Old Paper Houses

Created by Piehole with texts by Bernadette Mayer
Directed by Tara Ahmadinejad
February 27– March 14, 2015 
The Irondale Center, 85 South Oxford Street, Brooklyn
[ T R A I L E R ]

In New England the winter is five months long, everybody eats beans, and everything’s buried under six feet of snow. Moving from dreary 1970s New England to an 1840s Transcendental utopia and beyond, this devised play follows a group of wavering idealists searching for meaning and purpose in all the wrong places. Combining paper dioramas, ecstatic small-town parades, and live-feed projection, Piehole’s Old Paper Houses cycles through faith and doubt to ask: how do we continue to find things to believe in, even when it’s really, really cold? 

Ensemble Nora Fox, Benoit Johnson, Allison LaPlatney, Alexandra Panzer, Emillie Soffe, Ben Vigus, and Jeff Wood  Director Tara Ahmadinejad  Head Writer Jessie Renee Hopkins  Dramaturg Elliot B Quick  Scenic Design Kristen Robinson  Lighting Design Serena Wong   Costume Design Nikki Delhomme  Video Design Paul Piekarz  Sound Design Joseph Wolfslau  Original Music Jason Sigal  Additional Sound Mike Costagliola  Production Management Matt Carrington  Stage Management Hannah Spratt  Assistant Stage Management Kelsey Kennedy, Victoria Rulle   Line Producer Madeleine Bersin   Press Representative Emily Owens PR  Past Contributions by Miranda Kahn, Daniel Sterba, Kathryn Wallem, Greg Nussen, and Chris Haag. Crew Megan Estes (Assistant Light Designer/Master Electrician), Sarah Stolnack (Electrician), Griffin Osborne (Video Operator)

Photos by Eileen Meny Photography

Old Paper Houses Post-Utopianist Hang-Out Zone

In those liminal moments where something has failed, or finished (or when you don’t know the difference) and you need to talk about it, or not, and maybe get a pizza and watch a movie - where will you hang out and who else should be there? After each performance of Old Paper Houses, we’re inviting you to join us in the bones of the Irondale Center for some music, snacks, drinks, conversation (no pressure), art, and poetry - we’re inviting you to say “what next” with us. A generous crew of artists will be helping us create each post-show event as a unique, one-time-only, post-utopianist hang-out zone.

If you come to any performance, your program will get you into the post-show events for any subsequent performance, so if you’re feeling indecisive come early and put your mind at ease. This is a big experiment for us, but so is everything, so let’s hang! And don’t worry, there’s a bar. 

Every night you'll be able to browse through chap books of local poets curated by Natalie Eilbert of the Atlas Review, take pictures in our 1970s photobooth, watch your favorite old VHS tapes, check out some merchandise from Tender Buttons Press, listen to records, eat some free snacks, and even steal a moment to read in our living-room library. Each night will also feature additional artists, including: 
  • Friday, February 27: Katherine Cooper and Adam Mazer as diviners of your past, present and future.
  • Saturday, February 28: DJ Matt Tong; photographer EIleen Meny; Katherine Cooper and Adam Mazer as diviners of your past, present and future.
  • Monday, March 2: DJ Matt Tong; photographer EIleen Meny; Katherine Cooper and Adam Mazer as diviners of your past, present and future.
  • Tuesday, March 3: Musician Laura Gragtmans; photographer EIleen Meny; Katherine Cooper and Adam Mazer as diviners of your past, present and future.
  • Thursday, March 5: Chamber art-rock-collective GIANTfingers; opening for video artist Eva von Schweinitz.
  • Friday, March 6: Video artist Allen Riley; a hang-out with LeeAnn Brown and Katy Bohinc of Tender Buttons Press.
  • Saturday, March 7: Music duo Jeff Tobias and Ansel Cohen; video artist Allen Riley; spiritual advice from Adam Mazer; guided meditation with Jessica Goldschmidt.
  • Wednesday, March 11: Recruiters from hex-loving protest group W.I.T.C.H.; video artist Allen Riley; projection artist Eva von Schweinitz; spiritual advice from Adam Mazer; guided meditation with Jessica Goldschmidt.
  • Friday, March 13: Singer and writer Lauren Whitehead; sound magicians Jon Bernstein and Deepthi Waleratna; projection artist Eva von Schweinitz; guided meditation with Jessica Goldschmidt; spiritual advice from Adam Mazer.
  • Saturday, March 14 (matinee): Music and poetry by OPH cast-member Nora Fox; Projection artist Eva von Schweinitz; guided meditation with Jessica Goldschmidt.
  • Saturday, March 14 (evening): KARAOKE BLOWOUT hosted by Ikechukwu Ufomadu; projection artist Eva von Schweinitz; spiritual advice from Adam Mazer; guided meditation with Jessica Goldschmidt.

Old Paper Houses History

Developed collaboratively in several workshop phases, Old Paper Houses draws from poetry by Bernadette Mayer, as well as historical research on Brook Farm, a utopian community from the 1840s. A workshop production was presented at The Connelly Theater in New York City from March 26-29, 2014. The show was created by director Tara Ahmadinejad, dramaturg Elliot B. Quick, performers Benoit Johnson, Miranda Kahn, Allison LaPlatney, Alexandra Panzer, Emilie Soffe, Daniel Sterba, and Jeff Wood, in collaboration with writer Jessie Renee Hopkins, and with contributions by Kathryn Wallem. Additional performances by Marcia de Kater and Mark Lanham. The production featured original compositions by Jason Sigal, with sound design and additional compositions by Michael Costagliola, costume design by Nikki Delhomme, video design by Paul Piekarz, set design by Kristen Robinson, and lighting design by Dan Stearns. It was produced by Meg Kelly and Alexandra Lalonde, and stage managed by Caroline Watters.

[ PHOTOS FROM OUR 2014 WORKSHOP AT THE CONNELLY ]

Photography by Carol Rosegg