THE CONFIDENCE MANCREATED AND PRODUCED BY
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WRITTEN BY PAUL COHEN DIRECTED BY |
SUMMARYHerman Melville’s novel The Confidence Man is a colorful tale of a con man aboard a riverboat in the mid-19th century. The story follows the protagonist as he charms and then cheats his fellow passengers. As disarmingly relevant today as it was in the 19th century, The Confidence Man begs the question: in whom may we safely place our confidence? In light of recent economic events surrounding Bernard Madoff, sub-prime lenders, and the deflating of the real estate bubble, “confidence” is a word on many minds these days. President Obama included the theme in his inaugural address, noting a profound “sapping of confidence across our land — a nagging fear that America’s decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.” The Woodshed Collective’s production of The Confidence Man will be composed of a series of interwoven and simultaneously performed vignettes, and will evoke the whirlwind of both a riverboat journey and the everyday urban chaos of New York City. The audience will choose what to see and which character’s story to follow just as one selects which newspaper stories to read, which YouTube videos to screen, or which online links to click. By allowing audience members to immerse themselves in the experience, the production seeks to blur the line between performer and patron, reclaim confidence in the power of live theater, and leave the lingering impression that the audience members themselves may not be immune to the confidence man’s charms or cons. |
ADMISSIONFREE to the Public!
LOCATIONAboard the U.S.C.G. Ship
DATES/TIMESPREVIEWS BEGIN
SPONSORSthanks to our wonderful individual donors
SPECIAL THANKSMiranda Hardy and Peter Ksander, Tiia Torchia, Morgan Murphy, David McGee, Playwrights Horizons, TDF Costume Collection, The Puffin Foundation, Laurie Beckelman, Jesse Soursourian, Linda Fishbaine, Ben Fink Shapiro, Kristianna Smith, Martha Rosler, Mr. Miller, Ellen Shadburn, Adam Crescenzi, Atlantic Theater Company, PRG, Anything But Costumes, One Dream Sound, Brooklyn Brewery, D’Agostino Supermarkets, The Lilac, Charlie Richie, Deion and Amy, Connor Whiriskey, FDNY and Bob the Firefighter, Hudson River Park Trust, and 440 Studios. |
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