The Blast
by Dan Giles
Directed by and Developed with Lilleth Glimcher
Premiered May 2018 at the Westbeth Artist Building
Adapted from the 1947 pulp novel about the last two people on earth and their pack of hunting dogs, The Blast, imagines a new American apocalypse, and the children who inherit the earth. A blood-soaked fairy-tale, a theaterical monstrosity, a wild new world born howling in a bright atomic blast.
“We Killed you, Mom. WE Killed you, Dad. WE killed you … we feel bad. WE think.”
created in collaboration with performers: Tobi Aremu, Mark Mauriello, Georgina parfitt, rebecca Rad, itamar Segev and Jen tchiakpe.
Set Design: Brooke Herr
Lighting Design: Kelley Shih
Sound Design: Jude Tedaldi
Costume Design: Dominique Fawn-Hill
Stage manager: Nailah harper-malveaux
The Blast is an original play Presented by amanda + james.
Commissioned and produced by Amanda hameline, Rebecca Feinberg + Shelby Leshine
Associate Produced by You Are Here
The Performers:
Tobi Aremu is a performer and artist. Tobi loves his family. Tobi hates writing bios. Tobi’s website is www.thatniceblackguy.com“
Mark Mauriello is a performer and theater artist. Graduating from Harvard University, he has worked and performed extensively at the American Repertory Theater, including in Diane Paulus and Randy Weiner’s The Donkey Show and Taylor Mac’s The Lily’s Revenge (dir. Shira Millikowsky). Original works: OSCAR at The Crown…(Creator/Director/Oscar Wilde, original pop music by Andrew Barret Cox) and Julie Cooper (Creator/Director). Other performances: Little Murders (Marjorie Newquist), Anne Carson’s Antigonick (Teiresias), Clubland (James St. James), as well as nightlife performance in Boston, New York, and Berlin, including Susanne Bartsch’s legendary On Top. Above all, he believes in negative capability. @maarkm
Georgina Parfitt is an artist currently working in New York. She was born and raised in Norfolk, England, and moved to the US in 2009. Since then she’s been exploring America, the idea and the place, in her writing and performing. She is very excited to be part of this monster story.
Rebecca Rad hails from Brazil by ways of Florida & Michigan. She has directed & performed internationally with a multitude of companies NYC venues including: La Mama Etc.; Ars Nova; New York Theatre Workshop; Joe’s Pub; Theatre 167; National Black Theatre; Other Forces (Incubator Arts); The Public Theater; Lincoln Center; The Bushwick Starr; Signature Center; Pace Gallery; Target Margin Theatre; The Flea; Theatre Plastique; Buran Theatre; Rady & Bloom; The Wild Project; Poetic Theatre Productions; Superhero Clubhouse. On screen with FOX, Discovery Channel, PBS, MTV, MTV2, MTVDesi, Multishow and online in S2E3 of “The Pioneers”. Rad is a performance coach and former Director of the Summer Scholars Musical Theatre Program at Pace University. She is co-founder of The Lost Collective, with whom she is a Public Artist in Residence in collaboration with the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs & Children’s Services, bringing the Arts to LGBQT+ foster youth. She is Director of Outreach and a founding member of You Are Here: Arts + Activism. Interlochen Arts Academy + Pace University alum. @rebecarad www.RebecaRad.com
Itamar S makes, writes, performs, dances and acts in many embodied disciplines. Itamar is an Anti Zionist Israeli and wants you to know that in Hebrew ‘he’ actually means ‘she’ so you are calling him many genders (even when you think you are not). Itamar is a current Artist in resident at Chez Bushwick where he will be showing work on the 5/25- 5/26 and hopes you can make it. Itamar has also made and shown collaborative work with Georgia Wall at NYLA (Fresh Tracks AIR), CATCH at the Invisible Dog, Movement Research at Judson Church and Glasshouse Gallery. As a performer Itamar worked with 600 HIGHWAYMEN, Lillieth Glimcher, Lee Sunday Evens, Morgan Greene and Sarah Delappe, Julia Gladstone, Adam Horowitz, Julia Thompson, Andrew Hoepfner and Brandon Wolcott and has performed in such venues as The Public Theater, The Park Avenue Armory, Abrons Art Center, Pace Gallery, NYLA, MASS MoCA, JACK and more.
Jennifer Tchiakpe was born and raised in Paris, France. She studied theater at HB Studio and has trained in Suzuki/Viewpoints with Siti Company, in Shakespeare with Brian McManamon. She practiced and performed Japanese Sword Fighting with Samurai Sword Soul for many years. She is a proud member of The Flea/Bats Family. Jennifer was part of the durational physical performance created by British artist Cally Spooner @New Museum. She is beyond excited and grateful to be part of The Blast’s pack. For all credits and awards, please check www.jennifertchiakpe.com
