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PRELUDE FESTIVAL 2024

October 16-19 

The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center, 365 5th Avenue, New York

PRELUDE 2024 
Between the Scenes

The 21st annual PRELUDE Festival, curated by Jess Barbagallo and John Hoobyar in alignment with “Not a Luxury,” a collaboration between ASAP-15 and the Park Avenue Armory, will feature works-in-process, critical conversations, and new theater and performance scholarship.

 

As a featured program of the Martin E. Segal Theatre Center at the CUNY Graduate Center, PRELUDE presents a unique snapshot of the contemporary New York experimental theater. By merging the critical with the creative, PRELUDE provides a space for artists to share and discover emerging practices in form, craft, and technology.

Since 2003, The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center has presented the PRELUDE Festival (see past editions)

A note from the curators

A renaissance, albeit on a dime. With new performance spaces in New York proliferating despite the interminable precarity of arts and culture funding, it can feel more challenging than ever to be in the know on all the performances happening in the city on any given night. The scene, if there ever was one, has splintered into silos within silos, with performance diets increasingly dictated by the algorithm of one’s Instagram feed. Prelude 2024: Between the Scenes looks towards possible connections in this seemingly diffuse landscape by bringing into conversation and programming together artists working in different corners, edges, and centers of said scene. A series of dialogues seed new relationships and activate old ones within this year’s cohort. ‘Group Dates’ present structured conversations and interviews between featured artists. ‘The School of New York: New Leaders and the Artists They Serve in Dialogue,’ moderated by critic Helen Shaw, brings artists and artistic directors together to discuss ideas and solutions for the quandaries currently facing our field. ‘Precarious Luxuries: improvisation, performance, and planning for the unplanned,’ the keynote event of the ASAP/15 conference, presented in alignment with Prelude, addresses the stakes and strategies of improvisational practice, a prominent mode of making among this year’s Prelude cohort. The conversations continue in a launch event for Julia Jarcho’s newly published ‘Throw Yourself Away: Writing and Masochism’ and in artist talks through the program. Prelude 2024: Between the Scenes also seeks to cultivate excitement for those more subtle moments and minor benchmarks in an artist’s life and practice. While some of this year’s artists invite audiences into the very beginning of new collaborations, others come with teasers of works to be presented later this fall, and still others activate their archives to dig deeper into the traces of past performances. Again, the between. Jess Barbagallo & John Hoobyar Prelude 2024 Co-Curators

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John Hoobyar
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Jess Barbagallo

Program

Prelude 2024 Opening Ceremony
HONORING PAULA COURT
Prelude 2024 Opening Ceremony
4pm
October 16, 2024
Elebash Recital Hall Lobby
Skeleton Architecture
SKELETON ARCHITECTURE
Skeleton Architecture
6:30pm
October 16, 2024
The Segal Theatre
Building Cultural Power through Organizing
DANCERS 4 PALESTINE + THEATER WORKERS FOR A CEASEFIRE
Building Cultural Power through Organizing
3pm
October 17, 2024
Elebash Recital Hall
Legally Bald
LÉOH HAILU-GHERMAY
Legally Bald
5:30pm
October 17, 2024
The Segal Theatre
Bad Stars
AMANDA HOROWITZ
Bad Stars
7pm
October 17, 2024
The Segal Theatre
Group Date: a conversation
ASHIL LEE, LÉOH HAILU-GHERMAY, AMANDA HOROWITZ + S T A R R BUSBY
Group Date: a conversation
4:30pm
October 18, 2024
Elebash Recital Hall
Sharing
MORIAH EVANS
Sharing
7pm
October 18, 2024
Elebash Recital Hall
Throw Yourself Away: Writing and Masochism
JULIA JARCHO
Throw Yourself Away: Writing and Masochism
3pm
October 19, 2024
Elebash Recital Hall
The Pleasure Practice
LUCIANA ACHUGAR
The Pleasure Practice
6pm
October 19, 2024
The Segal Theatre
Ornamentalism
RIVEN RATANAVANH
Ornamentalism
4:30pm
October 16, 2024
The Segal Theatre
David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross: WTF
SHONNI ENELOW + DAVID LEVINE
David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross: WTF
6:30pm
October 16, 2024
Elebash Recital Hall
A shadow of light: a ritual gathering
NOELLE GHOUSSAINI
A shadow of light: a ritual gathering
4pm
October 17, 2024
The Segal Theatre
Group Date: a conversation
LESLIE CUYJET, FRANCESCA D'UVA, MORIAH EVANS + KATIANA GONÇALES RANGEL
Group Date: a conversation
6pm
October 17, 2024
Elebash Recital Hall
PETRA
TINA SATTER / HALF STRADDLE
PETRA
8pm
October 18, 2024
Elebash Recital Hall
The School of New York: New Leaders and the Artists They Serve in Dialogue
MORGAN BASSICHIS, FREEDOME BRADLEY-BALLENTINE, ENVER CHAKARTASH, WILL DAVIS, CALEB HAMMONS, JILL RAFSON, TINA SATTER + TYLER THOMAS
The School of New York: New Leaders and the Artists They Serve in Dialogue
5pm
October 18, 2024
The Segal Theatre
An Hour With Francesca D’Uva
FRANCESCA D'UVA
An Hour With Francesca D’Uva
8pm
October 19, 2024
The Segal Theatre
Working Up A Surrender: A Communal Offering, Part II
S T A R R BUSBY
Working Up A Surrender: A Communal Offering, Part II
4pm
October 19, 2024
The Segal Theatre
The Arab in Theatre: A Conversation
WASEEM ALZER, AYA AZIZ + SARAH BITAR
The Arab in Theatre: A Conversation
5pm
October 16, 2024
Elebash Recital Halll
Nannies of New York City
KATIANA GONÇALES RANGEL + KATIE BROOK
Nannies of New York City
8pm
October 17, 2024
The Segal Theatre
Precarious Luxuries: improvisations, performance, and planning for the unplanned
NILE HARRIS, ALEX TATARSKY, ANH VO + ETHAN PHILBRICK
Precarious Luxuries: improvisations, performance, and planning for the unplanned
4:30pm
October 17, 2024
Proshansky Auditorium
Working Up A Surrender: A Communal Offering, Part I
S T A R R BUSBY
Working Up A Surrender: A Communal Offering, Part I
6pm
October 17, 2024
Elebash Recital Hall Lobby
[CANCELLED] How does it feel to look at nothing (excerpt)
[CANCELLED] HOLLAND ANDREWS + YUNIYA EDI KWON
[CANCELLED] How does it feel to look at nothing (excerpt)
4pm
October 18, 2024
The Segal Theatre
Going Beige
LESLIE CUYJET + KAREN KANDEL
Going Beige
5:30pm
October 18, 2024
Elebash Recital Hall
Plays in Process
NEEDY LOVER | ASHIL LEE + PHOEBE BROOKS | PAUL LAZAR + JERRY LIEBLICH / THIRD EAR
Plays in Process
1:30 pm
October 19, 2024
The Segal Theatre
- *• AsTheyWriistBroke •* -
NIALL N JONES
- *• AsTheyWriistBroke •* -
5pm
October 19, 2024
Elebash Recital Hall

Conversations

Schedule

WEDS, OCT 16

4:00-4:50pm @ Elebash Recital Hall Lobby

Prelude 2024 Opening Ceremony, honoring Paula Court with the 2024 Franky Award

4:30-5:50pm @ The Segal Theatre

Riven Ratanavanh, Ornamentalism

5:00-5:50pm @ Elebash Recital Hall

Waseem Alzer, Aya Aziz, Sarah Bitar, The Arab in Theatre: A Conversation

6:30-7:20pm @ The Segal Theatre

Skeleton Architecture

6:30-7:20pm @ Elebash Recital Hall

Shonni Enelow + David Levine, David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross: WTF

8:00-8:50pm @ The Segal Theatre

Katiana Gonçales Rangel + Katie Brook, Nannies of New York City

FRI, OCT 18

[CANCELLED] 4:00-4:50pm @ The Segal Theatre

[CANCELLED] Holland Andrews + yuniya edi kwon, How does it feel to look at nothing (excerpt)

4:30-5:20pm @ Elebash Recital Hall

Group Date: a conversation with Léoh Hailu-Ghermay, Ashil Lee, Amanda Horowitz, S T A R R busby

5:00-6:30pm @ The Segal Theatre

The School of New York: New Leaders and the Artists They Serve in Dialogue, moderated by Helen Shaw

5:00-6:20pm @ Elebash Recital Hall

Leslie Cuyjet + Karen Kandel, Going Beige

7:00-7:50pm @ Elebash Recital Hall

Moriah Evans, Sharing

8:00-8:50pm @ The Segal Theatre

Francesca D'Uva, An Evening with Francesca D'Uva

THURS, OCT 17

3:00-3:50pm @ Elebash Recital Hall

Building Cultural Power through Organizing: Dancers 4 Palestine & Theater Workers for a Ceasefire

4:00-4:50pm @ The Segal Theatre

Noelle Ghoussaini, A shadow of light: a ritual gathering

4:30-6:00pm @ Proshansky Auditorium

Ethan Philbrick, Nile Harris, Alex Tatarsky, Anh Vo, Precarious Luxuries: improvisations, performance, and planning for the unplanned

5:30-6:20pm @ The Segal Theatre

Léoh Hailu-Ghermay, Legally Bald

6:00-8:00pm @ Elebash Recital Hall lobby

S T A R R busby, Working Up A Surrender: A Communal Offering, Part I

6:00-6:50pm @ Elebash Recital Hall

Group Date: a conversation with Moriah Evans, Katiana Gonçales Rangel, Leslie Cuyjet, Francesca D'Uva

7:00-7:50pm @ The Segal Theatre

Amanda Horowitz, Bad Stars

8:00-8:50pm @ Elebash Recital Hall

Tina Satter, PETRA

SAT, OCT 19​​

1:30-3:00pm @ The Segal Theatre

Plays in Process: works by Needy Lover, Ashil Lee, Jerry Lieblich

3:00-3:50pm @ Elebash Recital Hall

Julia Jarcho, Throw Yourself Away: Writing and Masochism

4:00-4:50pm @ The Segal Theatre

S T A R R busby, Working Up A Surrender: A Communal Offering, Part II

5:00-5:50pm @ Elebash Recital Hall

Niall Jones, - *• AsTheyWriistBroke •* -

6:00-8:00pm @ The Segal Theatre

luciana achugar, The Pleasure Practice

9:00pm: Prelude Festival Party at The Tank!

Prelude 2024 Team

Jess Barbagallo  Co-Curator

John Hoobyar  Co-Curator and Senior Producer

Camilo Ramirez, Production Assistant

Randi Rivera  Technical Director

Indigo Sparks  Producer​

Robin Schatell/Mov!ng Culture Projects Associate Producer

Frank Hentschker  Executive Director and Director of Programs, Martin E. Segal Theatre Center

Niyoosha Ahmadikhoo  Next Generation Fellow, Martin E. Segal Theatre Center

Nurit Chinn  Marketing Communications Manager, Prelude 2024; Next Generation Fellow, Martin E. Segal Theatre Center

Gaurav Singh Nijjer, Digital and Web Producer, Martin E. Segal Theater Center

Announcing
TheaterListingsNYC.com

The Martin E. Segal Center is proud to announce the launch of TheaterListingsNYC.com, a new initiative of the Center to collect and share theater and performance listings in one place for New York audiences. Please visit the site to see listings of upcoming performances throughout the city.

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ASAP/15: Not a Luxury

Prelude 2024: Between the Scenes is presented in alignment with ASAP/15: Not a Luxury, a collaboration between ASAP: The Association for the Study of the Arts of the Present and the Park Avenue Armory. 

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