Audition: Seeking Six Performers for THEM at Performance Space 122
Performance Space 122 is seeking six male (self-identified) performers who are strong dance improvisers and who are not afraid of onstage intimacy and violence. This is a paid rehearsal and performance opportunity.
THEM was conceived in 1986 openly displaying the relationships of men with men, as an urgent response to the AIDS epidemic. Performers born after 1980 who identify with the subject matter are welcome to audition.
Following a 4-week rehearsal/development period beginning on May 21, THEM will run at Performance Space 122 in June 2018.
At the audition, please wear danceable pedestrian clothes (including shoes). You may take
your wardrobe cue from the first lines of Dennis Cooper’s text for the piece:
“I saw them once, I don’t know when or who they were because they were too far away. But I
remember certain things, like what they wore, which wasn’t anything special – pants, shirts,
tennis shoes – stuff I’ve seen countless times since …”
Advance registration is recommended.
Registration: Please email your Full Name, Email, Phone Number,
and May-June 2018 conflicts to [email protected] with “THEM AUDITION” in the
subject line.
When: Saturday, December 2, 2017
10:00am Arrival/Registration/Warmup
11:00am – 1:00pm Audition
4:00pm – 5:30pm Callback
Where: Gibney Dance Center, 890 Broadway, Fifth Floor Studio 1
About THEM
Conceived and directed by Ishmael Houston-Jones in 1986 at Performance Space 122 and
revived there in 2010, THEM features poetically disturbing texts by Dennis Cooper and a
cacophonous live electric guitar sound score by Chris Cochrane. THEM is an intensely
physical interdisciplinary work that presents an unblinking look into the lives of young men and
how they sometimes interact with one another. Houston-Jones’ dance score, while rooted in
contact improvisation develops themes of missed connections, futile grappling, and vanishing
support. THEM sparked controversy and almost got Performance Space 122 shut down when
it premiered in 1986. This contemporary reconstruction of THEM looks back to its “aggressive
and vital” (Village Voice) roots to present a portrait of the young men of today.
Visit Performance Space 122 website at: https://www.ps122.org/
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