Peter/Wendy at the cell

For Immediate Release
March 20, 2013
Media Contact: Katie Rosin / Kampfire PR
917-562-5670 / [email protected]

the cell: A Twenty First Century Salon™

Proudly Presents the World Premiere of

PETER/WENDY

Adapted and Directed by

JEREMY BLOOM

from “Peter and Wendy” and “A Little White Bird”

by J.M. BARRIE

 

MAY 30 – JUNE 22

the cell, NYC

the cell: A Twenty First Century Salon™, Founding Artistic Director Nancy Manocherian, and Artistic Director Kira Simring, are pleased to announce the world premiere production of PETER/WENDY adapted and directed by Jeremy Bloom from J.M. Barrie’s “Peter Pan and Wendy” and “The Little White Bird” and scored by the indie band, The Books. PETER/WENDY will play a limited engagement utilizing the unique multi-level, indoor and outdoor space of the cell (338 W. 23rd St NYC). Performances begin Thursday, May 30 and continue through Saturday, June 22. Opening Night is Saturday, June 1 (8 p.m.). Press are invited to all performances starting Thursday, May 30th. Tickets are available at www.thecelltheatre.org

“Do you know why I come here, Wendy?  I come here to hear stories,” declares Peter Pan, the fearless boy who refuses to grow up and the protagonist of Peter/Wendy, a new adaptation of the fanciful childhood tale.

Conceived and directed by Jeremy Bloom (Leaves of Grass at the cell), a protégé of Tony Award winning Mary Zimmerman (Metamorphoses & The White Snake), the plight of Peter takes on new life in an anxiety-ridden, deadly adventurous world of love, fairy dust and twilight.  The pajama-clad performers, an exuberant ensemble of lost boys, pirates, fairies, and mermaids, explore familiar text compiled from the J.M. Barrie novels, “Peter Pan and Wendy” and “The Little White Bird.”  Featuring Bloom’s signature low-tech, inventive image staging, Peter/Wendy reveals the nuances of Neverland.  



"While researching Barrie’s novels for a different play," said Bloom, "I was struck by how deeply exhilarating and dark the text is on a psychological level, beyond the animatronic and animated portrayals of the story we grew up watching."

Press from the 2009 workshop production at Soho Rep's Walkerspace:

“For a story that seems likely to be dependent on elaborate effects—Flying! Pirate ships! Mermaids!—Peter/Wendy does a remarkable job of creating its atmosphere with the barest-bones of tools: no theatrical lighting, only table lamps and garden floodlights; all the performers in pajamas; a few pieces of fabric, two chairs, and a slatted window blind for a set. Its commitment to the purest elements of theatre is refreshing, and commendable.”

-nytheatre.com



“Some real magic. There were pirates, lost boys, fairies, and people flying all accomplished with practically no set in J.M.Barrie's Peter~Wendy. This type of work is often tried in Indie theatre, but frankly comes off looking cheap and under-developed in most instances. In this case however, very little was used to make something extraordinary. It takes a certain kind of magic to make that happen and the man behind the curtain who we should be paying attention to is a young theatrical alchemist by the name of Jeremy Bloom.”

-offoffbroadway.com

Video highlights from the workshop production: http://bit.ly/PeterWendyYouTube

A photo from the workshop production is here: http://bit.ly/PeterWendyPhotos

About the cell: A Twenty First Century Salon™

Since its inception in 2006, the cell: A Twenty 1st Century Salon™ (Nancy Manocherian, Founding Director; Kira Simring, Artistic Director) has been, and continues to be, an incubator for creative projects.  Through its strong commitment to cultivate undiscovered artists, the cell has created residencies for diverse groups including the Tandem Reading Series, Center for Contemporary Opera and The Blackboard Reading Series. the cell is located in the heart of Chelsea, New York City.  For more information, please visit www.thecelltheatre.org.

About director Jeremy Bloom

Jeremy is the artistic director of RADY&BLOOM Collective Playmaking, whose accolades include residencies at the Ice Factory Festival and the IRT Theater, and grants from the Manhattan Community Arts Fund (made possible by the New York State Department of Cultural Affairs). Favorite credits include LEAVES OF GRASS (NUDE) previously at the cell. Jeremy is a Drama League Directing Fellow, EST Resident Director, Soho Rep Lab Director, and participated in the TS Eliot US/UK Exchange at The Old Vic. Jeremy is Artistic Executive at Evenstar Films and an adjunct faculty member at Montclair State University Department of Theater. www.radyandbloom.com.

#     #     #

---