Created in collaboration with Danish physical theatre company Terra Nova, Atomic City was inspired by Oak Ridge, TN, where the Atomic bomb was developed. The LaMaMa engagement runs through Sept. 28.
Atomic City, according to press notes "is a tragic-comedy of two families (father, mother, and son; father, daughter, and son) who live in a secret city surrounded by a great wall on opposite sides of a fence. The families work for the same 'Cause' and for the same person, the Gatekeeper, who uses the families' slight differences to breed suspicion, fear, and eventually hatred as they unknowingly help him build a bomb..."
The production incorporates dance, theatre, video, text and acrobatics into a work that utilizes a cubic playing space that will be transformed and divided by Molo's soft wall designs. Molo's soft wall designs are currently a part of the permanent collection at MOMA.
Co-creators Jon Morris and Jens Bäckvall perform in the production alongside an international cast: Karl Sørensen, Nis Bäckvall, Runa Kaiser, Sayda Trujillo and Tobias Sondén. The company of performers have collaborated on the script for Atomic City.
Christoph Schletz directs. The design team features Felix Grimm (light/video/graphic design), Lejka Seivert (costume design) and Christian Wassman (scenic installation). Atomic City features music composed and performed by Tobias Sondén and Nis Bäckvall. Tickets are available by calling (212) 475-7710 or by visiting www.lamama.org.
LaMaMa e.t.c. is located at 74A East 4th Street in Manhattan.