Past Shows at
CULTURE LAB LIC
Ars Electronica Festival Garden NYC, 2021
Presented by XRE and Culture Lab LIC
September 8-12, 2021
A New Digital Deal
The New Digital Deal is a portal where XRE extends our collective realities for you and with you as we learn how to dialogue even when we are different.
We ask the question: How can technology be an ally for healing in 2021 especially after 2020 in America?
The Extended Reality Ensemble (XRE) is an international interdisciplinary artist collective, curating the inaugural large-scale Ars Electronica Festival Garden NYC 2021 from September 8-12 at Culture Lab LIC. Co-curators are NFT gallerist Vizmesh and the artist collective Never Knows Better.
Embracing art, technology and society, the festival goes global this year, led by the theme “A New Digital Deal.” We reflect on the technological promises made to us and try to rethink the foundations of the digital world, to reconcile it with our current reality and to explore it as it intersects with culture and society.
The Ars Electronica Festival Garden NYC is a portal to different realities, diverse communities and immersive experiences: See live showcases by cutting edge performers, poets, dancers and musicians connecting the worlds of AR and VR with physical reality. Become a part of an interactive audio reactive visual sculpture. Get enchanted by audio visual performances of top notch creative coders. Visit the future of exhibitions: an NFT gallery. Tune in to panel discussions via streaming or join live with your avatar! Talk to the performers during the Q&A and start a dialogue. Explore magical sculptures and portals with your Smartphone in the AR sculpture garden.
XRE has a bold vision of how to bring communities together in our new reality. Audience bubbles became more separated by and during the pandemic. We want to bring these bubbles back together. So we are working with artists with different cultural and social backgrounds. Audience accessibility is also very important to us. It is a big component of dismantling white supremacy in the age of Covid and Racial Injustice. To solve this problem we’re bringing the audience as close as possible to our work. We are doing this by bringing the audience as close as we can to themselves. If we, the creators, can be changed by our work, our audience can too. Together we can acknowledge the realities of life and the joy of diversity within it, rather than ostracize one another for different perspectives.
Schedule
AR Sculpture Garden - Exhibition
Wednesday, September 8 through Sunday, September12 (all day)
Enhanced Poetry - Performances, Q&A
Wednesday, September 8 & Saturday, September 11 (6-8:30pm)
Enhanced Poetry Kids - Workshop
Sunday, September 12 (12-2:30pm)
Conscious Community - Performances, Q&A
Thursday, September 9 & Friday, September 10 (6-8:30pm)
The Meta-Menagerie - NFT Gallery
Thursday, September 9 & Friday, September 10 (4-6pm), Saturday, September 11 (6:30-9pm)
Live In The Cube - Interactive Installation
Wednesday, September 8 , Thursday, September 9 & Friday, September 10 (8:30-9pm)
Kids In The Cube - Building A Sound Sculpture
Sunday, September 12 (2:30-3pm)
International Portals - Exhibition
Sunday, September 12 (10am-12pm)
NKB x Ars Electronica - Performances
Wednesday, September 8 through Saturday, September 11 (9-11pm)
A New Digital Deal - Panel Discussions
Wednesday, September 8 & Saturday, September 11 (TBC between 3pm - 6pm)
Culture Lab LIC presents
YOUNG DANCEMAKERS COMPANY CONCERT
JULY 23, 6pm
Free, Outdoors
Young Dancemakers Company – a performing ensemble of NYC teens – presents a free concert of their unique, original choreography based on meaningful personal and social themes. The group dances to both live and recorded music, made in collaboration with professional composers.
On July 23rd at Culture Lab LIC, they will perform their latest works and an excerpt of Ann Reinking’s Ritmo y Ruido being set by Ballet Hispánico artists. Ballet Hispánico, is the nation’s renowned Latino dance organization and one of America’s Cultural Treasures.
The one-hour concert will begin at 6pm followed by lively dance-making with the audience, led by the company.
Culture Lab LIC Presents
In The Stillness
A docu-style dance film about mental health and social isolation
Wednesday, May 26. 7pm
Performance Dates:
Sat, May 15, 8pm
Sun, May 16, 8pm
Mon, May 17, 8pm
Sat, May 22, 8pm
Sun, May 23, 8pm
Mon, May 24, 8pm
All performances at
Culture Lab LIC at The Plaxall Gallery,
5-25 46th Avenue, LIC, NY
CREATIVE & PRODUCTION TEAM:
Directed for the Stage by Tyler Riley
Conceptual Direction by Cameron Cueva Clarke
Produced by Company of Fools
Stage Manager: Natalie Jones
Intimacy Director: Brooke M. Haney
Video Production & Streaming: Kevin Tully
Makeup Design: Charlotte Bravin Lee
Visual Art Exhibition by Brittany Miller
FEATURING:
Cameron Cueva Clarke & Logan Alexis Troyer
CULTURE LAB LIC and
COMPANY OF FOOLS
present
gruesome
Playground
injuries
by Rajiv Joseph
MAY 15-17 & 22-24
It’s not your typical love story: Doug and Kayleen meet in the nurse’s office in their elementary school; she’s got a painful stomach ache, and he’s all banged up from a running dive off the roof of the school. Over the next thirty years, these scar-crossed lovers meet again and again, brought together by injury, heartbreak, and their own self-destructive tendencies. With great compassion and humor, playwright Rajiv Joseph (Broadway’s Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo) crafts a compelling and unconventional love story about the intimacy between two people when they allow their defenses to drop and their wounds to show.
This is a multi-disciplinary presentation: a piece of intimate, up-close theatre paired with an independent painting exhibition by New York artist Brittany Miller. The production will also feature music from New York City-based artists. We invite you to join us back at the theatre with a powerful and redemptive return to Company of Fools’ unique brand of work.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the Company of Fools website:
CULTURE LAB LIC presents
the Illustrated pianist
MAY 29, 7PM
A Live, Free Event at The Plaxall Gallery*
A Concert of Imaginative New Works for Piano and Visual Installation, Celebrating
Ray Bradbury's 'The Illustrated Man'.
This imaginative multimedia concert of all new piano works is inspired by the great American author Ray Bradbury’s timeless novel The Illustrated Man, in celebration of Bradbury’s 100th birthday in 2020.
Featuring 9 brilliant pianists who double as performers and composers, Anthony de Mare, Geoffrey Burleson, Jed Distler, Kathleen Supové, Sarah Dutcher, Thomas Feng, Mariel Mayz, Adam Tendler, and Nicole Brancato come together from different corners of the professional piano world, unifying diverse styles in all new compositions that are inspired by the iconic stories in The Illustrated Man. Together with a dynamic multimedia installation by visual artist Eve Nova, they craft something truly special, much like the work of the distinctive author they honor.
Flyer Design by Eve Nova.
Made possible by our generous commissioners:
The Gaffigan Family
Marita Haggerty
Anthony S. and Georgine E. Brancato
Dr. Salvatore and Mrs. Annamaria Brancato
Carol Paster
Rachel Paster
Dr. Ashmed and Mrs. Lourdes Vazquez
Dr. Eduardo Perez and Marivel Torres
Xerxes and Grazia Herrington
*In accordance with New York City pandemic protocols, proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID-19 test is REQUIRED for entry. Please bring either your vaccine card or a negative test document, or a digital version of either.
Queens Jazz OverGround in partnership with Culture Lab LIC Present
QUEENS JAZZ OVERGROUND FESTIVAL
Feb 9, 16 & 23, 7:30-9pm
The Queens Jazz OverGround (QJOG), a collective that promotes jazz performance and education in the borough of Queens, has partnered with Culture Lab LIC to present the Streaming Winter Jazz Fest, a free series of performances featuring Queens-based jazz musicians. The performances will stream live on the last three Tuesday evenings of February (Feb. 9th, 16th, and 23rd).
After the Covid-19 pandemic forced QJOG to cancel their annual Spring Jazz Fest they adapted and partnered with Culture Lab LIC to highlight the talents of many renowned and emerging jazz instrumentalists and vocalists in the borough of Queens. Each evening will feature two professional Queens-based bands, with performances by winners of an NYC student jazz contest at intermission.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:
February 9, 7:30-9pm
-
Adam Hutcheson Quartet
-
Sharif Kales Quintet featuring Jessica Golden
February 16, 7:30-9
-
Eugenia Choe Trio
-
Juan Felipe Mayorga Quartet
February 23, 7:30-9
-
Hashem Assadullahi Quartet
-
Jennifer Wharton’s Bonegasm
STUDENT CONTEST:
The Queens Jazz OverGround is accepting video submissions from students (born on or after Sept 1, 2003) living within the five boroughs of NYC. The competition is open to soloists and rhythm section players. Students are provided two compositions to perform and improvise upon, one using the cornerstone form of the blues, and the other based on the seminal work, Recorda Mé, by the jazz icon Joe Henderson. Winners will receive a $25.00 gift certificate to NYC’s legendary Jazz Record Center and will be featured during intermissions between the professional ensembles.
About Queens Jazz OverGround
The Queens Jazz OverGround (QJOG), an artists’ collective, is a not-for-profit organization. QJOG supports the professional growth of jazz artists in Queens, provides musical enrichment and education to local communities, and helps to stimulate wider awareness of Queens as a destination for arts and culture. QJOG offers low- or no-cost jazz performances in Queens for diverse audiences; supports young and emerging artists by providing jazz education; and promotes the work of local jazz artists and composers.
This project is made possible (in part) by the Queens Council on the Arts with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and with funds from the Decentralization Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and administered by the Queens Council on the Arts.
October, 2019
Painted Alice: The Musical
by William Donnelly and Michael Mahler
Alice is a painter who falls through her canvas into an art world wonderland!
Book by WILLIAM DONNELLY Music & Lyrics by MICHAEL MAHLER Directed by EDJO WHEELER Music Supervision, Orchestrations and Arrangements by CONOR KEELAN Musical Direction by JONATHAN BAUERFELD Executive Produced by GREG SCHAFFERT
Starring TANA SIROIS, MEGHAN GINLEY, MOLLY KELLEHER, ADAM B. McDONALD, JAMIE SHAPIRO, JACK BOWMAN, CHLOE HOWARD, ALEX SCHNEIDMAN
A new musical comedy, immersive theater experience performed LIVE at The Plaxall Gallery!
July, 2019
Dirt [contained] Theatre Company presents
Crushing Baby Animals
Crushing Baby Animals is a semi-autobiographical original play that follows two millennial women as they accidentally open up a cosmic wormhole that sucks them through space, time and the human mind. This meta work takes us on an uncharted adventure through parallel dimensions and personal hells, facing the perils of the human psyche, and the absurd pitfalls of human identity.
Crushing Baby Animals blends physical theatre, multimedia and a healthy dose of humor in a unique artistic experience. Coupling visual art and live theater, the play is performed amid a LIC Arts, Inc. fine art exhibition entitled “Welcome to the Universe,” themed specifically to coincide with the production.
Written and performed by Maria Swisher and Tana Sirois
Assistant Director: Landon Alexander
Associate Producer: Tori Titmas
Music by Marco Baratto
October, 2019
Rude Grooms present
The Changeling
by Thomas Middleton & William Rowley
Actor-Manager Montogomery Sutton
An experimental and whimsical show about happenstance and hope. Four strangers meet in the cafeteria of a German Palace while a solar eclipse approaches to untangle what brought them there. Part installation, part theatre, All The Times I Did Not See Potsdam is a non-linear piece in eight languages exploring missed opportunities and the emotional maps we build for ourselves.
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January, 2020
Purgatory
by William Butler Yeats
Haunted by his past, a father returns to the ruins of his childhood with his only son to put his ghosts to a final rest...
A haunting verse play by the master poet, W.B Yeats, Purgatory tells the tale of a forbidden love, a ruined estate, a terrible crime and a father's struggle for redemption.
Starring: Louisa Pancoast, John Amedro and Michael Johnson
August, 2019
Little y presents
All the Times I Did Not See Potsdam
by Heloise Wilson
An experimental and whimsical show about happenstance and hope. Four strangers meet in the cafeteria of a German Palace while a solar eclipse approaches to untangle what brought them there. Part installation, part theatre, All The Times I Did Not See Potsdam is a non-linear piece in eight languages exploring missed opportunities and the emotional maps we build for ourselves.
August, 2019
Adirondack Shakespeare Company Presents
Macbeth
"Fair is foul, and foul is fair." Macbeth encounters three weyard sisters who prophesy that he will one day be king of Scotland.
Ties of kinship, friendship, and love unravel with terrifying speed in Adirondack Shakespeare Company's new production of this supernatural tragedy.
June, 2019
Peace, a Massacre, and the Umbrella
directed by Ali Jamali.
2 Actors, 6 Contemporary Scenes and 63.617251 square feet of playing space. (A tiny rug.)
A casual night of stripped scenework featuring Chessa Metz and Jay William Thomas, benefitting the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
Scenes Directed by:
Alex Bodine
Austin Spero
Coleman Ray Clark
Sean Harris
Tony Jenkins
Vicky Siegrist
June, 2019
Peace, a Massacre, and the Umbrella
directed by Ali Jamali.
Three surreal plays by Katrin Arefy: THE ELBISNOPSRES!, A MASSACRE, and LOVE IS A CARROT! OR CAN YOU LOVE THE UMBRELLA?
The production is directed by Ali Jamali with a cast featuring Isaac J. Conner, Marie Dinolan, Louise Heller, Ali Jamali, Ben Jorgensen, Feryal Kilisli, Andy Lachman, Anuj Parikh, Giselle Samson, and Danny Schwarz.
April, 2019
LIC(K)
A Variety Drag & Burlesque Show
at The Plaxall Gallery
A night of deliciously good fun!
Featuring:
• The Great Fairy Venus Celestina
• Riley J
• Scarlett Cerise
• Poppy Pills
Cara Antoinette, Headlining
Hosted by Liv Dangerously and Otter Lee Fun!
March, 2019
The Tempest by Wm Shakespeare
Presented by The Secret Theatre
Producer Stephanie Wilson & Artistic Director/Producer Richard Mazda present an immersive production of The Tempest, performed in the Plaxall Gallery in Long Island City, NY.
The production features an Ariel on silks, a dance company, projections, and a huge playing area where scenes will move around the space with the audience following the action.
Directed by Owen Thompson, the production incorporates a dance company choreographed by Shoko Tamai of Ninja Ballet, and projection design by Sadah Espii Proctor.
The play contains music and songs that evoke the spirit of enchantment on the island.
February, 2019
Seven League Boots Presents
Bottom's Dream!
(a Midsummer Actor’s Nightmare)
Bottom’s Dream! (a Midsummer Actor’s Nightmare), is an hour-long original and immersive adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, directed by Andy Schneeflock, performing February 13-24 at The Plaxall Gallery in Long Island City.
Produced by Seven League Boots, in partnership with Long Island City Artists, Inc., this new adaptation by Jennie Brown and Leigh Anne Poulos incorporates 7LB’s signature Pop Up Shakespeare style into an interactive en-promenade exploration of Shakespeare's classic.
January, 2019
"The Lift Off"
A New Play Series from The Navigators, a Science Fiction Theater company with a clear feminist perspective.
The Navigators’ mission is to incubate and produce Science Fiction Theater with a clear feminist perspective. We are dedicated to elevating female driven stories in a genre dominated by men by empowering female-identifying playwrights, producers, directors, designers, and actors in our productions. We seek to engage new audiences, realize new and daring realities, and expand the boundaries of what theater can achieve by fully exploring sci-fi on stage
January, 2019
"Splendid Devils"
Written and performed by
Leigh Anne Poulos
Directed by Leigh Walter
Through a trio of intimate conversations, Splendid Devils gives voice to three real artists who, though pioneers in their respective fields, had all fallen into relative obscurity by the time of their deaths. Inspired by the lives and work of these women as they navigated the cultural landscape of the early 20th century, Poulos finds timely relevance in their struggles, questioning the attainability and sustainability of freedom from social convention and the price of seeking to live a life that defies expectation.
January, 2019
Rude Grooms Presents
"Twelfth Night"
a unique Twelfth Night celebration where a traditional Twelfth Night cake determines who plays what role in Shakespeare’s beloved comedy.
October, 2018
PROVENANCE:
a ritual poetry performance
by Audrey Dimola
"PROVENANCE is the intersection between the journey to love; the journey to self, which is also to god; and the journey to make peace with the darkness.
part ritual, part poetry, part music, part movement- it is an exploration of the viscerality of want. how it drives us, transforms us. ‘the wanting creature.’ its connections to love, sex, spirit, and mental illness. and how, if we push far enough- this grief-filled longing becomes ecstatic, transcendent, holy- a means for return to true self, a return to god.
In dedication to my beloved nana louiseann polidoro on the 7 year anniversary of her passing"
– Audrey Dimola
FEATURING
audrey wildfire dimola
steven t. licardi
kymberly nolden
matthew toth
& introducing riley batson
sound & stage manage by dominick dimola
set & props assist by april dimola
Watch 'Providence' in its entirety below.
October, 2018
Rude Grooms presentsThe
The Witch of Edmonton
By Thomas Dekker, John Ford, and William Rowley
The Witch of Edmonton is an unnerving tragicomedy inspired by the true story of Elizabeth Sawyer, a woman accused of witchcraft during the reign of James I. Mistreated by her neighbors and abandoned by her community, Elizabeth turns to supernatural powers to aid her in her revenge against her tormentors. Though they may at first appear virtuous, everyone in this small town has something to hide and Elizabeth has just the thing to sniff them out… A thrilling, contemporary rendition of the play, complete with games to interact and drink along with the people of Edmonton.
Creative Team
Clint Allen (Dog)
Bridget Bose (choreographer)
Devon Glover (Cuddy Banks)
Emma Montoya Hills (Associate Producer)
Adriane Moreno (Susan)
Will O’Hare (Sir Arthur)
Kate Pitt (Actor-Manager, Kate)
Deb Radloff (Elizabeth Sawyer)
Yael Reich (Winnifred)
Eric Simpson (Warbeck & Fidler)
Montgomery Sutton (Frank)
July, 2018
Stripped Scripts presentsThe
Stupid Fucking Bird
By Aaron Posner
Directed by Adam Knight
Stupid Fucking Bird, written by Aaron Posner, reimagines Chekhov’s classic text as a contemporary artist’s journey attempting to find new forms of art by living in this present moment. The characters’ stories are at once hysterical, tragic and cathartic as they desperately attempt to find out what it means to be an artist.
This meta-theatrical experience, grounded in the disappointment inherent in growing up in the world we live in today, asks the question: Art, Love Happiness… can we have it all?
THE CAST of STUPID FUCKING BIRD features OLIVIER RENAUD (Cirque De Soliel), JAY WILLIAM THOMAS (”Dementia 13”), MARY RUTH BAGGOTT (“Brokers”), TANA SIROIS (“Broad Comedy”), DAVID LEEPER (“At The Flash”), ALLISON THREADGOLD (“Tomorrow In The Battle”) and DONAL BROPHY (“Sleep No More”).
AARON POSNER (Playwright) is an American playwright, theatre director, and co-founder of the Arden Theatre Company in Philadelphia. He has previously adapted The Chosen based on a novel of the same name, My Name Is Asher Lev, based on Potok’s 1972 novel. He has adapted Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya (titled Life Sucks) and Three Sisters titled (No Sisters).
ADAM KNIGHT (Director) is co-founder of the Off-Off Broadway Slant Theatre Project, where he has produced 25 world premieres and worked with artists such as Lucy Alibar, Bekah Brunstetter, Adam Rapp and Mat Smart. NYC credits include projects with Cherry Lane, Ensemble Studio Theatre, aMios Theatre, Poetry Project, Drilling Company, The Tank, 59E59, Roust Theatre Company and HERE Arts Center. Regionally, he has worked at Folger Shakespeare Theatre, Warehouse Theatre, Millbrook Playhouse, PURE theatre, WaterTower Theatre and Williamstown Theatre Festival.
THE DESIGN TEAM includes artwork by Paola Martinez Fiterre, lighting design by Eric Goodman, and stage management by Didi Marrero and Marissa Riggs.
“Sirois is alternately heartbreaking and delightful...
Renaud (is) like some virtuoso gene-splice of Jack Lemmon and John Cleese...
David Leeper radiates melancholy insight and honest solitude...
"Donal Brophy is irresistible as the burrito of rakish remoteness and manipulative humility..."
– Adam McGovern, mcgovernix.wordpress.com
WINNER: Outstanding Revival of a Play
Innovative Theatre Award 2019
August, 2018
Rude Grooms NYC present
William Shakespeare'sThe
Much Ado About Nothing
ACTING COMPANY
Marie Louise Guinier*
Sibel Damar
Dhruv Iyengar
Daniel Kemper
Laura Piccoli
Deb Radloff*
Joseph Robinson*
Amanda Rojas
Eduardo Ruiz
Montgomery Sutton*
Molly Thomas
Actor-Manager: Laura Piccoli
Book-Holder: Kate Pitt
Master of Music: Kara Arena
Master of Movement: Bridget Bose
Assistant Producer: Calley Luman
* Appearing courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association. Equity approved Showcase.
September 22-25, 2017
Cotton Candy and Cocaine
Cotton Candy and Cocaine takes place in Las Vegas's hottest up-and-coming attraction - Tad Park's Vegas, a glitzy commercial avenue a mile past the renowned Strip. Meet the waiters, bartenders, drag queens, buskers, former prostitutes, costumed characters and others who live to entertain us in this 360-surround experience that pits the denizens of the old Las Vegas against the newcomers who want to revitalize their neighborhood -- all while giving us the time of our lives. Its Old Guard vs. New Guard in this electro-pop musical/dance/libation-lathered party that invites us to join in the fun and be swept up in the sex, dirt and glitter that is Vegas on vacation.
Book & Lyrics: EllaRose Chary
Music & Lyrics: Brandon James Gwinn
Director: Carlos Armesto
Music Director: Billy Thompson
Choreographer: Esther Widlanski
Featuring: Courtney Bassett, Jose Candelaria, Ryan Cassatta, Hannah Rose de Flumeri, Jen Fouché, Dylan Hartwell, Daniel K. Isaac, Azudi Onyejekwe, and Tori Scott
With: Wesley Barnes, Lydia Ruth Dawson, Jake Haynie, Mia Kang, Melissa Strain, and Tony Williams II
July-August, 2017
Dirt [contained] and LIC-A present
Garden of Delights
by Fernando Arrabal
Diving head first into the psyche of a tortured artist, Dirt [contained] Theatre Company takes you on a promenade immersive journey through a transformed warehouse gallery and into the surreal depths of human imagination.
"Garden of Delights" follows Lais, a charming, yet self-loathing actress, through a bizarre and unflinching look at her sadomasochistic experience of love and art. Isolated in her home with only her caged beast-like partner and flock of childish sheep to protect her from the outside world, she spirals down into painful memories and erotic fantasies that blur the line between reality and imagination.
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