City of No Illusions
“Talking Band is one of the boldest and most venerable politically minded companies in New York experimental theater …”
–Ben Brantley, New York Times
By Talking Band
Written and Directed by Paul Zimet
Music by Ellen Maddow
A funeral home near the New York/Canadian border becomes a refuge for two asylum seekers. The funeral directors are two sisters whose lives become intimately, farcically, and, at times, dangerous entwined with the refugees. The funeral home is a portal between the living and the dead, and the border at the edge of our country is a potential gateway to a new life. A mysterious group of musicians show up- a shadow band that occupies a permeable space between the borderlands.
CAST
Will Badgett, Jack Wetherall, Tina Shepard, Marija Kovacevic, Ellen Maddow, Sam Khazai, Goussy Celestin,
Dawn Drake, Eden Zane, Colleen O’Neill, Veraalba Santa, Annie Henk
Written and Directed by OBIE Award winner Paul Zimet
Music by Ellen Maddow
Set Design by Anna Kiraly
Costumes by Kiki Smith
Lights by Mary Ellen Stebbins
Production Stage Manager: Kristin Rose Kelly
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
TALKING BAND’s original interdisciplinary performance work has been a cornerstone of New York City’s avant-garde theater community for 44 years. Founded by Ellen Maddow, Tina Shepard and Paul Zimet, the company has produced over fifty new works illuminating the extraordinary dimensions of ordinary life, combining richly textured music-theater with striking visual imagery. Collectively, the company and founders have earned 15 OBIE Awards and numerous other honors. For more info visit talkingband.org.
INTERVIEW: ‘City of No Illusions’ casts intimate light on refugee crisis
“a dark comedy by the Talking Band, one of NYC’s oldest downtown theater troupes”
“I started to think about borders, and how funeral homes are borders between living and dead.”
Listen to WBAI interview Paul Zimet
“I’m amazed at how Talking Band can continue to produce exciting, moving, original works after all these years. Don’t miss this one.”
-Hi! Drama