pants and skirts (a true crime story) opens at The Barrow Group September 16.

rserrellProduction

 pants and skirts
(a true crime story)

ps Productions in association with The Barrow Group

Description
An unsettling view from her window. An unexpected knock at her door. Suddenly,  one lone woman is propelled into a topsy-turvy world of possession and intrigue. Her only salvation – to solve a crime in which she is both perpetrator and victim. Who knew pants and skirts could be so clever? Who would have guessed identity to be so slippery?

The production is a playful mashup — a clown piece without a nose,  a puppet play where the puppets are in charge, a Ted Talk gone hopelessly awry. pants and skirts (a true crime story) is a solo piece plus two. After the performance,  the audience can choose to participate in an interactive exhibition, which extends the conversation beyond the stage.

pants and skirts (a true crime story) – Developmental Workshop Performances
The Barrow Group Theatre • 312 West 36 St, 3rd floor
Fri and Sat, September 16-17 and Tues thru Thurs,  September 20-21-22.
All performances at 7:30pm
Tickets: $18.

The Play
A flash of lightening,  a clap of thunder,  and a pair of pants stares in through a living room window. For the moment,  Dot is unaware of the danger (and possiblity) lurking just outside her door. After failing to get Dot’s attention with more subtle means,  the remarkably animate pants and skirts have no choice but to invade her  home. They slither over furniture,  scatter menacingly around her room and descend from the ceiling like large insects,. Dot’s attempts to eradicate the infestation only serve to entangle her more deeply in the web of intrigue. In a desperate attempt to regain control,  Dot throws herself into the role of criminal detective and forensic scientist. In order to get rid of her unwelcome guests, she must resolve the mystery of her past by investigating her present. The key to the mystery lies within herself – literally – but revealing it may entail making a choice Dot has resisted her whole life.

The Company
Conceived and performed by Jean Taylor
Developed with The Company
Pants and Skirts animated by Kit Bihun and Andres Petersen
Directed and designed by Eric Nightengale
Video design by John Toth
Stage managed by Billie Davis
Producing Director – Porter Pickard

Additional collaborators:
Movement Consultant – Hilary Easton
Clown Consultant – Julie Nelson

History of Production
pants and skirts is currently in development as part of ps Productions Mini Series, a repertory of performance pieces designed to be presented in intimate spaces.  It has received initial workshops at Battery Dance Company and The Barrow Group. This presentation is the second stage of a three-part development process. The full production will premiere in the spring of 2012.