The Hunchback of Notre Dame
A Mute Play
Inspired by Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Presented by The Renegade Company
About
Freak. Cretin. Weirdo. Monster.
“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” What happens when we let obsession pulsate through our veins? Are we capable of denouncing our beliefs for the sake of lust? Inspired by the silent films of the 1920’s and told through the deafened and disfigured perspective of Quasimodo, Renegade will transform Victor Hugo’s novel into a nightmarish expressionist landscape begging the question, what does it mean to be a monster? Featuring a collaboration with Le Puppet Regime to create visual elements incorporated into the performance.
http://www.therenegadecompany.org/hunchback-of-notre-dame
Coming off the heels of their sold-out run of Bathtub Moby-Dick last fall and a successful world premiere of Grimms' Juniper Tree, The Renegade Company proudly presents a new work titled The Hunchback of Notre Dame...A Mute Play, conceived and directed by Michael Durkin.
The Renegade Company explores the familiar in unfamiliar ways by distilling iconic works. To enhance these works, The Renegade Company infuses Unconventional Community Collaborations that foster deeper, resonating productions in the greater Philadelphia area and beyond. The Renegade Company continues to explore non-traditional performance spaces by performing Hunchback..at the First Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia's sanctuary space. In the past Renegade has produced The Amish Project (co-produced with Simpatico Theatre at the Walnut's Studio 5 and was nominated for the Virginia Brown Martin Award). Other past productions include Glass: Shattered at the new Luna Theater, Hamletmachine and Medeaplays at Underground Arts and A Prometheus Bound: A Folk Musical at Society Hill Playhouse.
The Renegade Company has been attracted to the idea of distilling classic stories and finding new one-of-a-kind ways to tell the story. In the past Renegade has explored Puppetry, Commedia mask work, folk musical, punk rock, and solo styles. For Hunchback we continue this exploration of storytelling by presenting a speechless, movement based re-imagination of Victor Hugo's novel. We will also be infusing the style and aesthetics of the expressionist silent films of the 1920's and 30's .
This production stars Doug Greene (Mauckingbird Theatre Company's The Tempermentals), Dan Higbee (Pig Iron School, Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre), Shamus Hunter McCarty (Luna Theater Company's A Clockwork Orange), Lee Minora (EgoPo Classic Theater's Lady From the Sea),Rob Neddoff (EgoPo Classic Theatre), Eric Scotolati (Commonwealth Classic Theatre's 12th Night), and Anna Zaida Szapiro (Azuka Theatre's Tigers Be Still).
The production is conceived and directed by Mike Durkin (Renegade's Artistic Director, Bathtub Moby-Dick). Original composition by sound artists, Joo Won Park and Adam Vidiksis with Adam creating live foley and percussion during the performances, movement by Mason Rosenthal (dancer, and performance artist), and lighting by Eric Baker (Azuka Theatre, Ritz Theatre Company).
Now with it's 5th partnership, Renegade's Unconventional Community Collaboration (UCC) Series features Fishtown's Le Puppet Regime. Each production we partner with a local artisan(s) to create a new way to experience the themes and subject matter of the production. Le Puppet Regime will be created expressionist visuals to be incorporated into the production. Past partnerships include: The Random Tea Room/Mutter Museum (Grimms' Juniper Tree), The Medicine Womyn Mixology School (Bathtub Moby-Dick), Little Baby's Ice Cream (Glass: Shattered), and Graffiti Artists from The Tyler School of Arts of Temple University (Hamletmachine and Medeaplays). Le Puppet Regime will be conducting a puppet creation workshop after the Monday September 15th performance.
Le Puppet Regime is the brainchild of animator, illustrator and glass artist Genevieve Geer. Each handcrafted, glass puppet is created using a combination of old stained glass techniques, modern day fusing techniques and tricky engineering. The result is one of a kind, singular characters that take on their own personality as they make their way from sketch to glittering completion. Showgirls, Royalty, Warriors, Mermaids and Strongmen inhabit a world where "You never know whose pulling the strings". www.genevievegeer.com.
Credits & Personnel
Conceived and Directed by Mike Durkin
Featuring: Doug Greene, Dan Higbee, Shamus Hunter McCarty, Lee Minora, Rob Nedoff, Eric Scotolati & Anna Szapiro
Movement: Mason Rosenthal, Annie Wilson & the ensemble
Original Music by Joo Won Park & Adam Vidiksis
Production Team: Eric Baker, Genevieve Geer, Rebecca Kanach, Stephanie Sintef, & Lauren Tracy
Community Collaborator: Le Puppet Regime
Details
First Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia
FringeArts Festival 2014
Performance Dates (2014)
• Thursday, September 11th (Preview)
• Friday, September 12th (Opening)
• Saturday, September 13th
• Sunday, September 14th
• Monday, September 15th (Post-Show Curated Experience with Le Puppet Regime)
• Wednesday, September 17th
• Thursday, September 18th (Post-Show Discussion)
• Friday, September 19th
• Saturday, September 20th
• Sunday, September 21st
• Monday, September 22nd (Closing, Industry Night)
All performances at 6 PM. RUN TIME: 60 Minutes
Hunchback will be performed at the First Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia 201 S 21st St, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Review
by Lewis J Whittington, September 19, 2014
Flash reviews- Looking for a last minute recommendation as the Fringe Festival winds down this weekend go for The Renegade Theater production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame | A Mute play. It embodies everything the Fringe is about, artistry, uniqueness and audience engagement. Renegade Artistic Director Michael Dirkin developed the piece over the past year and his inventive has troubadour esprit and luminous craft. The Presbyterian Church at 21st & Walnut couldn’t be a better stand in for Notre Dam & ’Sanctuary’ for Quasimodo to save himself and Esmerlda.
Hugo’s unrequited love story set in 15th century France is a j’accuse against a corrupt political and religious hubris. This troupe to make use all of the organ loft, the vaulted eaves & stonework providing a magnificent set for Hugo’s story about human cruelty. Mason Rosenthal is credited for ’movement’ and is pantomime, dance and narrative clarity at its best. Percussionist and soundtrack artist Adam Vidiksis floods the room with music and effects that. in fact, brings to mind some of the great composers of silent film. Costume designer Rebecca Kanach’s period designs ( knave vests, soldier doublets) not mention Esmerlda’s tarnished couture dance dress, just keeps giving.
Lee Minora radiating Esmerlda’s seductiveness and harsh life. Hug’s Quasimodo can go in the pantheon of great parts that holds a mirror up to an ugly society. And Dan Higbee‘s silent performance is luminous with dignity and power. In a riveting bit of choreography, after being lashed on the block, Quasimodo liberates is suffering by ringing his bells in pantomime Vidiksis’ sound design and these images engulfing the cathedral. Dirkin using the whole church, with a keen sense of scene focus and pace, crucial in a silent play. He also elicits wonderful performances from this true ensemble cast.
Later, on Spring Garden across town at the Latvian Society, there is a candle-lit maze that leads to dancer-choreographer Gunnar Montana’s Resurrection Room upstairs. Dancer Stephie-Lyneice, in just her bra and panties lands in a foreboding smoke filled in a chat room with her ‘operating system’ who is activating a futuristic virtual game of virtual survival. She is confronted by a cyborgy thing with a pink melty head with tubes sticking in and out…uggggllly. He is a threatening presence, but eventually become her protector after they engage in a rather rough and tumble dance macabre. Eventually his shirt comes off and his Gunnar sculpted torso is less hazardous. But it’s Beauty and the Beast meets Hellraiser, as other menacing creatures lurch with intent.
The pink melty headed drag geishas in 9-inch heels, who engage a runway stomp, fan and sash snap fight. There s a 9 ft. transformer dude in blade runner stilts and lots of breastplate hardware that Montana does battle with. Later, Gunnar slinks out of the smoke a rockass satyr wearing nothing but a half-pink beard, and a dancebelt with day-glo hairs sticking out & proceeds to attack with pink ooze. Kevin D. Washington also just in a dancebelt, has a scary pink Medusa mane that he can lash around doing mile-high kicks and ninja splits. Montana makes this glamour and gamely fetishista with a lot of props and effects, definitely a raucous cine-crowdpleaser. For dance fans, Resurrection Room is lighter on Montana’s dynamic choreography, but what there is, does hypnotize. A little more dance and movement content to overpower the hardware visuals and it will go to the next level.
