Mona Mansour's postponed Beginning Days of True Jubilation will be performed in repertory at Off-Broadway's New Ohio Theatre beginning June 8. Mansour's New York City-based theater collective SOCIETY, created with Scott Illingworth, presents the new work alongside Emily Zemba's The Strangers Came Today, with performances through June 25.
Mansour's new work is a satirical look at capitalism through an investigation into the culture of start-ups and the toxicity of group-think, from the new excitement of a start-up through to failure. For the piece, SOCIETY conducted interviews with past and present tech start-up employees and Silicon Valley scholars which were distilled into inspirations for Mansour's final script.
The cast includes Brian Bock, Hana Chamoun, Christy Escobar, Annie Fox, Leslie Fray, Rosa Gilmore, Caroline Grogan, Tim Nicolai, Alexandra Templer, and Shpend Xani. Joining the ensemble in this production are Jonathan Louis Dent, Dela Meskienyar, Jennifer Mogbock, and Shayvawn Webster. Illingworth will direct.
Beginning Days of True Jubilation will be played in repertory with Emily Zemba's immersive The Strangers Came Today about a support group for mystical experiences. Starring are Bock, Templer, Dent, Fox, Fray, Gilmore, Grogan, Mogbock, Nicolai, Webster, and Xani. Violeta Picayo directs.
The creative team for both projects includes assistant director Alison Greene, costume designer Karen Boyer, dramaturg Christy Escobar, lighting designer Abigail Hoke-Brady, sound designer Carsen Joenk, stage manager Erica Schnitzer, and scenic designer Brittany Vasta.
Mansour, Illingworth, and Nicolai launched SOCIETY Theatre Collective, Inc., a not-for-profit organization, in 2020 to produce new theatrical works using the Joint Stock Method. Beginning Days of True Jubilation was announced with the launch as the collective's inaugural production, but due to the pandemic, its 2020 run was delayed.
For tickets and more information, visit NewOhioTheatre.org.
