You’ve gathered at the art gallery for a corporate event. Your hosts welcome you in. They are in business attire. They are friendly and efficient. They begin to suggest improvements to the gallery. They invite you to give them a hand in composing some formal recommendations and gently rearranging the space. Before long, you are helping them stage a friendly-hostile takeover of the gallery. The guests become the co-conspirators, and the hosts are not what they seem. Flamingos proliferate in every corner. Is this even an art gallery anymore, or just a monument to some invisible corporate vision? Part party, part invasion, part performance art, THE COLONIALISTS challenges all audience members to consider where they are and how they got there, and at whose pleasure they remain.
Applied Mechanics has been making original immersive plays in Philadelphia and beyond for twelve years. From invasion plays, to site-specific performances, to whole invented worlds that arrive at your home in a box and over radio-waves, they are masters at making plays that surround you, transform the world around you, and include you in the story.
In addition to THE COLONIALISTS, their current project OTHER ORBITS is a science fiction epic, unfolding in a series of 9 episodes, many of which can be experienced remotely. More information on the project and how to purchase tickets can be found here.
This production is part of TRADE SCHOOL: PHL+Detroit, a festival and exchange that celebrates the work of Philadelphia and Detroit performing artists, June 16-25, 2022.
Trade School is a program of The Philadelphia Thing. To learn more, please visit: philadelphiathing.org
COVID-19 Information: In order to keep our artists and audiences safe, please note you will be required to show proof of vaccination before entering the venue and you will be expected to wear a mask indoors at all times. Masking in outdoor venues is optional. All performers and Trade School staff have been vaccinated and boosted.
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