EXPLORE THE SEASON 2011/12 | 2010/11 | 2009/10 | 2008/09 | 2007/08 | 2006/07 2005/06 | 2004/05 | 2003/04 | 2002/03 | 2001/02 | 2000/01 | 1999 2011/12 Click here to view this season’s production photo gallery _____________________________________  Encore Production INVASION! (Sweden)
by Jonas Hassen Khemiri
directed by Erica Schmidt
translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles

September 6 – October 1, 2011
@ Soho Rep (46 Walker St.)

with Francis Benhamou, Nick Choksi, Andrew Guilarte, Bobby Moreno
sets: Antje Ellermann
costumes: Oana Botez-Ban
lights: Matthew Richards
sound: Bart Fasbender
production stage manager: Larry K. Ash Hailed as must-see theatre last season, the Obie Award - winning hit returns! Audiences couldn’t get enough of the elusive Abulkasem, so the show’s back by popular demand. But who is Abulkasem? An international prankster? A superspy? Your next door neighbor? Does he/she pose a clear and present danger? Don’t miss your chance to find out! 
WHAT THE CRITICS HAD TO SAY: "An aggressive work of theater. Compelling, contemplative drama. A testament to the living, breathing use of spoken words in the theater. There is art - heroic art - to be mined from the struggle to speak the unspeakable. This combustible often canny piece of political absurdism is directed and acted with youthfully buoyant high spirits."   -Ben Brantley, The New York Times "Oh, God, finally -- a play about Arab identity that isn't a naked grab for grant money. Jonas Hassen Khemiri's inventive tragicomedy "Invasion!" hits all the right notes on the way to its moving conclusion, managing to infuriate, then amuse, then enthrall." -Variety "Absolute gift of a production, a marvel of language and theatricality that provokes just as expertly as it entertains. If you missed Invasion! last time around, you must go this time. It's as simple as that." -Nytheatre    "Exposes a truth that might not be intuitive - theater can be subversive, even defiant, and at the same time sweetly charming. Highly theatrical and original."  -AP "Invasion! is still a blistering, well-executed, fast-paced black comedy, with some of the most satisfying and unexpected twists in recent memory."  -The L Magazine   "Brilliant in evoking the paranoia that has dominated politics since September 11, 2001... every gut-wrench is offset by laugh-out-loud humor."  -Theatre Is Easy   "Effortlessly slangy and New Yorkish, with none of the stilted locutions that plague so many translations. This is a high-energy, often hectic experience, with theatrical and political ideas bouncing off each other like pinballs."  -Backstage   _____________________________________  Studio Production Presented in collaboration with
Por Piedad Teatro WORKING ON A SPECIAL DAY (Mexico)
Adaptation and original staging by Laura Almela and Daniel Gimenez Cacho
Translated by Fernando Gambaroni with Ana Graham and Antonio Vega
costumes: Ana Graham
sound: Rodrigo Espinosa
lights: Gabriel Pascal

January 5 – January 15, 2012
@ The Flea Theater (41 White St.)

Two actors explore the life-changing encounter between an overworked housewife and a mysterious bachelor against the backdrop of rising fascism.  Allowing themselves only simple props and the power of imagination, they create a private human story that unfolds within a charged political landscape. This intimate play, in a new English-language version, celebrates the essence of theatre. _____________________________________  NEW YORK PREMIERE - A co-production with Soho Rep in association with John A. Selzer THE UGLY ONE (Germany) Written by Marius von Mayenburg Translated by Maja Zade Directed by Daniel Aukin February 1 – 26, 2012
@ The Flea Theater (46 Walker St.) You are ugly. It’s a fact. I can’t believe you didn’t know. Lette designs widgets by day and goes home to a loving wife at night. Everything's completely normal, until one day he learns the truth.  In this whip-smart social satire from one of Germany's most exciting contemporary playwrights, von Mayenburg takes a distinctive perspective on modern commerce. Directed by Soho Rep’s previous Artistic Director Daniel Aukin, THE UGLY ONE expores questions of beauty and value with daring theatricality. WHAT THE CRITICS HAD TO SAY: "Four stars! A beauty to behold." -Time Out New York "Delightfully absurd! May be the breeziest, most densely packed 60 minutes of theater audiences will have the chance to savor this season."  -Theatermania.com "Brilliantly staged. A wicked piece of japery that elegantly makes its point in one breezy hour."  -Backstage, Critics’ Pick "It's so wrong it's right, so ugly it's beautiful."  -Daily News "The Ugly One looks good! An amusing and troubling exploration of exteriors and identities. Across the stage we observe each other, male and female, old and young, alert and yawning, attractive and unbeautiful, but all, in von Mayenburg's view, quite alike."  -Village Voice "This fashionably slick work resonates. The Play Company and Soho Rep have joined forces for a stylish production."  -New York Post _____________________________________  IDEA LAB SERIES Friday, September 9th, 2011  |  Meet the Artists Tony Award-Winning playwright David Henry Hwang moderated a post-performance conversation with INVASION! playwright Jonas Hassen Khemiri and director Erica Schmidt. Click HERE to watch video excerpts. Tuesday, September 20th, 2011 | Sojourners Carol Fouke-Mypoyo, Director of the Sojourners Program in the Social Justice Ministry at Riverside Church, led a discussion after the play about the work her organization does visiting and befriending asylum seekers in local detention centers. The all-volunteer group also vouches for asylum seekers so they can can leave their months (or years) of detention on parole, and helps them to find free housing and resources in the city until they win asylee status. www.theriversidechurchny.org Monday, September 26th, 2011  |  Cast Chat In the Cypher, a performance group dedicated to opening conversations between people of different backgrounds and world views, hosted a post-performance conversation with cast members of INVASION! www.inthecypher.org Tuesday, September 27th, 2011  |  The Power of Language Bobby Moreno, a cast member in both of PlayCo's productions of INVASION!, moderated a discussion on the power of language, featuring 3 of New York City’s foremost emcee/activists from Say Word Entertainment. Based in NYC, Say Word Entertainment is a collection of artists, producers, promoters, activists, educators and agents of change dedicated to maintaining and supporting authentic Hip Hop globally. www.saywordentertainment.com Click HERE to watch video excerpts. Wednesday, September 28th, 2011  |  ACLU National Security Project Hina Shamsi, Director of the ACLU's National Security Project, which advocates for national security policies that are consistent with the constitution, the rule of law, and fundamental human rights, participated in a post-performance conversation about legal and rights issues raised by the play. www.aclu.org Saturday, January 7th, 2012 | Guest Speaker Martin Acosta Coffee and Conversation about Contemporary Mexican Theatre with guest speaker Martin Acosta @ 10am in The Flea Theater lobby before the performance of WORKING ON A SPECIAL DAY. Click HERE to watch video excerpts. Monday, January 9th, 2012 | Q & A with HB Studio Students from HB Studio join us for a post-show question and answer session with actors Ana Graham and Antonio Vega about the process of curating new work, translating theater, the actor as producer, and the challenges of the international actor working in New York. www.hbstudio.org Click HERE to watch video excerpts. Saturday, February 4th, 2012 | Marius von Mayenburg in conversation The playwright in conversation with Dr. Frank Hentschker (City University of New York, Martin E. Segal Theater Center). Friday, February 17, 2012 | Creative Team Talk Join members of THE UGLY ONE Creative Team as they discuss the production. Moderated by Soho Rep’s Literary & Humanities Manager Raphael Martin. Saturday, February 18, 2012 | The World of Self-Betterment Why do we in America feel an obsessive desire to better ourselves with therapy, pills, surgery and positive thinking? Join an illustrious panel of thinkers and writers in cogitating this issue. Thursday February 23, 2012 | The Economy of Beauty Is Beauty spurred by Capitalism? What is the role of  big-business and the magazine industry in defining what is beautiful? Sunday, May 20, 2012 | Public Reading of Idiots Contemplating the Snow Public reading presented as part of HECHO EN MEXICO as a collaboration with Por Piedad Teatro. Idiots Contemplating the Show, written by Alejandro Ricano and directed & translated by Ana Graham, is a freewheeling comedy featuring a cast of colorful characters driven to increasingly comic extremes as they try to keep pace with Mexico's growing consumer society. Click HERE to see photos from the evening.   Monday, May 21, 2012 | Public Reading of Belize  Public reading presented as part of HECHO EN MEXICO as a collaboration with Por Piedad Teatro. Belize, written by David Olguin and translated by Daniel Jaquez and directed by Debbie Saivetz, is a play about young man going in search of the father he never knew.  His quest leads him to a mythical Belize and initiates him into the darker side of self-knowledge.   Tuesday, May 22, 2012 | Public Reading of I Hate F**king Mexicans  Public reading presented as part of HECHO EN MEXICO as a collaboration with Por Piedad Teatro. Belize, written by by Luis Enrique Gutierrez Ortiz Monasterio and translated by Debbie Saivetz, Ana Graham, and Danya Taymor and directed by Danya Taymor, is a play about a woman in a Texas border town recounting the racial tensions that divide her community leading to an explosive encounter.  The play enters a bizarrely poetic world that is both disturbing and funny. 2010-11.html2009-10.html2008-09.html2007-08.html2006-07.html2005-06.html2004-05.html2003-04.html2002-03.html2001-02.html2000-01.html1999.htmlphotos11-12.htmlhttp://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=r468w8n6&et=1107789739061&s=12479&e=001YVFse2GJnK90_ItEyXPNVpjtoHImsGtwufVof1iN5jsgIjleXfOe8oU8uKvQDnFG07pN9SyE17KllXcuG60SvF60wujzudxg00WcOR2G0s7UEsbNWHznT3S6PQydq_QUNO1rbsiV3_FQuZIKqyDnhz2pxSBHnliCYN6qfZLAUeE2kcT4VbtOfryG9RbaOzUPacPqgMlCWhvIMfSUFg8TjIbS-vi-W2qpNJmENMccdWxr6kwJcu4R6fDaFgljyK-QdkSqnRM4QrsP0h1oRZy9CihfcJSjkug7ZCXp0smsegc=http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=r468w8n6&et=1107633010471&s=0&e=001uLe633ghnViiGKxuXulknc8--CkEkb6jwqFxO6v7WqcV6O9Uhr8zXYxFaUclwxYTZEHnv4capxMO1Sq22pTE9uyE9_scIbj1ej4EjbjKNnlGy6f4tl6_GEAf99eSzlEjfHb2bRUMP2QhGBp5qMeAKp4SvCtJi-B_O8i_om8FUiQ3x0c89Ll6DA==http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=r468w8n6&et=1107633010471&s=0&e=001uLe633ghnViiGKxuXulknc8--CkEkb6jwqFxO6v7WqcV6O9Uhr8zXYxFaUclwxYTZEHnv4capxPk-1K-5jV8HCDvAQu89sPVzq9CCI2L0Q4jpHlY8fsFFYNXh3Ma7S6v68oXTTXrVuc=http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=r468w8n6&et=1107633010471&s=0&e=001uLe633ghnViiGKxuXulknc8--CkEkb6jwqFxO6v7WqcV6O9Uhr8zXYxFaUclwxYTZEHnv4capxNoJv1VkZzHNRCoEyjJ2C9ngYq2fUe5cuH6RocvrbPqFUNgurRdLN-LeKxNG8mmEC2fQo6CQHg9XDzT0i1BbMFYoDq0HG4yQKSWCgTMu4fxY3eCMdf9u2oWvrsnbYkN7_4ivw3AllerOw==http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=r468w8n6&et=1107633010471&s=0&e=001uLe633ghnViiGKxuXulknc8--CkEkb6jwqFxO6v7WqcV6O9Uhr8zXYxFaUclwxYTZEHnv4capxPpSFeJggy-uCxTogEs4tw3ZLe7v1KVTOKYhdsbWmwkOliFOV84HAeDKd2SBLEiUfCLO1jb2B_s-hdAEPUatWGBCm2__5l7UXrNtvt4Qc5qnyV758M4kAcHJK3COK6PNWh8duTqScgca-9_6M1tc1Z9http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=r468w8n6&et=1107633010471&s=0&e=001uLe633ghnViiGKxuXulknc8--CkEkb6jwqFxO6v7WqcV6O9Uhr8zXYxFaUclwxYTZEHnv4capxO5W6K7qeZvA8hR-GZ1fdI9McgOMS7p20Q8ySywl1I_QXjHHi16du-2QyNePHiJmj4=http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=r468w8n6&et=1107633010471&s=0&e=001uLe633ghnViiGKxuXulknc8--CkEkb6jwqFxO6v7WqcV6O9Uhr8zXYxFaUclwxYTZEHnv4capxMPVCAEHBwhKlbZzxrsG5wtCFcoUP2AUvEMSCr2k4bjYhoD70GE-VbOG_Y-eGaKQ3OPAFsJF18vzKIhWmAQZDg5GTx4G4i2OLUWRjTPl7_JWsc1ji_1qrD8pQw-xH7TeM-UrVoSvo9NmLwHwwZQhFtQhttp://newyork.timeout.com/arts-culture/theater/2627655/review-the-ugly-onehttp://www.theatermania.com/off-broadway/reviews/02-2012/the-ugly-one_49666.htmlhttp://www.backstage.com/bso/reviews-ny-theatre-off-broadway/ny-review-the-ugly-one-1006120352.storyhttp://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music-arts/off-broadway-satires-rx-ugly-put-happiness-beauty-scope-article-1.1018486http://www.villagevoice.com/2012-02-08/theater/the-ugly-one-looks-good/http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/theater/ugly_truth_play_pretty_good_bZ5ZQRRuLohIRyKUNjiHAOhttp://vimeo.com/30034796http://www.theriversidechurchny.orghttp://www.inthecypher.orghttp://www.saywordentertainment.comhttp://vimeo.com/29987213http://www.aclu.orghttp://vimeo.com/35658765http://www.hbstudio.orghttp://vimeo.com/35658765http://vimeo.com/35658765shapeimage_1_link_0shapeimage_1_link_1shapeimage_1_link_2shapeimage_1_link_3shapeimage_1_link_4shapeimage_1_link_5shapeimage_1_link_6shapeimage_1_link_7shapeimage_1_link_8shapeimage_1_link_9shapeimage_1_link_10shapeimage_1_link_11shapeimage_1_link_12shapeimage_1_link_13shapeimage_1_link_14shapeimage_1_link_15shapeimage_1_link_16shapeimage_1_link_17shapeimage_1_link_18shapeimage_1_link_19shapeimage_1_link_20shapeimage_1_link_21shapeimage_1_link_22shapeimage_1_link_23shapeimage_1_link_24shapeimage_1_link_25shapeimage_1_link_26shapeimage_1_link_27shapeimage_1_link_28shapeimage_1_link_29shapeimage_1_link_30shapeimage_1_link_31shapeimage_1_link_32shapeimage_1_link_33shapeimage_1_link_34shapeimage_1_link_35shapeimage_1_link_36
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