OPEN DOOR

Using original rhythmic music, live musicians, dancers, body puppets and larger then life marionettes, the piece will explore the paranoid perceptions, longings to belong and feelings of alienation among the immigrants. The production is mostly an urban fantasy set in the buildings in which they live. Its central metaphors all derive from the paranoid perceptions that keep new immigrants and naturalized citizens "Americans" from seeing clearly, as well as the immigrants' search for the "American Dream" that can propel them into a more hopeful future. Puppet theater provides an articulate medium for contrasting the immigrants' inner and outer realities.

music composed by Elizabeth Swados, lyrics by Federico Restrepo, Elizabeth Swados and Denise Greber based on interviews with the cast.
About the Company: La Mama Experimental Theatre Club

La MaMa is a remarkable arts institution with a world-wide reputation for producing cutting-edge work in theater, dance, performance art, and music. Founded in 1961 by theater pioneer and legend, Ellen Stewart, La MaMa has produced and presented more than 3,000 theatrical productions to date and is a vital part of the fabric of cultural life in New York City and around the world.

La MaMa provides a supportive home for artists and takes risks on unknown work. Artists such as Sam Shepard, Lanford Wilson, Philip Glass, Robert Wilson, Harvey Fierstein, Blue Man Group, David and Amy Sedaris, -and others whose names you haven't heard of yet - began their careers at La MaMa. International artists introduced to America by La MaMa include Tadeusz Kantor, Andrei Serban, Kazuo Ohno and, more recently, the acclaimed Belarus Free Theatre.La MaMa has been honored with more than 30 OBIE Awards, dozens of Drama Desk and Bessie Awards, and, in 2006, Ellen Stewart was recognized with a special TONY Award for "Excellence in the Theatre."