Kickstarter

This December our theater company, Compagnia de' Colombari, will present our piece STRANGERS AND OTHER ANGELS in Sakura Park and Union Theological seminary in Harlem. The show will involve artists and designers from all over New York and the world and will include children from 4 different schools in the city.

STRANGERS AND OTHER ANGELS is a modern adaptation of one of the Medieval Mystery Plays, "The Second Shepherd's Play". The idea of the show is to combat the commercial nature of the holidays and embrace our fellow man with a performance that celebrates the abundance and togetherness that mark the season. By bringing communities together in celebration we intend to present our audience with a performance that is a gift in itself.

The show will begin at sunset in Sakura Park on 122nd st. and Riverside Drive. As the performance unfolds it begins to move, with different scenes being played in different areas of the park. Actors and musicians take the play to their audience in the streets and weave themselves through the crowd, using the city as a stage and presenting scenes and music that invite everyone to participate. The performance will have a procession from Sakura Park, East on 122nd Street and South on Broadway, through the front entrance of Union Theological Seminary and into the courtyard. The performance culminates with a celebratory dance, involving the entire company and audience and signaling the arrival of food and drink for all to share.

Just as the medieval cathedral engaged the talents of countless artists and artisans, so the architectural frame of STRANGERS freely incorporates a vast array of artists. The performance features original music and various musicians, elements of interactive design, classic and new texts and dance in many forms. As you can imagine, the performance requires a large support staff and an even larger group of performers. The entire experience is presented completely free of charge to our audience.

Our network of artists and performers has been working tirelessly on this piece for months already and our show date is fast approaching. We have administrative support, marketing and publicity teams and a number of working relationships that we are using to keep costs low and production values high. The last piece in the puzzle is your generosity.

Your contributions will be used to pay artists and actors, fund the construction of specialized set pieces, props and costumes and help cover any logistical fees such as space rental, permits and transportation. There are many moving parts to consider and manage and your support will help our process immensely. We present this piece to our audience completely free of charge so Kickstarter is just one place where we have turned for help. Every donation helps so if you are in a place to donate, we ask that you please help us ring in the holidays with this joyous event.