THE PROJECT

In March of 2016, Theater Reconstruction Ensemble will stage the world premiere of Rhinbecca, NY at The Brick in Williamsburg, Brooklyn as part of the Brick Resident Artist Program and TRE‘s 5th Anniversary Season:

At the intersection of suspense and the absurd lies Rhinbecca, NY. Population: 367. Not including the mayor. Which makes 368. You may have noticed the mayor’s house. Up on the hill. You can always point to it. You can see it from miles away. The mayor’s head is a bald dome with a half skirt of white hair. He’s blue collar in the community, top of the food chain. And he is missing. 

Rhinbecca, NY is TRE‘s first piece written entirely by the ensemble, and has been created and developed by the company for nearly a year and a half. Loosely inspired by the major works of playwright Eugene Ionesco (Rhinoceros, The Killer, Exit the King) and filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock (The Birds, Vertigo, North by Northwest), this original new play explores the strange and surprising intersection of suspense and the absurd. It is a mysterious tale of a town in search of its missing mayor, and a stranger named Don who’s searching for his forgotten identity.

Your pledge funds the full theatrical production of Rhinbecca, NY. Pledge now and ensure the growth of one of the most promising and exciting young companies producing work in New York today. Pledge now and become a part of our family of supporters and audience members. Pledge now and lose yourself in Rhinbecca, NY.

THE MAJOR PLAYERS

Theater Reconstruction Ensemble is a non-profit producing organization based in New York City. Now in our fifth season, TRE‘s process of collectively developing original new plays based on classical or canonical texts has led to the creation of such critically acclaimed works as You On The Moors Now, Set in the Living Room of a Small Town American Play, Salesmen: a meditation on masculinity and the American REAL!, and The Three Seagulls, or MASHAMASHAMASHA!, among others.

John Kurzynowski (Artistic Director) is the founder of Theater Reconstruction Ensemble, for which he has developed and directed each mainstage production and educational program. He has also worked extensively as both a director and performer with Target Margin Theater, The Talking Band, Tugboat Collective, and Fresh Ground Pepper, among others. His process of creative collaboration has been taught at Abrons Arts Center through The School of Making Thinking.

Reed Whitney (Producing Director) has been with TRE since 2012, resulting in both critical and artistic growth for the company. Additional producing credits include Salty Brine’sSpectacular Living Record Collection Cabaret (The Red Room), The Lost Light (SharkMother Arts Collective) and Nuclear Love Affair (Built4Collapse). He previously served as the Artistic Coordinator for Ars Nova.

Anastasia Olowin (Associate Artistic Director) is a founding member of TRE and a New York-based performer. She has made significant contributions to the development of TRE’s process of recon-structing theatrical texts, and continues to perform regularly with the company. She has also worked with The Talking Band, Tugboat Collective, Target Margin Theater, and Theatre for a New Audience, among others.

THE MATH

Through various fundraising efforts, including patron and foundational support, we’ve been able to raise a significant portion of our proposed budget for Rhinbecca, NY. But we still need one final push to get us in the clear.

In order to present our seventh reconstruction as part of our 5th Anniversary Season, weMUST raise a minimum of $7,000:

• $2,000 – Production Budget (sets, lights, costumes)
• $2,000 – Press Representation
• $1,500 – Rehearsal Space
• $600 – Marketing Materials
• $500 – Publicity and Documentation
• $400 – Event Insurance

These various needs are essential for the successful run of our production, and will allow for the continued growth of our company and the financial support of our team of artists.

THE WHOLE GANG

Rhinbecca, NY is being brought to life by the tireless efforts of nearly twenty theater artists, including performers, playwrights, designers, technicians, and production assistants. Your pledge directly supports the work of our incredible cast:

• Harlan Alford, Nathaniel Basch-Gould, Sam Corbin, Emily Marro, Anastasia Olowin,Jon Riddleberger, and Lauren Swan-Potras

…as well as our design and creative team:

• Nic Adams, Adrianna Brannon, Jonathan Cottle, Alex Hawthorn, Marika Kent, Alex Kveton, Markus Paminger, and Joseph Wolfslau

These artists comprise our 2016 Ensemble. Their work is supported by our Board of Directors: Alex Hawthorn, John Kurzynowski, Anastasia Olowin, Judy Tashji, Michael Tashji, and Reed Whitney.

This is TRE‘s first collaboratively written piece. Many of these artists have spent the past year and a half collectively writing this creatively challenging new play, devoting hundreds of hours to the development of Rhinbecca, NY through workshops and rehearsals. And their work deserves to be seen by our extended community of fans and fellow theater artists. 

PLEDGE NOW to help bring this exciting new play to life, and to support the future of this company.

Theater Reconstruction Ensemble is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization and all contributions (above the amount of goods and services received) are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.

Source: ICNW