THE TANK SPACE FOR PERFORMING AND VISUAL ARTS

Imagine a NIGHT OF THEATRE written by four different communities...

[family members] [the twitter/facebook world] [the ny theatre/improv scene] [complete strangers]

Brett Epstein (www.ItsBrett.net) is a New York based playwright who has targeted each of these communities as inspiration for his latest work.

He interviewed an array of people in all of these communities throughout the month of January-- one person a day for a total of thirty interviews. By being an active listener -- whether he has known the interviewee for 24 years or for 24 seconds -- he has learned heir passions & struggles, their regrets & dreams.

Their stories, their words, their experiences, their lives have inspired SIX NEW SHORT PLAYS to be presented with a DOCUMENTARY film about Epstein's process talking with the people in these communities. What they shared has completely shaped this new work.

This project is the possibility of openness, vulnerability, creativity, leadership and artistic healing.

WATCH: BASED ON YOUR TRUE STORY Trailer

Buy tickets for BASED ON YOUR TRUE STORY at Brown Paper Tickets

Drawn Out Storytelling is storming back. This time, we're taking on the classroom. Get ready for the greatest show and tell on earth!

Each month we tackle a theme through four personal narratives accompanied by music and drawings. May is the month of final exams for most college students, so we thought we'd help them out with some stories from the classroom.

Period 1: Literature w/ Sm Shrake and Phong Tran
Period 2: Science w/ Ben Lillie and Zachary Garrett
Period 3: Gym w/ John Flynn and Amedeo Turturro
Period 4: Politics w/ Angel Yau

Of course, all this will be accompanied by our own marching band that just like the marching band in my high school in rural Maine marched by sitting down.

And our lovely guidance counselor will be Nisse Greenberg.

Unpleasant Men by Alex Borinsky
directed by Nick Leavens
May 18th and 20th @ 7:00

It’s 1877, cusp of the modern world. Everything’s new. Two brothers and their dad lose everything and head to New York. Men are rich in this city, gin is smooth, mansions are fucking big, and there might be a revolution happening. There are also some quietly broken hearts. A play about manliness, graft, and ambition for three badass women.

Buy tickets for Quick and Dirties: Unpleasant Men presented by |the claque|

About the Quick and Dirties: ideas are sexy.

|the claque| is proud to announce the second annual Quick and Dirties (QuaDs): ideas are sexy, presented by The Tank. |the claque|, your favorite arts and performance conglomerate based in New York City, is dedicated to creating excellent work while heightening the level of discourse which surrounds it. This year, |the claque| presents six workshop productions and two readings of new plays. Focusing on helping to realize big ideas from our collaborating playwrights |the claque’s| approach is designed to encourage and allow artists to thrive, fostering an adaptable, non-competitive approach to creation and discussion. Each play receives a week long intensive and two public viewings focusing on building on the central ideas of the plays, while be supported by creative teams, including directors, designers, actors, stage managers, and a production manager.

There isn’t much as seductive as thought and art.

Ideas are sexy.

EPIC WIN Burlesque presents...

The Spoken Nerd: Geeky Stories by Dorky People
An evening of story tellers sharing true tales from real nerds!

Tickets: $10 (which includes 1 free raffle ticket)
doors open @ 9p

Welcome to NYC’s very first Live Storytelling Talkshow! Not only will you get Stories, magic, burlesque and science – you will also get interviews and insight into the minds of these very nerdy people.

THEME: Games People Play. Stories of Dice, Mind, Video, Con(games).

* * Hosted By * *
Peter Aguero - First Chair - Lead singer of the BTK Band, a host of The Moth, and a Moth StorySlam winner.

Nelson Lugo - Second Chair - Magician, Pie Lover, Burgeoning Vaudeville Impresario and he's pretty sure he's the 13th Doctor.

* * Storytelling By * *
Sara Peters - Wife, gamer and witch - but not in that order

Steven Berkowitz - Storyteller and rabid D&D player

Mojdeh Rezaeipour - Moth Storyslam winner and recovering chess club president

* * Science Demonstration * *
Lawrence DeGeest - Studies economics at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, who prior lived in NYC and ran around with the brain gang from NYU. He will present an informative and entertaining mini-lecture on the science of Game Theory.

* * Burlesque * *
Minnie d'Moocha - a full time burlesque performer/pinup model/vintage hairstylist/lounge singer in the NYC area. She loves belly-dancing, Donkey Kong and lounging around in a latex Batgirl costume.

* * House Band * *
H2Awesome! - a collection of Comic Book Writers, Artists, Filmmakers, Screenwriters and Directors turned Musicians. They love all things geeky and will glady sing songs about them.

* * * *
The Spoken Nerd is a celebration of the great and noble art form of storytelling...but from a very geeky point-of-view. Each show has a theme and each invited guest story teller shares a true and personal story based on that theme. Sometimes the stories are funny, sometimes they're not. Sometimes the stories are serious, sometimes they're not. However, the stories are always explorations of the human condition immersed in tons of pop-culture. Both theatrical and intimate The Spoken Nerd strives to give a voice to the comic book/gamer/sci fi/science dork in all of us.

But more than just stories, every show will have non-story artists! Practical science demonstrations, sideshow artists, string theory lectures, jugglers and Nerd Core Hip Hop will share the stage from time to time. And all of this will come together in an epic nerd stew of awesome.

Games will be played... Prizes will be won... Stories will be told! BYOD: Bring Your Own Dice

Friday, May 18 @ 9pm
The Tank Theater - 8th floor
151 w. 46th St. (b/t 6th and 7th Ave)

READING: The Adventures of Jesus Jackson by Trey Tatum
April 21st @ 9:30 and May 19th @ 7:00
Admission is free

Michael's Mother believes the only way to purge sin is thru the forced consumption of gallons of water. When Michael is discovered drawing a comic book featuring Jesus as a 1930s serial action hero, his Mother labels it the ultimate sacrilege. As his penance turns lethal and his hours grow dim, Michael's only chance of survival lies in the hands of the man himself. "In bitter times, the heroes rise - and Boys and Gods are tested." The Adventures of Jesus Jackson.

About the Quick and Dirties: ideas are sexy.

|the claque| is proud to announce the second annual Quick and Dirties (QuaDs): ideas are sexy, presented by The Tank. |the claque|, your favorite arts and performance conglomerate based in New York City, is dedicated to creating excellent work while heightening the level of discourse which surrounds it. This year, |the claque| presents six workshop productions and two readings of new plays. Focusing on helping to realize big ideas from our collaborating playwrights |the claque’s| approach is designed to encourage and allow artists to thrive, fostering an adaptable, non-competitive approach to creation and discussion. Each play receives a week long intensive and two public viewings focusing on building on the central ideas of the plays, while be supported by creative teams, including directors, designers, actors, stage managers, and a production manager.

There isn’t much as seductive as thought and art.

Ideas are sexy.

The 1st Annual Bring Your Own Eggs series: Panel Discussions, Open Forums, and Masterclasses accessing the questions and problems related to new play development.

|the claque| will provide the coffee -
you supply your own brunch to munch!
1:00 pm - The Writer, Director, Actor, and The New Play
|the claque| is joined once again by members of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society and Actors' Equity Association for an open forum on the innate challenges that arise when developing new plays. We'll discuss some tough problems that form when navigating a process in which the stakes are high and everyone has interests to serve.

3:00 pm - New Theatre Salon
|the claque| welcomes leaders of fellow young companies producing innovative and engaging work to participate in an open forum about what's calling us to create and produce, the different approaches to our work, and the successes and failures we've encountered along the way.

All events will take place at The Tank
151 West 46th St., 8th floor
For reservations, EMAIL: info at theclaque dot org

Don't miss this unique opportunity to preview Mason Bates' new Bagatelles for Amplified String Quartet and Electronica, performed by one of San Francisco's hottest ensembles, the Del Sol String Quartet. A two-time winner of the top Chamber Music America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming, Del Sol is breaking the boundaries of classical music in riveting performances of new music with a global pulse. This critically acclaimed group of master musicians explores new ways to interact with audiences, composers and artists across cultures and art forms.

Program:
Elena Kats-Chernin: Fast Blue Village (2007)
Mason Bates: Bagatelles for Amplified String Quartet and Electronica (2011): III. “On a Wire: Mating Dance” [NY PREMIERE]
Ken Ueno: Peradam (2011)
Lou Harrison: String Quartet Set (1979): I, III
Ben Johnston: String Quartet No. 10 (1995): II, IV
Chinary Ung: Spiral X: “In Memoriam” for amplified string quartet (2007)

Please note that the Mason Bates piece, which was commissioned by Chamber Music America, will have its full world premiere performance in August at Marin Alsop's Cabrillo Festival of New Music in Santa Cruz, CA. Del Sol will be giving a special preview of one movement of the piece at The Tank.
Buy tickets for Del Sol String Quartet at Brown Paper Tickets

About Ear Heart Music
In its brief two and a half year history, the “innovative Ear Heart Music series has become a staple in the New York new music soundscape.” (Time Out NY) A melting pot of adventurous and cutting-edge performers, composers, and collaborative artists, Ear Heart Music is where curious New Yorkers get their aural fix. By presenting music that engages and entertains, we nurture our audience. By facilit...ating open dialogue, we provide context for our work. Shows often incorporate additional artistic elements such as electronic processing, performance art, film, and dance. Through innovative artist pairings, eclectic programming, and the integral incorporation of new work, Ear Heart Music plays a major role in reshaping the chamber music landscape for the 21st century.