Theater
The Humans
BAM and PERFORMA present
The Humans
Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art
Written and directed by Alexandre Singh
Theater, music, sculpture, Nesquik bunnies, Greco-Roman masks,
and a gigantic mountain find common cause in this irreverent
performance work by the award-winning British visual artist
Alexandre Singh. A boldly original concept that started as an
installation piece at the Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art
in Rotterdam and evolved into a full-fledged theatrical account of
the universe’s creation, The Humans comes to BAM in its
culminating chapter: a deliciously indecent mixed-media account of
Man’s fall from grace.
Modeled on the comic writings of Aristophanes and set at the dawn
of time and space, The Humans tells the tale of two
spirits named Tophole and Pantalingua, who would rather the Earth
not be created at all. In a battle against the egomaniacal Creator,
they conspire their way to an accidental Paradise Lost, ultimately
corrupting the eponymous humans—portrayed as a songful and
statuesque Greek chorus—into the flawed mortals we are today.
Choreography by Flora Sans
Music by Gerry Arling and Rik Elstgeest
Costume design by Holly Waddington
Lighting design by Guus van Geffen
The Humans is commissioned by Witte de With Center
for Contemporary Art and Performa. The Humans is co-produced by
Preromainbritain LLC; Witte de With; Productiehuis Rotterdam;
Rotterdamse Schouwburg and Performa 13. It is presented in
partnership with festival De Keuze and the Brooklyn Academy of
Music (BAM) as part of Performa 13.
Artist Alexandre Singh and philosopher Simon Critchley discuss Greek comedy and Aristophanes, and contemplate the legacy of classical Greek theater today.
Visual artist Alexandre Singh draws upon multiple sources and heterogeneous tales.
The 2013 Next Wave Festival showcases the very best in contemporary performance, plus artist talks, storytelling, visual art, and film.