Site-specific ghost story loks at issues of inheritance, immigration, class, and racism in old New York.
May 5 - 19. Journey Begins at Ferry at Pier 11
The Port/Cities Project will present the World Premiere of PORT CITIES NY, written, directed and choreographed by Talya Chalef. This theatrical journey begins at Pier 11 in the Financial District, where audiences ferry across the harbor accompanied by an original soundscape. After docking in Red Hook’s working port, the performance continues on board The Waterfront Museum Barge. This limited engagement runs May 5 - 19.
PORT CITIES NY is a ghost story about inheritance. Feeling haunted since she was a little girl, Katie goes in search of answers beyond the hallway of her childhood home. Delving into her family history and the history of the city that birthed her, she comes face to face with what scares her most. PORT CITIES NY is an intimate and sometimes disturbing look into old New York and New Amsterdam where Katie’s ancestors traded, bought, sold and helped build a wall that continues to divide many. Reckoning with family legacy, a cross-racial relationship, and cycles of violence that still continue to this day, Katie must navigate through the game that has given her more playing cards than most. If she can't stop the loop, who can? And will everyone lose in the end?
The Port/Cities Project is a global performance project linking five cities along 17th century Dutch trade routes. From Perth, Australia to Cape Town, South Africa, from Amsterdam and New York City to the old port of Jakarta, each city will host a unique project exploring our interconnected heritage. Local myths, legends, and folklores will be explored against the backdrop of contemporary issues. The sum of all five cities will be documented both online and within a gallery in Amsterdam. PORT CITIES NYC is the first movement of this unique global odyssey.
PORT CITIES NY is performed by Leah Barker, Marcus Crawford Guy, Elizabeth Gray & Nathaniel Ryan. It features a live musical score by Cameron Orr and generative projection visuals by Horus Vacui. The production team also includes: Liz Nielson (Production Manager); Jung Griffin (Scenic design), Weston Wetzel (LX & Media design) and Alison McClaughlin (Dramaturge).
Talya Chalef is a Brooklyn based South African/Australian interdisciplinary artist who has developed and presented new projects since 2004. She is the cofounder of Public Works Department with Sofy Yuditskaya and a member of Mapping Spectral Traces - a global group of artists, scholars and academics concerned with cultural geography. Projects include: Site (2006), In Other Words (2007 Melbourne & 2009 Argentina both nominated in the Victorian Green Room Awards.) and Eyton Rd (2009 Melbourne & Cape Town). She directed An Improvised Explosive Device (2011) at FringeNYC and wrote and directed L'Chaim (2013). Talya holds an MFA from Columbia University and a graduate diploma in Animateuring (Theatremaking/Devising) from the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne. She is the recipient of multiple awards including the Columbia Dean's Fellowship, the prestigious Elizabeth Murdoch Travel Fellowship, multiple Besen Family Foundation Awards and most recently The Australian Council of the Arts 2014 ArtStart Grant.
PORT CITIES NY runs May 5 - 19, Thursday & Friday at 8pm and Saturday at 3pm & 8pm with an additional performance Weds. May 18 at 8pm. Pier 11 is located in downtown Manhattan on South Street between Wall Street and Gouveneur Lane. Tickets are $27, available at www.portcitiesproject.org.