A new multi-media extravaganza written by Eamon O'Rourke and Amit Bhalla; directed by Eamon O'Rourke; produced by Deborah Dobski
Date: Friday, July 9, 8:00 pm
Location: Doctorow Center for the Arts, Rte. 23A, Village of Hunter, NY 12442
Tickets: $18/$15 seniors and students
Reservations: 518 263 2063
In the brief moment between the end of life and the beginning of death, there exists a fragmentary realm. Here we meet a group of people—a scientist, a madwoman, a boy, a butcher, a spiritual seeker—who are granted a series of privileges permitting lucid memory and reflection. Sometimes comic, often revelatory, these lives are mused on and measured. Each looks deeper into his earthly sojourn, and considers the many meanings of death before moving on . . . but to what?
Presented by Me and My Friends Productions—a group of unique artists from various fields who've been working together, but more importantly, who have been friends for a very long time—The Privilege of Death is a festival of ideas, music, theater, film, dance, puppetry, and art woven into a seamless narrative. Inspired by playwright/director, Eamon O'Rourke, the production and all its aspects evolved from constant artistic collaboration. Eamon began acting when he was ten, and writing plays in late middle school and high school when he studied playwriting with Nancy Fales Garrett at Saint Ann's in Brooklyn Heights. At Colgate University he studied theater, focusing on acting, writing, and directing. This is the second staging of this original work, the first being in August 2009 at The Gene Frankel Theater in New York City.
The inspiration for The Privilege of Death came from the experience Eamon had watching his mother pass away. The moment before she passed on, she took in a deep breath that seemed full of life. The look on her face said she was experiencing something real and significant. Though she was entering a state which most fear their entire lives, she appeared serene and happy. After witnessing this, Eamon became curious about what was happening in that moment, and this project is an exploration of exactly that.
