La MaMa and Talking Band announce the world premiere of EFFLORESCENCE

La MaMa and Talking Band have announced the world premiere of their seven-episode serial songspiel, Efflorescence.

A new 10-15 minute audio segment will be released every day on La MaMa’s website between 29 March-4 April, followed by the full piece being shown on 6 April. There will also be a post-show conversation with the artists on this date.

Efflorescence tells the story of six disparate people who have been living together for a year in an old farm house in the Catskills that has been transformed into a safe haven for Vulnerable Expendables.  The story unfolds over seven nights that coincide with the nights on which each episode will be presented.  The characters begin each night by singing together while they wash their hands outside in a tub of warm water.  Each night they take a turn telling stories - stories of life changing encounters with dogs, snakes,  obscene plant life,  sea nymphs, and  the School of Disembodied Poetics.  Linking these tales is the story of their evolving relationships  - their struggle and fascination with each other and the natural world around them. The first episode begins on a night when a mysterious stranger arrives, shaking up the world they have created for themselves. 

Efflorescence has been written and composed by Ellen Maddow (founding member of Talking Band) and is directed by Paul Zimet, with sound by Tyler Kieffer and additional musical arrangements by Sam Kulik and Marija Kovacevic.

The cast includes Will Badgett, Suli Holum, Jax Jackson, Violet Newman, Tina Shepard, Louise Smith and Connie Winston.

Artistic Director of La MaMa, Mia Yoo, said: "Talking Band's impact spans over 40 years and is considered to be one of our most important companies in American theatre. The highly collaborative Company is pushing itself in new directions by going through a process with its members dispersed throughout the country of creating new work that is a fully digital and sonic experience.  In Efflorescence, audiences can imagine their own visual landscapes through the idiosyncratic and profound storytelling that is intrinsic to Talking Band."

Tickets for the event on 6 April at 7pm are available now here.