Third Rail Projects' psychological Wonderland ends award-winning run after 4,444 performances.
Final performance March 12, 2020 at The Kingsland Ward at St. Johns
"This is extreme theater: fresh, fun, totally absorbing, a full contact sport with no rules and no boundaries.” – Time Magazine
Top 10 of 2012. One of "this year's most memorable productions." "I felt like a bewildered but enchanted child, made privy to the arcana of another, darker world… Creepy and thrilling." -- Ben Brantley, The New York Times
"Wildly imaginative… wonderfully written, directed and choreographed." -- The New Yorker
"One of the most hauntingly lovely pieces of theater that I've ever experienced… The experience is deeply personal, re-creating the wonders and terrors of childhood with hallucinatory vividness." -- Vogue
Third Rail Projects has ended its critically acclaimed production of THEN SHE FELL, an immersive theater event is inspired by the life and writings of Lewis Carroll (Alice in Wonderland). It was written, directed, designed and choreographed by Zach Morris, Tom Pearson and Jennine Willett and in collaboration with The Company. It ran 4,444 performances over the course of 7 and a half years. THEN SHE FELL took place at The Kingsland Ward, with a first run at Arts@Renaissance in the outpatient wing on the campus of the former Greenpoint Hospital, and in several extensions of the show at St. Johns the Evangelical Lutheran Church’s former parochial school, a century-old institutional building in Williamsburg, Brooklyn where the action played out on 3 floors.
THEN SHE FELL is a fully immersive, multi-sensory experience in which only 15 audience members at a time explore a dreamlike world where every alcove, corner, and corridor has been transformed into lushly designed performance space. Inspired by the life and writings of Lewis Carroll, it offers an ‘Alice-like’ experience for audience members as they explore the rooms, often by themselves, in order to discover hidden scenes; encounter performers one-on-one; unearth clues that illuminate a shrouded history; use skeleton keys to gain access to guarded secrets; and imbibe custom-designed elixirs.
Written, directed, designed and choreographed by Zach Morris, Tom Pearson and Jennine Willett in collaboration with The Company, THEN SHE FELL evokes the inner, psychological landscapes of Lewis Carroll, Alice Liddell, and iconic characters from Carroll’s texts. Every aspect of each audience member’s experience has been meticulously designed, from lush environments to the smells, tastes, and objects, that they discover as they explore and unravel a narrative that balances dream, reality, fact, and fiction.
This genre-defining production of THEN SHE FELL was directed, designed, written and choreographed by Zach Morris, Tom Pearson, and Jennine Willett in collaboration with original cast members: Elizabeth Carena, Alberto Denis, Stacie C. Tobar, Rebekah Morin, Marissa Nielsen-Pincus, Tara O'Con, and Zoë Schieber. At the time of closing, company members included: Erika Boudreau-Barbee, Quinten Burley, Cameron Michael Burns, Kristen Carcone, Kyle Castillo, Serena Chang, Andrew Chapman, Ross Daniel, Elisa Davis, Alberto Denis, Caitlin Dutton-Reaver, Justin Faircloth, Lindsey Ferguson, Julia Galanski, Gierre J. Godley, Jamie Graham, Carolyn Hall, Joseph Harris, Cody Hayman, Shiloh Hodges, Julia Kelly, Madison Krekel, Justin Lynch, Rebekah Morin, Lauren Muraski, Marissa Nielsen-Pincus, Tara O’Con, Jenna Purcell, Edward Rice, Julie Seal, Taylor Semin, Mackenzie Sherburne, Jessy Smith, and Charly Wenzel. Supported by Andrew Broaddus, Larry Daniels, Julia Jurgilewicz, Mary Madsen, Justin Mock, Taylor Myers, Kim Savarino, Alex M. Schell, Bre Short, Madeline Wilcox, and Ryan Wuesterwald. The production featureed production design by Zach Morris, Tom Pearson, and Jennine Willett, original music & sound design by Sean Hagerty, costumes by Karen Young, lighting design by Kryssy Wright, production management by Brittany Crowell, assistant direction by Marissa Nielsen-Pincus, rehearsal direction by Julia Kelly and Mary Madsen, original technical direction by Carlton C. Ward, and wardrobe by Mary Rubi.
Third Rail Projects has been hailed as one of the foremost companies creating site-specific, immersive, and experiential performance. The company is led by Artistic Directors Zach Morris, Tom Pearson, and Jennine Willett, and is dedicated to re-envisioning ways in which audiences engage with contemporary performance. The company’s currently running, award-winning immersive hit, Then She Fell, was named as one of the “Top Ten Shows of 2012” by Ben Brantley of The New York Times and acclaimed as one of the best theater experiences of 2013 by Vogue. They have made work in New York and nationally since 2000 with projects including Ghost Light at Lincoln Center Theater, the immersive theater hit The Grand Paradise in Brooklyn, Sweet & Lucky with Denver Center for the Performing Arts, and Learning Curve in Chicago with Albany Park Theater Project, as well as internationally through the Global Performance Studio (GPS), which combines the company’s creative and educational offerings through a program of cultural listening and exchange. Third Rail Projects has been the recipient of several prestigious awards, including: two New York Dance and Performance (Bessie) Awards; a Chita Rivera Award for Choreography; several fellowship awards including two CEC Artslink Back Apartment Residencies (Russia); a Theater Fellowship from the Bogliaco Foundation (Italy); an IllumiNation Award from the Ford Foundation and National Museum of the American Indian; and more. Third Rail Projects’ artistic directors were recently named among the 100 most influential people in Brooklyn culture by Brooklyn Magazine. Visit thirdrailprojects.com to learn more.
THEN SHE FELL ran Tuesday - Sunday at 7:30pm & 10:30pm, with matinees on select Saturdays at 2pm. Tickets were $95 - $200, available at www.thenshefell.com. Private events and buyouts were also available; visit the website for more information. The Kingsland Ward at St. Johns is located 195 Maujer Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn (just 2 blocks off of the L train at Grand Street). Performances begin promptly and there is absolutely no late admittance and no refunds. Admittance is strictly limited to audience members 21 years of age and over; all audience members must bring valid government-issued photo IDs. The performance lasts roughly 2 hours without intermission. Because of the immersive nature of this piece, audiences may be standing for significant periods of time over the course of the performance. Audiences are encouraged to wear comfortable shoes. This performance is not recommended for audience members who are not comfortable standing, walking, climbing stairs or being alone. For more information call (347) 687-0203.
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THEN SHE FELL was made possible, in part, with support from Arts@Renaissance and St. Nicks Alliance; The Brooklyn Community Foundation; New York City Council Member Diana Reyna; Official Wine Sponsor, Macari Wines; Materials for the Arts/New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and Department of Sanitation; T. Edward Wines; Groundworks Inc.; Beverage Consultant Sarah Sutel, Mixologist Kathy Hubler (Wong), Chefs Megan Johnson and Leigh Friend (Casellula); New York Costumes; The [QuA2D] Art Mill Residency in Jeffersonville, NY provided by Daniel Castellanos & John Wenk; NYC Dance Response Fund, a program of Dance/NYC established by the Mertz Gilmore Foundation; Third Rail's fiscal sponsor Fractured Atlas; and by Third Rail Projects, with support from individual and institutional donors, and volunteers. Third Rail Projects also extends its sincerest gratitude to Arts Brookfield for its significant support throughout the development of Then She Fell.