Monodrama With A "J"
Written by: Danijela Popovic, Eugene Muzica
Directed by: Irina Abraham
In her very personal show, Danijela talks about how one dramatic event sent her on a path of immigration and shaped her whole life. Trying to figure out where she is now and why, she is looking at all the puzzle pieces: communist Serbia, astrology, God, sex, and, of course, rock-n-roll.
Man Frog and Other People
Written by Eugene Muzica
Directed by Irina Abraham
Choreography: Georgina Bates
CAST:
Danijela Popovic, Michael Donaldson, Natalie Solomon, Ron Williams, Genia Starcev and Joey Rotter.
Performed at La Tea Theatre, within Planet Connections Theatre Festivity 2018.
Necessary I.T.E.M.S. Project reinvents the famous fairytale Frog Prince. Man Frog and Other People is a modern philosophical fairytale that explores contemporary issues and the eternal search for love through mythology, humor and dance. Commedia dell’arte, physical theatre, and dance are fused in this new production by the award winning experimental theatre company. The magic of a fairytale is intertwined with quick witty dialogue and contemporary references.
Review: READ HERE
Experimental, physical and absurdist theatres meet at The (Last) Station by Eugene Muzica, written in the avant-garde style of Samuel Beckett and Eugene Ionesco, complete with the underlying yearning for a different reality. The distracted and neurotic characters have one objective: to go to the sea. But this turns out to be a mission impossible. Matters complicate even more because of the mysterious radio announcements in which a menacing Orwellian voice of Mister Tenant constantly makes vague threats. How much of their lives is governed by fear?
FLIGHT NUMBER LOVE
directed by Marina Volok, Irina Abrahamchoreography by Irina Abraham
conceived by Marina Volok, Irina Abraham
written by: The Ensemble, Eugene Muzika
CAST: Natalie Solomon, Kellen Lopes, Danijela Popovic, Charles Sprinkle, Robert Freedman, Genia Starcev, Marius Zilberstein.
We didn't want to just make another show about Love - how original would that be? We wanted to understand what does this ephemeral feeling, condition, way of being, whatever you name it, meant. Okay, truth be told, we wanted to make a show about Love; but we wanted to make a show about OUR LOVE. So, we sat down with the actors and asked them to tell their stories in answer to the question: what was love to them? We asked them to only share stories they are comfortable with. The stories they've shared were amazing. We didn't expect such sincerity, openness and truthfulness when we ventured to take on this project. The stories were very different - they were full of pain, irony, laughter, but underneath it all, was this everlasting, omnipresent feeling; a feeling that is stronger that we are; one that stays even when we go. All of us here at the Necessary ITEMS project learned so much from this work. We've learned about ourselves and each other. We've discovered that deep inside people are a lot better than what we think of them at first glance. Since as soon as we are touched by this enormous feeling, a feeling that is greater than we are, we become a part of it. And as soon as we are a part of LOVE, we become Divine.
The show was first produced by The Tank, a home for emerging artists.
REQUIEM
by Hanoch Levin;directed by Marina Volok, Irina Abraham;
choreography by Irina Abraham
CAST: Natalie Solomon, Marina Bain, Ariel Polanco, Kellen Lopes, Danijela Popovic, Michael Donaldson, Robert Freedman, Aya Beldi, Marius Zilberstein.
REQUIEM, Trailer
REQUIEM, Excerpts.
PLAYGROUNDED
written and directed by Irina Abraham (Yemialyanava).
CAST: Snezhana Chernova, Quentin Pradelle, Kellen Lopes, Jordi Gimeno (Manhattan Rep Production), Tom Schubert, Anja Monn, Tokio Sasaki, Christian Hartwig (Manhattan Rep Production).