Performance Thanatology
&
The Missoula Oblongata

present two very different takes on the same title: The 50 Greatest Ladies and Gentlemen

July 23--August 1

The 50 Greatest Ladies and Gentlemen, by Performance Thanatology:

In this installment of Performance Thanatology’s ongoing research in death and performance, a solitary figure performs all his old songs and dances despite the loss of his partner, the loss of his dancing shoes, and the loss of his teeth.  Somewhere between Krapp’s Last Tape and Artaud’s Spurt of Blood, this is what really became of vaudeville.

The Performance Thanatology is a group of artists dedicated to the advancement of a higher histrionics brought on by imminent finalities. The work of the group is gone about with great fear. Fear of death and all of its entropically related phenomena motivates the group to present themselves in an exhibition of interdisciplinary hysterics. For more info on Performance Thanatology: www.ricroyer.com

This Performance Thanatology piece created by Ric Royer, G. Lucas Crane, Sarah Campbell, and Jackie Milad

The 50 Greatest Ladies and Gentlemen, by The Missoula Oblongata:

The Missoula Oblongata presents their fourth full-scale touring production, The 50 Greatest Ladies and Gentlemen.  As always, the company has created their own homemade lighting system—run from the stage by the performers, as well as an interactive set made of junk, and an original score played live by the composers-turned-actors.

The 50 Greatest Ladies and Gentlemen takes place just after the Treaty of Versailles. A veteran who is genetically predisposed to cowardice searches for his brother from whom he’s received a mysterious letter. When the veteran comes upon the town from whence the letter came, he finds that his brother (and the rest of the town) have been caught in a dance mania—a hysterical mass tarantism. With no one else around, the veteran befriends a spider—likely the one who is responsible for the tarantism, and  together, they go up against the town doctor who believes that breakfast (and everything ordinary, for that matter) is beneath love.

Aside from the residency at The Ontological Theater, The50 Greatest Ladies and Gentlemen will complete a two-month national tour, including stops at Artscape (Baltimore), Whartscape (Baltimore),  Bread & Puppet Theatre (Vermont), Bedlam Theatre (Minneapolis) and Idiom Theatre (Bellingham, WA).

The Missoula Oblongata is an experimental theatre company dedicated to creating and touring original work. Their lights, sound, and sets are all homemade, transportable, and operated by the performers themselves. This allows for performances in venues that are accessible—financially and geographically—to a larger population than the regional theatre system serves. The company meets unlikely audiences in their neighborhoods, their parks, their favorite music venues, and their homes—and transform these spaces into temporary, anarchistic theaters. The Missoula Oblongata has completed national tours of three full-length productions, two separate Dinner Theatre productions, four radical productions of Shakespeare, two Colloquial Disforums, a play in a car, a public installation for breaking up as performance art, and innumerable workshops around the country. For more info on The Missoula Oblongata: www.themissoulaoblongata.com

Written and performed by Donna Sellinger and Madeline ffitch, with music written and performed by Travis Sehorn and C. Leo Gebhardt IV. Directed by Sarah Lowry.

Performed on a double bill
July 23--August 1
(July 23, 24, 25, 29, 30, 31, and August 1)
8p.m.
Tickets: General $17/Student $12
Purchase in advance here or by calling 212-352-3101. Cash only at the door.