Manhattan Experimental Theater Workshop

overview

Imagine the story of The Book of Exodus in the hands of Ntozake Shange, Gertrude Stein, Jerzy Grotowski, and Lee Breuer & Mabou Mines. Can't do it? We did.

The 2006 MXTW company put their heads together and crafted 4 original pieces for the theater under the influence of some of the 20th and 21st Century's most interesting avant garde playwrights. (And then we created two more pieces under our own influence.)

A synopsis of The Book of Exodus and links to the new scripts written in the 2006 workshop here.

A brief description of the MXTW process is available here.

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What you need to know about the Book of Exodus:

The Israelites have flourished in Egypt and Pharaoh begins to fear an uprising, so he orders the midwives to kill all male Israelites as they are born, but the midwives lie to Pharaoh saying they cannot because the Israelite women bear their children before the midwives arrive. Pharaoh orders all male Israelite babies to be drowned in the river Nile. Moses' aunt sets him afloat on the river in a basket where he is found by Pharaoh's daughter.

Moses is raised to adulthood in Pharaoh's household. One day Moses sees an Egyptian beating an Israelite slave and seeing no one about, kills him and hides his body in the sand. Moses' crime is discovered and he flees Egypt, living in exile until he is commanded by God to return to Egypt to free the Israelites.

Moses returns and asks Pharaoh to let the slaves go to worship in the desert, but Pharaoh refuses. God makes Pharaoh obstinate and Moses unleashes God's power on the Egyptian people through the ten plagues: water turned to blood, frogs, gnats, flies, pestilence, hail, locusts, darkness, and death of the firstborn. Pharaoh at last releases the Israelites but he pursues them to the shores of the Red Sea. God parts the waters of the Red Sea so the Israelites can pass through it. Pharaoh's army follows and is drowned when God sends the sea crashing back down.

The Israelites move through the desert in search of the Promised Land of Milk and Honey afraid they may die of starvation and thirst. God sends Manna to sustain the people. The Israelites encounter the nation of Amalek and fight a battle with them. As long as Moses keeps his hands high the battle goes in favor of the Israelites. Amalek is obliterated from all memory, according to God's wishes.

When the Israelites reach Mt. Sinai, Moses goes up the mountain to commune with God. While he is away the people make a golden calf and worship it as an idol. In his wrath, God tells Moses he will destroy all the Israelites and build a new nation; but Moses pleads with him not to destroy his people. God calls the Levites to rise up against their kinsmen and kill those especially guilty of idol worship. Moses goes back up the mountain and receives from God complex guidelines for law and worship, including the Ten Commandments.

reader

MXTW 2006 Reader Contents

Bibliography

Madame Rachilde, “The Crystal Spider,” in Doubles, Demons, and Dreamers, D. Gerould, ed. (PAJ Publications, 1985) 67-75.

Stanislaw Przybyszewski, “Visitors” in Doubles, Demons, and Dreamers, D. Gerould, ed. (PAJ Publications, 1985) 123-137.

Gertrude Stein, “A Circular Play,” in Gertrude Stein Last Operas and Plays, C. Van Vechten, ed. (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1995) 139-151,

Bertoldt Brecht, “The Elephant Calf,” in B. Brecht: Baal, A Man’s a Man, & The Elephant Calf, E. Bentley, ed. (Grove Press, Inc., 1964) 205-218.

Ludwig Flaszen, “Akropolis: Treatment of the Text” in Towards a Poor Theatre: Jerzy Grotowski, E. Barba, ed. (Routledge, 2002) 61-77.

Peter Handke. “Self Accusation,” in Peter Handke: Kaspar and Other Plays, tr. M, Roloff (Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1969) 33-51.

Peter Handke, “Prophecy” in Peter Handke, The Ride Across Lake Constance and other plays, M. Roloff, trans. (New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1976) 3-17.

Lee Breuer, “The B Beaver Animation,” in Lee Breuer: Animations, B. Marranca & G. Dasgupta, eds. (PAJ Publications, 1979) 55-71.

Richard Foreman, “Pandering to the Masses: A Misrepresentation,” in The Theatre of Images, B. Marranca, ed. (PAJ Publications, 1977) 12-36.

Heiner Müller, “Explosion of a Memory” & “A Letter to Robert Wilson” in Explosion of a Memory, C. Weber ed., tr. (PAJ Publications, 1989) 96-102 & 152-155.

Heiner Müller, “Heartpiece” in Hamlet-machine and Other Texts for the Stage, C. Weber ed., (PAJ Publications, 1984) 120-121.

Maria Irene Fornes, “The Danube,” in Maria Irene Fornes: Plays (PAJ Publications, 1986) 42-64

Harry Kondoleon, “The Brides” in Word Plays 2, B Marranca & G. Dasgupta eds. (PAJ Publications 1982) 298-113.

ntozake shange, “boogie woogie landscapes,” 109-142 in ntozake shange: three pieces (Penguin Books, 1982) 109-142.

Charles Mee, “Orestes 2.0” full text version from: http://www.charlesmee.com/html/plays.html

scripts

Copyright & Permission to Reproduce

Talking to the Sky
Written & performed by the company
Directed by the directing team

A Few Plagues Never Killed Anyone
Written & performed by Lakin Anderson, Josh Burmeister, Sophie Loschky, & Havana Mahoney
Directed by Kevin Terry
Under the influence of Ntozake Shange

A Promise Land
Written by Katie Barkley, Ashley Donnert, Camille Sultana, & Ellen Welti
Performed by Ellen, Ashley, and Katie
Directed by Ashley Flinn
Under the influence of Gertrude Stein

This is the Rite You Shall Perform
Written & performed by Amanda Paez, Chris Auten, & Elizabeth Uthoff
Directed by Blake E. Bolan
Under the influence of Jerzy Grotowski

P Pharoah
Written & performed by Anna Bergren-Kamerer, Chris Blea, & Whitney Flinn
Directed by Gwethalyn Williams
Under the influence of Lee Breuer & Mabou Mines

Movement of the People - A Scenario
Written & performed by the company
Directed by the directing team
Under our own influence

company

Lakin Anderson
Chris Auten
Katie Barkley
Anna Bergen-Kamerer
Chris Blea
Josh Burmeister
Abe Denner
Ashley Donnert
Whitney Flinn
Sophie Loschky
Havana Mahoney
Amanda Paez
Camille Sultana
Elizabeth Uthoff
Ellen Welti

staff

Director: Gwethalyn Williams

Assistant Directors: Blake Bolan, Ashley (“Flinn”) Flinn, Kevin Terry

Producer: Jim Hamilton

Lights and Sound: Megan Clark, Rob Dunn, and Charles Sutterlin