Manhattan Experimental Theater Workshop

overview

Imagine the story of Cinderella in the hands of Antonin Artaud, Harry Kondoleon, Charles Mee, and Joan Schenkar. Can't do it? We did.

The 2007 MXTW company put their heads together and crafted 4 original pieces for the theater under the influence of some of the 20th and 21st Century's most interesting avant garde playwrights. (And then we created two more pieces under our own influence.)

A synopsis of Cinderella and links to the new scripts written in the 2007 workshop here.

A brief description of the MXTW process is available here.

target story

What you need to know about Cinderella:

Cinderella-type fairy tales exist world-wide; there is a similar story in almost every culture on Earth. For our work we mainly used the version by the Brothers Grimm (originally published under the title Aschenputtel) and aspects of the earlier French version by Charles Perrault (on which the Disney version is based).

At the beginning of both versions Cinderella’s mother passes away. In the Grimms’s version Cinderella plants a branch given to her by her father in her mother’s grave and waters it with her tears causing it to grow in to a tree populated by magical birds. When her father remarries, Cinderella is oppressed by her wicked Stepmother and two wicked stepsisters. They take Cinderella from her rightful status in the family and force her into servitude to the household. She must sleep in the cinders by the fire, and this is why her family calls her "Cinderella." Her father is so subservient to his new wife he is basically absent from the story.

One day the royal family informs the town that there will be a ball (in the Perrault) or three balls (in the Grimm) held in order to find a bride for the Prince. Cinderella’s stepmother taunts her by saying if she can pick a bowl of lentils from the ashes in the fireplace she can go to the ball, but when Cinderella is successful, with the help of the birds from the tree on her mother’s grave, the stepmother goes back on her promise. In the Grimms’s version, Cinderella goes to her mothers grave in despair and the tree produces the beautiful attire she needs to attend the ball. In the Perrault version, a fairy godmother appears and magically transforms a pumpkin into a coach and garden animals into attendants so she can make it to the ball. The godmother warns her that she must leave the ball by midnight before the magic spells wear off.

At each ball Cinderella obscures her identity so her step-family will not recognize her, and at each ball the Prince is more and more transfixed with her beauty. On the last night when Cinderella runs away she drops her glass slipper.

The Prince orders that the shoe be tried on every woman in the kingdom until the woman whose foot fits the slipper is found. When she is found the Prince would take her as his bride.

When the Prince and his entourage reach the household of Cinderella the stepmother urges her daughters to cut off their toes and heels in order to fit into the shoe, the Prince is fooled until the birds draw his attention to the blood on the sisters’ stockings. Cinderella tries the slipper and it fits perfectly, so the Prince takes her as his bride. At the wedding the stepsister's eyes are pecked out by the birds who are still protecting Cinderella.

reader

MXTW 2007 Reader Contents

Bibliography

F. T. Marinetti, “the Founding and Manifesto of Futurism” in Futurist Manifestos, Umbrio Apollonio, ed. (MFA Publications, 2001 – original publication date, 1973) 19-24.

Giacomo Balla, “Disconcerted States of Mind”
Paolo Buzzi, “the Futurist Prize” & “3nomial Voices Whirlpool Destruction”
Francesco Gaugiullo, “Detonation”
Remo Chiti, “Words”
Fortunato Depero, “Colors”
Guglielmo Jannelli & Luciano Nicastro, “Synthesis of Syntheses” all in Futurist Perfomance, Michael Kirby, ed. (PAJ Publications, 1986) 232, 242-43, 246-247, 258-259, 278-279, 289.

Jean Cocteau, “Wedding on the Eiffel Tower,” in Modern French Theatre: The Avant Garde, Dada, and Surrealism, M. Benedikt and G. E. Wellworth, ed. and tr. (E. P. Dutton, 1964) 101-115.

Antonin Artaud, “Paul the Birds, or the Place of Love,” “The Spurt of Blood,” and Description of a Physical State,” in Antonin Artaud, Selected Writings, Susan Sontag, ed., Helen Weaver, tr. (UCLA Press, 1976) 61-65, 72-76.

Samuel Beckett, “Footfalls,” “Rockaby,” and “That Time,” in Collected Shorter Plays, (Grove Press, 1984) 237-244, 271-282, 225-235.

Betsuyaku Minoru, “The Little Matchgirl,” in Alternative Japanese Drama: Ten Plays, Robert Rolf & John K. Gillespie, ed. (University of Hawaii Press, 1992) 27 - 51.

Susan Yankowitz, “Terminal,” in Three Works by the Open Theater, (Drama Book Specialists, 1974) 38-65.

Adrienne Kennedy, “A Rat’s Mass” and “Lesson in a Dead Language,” in Adrienne Kennedy, In One Act, (University of Minnesota Press, 1988) 55-66, 47-54. (171 total pp)

Lee Breuer, “The Red Horse Animation,” in Lee Breuer: Animations, B. Marranca & G. Dasgupta, eds. (PAJ Publications, 1979) 29-53.

Harry Kondoleon, “The Brides” in Word Plays 2, B Marranca & G. Dasgupta eds. (PAJ Publications 1982) 298-113.

Charles Mee, “Orestes 2.0” full text version from: http://www.charlesmee.com/html/plays.html

Joan Schenkar, “The Universal Wolf,” in Joan Schenkar: Signs of Life, Vivian Patraka, ed. (Wesleyan University Press, 1998) 203-226.

Suzan Lori Parks, “The America Play,” in The America Play and Other Works, (Theatre Communications Group, 1995) 157-199.

scripts

Copyright and Permission to Reproduce

The Right Fit
written and performed by the company
directed by Gwethalyn & the ADs

The Glad, the Bad and the Ugly
written & performed by Lakin, Chris A., Clint, and Rebecca
directed by Blake & Megan
under the influence of Charles Mee

The Sisters
written & performed by Katie, Whitney, Sophie and Kaitlin
directed by Gwethalyn
under the influence of Harry Kondoleon

An Animated Laugh-o-gram
written & performed by Josh, Chris B., Sarah, and Hunter
directed by Jeremy
under the influence of Antonin Artaud


Aschenputtel: A Tale of Disfiguring Vanity
written & performed by Ashley, Havana, Cory, Justin & Nick
directed by Kevin
under the influence of Joan Schenkar

The Ball
crafted & performed by the company
words by Charles Perrault and Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm
directed by Gwethalyn & the ADs
under our own influence

company

Lakin Anderson
Chris Auten
Katie Barkley
Chris Blea
Josh Burmeister
Ashley Donnert
Whitney Flinn
Clint Harris
Sophie Loschky
Havana Mahoney
Rebecca Margolies
Cory Porter
Sarah Reardon
Hunter Rose
Kaitlin Schaub
Justin Wheatley
Nick Yetter

staff

Director: Gwethalyn Williams

Assistant Directors: Blake Bolan, Megan Clark, Jeremy Gibson, Kevin Terry

Producer: Jim Hamilton

Lights and Sound: Amanda Paez, Elizabeth Uthoff, Ellen Welti

Graphic: Jim and Mike Senften