A new production company putting on its second production invites you to an immersive performance of Nick Payne’s Constellations at The Artery in Ridgewood, a similarly new multipurpose venue, over two weekends in September.
Ebb & Flow Productions, co-founded by Chelsey Ng and Alejandro Garcia (also the play’s director), “aims to curate theatrical experiences that foster visceral connections between the audience and the actor.” Think Sleep No More in a condensed space. In fact, many of the cast and crew hail from that play/experience hybrid.
And for those who have experienced that kind of immersion know it doesn’t make it easy to kick back and watch the show. Garcia says, “the audience should expect to be fully engaged from the moment they enter the venue. The production offers no way to disconnect, even if you close your eyes. We are fostering an unfightable intimacy within the space.”
Their first production was Danny and the Deep Blue Sea by luminary John Patrick Shanley, and it also utilized an immersive set up where the lines between audience and performer blurred.
The US premiere of Constellations featured Jake Gyllenhaal in his Broadway debut last year and has garnered multiple best of nominations and wins. Garcia adds that “what makes Constellations so exciting is its non-linear text; it is also what makes it incredibly challenging.”
Tickets are $30 and sold through a unique indiegogo structure which allows audience members to support the production before it premieres. The play runs over two weekends on September 15-17 and 22-24 at The Artery.
Featured image: Production still from Danny and the Deep Blue Sea. Photo courtesy of Ebb & Flow Productions.