HORRIPILATION!
Kaliyuga Arts
Written and performed by John Sowle
Director: Steven Patterson
This stunning work combines the Natya Shastra, a remarkably refined and elaborately detailed pre-Christian theatre text from India, with Teyyam, a primitive South India ritual, to create a work that “plunges audiences into a dazzling realm of color and movement, virtually unknown in the West but filled with amazing insights and invaluable lessons for all those who treasure theatre.”
Show Times:
- Mon 1/16 @ 6:30pm
- Thu 1/19 @ 10:00pm
- Sat 1/21 @ 8:00pm
Answers by Steven Patterson, director
Karen Tortora-Lee’s Question
This is an international festival. What part of the world are you coming from … and will your show tantalize the NYC audience with a taste of your nation’s culture?
Steven Patterson: Our production company, Kaliyuga Arts, is currently based in Catskill, NY, approximately 2 hours north of Manhattan, although our production itself concerns a westerner’s encounter with the practices of an ancient (but still living) Indian theater tradition. It therefore offers NY audiences an opportunity to view the basics of an art-form and a culture with which they may be totally unfamiliar in an accessible, entertaining, and audience-friendly format.
Dianna Martin’s Question
Who is the greatest inspiration to you artistically?
Steven Patterson: The major inspiration for HORRIPILATION! would have to be Raman Cakyar, who was John’s asan (teacher) at the Kerala Kalamandalam when John was studying Kutiyattam on a Fullbright Fellowship in 1973 in preparation for writing his doctoral dissertation for the University of California at Berkeley. But we have also been influenced and inspired by the work of Ariane Mnouchkine and Peter Brook, both of whom frequently incorporate theatrical traditions from cultures not their own into the productions they present.
Geoffrey Paddy Johnson’s Question
What emerged as the greatest challenge during the development of this production?
Steven Patterson:Actually, our greatest challenge on this particular iteration of HORRIPILATION! was one of time and age! The show was originally presented at the San Francisco Fringe Festival back in 1995, and it was subsequently performed (for a few performances only) at the Open Secret Bookstore in San Rafael, CA in 1996 and 1998. The show contains VAST amounts of incredibly detailed material (and deals with it in a very entertaining manner in less than 60 minutes) and is EXTREMELY demanding physically. John’s major concern when we made the decision to revive it was whether or not he still had the stamina and the retentive memory to cope with the show’s requirements. Fortunately, he seems to have succeeded and the intervening years have brought new depth and resonance to the piece.
Antonio Minino’s Question
You’re in Times Square surrounded by the best Broadway houses and highest selling entertainment in the world. What resources are you utilizing to spread the word about your show and get butts in seats?
Steven Patterson: We have many contacts within the NYC Theatre community itself and word of mouth, social networking (both on- and offline), and postcard distribution (to theaters and theater-related businesses, as well as several institutions, such as the Asia Society, whose staffs and patrons might have a connection to or an interest in the material we are presenting) have been our major advertising outlets. John also works as Associate Artistic Director for a small Equity house near our home upstate and they were gracious enough to do an email blast to everyone on their mailing list for us.
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HORRIPILATION!Kaliyuga Arts
Written and performed by John Sowle
Director: Steven Patterson
Run time: 60 min Country: USA
Genre:Theater and dance
Website: kaliyuga.com/HorripNYPg.htm
Venue: Little Times Square Theatre, Roy Arias Studios and Theaters
Time: Mon 16th@6:30pm | Thu 19th@10:00pm | Sat 21st@8:00pm
Tickets available: smarttix.com/show.aspx?showcode=horA54 . Roy Arias Theaters 300 West 43rd Street 5th Floor New York , New York 10036 8th Avenue
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