In over a decade since its opening, choice neighborhood teahouse Alice's Tea Cup has played host to hundreds, if not thousands of bridal showers, Sunday teas, birthday parties and cocktail hours. On August 3rd and 5th, however, the teahouse, hailed as "whimsical" by the New York Times, will host its first live performance as it will become both the setting and the stage for a new theatrical event, Blueprint Theater Project's SCHERZO, written by David Alex Andrejko and directed by Ellen Orenstein.
SCHERZO is a live drama branded as reality theatre, or simply: theality. Classified under the genus, "fusion theatre," theality is a species all its own. Like a mixed-media canvas, theality blends deeply personal, psychological and emotional lives of real characters (similar to those on any network reality program), with theatrical moments of scripted subtext (a reality show's voiceovers, confessionals or video diaries). In theality, dramatically speaking, the line between naturalism and expressionism is blurred, providing an extraordinary potential for catharsis. Episodic potential exists as well.
The "pilot" episode of SCHERZO is simple on the surface. Three women. Two men. Coffee. Dancing. Then: Collisions ensue. SCHERZO uncovers moments when human beings are right next to each other and still deeply alone. The characters collide, share intimacy and closeness, while their small, seemingly innocuous, everyday interactions become more and more exposed, shaping who they are and what they obsess about.
While developing the script under Orenstein's vision (which initially began as an adaptation of The Yellow Wallpaper), Andrejko interviewed each original cast member on their fears, developing subtextual poetry for each "character," which was weaved together with transcriptions of actual conversations the actors had themselves, at various coffee shops throughout the city.
Once Orenstein began to stage SCHERZO she chose to delineate juxtaposing elements in its script (i.e. naturalism vs. expressionism and sub-textual vs. external) with choices of movement. What is not explicitly reflected in the text of SCHERZO is expressed in a vocabulary of physical movement and gestures, revealing more about the characters' psychological and emotional lives.
SCHERZO will debut for a selected audience at 9:00pm on August 3rd and 5th at Alice's Teacup, 156 East 64th street. The location is sight-specific and the event will take place in the audience's environment. It is not interactive theatre. Seating is extremely limited. It features actors Molly Groome, Jillian Mason, Melissa McNerney, Adrien Saunders, and Zac Walker. Lighting and sound design is by Chip Rodgers. Choreography by Anna DeMers. SCHERZO features original music by artist Alex Winston, whose EP "Choice Notes," (featured in SCHERZO) debuts the same day as the SCHERZO premiere. Complimentary signed vinyls will be available at the event.
