My final 2009 question about the show is: What kind of party is Flight 18? A raging rave? A dance revolution? My heart belongs to Emma Goldman. If I can’t dance, it’s not my revolution.

Bring on 2010!

Director Eric Wallach is casting FLIGHT 18, a public art performance that celebrates life and the global pursuit of peace and freedom through the blending of music, dance, video and real-time news with our passengers. FLIGHT 18 is a recipient of a Swing Space grant from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.

FLIGHT 18 is looking for multi-lingual, multi-age, multi-size and omnisexual people who are unafraid of the blurred line between what is real and what is performance. We’re looking for dancers and singers, screamers and soothsayers. Musicians and comedians are welcome too. Must have a pulse and passion and be comfortable interacting close to the public.

We are casting six people to be the Flight Crew and six people to create the Ensemble of Passengers. Each member of FLIGHT 18’s ensemble will be creative contributors as well as able to handle a non-linear interactive script.

Rehearsals are Mon., Wed. and Thursday 6pm to 11pm (ish) and Sundays 11am – 4pm (ish) from January 18 through March 3rd. FLIGHT 18 launches on March 4th and flies Thursday through Saturday at 7:38pm and Sundays at 4:59pm.

We will audition between 6pm and 10pm on January 14, 15 and the 16th after 3pm at the space at 210 Front Street. Call 212.946.5088 or e-mail flight18@earthlink.net to reserve a spot in a time slot.
Be ready to boogie and prepare a song, poem or something else that you can share with the group. Your piece should illuminate your feelings about life.

This is a non-union contract with some pay. For more information about the show please go to www.flight18.net.

Note: this is not musical theatre.

This is FLIGHT 18.

We need to raise a tremendous amount of money to get off the ground.
Any and all contributions are greatly appreciated.
Onward and upward!

This is a transcript of an interview conducted on December 13, 2009 regarding Flight 18, Wallach’s new public art performance.

Why 18?

18 is Life, in Hebrew. It doesn’t stand for it, it IS life. So, what we have here is the Flight of Life.

How long have you been developing Flight 18?

It began in January 2002 when my friend Keith gave me The Iron Heel by Jack London for my birthday.  Ironically or not, I share a birthday with Jack London.  Be that as it may, the book shocked me.  It inspired me to make theatre even though the idea of writing a play was gross to me at the time.

What do you mean?

The last play that I wrote before then was a few years before.  It was called Cain – and it three acts with found text alongside poetry and dialogue.  The workshop production featured the Hungry March Band and Thoth.  Well, when it was over, what I learned from the experience was that the play had gotten in the way.  It got in the way of myself and the actors, the actors and each other, it got in-between the ensemble and the audience – I didn’t like it.

So what happened with Jack London?

In the Iron Heel I found characters and a story that clarified the current state of darkness that we find our country in.  And he published it in 1907!  It shows how the money power of our country exerts control over the people for the profit of the few.  The story is set in the future looking back at what happened in the early 20^th Century when the oligarchy took full control of the American government.

Long story short, I wrote a big ol’ script again based on the book.  Then I built a structure around it that could transform the play into a live experience.  I called it, 2002 – an Orwellian odyssey.  Soon after I put it together I realized that the scaffolding I had built was what I found most interesting. So I threw the hundred page script away and I was left with Flight 18.

And what exactly is Flight 18?

It’s a time when we can get together above the confines of the law and a spaceship where we can travel wherever we want to go. Expect anything. We’re going to record the life that is happening right now with the voices and presence of those that come on-board. 

Were you really ready to do this show in 2002?

I was.  I have the rejection letters to prove it.  I was actively looking for space at least.  But, to be clear, these eight years have served the piece very well.  It has matured.  I have incorporated the technology of our time as I am seeking to reach the broadest audience possible.  And the content has simplified, meaning I’ve cut everything.  Now, I’m remaining as open as possible for as long as possible.

But you will open on March 4, 2010?

We’ll launch when we’re good and ready.

Lower Manhattan Cultural Council has given you the space?

Yes, for twelve weeks.  After a year and a half they came through granting me my dream.  They told me on November 20 that they’ll give me key to 210 Front Street with few restrictions.

And here you are now.  What are you doing to prepare?

I’m saddling the horses!  I’ve started a relationship with Fractured Atlas who is our umbrella, making all donations tax-deductible.  The website is happening as you can see.  I’m building the creative team and starting to raise the money.

How much money do you need?

Alot. I need a lot of help from a lot of beautiful people.  I believe they are out there.  The people of the growing awareness – those that know what’s going on and are willing to do what’s necessary to help move our country forward.

Who are you doing this for?

The future – and the present.

Hmm.  (Pause.)

Hmm.  Here we are. There will be a myriad of ways that passengers can interact with the piece, either in-flight, during business hours or on-line.  All action is recorded.  Like, Wally Bruce did this ten minutes ago.  You know what I mean?  What transpires becomes the script of that particular flight.

Where’s the play?

It’s playing.  It’s alive and reinventing itself constantly.  Never the same flight twice!

What’s going to be different?

Each night we’re going to have honored guests, musical guests and guest performers.  Details to follow.

Where do you come from?

Listen, I’m no mystery.  I come from Los Angeles but that is neither here nor there.  My compass is based on the experiences that I’ve had during the random tumble of my life.  Um.  My north, south, east and west are centered on the people with whom I’ve been blessed to work closely with.  Joseph Chaikin, Penny Arcade, Robert Wilson and Jack O’Brien.  Scrawled across my heart are two men whom I’ve never met but who guide me as well, Bob Fass and Reza Abdoh.  If you know these names then you understand the DNA of my creative juices.

Yummy.

I bring their history with me.

Where are we going?

We’re courageously journeying into the great unknown.

Why?

I found this poem that I keep in my Captain’s Log Book it goes: “America was never America to me.  And yet I swear this path – America will be.”

With FLIGHT 18, we are building a new platform upon which a generation of entertainment may be born.  Gone are the days of old plays in dark theatres where audiences sit quietly and then leave when the show is over, and that’s that.

The stage that is being constructed here

-       blurs the line between performance and audience space

-       explores non-linear storytelling

-       incorporates modern communications technologies including the internet and mobile devices

-       welcomes audience interaction with the show

-       supports audience interaction with audience

-       reinvents the “show” during each performance

-       archives the daily maturation of the “play” and makes it available on-line

FLIGHT 18 celebrates the individual and their right to liberty.  The only rule on board is to “feel free”.

FLIGHT 18 specifics:

CHECK-IN and AUDIENCE INTRODUCTION (aka The Herald)

Each passenger is asked to take a photo and answer a random question about him or her.  Check-in can be done with an attendant, on a self check-in computer or from home.  (A database is developed to keep track of each passenger’s mileage and contributions.)   When passengers enter the spacecraft their image is projected alongside their profile name and that little bit of information about them.  For example, above image of Jane we read, “Welcome Jane Doe!  Jane likes soup.”   Affectively before we close the doors to the spacecraft the entire audience has been introduced to each other.

MESSAGING THE WORLD

Here passengers are free to create and send messages.  There are audio booths for recording audio messages, computers for text messaging and handmade postcards for sending postal mail.

IN FLIGHT

The Captain is the director, playwright and stage manager navigating the flight spontaneously with the contributions from ensemble and passengers.  The Captain uses a Master Control program that helps the navigation of multiple BITS.

The Light Pilot can affect the light in the space organically with a board that contains pre-recorded cues alongside free-flowing dimmers.

The Sound Pilot can maneuver through the depth of space surrounding passengers with a multi-track playback and an array of speakers.

The Video Pilot can project words and images throughout the 360° environments with projectors and LED text scrolls.

Passengers use their own mobile devices to answer questions, take polls and/or to listen to flight control.

www.flight18.net

The on-line experience mirrors the one in real space and time.

A contributions thermometer displays fundraising.

The Human Clock is on display.

Each flight saves a few “seats” for those who want to virtually fly.

CLICK HERE TO SEE Flight 18 at 210 Front Street – a walk-through the raw space

Check it out.

FLIGHT 18 is a public art performance that celebrates life and the global pursuit of peace and freedom.  Through the blending of music, dance, video and real-time news with our passengers, each journey flies non-stop around the world. 

Conceived, directed and piloted by theatre artist and provocateur Eric Wallach, FLIGHT 18 is a recipient of a Swing Space grant from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.  From within a 6,000 square foot former retail store, FLIGHT 18 is set to launch on March 4, 2010.

For more information, please go to www.flight18.net. Unfasten your seat belts and feel free to enjoy your trip.

FLIGHT 18 is a progressive entertainment experience that, like a phoenix, rose out of the ashes of Ground Zero, attempting to fill the need for a public forum.

Joining the contemporary comedic news of The Daily Show with the audience revelry of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, FLIGHT 18 offers an extraordinary environment where performers and audience can mingle, interact and freely express themselves.

The alternative airline event begins at the friendly ticketing counter, continues through a humorous security check and then into the open groove of the boarding lounge. Fellow passengers can watch videos or create and send their own audio or text messages to the world.  Everyone is welcome to participate or simply enjoy the exchange.

On board, six passenger/characters, drawn from life and fiction, are interspersed amongst the public.  Along with the provocative flight crew and the pilots in the cockpit, they interact and sing, dance and interview fellow passengers.

Here is FLIGHT 18, on-line and in person, at one with the people. FLIGHT 18 is the first-ever live, interactive performance event accessible to global audiences.  The vision of its future is to travel the globe opening terminals where people can gather, communicate and dance.

“You must enter the theatre through the world.” –      Julian Beck

FLIGHT SCHEDULE

Jan. 14 -16, 2010         Auditions for flight crew and ensemble of passengers.

January 16, 2010         Company gathering.  6pm – 11pm

January 18, 2010 – March 3, 2010 Workshop Mon., Wed., Thur. 6pm – 11pm; Sundays 11am – 4pm

March 1 and 3, 2010         Preview flights for benefactors and friends.

Thursday, March 4, 2010  OPENING LAUNCH of FLIGHT 18 7:38pm

March 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 27 and 28

April 1 and 2

Flights take-off at 7:38pm Thursday through Saturday and Sundays at 4:59pm

Estimated flying time:  01HR 39MIN

FLIGHT personnel

ERIC WALLACH (Captain) is an independent theatre artist who directs, writes, and produces live performance.  Always crossing the boundaries that divide the audience from the show, Eric continues to create innovative theatre with a progressive edge that is inclusive, audacious and joyful.  Born and raised in Los Angeles, Eric arrived to New York in 1994 where he has directed at Performance Space 122, The Culture Project, chashama, Knitting Factory, HERE, Dixon Place and Bowery Poetry Club among others.  Most recently, he was an associate director for two workshop productions at Dixon Place Chris Rael’s ARABY and Penny Arcade’s OLD QUEEN.  Last year he produced, directed, choreographed and co-wrote THE JACK OF TARTS: A BITTERSWEET MUSICAL at La MaMa E.T.C.  He has written plays such as INTERVIEW or WHO’S AFRAID OF EDWARD ALBEE?, RADICAL JEW: 33, THE DIDI PLAYS, CAIN and MILLESGARDEN among others.  He has worked closely with theatre greats including Joseph Chaikin, Jack O’Brien and Robert Wilson who remain his greatest influences.  Eric also nurtures long collaborations with Penny Arcade, Scotty the Blue Bunny and Thoth.  He received his BA in Theatre from San Diego State University in 1994 and was a recipient of an Edward Albee Foundation Writing Fellowship in 2003.

David Beahm (Event Design Consultant) is a leading creative force within the event industry.  Named one of New York’s Top Ten Designers by Biz Bash, David’s full range of highly inventive work continues to be sought after by the most demanding clients, including Fortune 500 CEOs and world-renowned celebrities.   It was his dazzling design for the nuptials of movie stars Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas that launched the legendary event now known as “The Wedding of the Century”.  After obtaining his Master’s degree, David moved to Manhattan where his background in theatre, music and art easily adapted to staging unusual event designs that became celebrated for spectacular innovations and transformative visuals.   www.davidbeahm.com

PAUL JOHNSON (Music Composition) Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, resides in Brooklyn, New York.  Composer and musical director of THE JACK OF TARTS: A BITTERSWEET MUSICAL at La MaMa E.T.C. in 2008.

JOE DIEBES (Sound Installation) creates works that converge around the categories of contemporary music, sound installation and visual art.  Recent commissions have been from MATA which awarded Joe with its first commission for a sound art piece, Sound Field and Grand Central Art Center which commissioned and exhibited the large-scale music and video installation vessels in 2004.  Graduating with a degree in Literature and Philosophy from Yale in’95, Joe went on to study music composition formally at Julliard and privately with La Monte Young.  Paul Rogers/9W Gallery in New York City currently represents him.

FULL COLLABORATIVE TEAM to be announced by January 16, 2010.

INVITED HONORED GUESTS will include: Michael Moore, Eve Ensler, Bill Moyers, Janine Jackson of FAIR, president of the Center for Constitutional Rights Michael Ratner, author/performer Anna Deavere Smith, Andy Bichilbaum of The Yes Men, Medea Benjamin of Code Pink, the Raging Grannies, Joshua Kahn Russell of Rainforest Action Network, Dr. David Ray Griffin, Greenpeace, Jeff Sharlet, Naomi Klein, Jeremy Scahill, Amnesty International head Irene Khan, John Perkins, Earl Caldwell and our hero, Amy Goodman.  (President Obama has already declined to participate.)

PERFORMANCE GUESTS will include New York’s greatest: Thoth, John Zorn, David Krakaeur, Penny Arcade, Scotty the Blue Bunny, Baba, Lavender Light Choir, Aurelia Thierree, Harmonic Insurgence Julie Atlas Muz, Dirty Martini, Tigger! and the Hungry March Band.

“All is resolved in dazzling measureless freedom.” – from the Warrior Song of King Gezar

Question, comments and observations can be sent to The Captain at <ahref=mailto:”flight18@earthlink.net“>flight18@earthlink.net</a>