th anniversary Under the Radar Festival, a citywide event taking place January 4-19, 2025. More information can be found at www.utrfest.org. Please visit www.wakkawakka.org/dead-as-a-dodo for more information. About Wakka Wakka Wakka Wakka is a critically acclaimed non-profit visual theatre company founded by co-artistic directors Kirjan Waage and Gwendolyn Warnock. Their mission is to push the boundaries of the imagination by creating works that are bold, unique and unpredictable. Since 2001 Wakka Wakka has created and produced 13 original works of theatre which have toured extensively throughout the US and abroad. With subject matter ranging from the financial crisis in Iceland (SAGA), to international consumerism and human rights (Made in China), to genetic manipulation and the survival of mankind far into the future (The Immortal Jellyfish Girl), the company transcends the everyday by posing questions about humanity through the lens of comedic fantasy, devising visually thrilling work which incorporates puppetry, object manipulation, masks, video art and original music. Wakka Wakka has been honored with an Obie Award, a Drama Desk Award and two UNIMA Citations of Excellence. Additionally, the company's work has won awards in China and Kroatia and has been nominated for four additional Drama Desk Awards, a Helen Hayes Award and a Hewes Design Award. www.wakkawakka.org About Baruch PAC The Baruch Performing Arts Center is comprised of a 175-seat concert hall and 200 seat theatre at Baruch College, part of the City University of New York, in Manhattan's Flatiron District. Baruch PAC acts as a resource for arts, educational and community groups throughout the city, in addition to presenting and co-presenting seasons of work that reflect the diverse goals of the college. Recent seasons have included festivals by Heartbeat Opera; the debut of Queer The Ballet's "Dream of a Common Language"; Hideaway Circus's "Reflex," showcasing the history, philosophy and technique of juggling; and concerts by classical accordionist Hanzhi Wang, baritone Joseph Parrish, and pianist Maxim Lando, and ensembles including Chromic Duo, Empire Wild, and the Aaron Diehl Trio. A popular filming location, Baruch PAC has recently been seen on screen in the debut episode of CBS's "Elsbeth" and on the Charles Barkley episode of David Letterman's "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction." https://bpac.baruch.cuny.edu/ Socials: BaruchPAC |
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