The Civilians - In The Footprint
LEARN
The Civilians presents the world premiere of IN THE FOOTPRINT: THE BATTLE OVER ATLANTIC YARDS, a new play with music at the Irondale Center in Fort Greene. The site of the Atlantic Yards project including the Barclays basketball arena is located two blocks away from the theater where IN THE FOOTPRINT will chronicle the conflicts surrounding the largest development project in Brooklyn’s history. This lively theatrical production is inspired by interviews with the real-life players in the controversy, representing many different perspectives: residents of Prospect Heights, Fort Greene and Bed Stuy, political leaders such as Letitia James and Marty Markowitz, members of Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn, union members, and project supporters such as ACORN’s Bertha Lewis. This show is the culmination of a two-year long company investigation. The creative team listened to Brooklynites from Borough Hall to barber shops to gain insights into both the Atlantic Yards drama and the ongoing story of gentrification. IN THE FOOTPRINT, along with several pre- and post-show dialogues, will examine the conflicts that erupted in the case of the Atlantic Yards through to their current resolution in an attempt to discover how the fate of the city is decided in present-day New York and what can be learned from this epic and ongoing story of politics, money, and the places we call home.
Written and directed by Steven Cosson (Gone Missing, This Beautiful City); Co-written by Jocelyn Clarke; Music and lyrics by Michael Friedman (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, This Beautiful City)
MEET
STEVE COSSON /
is the founding Artistic Director of the acclaimed investigative theater company The Civilians. With The Civilians: co- writer/director of This Beautiful City (Drama Desk, Drama-League, Lortel Nominations); co-writer/director of Paris Commune; writer/director of the long-running hit Gone Missing (New York Times’ Top 10 of 2007 list.); writer/ director (I Am) Nobody’s Lunch, (2006 Fringe First award). He’s directed at theaters including Hartford Stage, Soho Rep, Williamstown, O’Neill Conference, New Harmony Project and others. He has been a Fulbright Scholar in Colombia and a MacDowell Fellow. His plays have been published by Oberon Books in the UK, Dramatists Play Service, and an anthology published by Playscripts Inc.
MICHAEL FRIEDMAN /
is a founding Associate Artist of The Civilians, and has been the Composer/ lyricist for the company’s This Beautiful City, [I Am] Nobody’s Lunch, Gone Missing, and Canard, Canard, Goose? He also wrote music and lyrics for Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (Outer Critics Circle Award), Saved, In the Bubble, The Brand New Kid, God’s Ear, and The Blue Demon. His music has also been heard at theaters across the country and in the UK. Film/TV work includes On Common Ground, Beloved, Emile Norman: By His Own Design, Floaters and Affair Game. He is a recipient of a MacDowell fellowship and a Princeton University Hodder Fellowship. He received a 2007 Obie award for sustained excellence.
WATCH
INTERACT
This show is the culmination of a two-year long company investigation. The creative team listened to Brooklynites from Borough Hall to barber shops to gain insights into both the Atlantic Yards drama and the ongoing story of gentrification. The company previously presented a week of sold-out workshop performances at the Brooklyn Lyceum in 2008 under the title Brooklyn at Eye Level. In the Footprint, along with several pre- and post-show dialogues, will examine the conflicts that erupted in the case of the Atlantic Yards through to their current resolution in an attempt to discover how the fate of the city is decided in present-day New York and what can be learned from this epic and ongoing story of politics, money, and the places we call home.
The Atlantic Yards development project was first proposed in 2003 by real estate developer Forest City Ratner. The construction plan includes a basketball stadium for the New Jersey Nets, high-rise condominiums, and new commercial spaces, and the demolition of established local businesses and existing homes. The groundbreaking for the development project occurred in March, 2010 after seven years of negotiations, legal battles, and community protests. It was made possible by the New York State Supreme Court's recent enactment of eminent domain.
For more information, check out our Brooklyn at Eye Level BLOG
ESSENTIALS
November 12-
December 11
Irondale Center
Brooklyn