Language Games is a smart and peculiar theatrical film inspired by Ionesco and Beckett and driven by current social mores and the fight for equality.
Set in an absurd world of philosophy and language, Sheela joins three great thinkers from the past for a spirited game of mahjong. As they play, her energy conjures Joseph Beuys as a mythological hare. Invisible to the players, he interjects cultural incantations while the players contemplate how language evolved from naming animals to representing them with signs and how myths serve the human need to imagine.
Physical chair-play creates an escalating rhythm as tensions build and the hare inspires Sheela to use more confrontational words. As the chair-e-ography builds to a crescendo, Sheela rejects the men’s sexism and wins the game.
Barbara Yoshida and Ralph Lewis have collaborated on many theatrical projects and have worked separately on other videos, so while they have incorporated video and projection in live projects, this is their first work to employ experimental theatre tools in the visual storytelling format of film.
The Official Trailer for Language Games written by Barbara Yoshida and directed by Ralph Lewis
The pandemic didn’t make it easy, but Language Games uses magical situations and unexpected actions to amplify a mature, feminist voice aiming to engage the next generation of socially conscious audiences on today’s screen-based platforms.
Language Games was completed during the pandemic, and it is part of the Covid context in which it was created. This 20-minute short theatrical film including its “Making Of” Covid epilogue is perfect for on-demand viewing.
The cast of characters Ludwig Wittgenstein: MATTHEW TRUMBULL, Sheela Nagig: NIKKI CALONGE, Paul Shepard: KEVIN R. FREE, Walter Benjamin: CHRISTOPHER BORG, and Joseph Beuys: DESMOND DUTCHER.
Creative Team, Playwright: BARBARA YOSHIDA, Director: RALPH LEWIS, Videographer: BARRY ROWELL, Production Manager: HEATHER OLMSTEAD, Key Grip, Best Boy: DAVID CASTANEDA, Wardrobe: MICHELLE BESHAW, Video Editor: MIKE McCABE, Audio Editor: HARRISON ADAMS, Senior Editor: EVAN SEPLOW, Artwork: WARD SUTTON, Composer: NATHAN DAVIS, Musician: PHYLLIS CHEN, Health Safety Specialist: AKIA SQUITIERI, Credit Titles: BARRY ROWELL, and Location: AMANDA HURN, BOWERY UNION
Peculiar Works Project was founded in 1993 by Ralph Lewis, Catherine Porter, and Barry Rowell to create original performances that are accessible and engaging for diverse audiences. Using various artistic disciplines in unique combinations, this Obie Award-winning company challenges the conventions of alternative theatre. From initial concept to full production, the performance encourages collaboration, experimentation, and a rebel spirit in creative artists by providing the tools and opportunities to realize their artistic goals.
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