West Coast hit brings radical art creators Jackson Pollack and Chris Burden to Off-Broadway.
January 3 - 6 at Soho Playhouse
"A fascinating breakdown of how a single piece of art can divide, unite, confuse, anger or exhilarate different observers... This show has been in the forefront of my thoughts for days." -- My Haunt Life (on A Beast/A Burden)
"A Beast/A Burden is a brief and first-rate introduction to one of the contemporary art world’s more perplexing figures." -- TheTVolution
"A no holds barred whirlwind of abstract vocal styling and in your face charisma" -- MusicExperience (on Pollack: A Frequency Parable)
After a successful run on the West Coast, NATURE & PURPOSE comes to Off-Broadway’s Soho Playhouse for a strictly limited engagement beginning January 3. An exploration of the idea of ‘art’ as seen through the works of two radical creators, NATURE & PURPOSE is comprised of two shows focusing on the abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock and the controversial performance artist Chris Burden.
NATURE & PURPOSE begins with Pollock: A Frequency Parable, a 30 minute avant operatic sound performance piece inspired by famed painter Jackson Pollock. Starring Matthew Marcum (who also serves as writer and director), the play re-conceptualizes key elements used in Pollock’s revolutionary style of art making — such as energy, motion, scale, and improvisation — presenting a challenge to both the performer and the audience to free the voice from the confines of form and language, allowing it to transcend tradition and be experienced for its potential.
Rounding out NATURE & PURPOSE is A Beast/A Burden, which combines contemporary theatrical staging with recreations of some of Burden’s most controversial and exciting multimedia and performance pieces, chronicling the life of the young artist, with Burden himself serving as the meandering and sometimes unreliable narrator of his own story. Directed by Billy Ray Brewton (Skanks in a One Horse Town), the play stars Ben Hethcoat as Burden and features Corsica Wilson, Brennan Murray, Leah Lamarr, Anthony Rey Perez, and Jessica DeShaw.
Both pieces come together to form a unique look at the creative process, the first performed by a performance artist, and the second about one of that medium’s most lauded. The combination of traditional theatrical staging and contemporary and subversive performance ideas goes to the very core of what both artists were about in their works. This engaging and unorthodox evening of theatre is for fans of all forms of art, however abstract.
NATURE & PURPOSE runs four performances only: January 3-6, Thursday-Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2:30pm. Running time is 90 minutes. The Soho Playhouse is located at 15 Vandam Street. Tickets are $30 for general admission, available at www.SohoPlayhouse.com. For more information visit: www.natureandpurpose.com.