Photo by Michael W Thomas
They’ll be representing the U.S at the ‘design Olympics’, NBD.
After reviewing nearly 300 submissions, Torn Space Theater and its team of designers have been selected to represent the United States at the Prague Quadrennial – the largest performance design event in the world and often described as the Olympics of performance design. The Buffalo-based company’s 2015 production “They Kill Things” will be featured in the Professional/Transformation exhibit in Prague in July 2019.
Photo by Michael W Thomas of “They Kill Things” 2015
“They Kill Things” was performed at Silo City, and the company have been presenting an annual show at the site since 2013. These site-specific shows are a guaranteed SPECTACLE and have become a cultural highlight of the Buffalo summer calendar. Torn Space collaborates with local, national and international artists to create a visceral experience for the audience each time.
Some of this stuff is so out there it has to be seen to be believed. So take a look at this documentary on “They Kill Things” created by experimental media artist, FLATSITTER, which will be featured in the Prague exhibit.
They Kill Things from FLATSITTER on Vimeo.
Torn Space’s selection at the Prague Quadrennial highlights the work the company has been doing within the field of site-based performance and in particular the recent work at Silo City. In a statement to Prague Quadrennial, Dan Shanahan and Melissa Meola, co-founders of Torn Space said:
“Ultimately site-based work is about giving the audience an experience that they participate with; bringing them to different spaces, providing curated vantage points, while presenting them with images that are both collective and self-enclosed. It’s about creating a collective ritual that looks to the ancients while being fixed in the present tense.”
Photo by Michael W Thomas of “They Kill Things” 2015.
And you don’t have to wait until summer to experience what Torn Space has to offer. Their original stage adaption of THE KILLING OF A CHINESE BOOKIE opened last week and runs until March 10. Although audiences can expect a more traditional theater-like setting in which to see this show, Torn Space is again pushing boundaries by presenting a world premiere stage adaptation of the 1976 John Cassavetes film classic.
It’s a world premiere on stage: THE KILLING OF A CHINESE BOOKIE
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THE KILLING OF A CHINESE BOOKIE is at the Adam Mickiewicz Library & Dramatic Circle, 612 Fillmore Ave. Buffalo, NY 14212. It runs until March 10, 2019. Tickets at tornspacetheater.com.
