Transgender Actress Held at New York's Infamous Prison in A NIGHT AT THE TOMBS featuring songs by Avenue Q's Jeff Whitty, William M. Hoffman, Taylor Mac & more from June 24 - August 5, 2010
Theatre Askew will present the World Premiere of A NIGHT AT THE TOMBS, written and performed by transgender Downtown legend Bianca Leigh. Directed by Theatre Askew co-artistic director Tim Cusack, this play with music features original songs by Tony Award-winner Jeff Whitty (Avenue Q), Obie Award-winner William M. Hoffman (As Is, The Ghosts of Versailles), Ethyl Eichelberger Award-winner Taylor Mac (The Lily's Revenge), Jeff Domoto (Cornbury: The Queen's Governor), Barb Morrison (Itchy Trigger Finger, The Safety of Objects), and Matty Pritchard and Isam Rum (The Din). Askew co-artistic director Jason Jacobs produces; costumes are by Machine Dazzle . Previews begin June 24 at Bowery Poetry Club, with opening night slated for July 8.
Chicago meets TransAmerica in A NIGHT AT THE TOMBS, transgender actress Bianca Leigh's recounting of the events surrounding her arrest for prostitution. While cooling her 6-inch heels in the clink awaiting sentencing, Bianca looks back at her past and tries to make sense of
how a skinny New Jersey boy who dreamed of becoming a great Shakespearean actor ended up as a high-priced dominatrix. In a tour-de-force performance that is both hilarious and moving, Bianca
brings to vivid life more than a dozen characters, from her disapproving mother to the sadistic corrections officer who enacts the ultimate humiliation. With original music by prominent queer composers and lyricists representing every musical genre from Broadway to opera to punk, this night promises to be one to remember.
Bianca Leigh can be seen this spring (May and June) in The Talking Band's New Islands Archipelago at 3LD. Other recent credits include Time in Taylor Mac's The Lily's Revenge; Margareta de Peyster in William M. Hoffman's Cornbury: The Queen's Governor; Livia in Theatre Askew's I, Claudius Live; Olivia in Del-Sign's Twelfth Night (performed in ASL); and Madeline Andrews in Voyager Theatre's Vampire Lesbians of Sodom. She is also a member of Shim Mamsir productions, a drag theater company in residency at Bowery Poetry Club. Her film roles include Mary Ellen in the groundbreaking feature TransAmerica with Felicity Huffman.
For Theatre Askew, Tim Cusack conceived, co-adapted, co-directed and appeared as Caligula in the company's six-part serial adaptation of I, Claudius, and directed the world premiere of William M. Hoffman's Cornbury: The Queen's Governor with David Greenspan and Everett Quinton. He has appeared on stage for Askew in Bald Diva! (notable performance of the year-Theater Mania), The Tempest, and i google myself. He is a Next magazine "Future Legend," a 2007 nytheatre.com Person of the Year, and a regular contributor to Stage Directions.
THEATRE ASKEW under the direction of Jason Jacobs and Tim Cusack is New York City's premiere producer of experimental queer theatre. Since the company's first production in 2004, it has twice been nominated for GLAAD Media Awards for Outstanding Off-off Broadway Play (for Bald Diva! and i google myself), and Bald Diva! was also named one of the best productions of 2004 by both Theater Mania and nytheatre.com. The company is currently in the midst of a multi-year project tracing the history of queer culture in New York City. In addition to its mainstage programming, the company runs the Theatre Askew Youth Performance Experience (TAYPE), the only theatrical education program by a professional theatre company in the tri-state area specifically geared to LGBTQ youth.
A NIGHT AT THE TOMBS runs June 24 - August 5, Thursdays at 8:00 PM. Bowery Poetry Club is located at 308 Bowery, between Houston and Bleecker -- accessible from the #6 train at Bleecker, F/V trains at 2nd Avenue, or the B/D trains at Broadway Lafayette. Tickets are $18 in advance / $20 at the door, available at 212-352-3101 or www.SpinCycleNYC.com.
