Distances Smaller... premieres in January 2020!

We have much news to share and a humble request to make!

As 2019 draws to a close, David Neumann, Marcella Murray, and their extraordinary collaborators continue to delve into the world and work of Distances Smaller Than This Are Not Confirmed in preparation for our January 2020 premiere, co-commissioned and co-presented by Abrons Arts Center and the Chocolate Factory Theater and associate-produced by Mabou Mines!

We are tremendously proud of this work and hope you will join us at Abrons Arts Center from January 15-25.

Many of you have already made donations supporting Distances. Thank you most sincerely for helping to make this work possible. We are not exaggerating when we say we could not do it without you!

To those who have not yet supported, would you consider throwing a few dollars our way before the end of December? Anything and everything is appreciated. You can click here to make your gift online.

Distances started with a 3-year-long ongoing conversation between David and Marcella about race. And life. And race. Three years later, and the conversation has evolved into a full-fledged theatre piece that visits different scales of experience and understanding, from intimate to microscopic to astronomical. Space, Time, and personal experience are all discussed on the set of a TV talk show where race isn’t quite avoidable, live on-air. Like everyone else, the people involved don’t know the answers even as they begin the work. Mistakes and conflict are expected. Self-care, laughter, dancing, and common trust are, too.

We’re thrilled to be doing this exciting and challenging work with such wonderful collaborators as: Tei Blow (lead collaborator and sound designer), Hyung Seok Jeon (video designer and performer), Chris Green (set and props designer), Melanie George (dramaturg), Julius Powell (performer), Montana Blanco (costume designer), Grace Gilmore (lighting designer), Stew (original music), Janet Clancy (production manager), and Boo Froebel (producer).

This work is our attempt to speak honestly with one another in the face of division, fear, and hatred. We’re committed to doing the work towards being better able to look one another in the eye. We’re committed to caring for one another in a way that is radically outside of performative kindness. We’re not the answer. We don’t know the answer, but we’re committed to the complicated pursuit of something better and more just than what we have.

Thanks in advance for any support you can send our way.

And please stay tuned: We’ll share a few more updates between now and the end of the year, including an update from our last developmental residency at MASS MoCA and a reminder about our January premiere!