Last month, I went to the theatre. But not just any type of theatre; theatre that can be watched through the window, from the street …
Some background info about the unconventional theatre experience The Window:
Obie Award winners, playwright Samuel D. Hunter and scenic designer Nic Ularu, along with director Ana Margineanu have transformed The Romanian Cultural Institute in New York’s Midtown gallery storefront window (corner of Third Ave. & 38th St.) into another world. The site-specific theatrical event will give passersby the chance to experience theater as onlookers.
Ularu has re-imagined the gallery space, and based on his new designs, Hunter wrote the short play I WAS JUST THINKING… with the constraint that the text may not be heard by the audience, who will be on the other side of the window from the performers.
THE WINDOW breaks the classic convention of the theatregoer buying a ticket, entering the theatre and just seeing a show. Audience members are in control and decide how long to watch the performance, which will repeat every 20 minutes between 7:30 pm and 10:00 pm April 2 through 8. Pedestrians may view the piece as a “living window” for a few moments, in a quick flash or in its entirety.
THE WINDOW is RCINY’s first foray into site-specific theater, continuing its support for innovative approaches to emerging art.
This May, stage designer Daniela Codarcea Kamiliotis will team with playwright Saviana Stanescu to create a new installation of THE WINDOW. Don’t miss it.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=WzUv4EedXWU#!]
Credit Images: Piotr Redlinski, Monica Suma
