OZ ARTS PRESENTS ACCLAIMED BUNRAKU-STYLE PUPPETRY THEATER PRODUCTION, ‘THE PIGEONING’, Feb 15-17

Robin Frohardt’s puppet play masterfully depicts a fastidious New York City office worker plagued by pigeons

NASHVILLE, TENN. – Jan 16, 2018 – OZ Arts Nashville once again introduces unique and intriguing theatre to Nashville, this time starring a two-and-a-half foot tall puppet named Frank. His creator, award-winning artist, designer and director Robin Frohardt, pairs her puppets with simple props and an original score for a whimsical journey that is at once contemporary and timeless. Hailed by The New York Times as “a tender, fantastical symphony of the imagination,” The Pigeoning arrives to OZ Arts for four performances, Feb. 15-17.

In The Pigeoning, Frank is an office worker living in New York in the early 1980s who is obsessed with cleanliness and order. Troubled by the sudden presence of pigeons in the park and at his office window, Frank starts to believe they are plotting against him. A darkly comedic yet heartfelt adventure, The Pigeoning spins articulate puppetry, live music, video and lo-fi special effects into an epic tale about obsessive compulsion and the illusion of safety and control in the context of the end of the world.

The two performances open to the public at OZ Arts will take place at 7pm on Feb. 16 and 17.

Details about each performance:

• 60 minutes, no intermission
• Tickets are on sale now for $40 for adults and $25 for children ages 12 and under. Ticket prices for adults will go up to $45 on Monday, Feb. 12. (Buy tickets early to save $5 on adult tickets.)
• Tickets go on sale at OZArtsNashville.org on Jan. 16, 2018
• Post-show Q&A after the Feb. 16 evening performance
• Appropriate for ages 8+

OZ Arts will also host two performances for Nashville-area schools at 10am on Feb. 15 and 16. Tickets are $10 per student. Schools can get more information, request a detailed curriculum guide, and purchase tickets by contacting Kate Abrams (kate@ozartsnashville.org or 615-350-7200) at OZ Arts Nashville.

“In today’s fast-paced and digitally enhanced world, it is rare and refreshing to see a fallible work so enchanting. It proves we don’t always need the latest bells and whistles technology avails to be perfectly poignant,” says Lauren Snelling, artistic director at OZ Arts. “The Pigeoning eloquently speaks to humanity’s tenuous relationship to Mother Nature, and through Frank, offers an important reminder of the dangers of our tendency to ignore her warnings.”

Awarded the 2014 Arlyn Award for “Outstanding Design in Puppet Theatre” and supported by the Henson Foundation, The Pigeoning premiered in October 2013 at as part of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s “Festival of Firsts.” It was developed in the Puppet Lab at St. Ann’s Warehouse and at the Dream Music Puppetry program at HERE in New York City, where it was presented for extended runs twice. The Pigeoning has been presented by the Detroit Institute for the Arts, College of St Benedict/St John’s University and Lafayette College, among other venues. It has been translated into Arabic, German, Greek and Turkish, and it was recently featured in Germany’s Puppet Star TV competition where it took second prize.

A Creative Capital Award recipient known for her rich aesthetic and highly detailed constructions, Robin Frohardt is an award-winning artist, puppet designer and director living in Brooklyn, New York. Frohardt has a knack for taking a simple premise to an elaborate realization. Her rich imagination, unique sense of humor and stunning technical craft come together to create work that defies the conventions of traditional storytelling. She is a MacDowell Colony Fellow and the first artist-in-residence at Olson Kundig, a renowned design and architecture firm in Seattle.

OZ Arts is pleased to also host performances for Nashville-area schools on February 15 and February 16 at 10 a.m. These popular daytime shows for grades 5-8 meet state academic standards.

About OZ Arts Nashville

Since opening in 2014, OZ Arts Nashville, a 501(c)(3) contemporary arts center, has changed the cultural landscape of the city. Housed in the former C.A.O. cigar warehouse owned by Nashville’s Ozgener family, OZ Arts, under the artistic leadership of Lauren Snelling, brings world-class performances and art installations to the city, and gives ambitious local artists opportunities to work on a grand scale. The flexible 10,000 square-foot, column-free venue, nestled amidst five acres of artfully landscaped grounds, is continually reconfigured to serve artists’ imaginations, and to challenge and inspire a diverse range of curious audiences. OZ Arts is supported in part by the Metro Nashville Arts Commission.

For more information, please visit http://www.ozartsnashville.org/.

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Media Contact

Amy A. Atkinson at Amy Atkinson Communications, call/text at 615-305-8118, or email amy@amyacommunications.com.  Photos are available upon request.