Roadside Attraction
“the choreography takes everyday impulses and makes them lyrically potent” – The New York Times
“…it covers quite a range, from satire to real pain, with an eloquence that stays in the memory.” – Alastair Macaulay, The New York Times
About Roadside Attraction
Brookfield Place, New York and On Tour (2013)
Roadside Attraction was a versatile work housed in and around a vintage seventies-era pop-up camper that was retrofitted to become the stage and setting for a dance/theater piece. The work was performed by a company of six who incorporated the intimate, quirky, stunning and startling choreographic sensibility that is the hallmark of Third Rail Projects’ critically acclaimed work.
Designed to be shown virtually anywhere, indoors or out, Roadside Attraction was a family vacation that stepped back in time to when Supertramp was on the radio, Connect Four was on the folding table and frisky business was in the bunks. Mom’s red Candies clapped across the linoleum kitchen floor before she emerged in her cheetah print bathing suit with matching blanket, her platinum wig blowing in the breeze.
A site-specific work that brought its site along, Roadside Attraction was a slice of nostalgic Americana, replete with lawn chairs, a picnic table, and all the trappings of a family that had been together on a road trip for far too long.
“REAL CAMP… It’s a miniature theme park of kitsch”
– Leigh Witchel, The New York Post
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Rebekah Morin, Tara O'Con
Photo by Darial Sneed
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Elizabeth Carena, Tori Sparks
Photo by Darial Sneed
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Tori Sparks
Photo by Darial Sneed
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Carlton C. Ward, Tori Sparks
Photo by Darial Sneed
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Carlton C. Ward, Rebekah Morin
Photo by Darial Sneed
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Elizabeth Carena, Tara O'Con, Niko Tsocanos
Photo by Darial Sneed
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Tori Sparks, Tara O'Con
Photo by Darial Sneed
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Tara O'Con, Tori Sparks, Elizabeth Carena
Photo by Darial Sneed
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Elizabeth Carena, Carlton C. Ward
Photo by Darial Sneed
Tour Schedule
The Green Building
452 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231
Thursday July 24th, 2014 & Friday July 25th, 2014 @ 6:30pm – 10:30pm
Governors Island
House No. 17 (Nolan Park)
July 6th, 2014 @ 2:00pm & 4:00pm
MetroTech Commons
Thursday, Sept 19th, 2013 @ 7:00pm
Marcy Plaza
NE Corner Marcy Ave & Fulton St
Wednesday, Sept. 18th, 2013 @ 12:00pm
Prattsville Town Hall (adjacent to the Town Green)
14517 Main Street. Prattsville NY 12468
Sunday July 21st, 2013 @ 6:00pm
Schenectady Green Market
Schenectady City Hall, 105 Jay Street, Schenectady, NY 12305
Sunday July 21st, 2013 @ 11:30 am
Troy Farmer’s Market
South End of River Street, Troy, NY, 12180
Saturday July 20th, 2013 @ 1:00pm
Capital District Cooperative Home of the Farmer’s Market, Menands
381 Broadway, Menands, NY 12204
Saturday July 20th, 2013 @ 10:00am
Malta Drive In
2785 Rt. 9, Malta, NY 12020
Friday July 19th, 2013 @ 8:00pm
Kaatsbaan International Dance Center
120 Broadway, Tivoli, NY
Thursday, July 18th, 2013 @ 6:30pm
One New York Plaza
At Water St. between Whitehall & Broad Street.
July 1st & 2nd, 2013 @ 12:30pm
Brookfield Place Plaza (220 Vesey Street)
Between West Street and the Hudson River
June 23rd – 26th, 2013 @ 12pm & 1pm
June 27th, 2013 @ 1pm & 7pm
Credits
Roadside Attraction
World Premiere
Creative Team
Created by Third Rail Projects
Artistic Directors
Zach Morris, Tom Pearson, Jennine Willett
Choreographed and Directed by
Jennine Willett, Zach Morris, and Tom Pearson
Created in Collaboration with and Performed by
Elizabeth Carena, Rebekah Morin, Tara O’Con, Tori Sparks, Niko Tsocanos, Carlton Cyrus Ward
Production Staff
Composer & Sound Design: Sean Hagerty, with Isaiah Singer
Costume Design: Karen Young
Stage Managers: NJ Agwuna, Dana Gal
Assistant Director: Marissa Nielson-Pincus
Project Support
Roadside Attraction premiered in the River To River Festival 2013 with free events at Brookfield Place Plaza, (open rehearsals: June 16 – 22, and performances Jun 23 – 27 ) and at One New York Plaza (with performances July 1 and 2). Roadside Attraction was commissioned by Arts Brookfield and subsequently toured throughout New York State with support from the Malta League of Arts, New York State DanceForce, and the New York State Council on the Arts.
Roadside Attraction was created in residence at Mana Contemporary (Newark, NJ) and at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park (Tivoli, NY).
Press Coverage
All Press Coverage
The New York Times | Review | June 30, 2013
Family Camping Trip Packed With Phantom Selves, Hopes and Dreams by Alastair Macaulay
“All the dance stays close to ordinary movement, but the choreography takes everyday impulses and makes them lyrically potent.”
New York Post | Feature | June 21, 2013
Hot Picks: Step Up! Real Camp by Leigh Witchel
The New Yorker | Feature | June 23rd, 2013
Goings About Town: River to River Festival / Third Rail Projects
The New York Times | Feature | June 19, 2014
Picnic Tables for Dancing, Bookcases for Naps By Helene Stapinski
“Governors Island [is] a perfect place for Third Rail. This is one of the few places in New York City where artists can have the time and space to collaborate with a site and be in a conversation with the public… It’s a perfect match, really.”
Mana Spotlight | Documentary | 2013
Mana Contemporary interview with Tom Pearson and spotlight on Roadside Attraction