as•sem•bly |ə-sěm'blē| (noun)
1. a group of people gathered in one place for a common purpose.
2. a public facility to meet for open discussion.
3. the action of fitting together component parts of a machine or
other object.
4. a collective of artists dedicated to realizing a new American theater.
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FEATURES, PRESS, PRAISE
Meet The Assembly
The Theatre Development Fund (TDF) created a short video about us and our process as part of their "Meet the Theatre" Series.
The Defiant Politics of Collectivity
The Brooklyn Rail's Adam R. Burnett speaks with co-Artistic Directors Jess Chayes, Nick Benacerraf, and Stephen Aubrey about SEAGULLMACHINE and The Assembly's collective process and structure.
"The act of doing this, of finding a collective voice, is a political act. It is a difficult but defiantly optimistic thing to do in this age in American history, where we are so isolated and dispersed. All incentives go towards efficiency rather than integration..."
Judith Malina
The Living Theatre's legendary Artistic Director, Judith Malina, speaks about HOME/SICK, which played for two sold-out runs at TLT's space on Clinton Street.
Go See a Show! Podcast
Robert A.K. Gonyo interviews members of The Assembly about the motivations and process behind two of our shows: That Poor Dream and HOME/SICK. Check out their website for exciting leads on what to see in the Off-Off-Broadway scene.
“…we encounter people with radically contradictory visions of what class means, and how to behave in this world, and that’s, I think, the most interesting thing for us—to put all these contradictory ideas together, because that’s how the world is, so that we can look at them together, and try to hold more of it at the same time…”
- Co-Artistic Director Nick Benacerraf
"A cutting-edge young theater collective."
"With their first major work, 2011’s 'HOME/SICK,' about the Weather Underground, the Assembly broke onto the experimental theater scene establishing themselves as passionate, formally inventive theater makers who make much of delving into historical texts."
"I felt as though I was witnessing a revolution and the evolution of theatre all at once."
Breaking the Mold: Jess Chayes & The Assembly
StageBuddy's Courney Marie sits down with Co-Artistic Director Jess Chayes for a conversation about the creation of That Poor Dream, and how the company makes work.
"Director Jess Chayes and
The Assembly Theater Project
(The Assembly) are
determined to break the
mold. Reflected not only in
their pieces of work, but in
their unique approach to
create a collaborative and
thriving community, Chayes and the Assembly prove that the core values of accessibility, commitment, insightfulness, and solidarity will never go out of style..."
(Re)Creating History: The Making of HOME/SICK
Broadway World's Jena Tesse Fox interviews company members about the creation of HOME/SICK.
"Last summer, the avant-garde history play-cum-performance art theater piece Home/Sick generated some strong buzz around New York’s off-off (as in Brooklyn) Broadway scene. Following the disturbing and true (and disturbingly true) story of the Weather Underground movement of the 1960s and ’70s, the play blended traditional narrative, actor-composed monologues about what the movement meant to them, and audience contribution into a study of revolution, camaraderie and idealism..." CLICK HERE to read the full article
“I don’t trust a mission statement that you can achieve on the first try.”
- Co-Artistic Director Stephen Aubrey
ABOUT OUR SHOWS
That Poor Dream
"This bold and brave piece sets the spark for an introspective revolution....Let me tell you folks: Shit. Got. Real." – Theater Is Easy
The Dark Heart of Meteorology
"The Dark Heart of Meteorology....is a delight, featuring a tour de force performance by the fine indie theater actor Richard Lovejoy....Aubrey's script is tight and smart and insightful and often hilarious, and Jess Chayes's deft direction serves it well" – nytheatre.com
Daguerreotype
Ambitious... the energy and passion make for an exciting bit of theater...A trio of actors working together to unfreeze the still images of the past, riding the waves of time with vibrant rhapsody. – New Theater Corps
HOME/SICK
"Intense and thoughtful....By the end we have witnessed a sort of sociological big bang, when this tight, angry ball of political energy suddenly bursts and disbands irreparably" – The New York Times
Clementine and the Cyber Ducks
"Thankfully, playwright Krista Knight, director Jess Chayes, and the Assembly theater ensemble have complete faith in every aspect of their wacked-out concept—their comedy stems from the organic merger of the bizarre elements on stage, not self-conscious jokes about the anachronism of it all.” – The Village Voice
The Three Sisters
“Three Sisters invites us in so gently, so courteously, and the production takes our involvement so seriously, that we rush to meet it halfway... The stage, and the production itself, are redefined to include us and the entire theater, and it is magical. We are transformed.” – Show Business Weekly
We Can't Reach You, Hartford
"The painful story that was in danger of being lost to history is brought to life by a lyrical, well-researched script, slick performances by the case and Jess Chayes's imaginative direction.... As the innocent pleasure of the matinee turns to terror, the choreography of the characters who move from dancing to dying while the circus orchestra plays on is impeccable, beautiful and touching. Despire the brevity of the play, each is brought sharply to life to tell not only the story of that fateful day, but also of wider American society" – The Scotsman