Sub-Basement

IRT Theater, NYC
March-April 2017

Sub-Basement follows Adrienne, a former poet, now Royal Canadian Mounted Police trainee, on an absurdist odyssey to find her true purpose amidst the dark corners of New York City, the depths of the Drama Book Shop, and her muddled past. Her voyage is guided by tow homeless men, Gustav (a one-time climatologist) and Arnaud (an erstwhile poet), all while being pursued by Simon, who (unbeknownst to her) has become her fiancé.

Are we ever free of the disappointments of the past, and can we escape the expectation of our parents?

Sub-Basement was with Athena Theatre Company in NYC.

Cast

Veronique Ory (Adrienne)

Patrick K. Dooley (Simon)

Zenon Zeleniuch (Gustav)

Barry Phillips (Arnaud)

Crew

Hunter Bird (Director)

Jonathan Cottle (Set Designer and Properties)

Antonio Consuegra (Costume Designer)

Ross Graham (Lighting Designer)

Patrick Lachance (Sound Designer)

Kateryna Turkalo (Stage Manager)

Reviews

“Tom Block engages with some lofty themes and mind-bending questions in this comedic epic set in a slightly more surreal version of today’s New York City.” Theatre is Easy, Will Jacobs

“In a great, cozy even intimate setting at IRT Theater (154 Christopher Street in New York City) the cast of Tom Block’s “Sub-Basement” dazzled the audience with his superb writing and Hunter Bird’s direction.” AndyB Sports

“Although the play is set in present day, it had a very post-modern, Brechtian tone . . . All four actors brought impressive commitment . . . I left the theatre pondering the overarching themes. The play grappled with the question of law versus poetry. Do we give it all up to be creative but broke, homeless and use our own feces for fertilizer? Or do we become lawyers and live with clean toilets, electricity, and in a safe big city? And I myself, was left desiring to know what would happen when the 4 horsemen arrived.”
ArtsWire Weekly, Danielle Beckmann

photos by Nestor Correa.