A Turkish popstar, a grad student in social philosophy and a homeless street musician meet in the square of an American city. They begin playing music together. They form a band. Meanwhile, an urban planner and his assistant proceed with plans to redesign the square, an heiress-sculptor and a poet-graffiti artist spin their private webs of art, and a disgruntled environmental engineer dreams plans for the future. Fueled by live original music and live original visual art-making , We Are Bandits creates an urban landscape as rife with conflict and hungry for change as the world we live in. Audiences are invited to concerts, protest, intimate parties, and communal art projects, as the Bandits ask “how is it possible to affect change in our contemporary American present?” With cameo appearances by famous dead feminists, original music by the ensemble, a real live punk concert, and a cityscape that literally shape-shifts around the audience as the story unfolds, We Are Bandits is a raucous call to arms, a celebratory punk prayer, a wild adventure fueled by the radical spirit.
Premiered in July 2014 at Asian Arts Initiative in Philadelphia. Presented free of charge for all audience members. The immersive set, inspired by zine culture, was expanded by scenic painters during each show, accumulating more and more detail and elaboration over the course of the run.
Cast
MK Tuomanen as Z and Mary Richardson
Isabella Sazak as Zeyno and Frieda Kahlo
Aimé Donna Kelly as Sharon Sophia Wilson and Gertrude Stein
Adam Kerbel as Torrin Spike and Voltairine de Cleyre
Kate Raines as Lina Smith and Emma Goldman
Annie Wilson as Luciana Meier-Feinbach and Dorothy Day
Thomas Choinacky as Lucas Ulrichs and Susan B. Anthony
Severin Blake as Anthea Adams and Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Jessica Hurley as Dr. Johnna Banks
Creative Team
Directed by Rebecca Wright
Production Design by Maria Shaplin
Design Assistant by Liz Phillips
Set Design by Caitlin Lainoff
Set Assistant Emily Schuman
Sound Design by Adriano Shaplin
Costume Design by Nikki Delhomme
Stage Managed by Bayla Rubin
Roadies Emily Alexander, Becca Khalil, Logan Kuba
THE INQUIRER
“We Are Bandits is impressive and provocative theater.” READ MORE HERE
NEWSWORKS
“[We Are Bandits] jumps unabashedly into a bubbling theatricality that allows a single story to be told—and understood—in many ways.” READ MORE HERE
PHILADELPHIA CITYPAPER
“You are just as likely to see a character starting a revolution as you are to see a character brushing her teeth.” READ MORE HERE
PHINDIE.COM
“You can’t see everything. You have to choose. Scenes blend into one-another with the precision of clockwork, characters split up or come together, and stories weave together unexpectedly. It’s magical to be in the midst of it, to wander through the show and realize that no one else is having the precise experience you are. Every audience member leaves with a different story.” READ MORE HERE