LIC theater presents ‘Crushing Baby Animals’
BY TAMMY SCILEPPI
The mere thought of
hurting an animal makes most
people cringe in horror.
But if you ask local
playwrights/performers Tana
Sirois and Maria Swisher,
they’ll tell you that “Crushing
Baby Animals” is what they’re
into because that happens to
be the weirdo, disturbing title
of their new hellish, alternate
reality play now showing at
the Plaxall Gallery (5-25 46th
Ave.) in LIC through July 21.
See it if you dare!
Sirois is no stranger
to artistic, mind-bending
physical theater that takes
audiences to other-worldly
dimensions. Her previous
work shown at Plaxall in
2017, was another immersive
creation called “Garden of
Earthly Delights” – also
presented by Dirt contained
Theatre Company and Long
Island City Artists Inc. (LIC-A)
– of which she is performing
arts director.
“Maria and I realized a
little over a year ago that we
have both been having the
same recurring nightmare
since childhood. In the dream,
we are trying to save a bunch
of rapidly reproducing baby
animals from a tornado, but
the harder we try to save
them, the more rapidly we
drop them, step on them, crush
them all … it’s really awful!”
Sirois recalled.
“The shared experience
of this dream led us to think
about synchronicity and
connectivity, and we decided
the dream was a great inciting
incident for our next play. In
‘Crushing Baby Animals,’
the characters Tana and
Maria (versions of us), share a
dream that opens up a cosmic
wormhole and sucks them into
another dimension where they
come face to face with their
antagonistic doppelgängers.”
Blending physical theater,
multimedia, improvisation
and a healthy dose of humor in
a unique artistic setting, the
play reflects both creators’ real
shared experience as women
making theater in New York
City, and the scary discovery
of what that shared nightmare
could possibly mean.
Photo: George McClintock
So, why should
folks take in this
mind-blowing performance?
“The show is consistently
pulling viewers quite far
into a specific style, and then
drastically altering the genre
(as well as the location of the
action), which makes for a
lively, immersive experience.
It blends the stark reality
of improvised scenes with
the fantasy of multimedia,
incorporating physical
theater, satire and scripted
text,” Swisher explained.
The audience will be asked
to move to different playing
spaces within the gallery.
They may be fed cookies,
handed props or briefly used as
characters in the show, which
has some strong language and
adult content, but nothing too
racy. Expect a smattering of
quantum physics, along with
cool techno music and lively
musical theater.
Juxtaposed against an art
exhibition titled “Welcome
to The Multiverse” that is
themed to the play, the show
was also influenced by the
work, once it was up on the
walls, creating an interesting
interdisciplinary dialogue,
according to Swisher. (On
view at Plaxall through July
21. Gallery hours: Thursday
from 6 to 10 p.m., Saturday and
Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.)
After the Plaxall run
(Wednesdays and Fridays
– Sundays at 8 p.m.; no
Thursday performances),
“Crushing Baby Animals”
will move to the IRT Theatre
in Greenwich Village from
Aug. 6 to 9, at 8 p.m. This
piece was specifically created
for Plaxall’s multi-space,
waterfront, 12,000-squarefoot
warehouse venue, so the
transfer means the show will
be partly altered, bringing it
to an intimate, 30-seat, singlevenue
theater.
Tickets for $25 are available
for both venues at www.
dirtcontained.com or https://
www.eventbr i te.com/e/
crushing-baby-animal s -
tickets-62773431022.
This event is made possible
(in part) by the Queens Council
on the Arts with public
funds from the New York
City Department of Cultural
Affairs in partnership with
the City Council.
Tues. & Wed. $1895
1 1/4 lb. Lobster, Clams, and Mussels
Served with Corn on the Cob
and Baked Potato
with Purchase of 2 Cocktails,
2 Wines or 2 Beers
32 TIMESLEDGER, JULY 19-25, 2019 QNS.COM
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