Dan Domingues and Irene Lucio in The Undertaking. Photo by Richard Termine.
THE UNDERTAKING
A New Investigative Show by The Civilians
Whatever the path of our lives may be, we all know that somehow, at some time, it ends. The finitude of life and the mystery of what happens after death lie at the heart of the great archetypal stories--the hero’s journey to the world of the dead and their eventual return with a transformed understanding of life. In THE UNDERTAKING, a single interview evolves into an unexpectedly personal dialogue as two actors embark on their own playful and idiosyncratic trip to the other side. The mercurial actors also play multiple characters drawn from the project’s investigation--a near death experiencer, a prominent philosopher, and a cancer patient on a psilocybin trip among others. Along the way they find humor, terror, and a surprising test of friendship. Made from interviews and recorded conversations, THE UNDERTAKING takes The Civilians signature form of investigative theater and propels it into the company’s most personal work..
Upcoming:
59E59 in New York City, January 11 - February 4, 2018 BUY TICKETS HERE
Tour Cities:
World Premiere at BAM 2016 Next Wave Festival, September 21-25, 2016.
Théâtre de la Ville - Paris, France
NOW AVAILABLE FOR TOURING
Dan Domingues in The Undertaking. Photo by Richard Termine
ABOUT THE CIVILIANS
The Civilians is a company that creates new theater from creative investigations into the most vital questions of the present.
Through a number of artistic programs, The Civilians advances theater as an engine of artistic innovation and strengthens the connections between theater and society. An artist-led company, The Civilians creates and produces new theater and pursues our artistic mission through programs serving artists and the public. The company’s work is grounded in investigative theater, an artistic practice rooted in the process of creative inquiry. Investigative theater brings artists into dynamic engagement with the subject of their work; the artists look outward in pursuit of pressing questions, often engaging with individuals and communities in order to listen, make discoveries, and challenge habitual ways of knowing. The ethos of investigative theater extends into production, inviting audiences to be active participants in the inquiry before, during, and after the performance. Believing that a culture of ongoing innovation and vitality is fed by having artists be a central part of our organization, we sustain a multi-disciplinary community of Associate Artists as a core component of the company.
CREATIVE TEAM
The Undertaking
Written and Directed by Steve Cosson
Creative Collaborator and Psychopomp: Jessica Mitrani
Set and Costume Design: Marsha Ginsberg
Lighting Design: Thomas Dunn
Sound Design: Mikhail Fiksel
Projection Design: Tal Yarden
Featuring: Irene Lucio and Dan Domingues
Additional information can be found about The Civilians at www.thecivilians.org
Dan Domingues and Irene Lucio in The Undertaking. Photo by Richard Termine.
Irene Lucio in The Undertaking. Photo by Richard Termine.
PRESS
"Morbidly funny..." - The New York Times
"The Undertaking pulled at the pit of my stomach as it carried out its explorations of a subject of extraordinary depth with surprising lightness. As this investigation of death brings us such new respect for life, The Undertaking reveals Cosson's most honest and unyielding sincerity, his admission of fear, and his (and our) realization that we are not alone." - Theatre is Easy
