USA Projects

PLAYWAR

Abrons Arts Center

New York City

January 26 - February 4, 2012

In a world on the brink of collapse, two men fight their way through a final, glorious show. A virtuosic duet on the pleasures of conspiracy and the terrors of communion.

Created and performed by Ben Spatz and Maximilian Balduzzi, PLAYWAR is a dynamic two-person performance composed of original songs, movement, and text. The show deals with themes of war and destruction, intimacy and betrayal, shared memory and the inexhaustible need to connect. It has also been described as an exploration of contemporary masculinity.

We have been developing PLAYWAR for over two years, dedicating hundreds of hours and rehearsal and thousands of dollars to the creation of a performance that we believe breaks through many boundaries that too often separate theater from dance, movement from voice, song from text. PLAYWAR is truly a work of contemporary performance and reflects many of the preoccupations of today’s artistic generation. At the same time, it is uniquely informed by our personal histories and combined decades of physical and vocal training.

Urban Research Theater is dedicated to developing original performances out of a long-term practice of embodied research. Everything we do, from theatrical performances to informal showings to teaching, is intended to further this goal and to draw connections between theater as art form and acting as embodied practice. In the scheme of our work, PLAYWAR represents our most theatrical side, and this final version of the show will be its most theatrical incarnation ever.

It is designed for the audience. It is created for you.

And we need your help to make it.

We have received a grant from the Manhattan Community Arts Fund that will cover the rehearsal and basic production costs of the project. We are used to working for free ourselves in order to do the work we believe in. But for this production, we also need a Lighting Designer, a Sound Designer, and a run crew. This is where you come in. 

Your generous contributions towards a minimum goal of $2500 will allow us to hire professional designers and run crew for this production. We need this essential element of design and production in order to bring our work to the next level. In our hearts, we are artisans, craftsmen of the body. But for this show we need more than creativity, dedication, and skill. We need your financial help to make it what it needs to be.