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3rd - 27th April 2008
at Theatro Technis

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Click to see more details about:
the play | the author  | the New York Production |
the London Production | the London Venue

Evening performances at 8pm
Theatro Technis
26 Crowndale Road, London NW11TT.
Telephone ticket reservations: +44 (0)20 7387 6617
Tickets: £15.00 (£10.00 concessions)
Tuesdays, pay what you can
Thursday 3rd - Sunday 27th April 2008
http://www.theatrotechnis.com
http://www.myspace.com/theatrotechnis


ABOUT THIS PLAY:

Wendell’s wife Lina is pregnant. His wayward best friend Floyd sleeps nightly on their couch. And as if things aren’t stressful enough, he’s under constant pressure to “father” his messed-up neighbours in the Bronx. In an effort to get some money together, Wendell takes in a rooster to train for an illegal cockfight. As they discover that training a bird for a death match in Washington Heights is not for the
feint of heart, this dysfunctional family comes to blows before the fight ever takes place. In this devilish comedy, playwright Mike Batistick investigates power, community and loss, and searches for grace in the most unlikely places.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Mike Batistick’s credits include Port Authority Throw Down (Culture Project and the Working Theatre, Fall 2006), Ponies (Studio Dante, Fall 2004), Flag (Hangar Theatre, Summer 2006) and Bodega Lung Fat (Public Theatre's 2003 New Work Now! Festival). He was a two-year Juilliard Playwriting Fellow and is a graduate of Fordham University in the Bronx. He is a member of MCC Playwrights’ Coalition, Ars Nova
Play Group, the recipient of a 2007 NYSCA grant, and is currently under commission from the Atlantic Theatre Company.


REVIEWS FROM THE NEW YORK PRODUCTION:

“The men and women who populate contemporary relationship dramas tend to belong to a specific demographic, and when they quarrel, do so on pale sofas and sea grass rugs. Their minds may be cluttered -- with unruly dissatisfaction, with upper-middle-class regret -- but their rooms have the air of 100 oxygen tanks. The set of 'Chicken,' a new play by Mike Batistick at Michael Imperioli's Studio Dante, inflicts a certain stifling anxiety right away . . . the set is a tiny, cramped apartment full of the mess of people who must worry about money. Mr. Batistick renders his metaphors in the thickest available chalk, but the story itself is as moving as the jump over the class divide is rare.”
– New York Times

" 'Chicken' follows the self-destructive Wendell as he tries to eat himself to death and save his family from poverty and humiliation at the same time. The trouble with Wendell's mission is that he has, in his own words, "a big, weird family." For example, Floyd isn't Wendell's brother, but he might as well be, given the way the two men fight, and the sacrifices Wendell is willing to make for him. Wendell doesn't owe Floyd's estranged wife anything, but he's willing to give
her money behind Floyd's back to help take care of their kids. He's selfless, but in the world of Batistick's play, that's a death sentence . . . Floyd is a simpler animal: He takes what he wants, whether it's a place on Wendell's couch or a night in his bed. Though he's unemployed and lazy, he still tries to defend his friend - a holdover from their shared childhood in an orphanage. Floyd will always survive, but he hates his self-interest so much that his protective, manipulative relationship with Wendell seems like both penance and sin . . . Though he puts them in a cramped, cluttered apartment in the Bronx, Batistick's odd working-class Catholics are exploring new territory.”
– Newsday

“There’s a gritty, street-smart humor in Mike Batistick’s play about three neighborhood pals—and one unhappy spouse—who end up grooming a sickly rooster for an illegal cockfight in the Bronx. The good-hearted Wendell and his pregnant wife are sharing their cluttered living room with Floyd, a small-time bully without a conscience. With the rooster joining the party, the place gets truly overcrowded, and aggressions are unleashed.”
– New Yorker

“New York life is at the heart of the saucy but tender comedy wrapped around the fighting rooster. The bird wins money for a financially strapped family while its handlers try to patch up emotionally and sexually tattered lives.”
– Associated Press

“It's the sort of play that makes you want to go home and take a long, hot shower.”
– New York Post


ABOUT THE LONDON PRODUCTION:

by Sam Neophytou - Director/Producer

"As a British-born Cypriot, I started out as an actor working mainly in fringe theatre and gradually moved into television. However, I found that the only parts I was called upon to audition for were those of archetypal 'foreigners' living outside the UK. I found that as an actor who'd spent all his life in London many of the roles were therefore distinctly 'foreign' to me.

"The next ten years led me to directing mainly plays by foreign writers like Brecht, Lorca, Dario Fo and Arthur Miller to name but a few. I also turned my hand to writing some plays and also film-scripts and thus found that my background and cultural diversity finally had a voice.

"Too much theatre, as well as television remains in 'safe-bet' hands rehashing proven formats seeking guaranteed commercial success. Representation of ethnic minorities continues to be hackneyed and unrealistic, watered down to be made more palatable for the perceived mass audience. Consequently we rarely get a glimpse into the reality
of the co-existing worlds in today's modern multi-cultural society and particularly those in our cities where this rainbow culture is concentrated.

"These worlds offer exciting, colourful and endless storylines that are ultimately fresh and inspiring, and it is these experiences which have led to the creation of an association with other like-minded creatives drawn from the multicultural melting pot of London - to create "Inner City Productions".

"Our current production, drawing from the equally mixed-culture and bubbly energy of New York City which experiences many similar situations to those we experience in London brings you .... CHICKEN

http://www.innercityproductions.co.uk
(this website)

Past productions include:
http://www.bubbleproductions.co.uk


THE LONDON VENUE:

Having recently celebrated it's 50th Anniversary, Theatro Technis in fashionable Camden Town is one of London's leading fringe theatre venues, presenting innovative theatrical productions by world theatre groups as well as by local artists. During February it hosted a production of 'Elizaveta Bam' (which has a group of its own here at
FaceBook) within the context of the Russian Festival 2008 in London.

As part of the celebration of its own 50th Anniversary the venue is making selected material from performances which it hosts available to a world audience through the modern multimedia possibilities of the internet, so you may wish to take a look at video of this gem of the Russian avante-garde, 'Elizaveta Bam' production (kindly released onto
the www with the permission of its producers and actors) from February 2008, visible at:

http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=-3008653255098603327

Theatro Technis is launching a fund-raising campaign in order to improve the facilities available at the venue, through the redevelopment of its 'foyer'. Contributions to this campaign can be made via its own website.

http://www.theatrotechnis.com
 

www.innercityproductions.co.uk
(this site)

Inner City productions is committed to developing new works reflecting the multi cultural and multi faceted nature of our inner cities. It aims to produce challenging theatre celebrating in the urban hustle and bustle of its people who live cheek by jowl in our thriving sprawling metropolis.