The Legend of The Waitress & The Robber
Presented by PS21
Produced by Concrete Temple Theatre, Playfactory Mabangzen and Yellowbomb in partnership with the Korean Cultural Center New York
Saturday, May 21, 2022 at 6PM
Sunday, May 22, 2022 at 3PM
Performance Spaces for the 21st Century (PS21)
Black Box Theater
(2980 New York 66, Chatham, NY, 12037)
Tickets: $30 (Student: $10)
* Special discount code: ROBBER ($20)
“Imagine if you will, there’s a world much like ours.
Maybe in the future.
Maybe even now.
A world where every human lives separate and alone.
The only interaction allowed – is on a phone.”
These lyrics are from the opening song in The Legend of The Waitress & The Robber, written two years before Covid washed up on our shores. Its playful, irreverent look at the isolation inherent in our complicated contemporary culture is made even more urgent now, after two years of pandemic separation.
Set in a dystopian society, The Legend of The Waitress & The Robber is a comic-book-style mash-up inspired by Friedrich Schiller’s play The Robbers and the Korean novel The Story of Hong Gildong, both Robin Hood-style stories of individuals betrayed by their families. With nods to Weill and Brecht, the characters sing and dance as they fight for what they believe, challenging the timeworn concepts of family and perceptions of ownership and justice.
The Waitress, fed up with watching her elderly customers be mistreated by their children, kidnaps these seniors so she can give them the care they deserve. Meanwhile, the Second Son, accused by his brother of being a thief, becomes a robber who “liberates” people from the clutches of their cellular devices.
The exciting cross-cultural collaboration is performed in English and Korean, with subtitles for both.
The cast features NYC-based actors Carlo Adinolfi; Hye Young Chyun; Lisa Kitchens; Eunji Lim; and Anthony Simone. They are joined by actors from Korea: Ju Yeon Choi; Nam Pyo Kim; Kyongsik Won; and Yura Noh. The design team includes Carlo Adinolfi (sets); Laura Anderson Barbata (costumes). The musical directors are Sean Forte and Hee Eun Kim.
▲ CAST & CREATIVE
WRITTEN BY
Renee Philippi
DIRECTED BY
Renee Philippi & Eric Nightengale
LYRICS AND ORIGINAL SCORE
Lewis Flinn
MUSICAL DIRECTION
Jacob Kerzner & Hee Eun Kim
SET DESIGN
Carlo Adlinolfi
COSTUMES
Laura Anderson Barbata
KOREAN ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR:
Jung-wan Seo
PSM: Quentin Madia
ACTORS:
Carlo Adinolfi
Rolls Andre
Ju Yeon Choi
Hye Young Chyun
Nam Pyo Kim
Lisa Kitchens
Kyongsik Won
Eunji Lim
James A Pierce III
Yura Noh
◆ TALKBACK: A Collaboration in Two Languages
The Legend of The Waitress & The Robber is a collaboration between NYC based Concrete Temple Theatre and Seoul based Playfactory Mabangzen as well as the Seoul based production company, Yellowbomb Seoul in a unique cross-cultural collaboration.
This special conversation leads the Seoul & NYC creators, performers, and producers in a lively discussion of process and artistic translation and collaboration during the pandemic. This TALKBACK was released on April 5, 2021.
◆ PS21: Performance Spaces for the 21st Centrury
PS21 has two unique venues in one stunning building on a bucolic setting just one mile outside the Village of Chatham: a traditional stage with open air seating protected by a sweeping pavilion roof as well as an enclosed black box theater. Equipped with state-of-the-art theatrical equipment, PS21 is able to accommodate a wide range of works by today's most brilliant artists in dance, theater and music. https://ps21chatham.org/
◆ Concrete Temple Theatre
Concrete Temple Theatre is a multi-disciplinary company, committed to the creation of compelling new theatrical works, incorporating drama, dance, puppetry, music, and the visual arts. Since 2004, Concrete Temple Theater has created devised visual theater that challenges the traditional relationship between design and text. Through touring original works and presenting workshops in NYC, nationally and internationally, they strive to bring myth and ritual back to the center of dialogue, by presenting works and workshops that address real issues within communities (grief, family relationships, environmental stewardship). They have presented their work for NYC audiences at venues like Ohio Theatre, HERE, and Barrow Street Theatre and have been artist-in-residence in NYC at The Flea Theater, Dixon Place, Mabou Mines, St. Ann’s Warehouse and chashama. Concrete Temple has toured work nationally at venues like The Yard, Bard Summerscape, Detroit Institute of Arts, Pontine Theatre, Dairy Center for the Arts, Amphibian Stage Productions and internationally: London, Sri Lanka, India, Bulgaria, Turkey, Italy, Scotland, S. Korea and Costa Rica. www.ConcreteTempleTheatre.com
◆ Playfactory Mabangzen
In 2005, Playfactory Mabangzen (MBZ) was founded by Playwright and Director Koh Sun-Woong. A seeker of magical realism, Koh is interested in writing about the strange realities and characters of the world. Playfactory Mabangzen’s aim is to find that which lies at the core of the piece, the essentiality, and recreate it. Currently, Playfactory Mabangzen actively works locally in South Korea and abroad. MBZ believes that “the value of pursuing a combination of illusions and fantasies in a realistic world” is the way in which plays can secure meaning in this age. Awards include: 2018: Gyeonggi Arts Performing Festa Best Collection 4, The Tale of Rabbit, 2017: Geochang Summer Festival of Theatre, Best Play, Best Actor (Lim Jin-gu), Human Cannonball Show, 2016: Gimcheon International Theater Festival for Family, Best Play, Best Director, Best Actor (Lim Jin-gu), Human Cannonball Show and SAC Awards, Best Play, Best Director, Hong Do, 2015: E-daily Culture Awards, Best Play, Hong Do and Gyeonggi Arts Performing Festa Best Collection 3, Hong Do, 2012: The Korea Shakespeare Awards, Best Play, Killbeth https://www.facebook.com/mabangzen
◆ Yellowbomb
Yellowbomb is a multi-cultural company providing a new experience where culture meets another culture, expanding its cultural business domestically and internationally. Based on Korean traditional music and musical theatre, the company has successfully organized, arranged, and planned many global events and performances. The company seeks to expand its business as a global event organizer.