Citizens of the Gray or the Dark Thing that Sleeps Inside Me at Theater for the New City

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2. Citizens of the Gray or the Dark Thing that Sleeps Inside Me

Playwright/director Elia Schneider is known for hauntingly visual productions that transcend language with strong imagery and a dreamlike fresco of movement and design. Her newest work, "Citizens of the Gray or the Dark Thing that Sleeps Inside Me," deals with the war of the sexes in the age of the #MeToo Movement. Hitherto, her theatrical productions have mostly emerged from ideas derived from Kafka. Now she is channeling Strindberg for a new work of ensemble creation with her Teatro Dramma. Theater for the New City will present the world premiere of the piece November 9 to 25. It will be Schneider's Theater for the New City debut.

The play is a choreography of movement and actions. The setting is clean, empty and minimal. Women fight against men for control and domination. Robotically, they pair for sex, which they often use to punish. How can they survive if they exist to destroy each other? It's an image-based piece that you can relate to in many ways, based on your life experience and readings. Texts are drawn from poets including Sylvia Plath. Music includes tangos by Osvaldo Montes, that were written expressly for this production. Lighting is designed by Joseph Novoa, who is a renowned film maker. There is a cast of ten actors, all of Latin American background, who met ten years ago in Schneider's workshops at Los Angeles' Stella Adler Academy of Acting.