Alexis Macnab Projects Presents:
The Fasting Girls
To escape a future determined by others, a young woman chooses to disappear entirely.
September 27 - 29, 2019 at Z Below
by Amanda Jane Shank
Directed by Alexis Macnab
Using multiple puppetry techniques, The Fasting Girls follows Eva, a girl on the border between youth and adulthood in an emotionally desolate society. In a snowy, isolated village evoking the Victorian era, two adolescent sisters test the limits of their power in society. Eva is courted by Amos, a well-meaning family friend twice her age. Reacting to this attention, and her own burgeoning desire, Eva’s grip tightens around her physical body and she begins to fast. But her world sees her actions differently. To her suitor, Eva is fading away. To her brother, she is a prized oddity. To her church, Eva is evidence of divine presence and proof that one can live on prayer alone. Only Eva’s younger sister, Molly, understands the outcomes of Eva’s refusal to eat but as a young girl herself she is powerless to stop Eva’s disappearance. The Fasting Girls explores the exquisite tension between religion, society, body and soul.
The show features bunraku-style puppets, shadows, miniatures, and an original score in an intimate space.
Cast
Performed by Jen Colasuonno, Adrienne Dolan, Marie-Claire Erdynast, Nao Kobayashi, Fred C Riley III, and Alison Sacha Ross
Vocal performance by Jessica Basta, and Cassia Streb
Designers
Scenic Design - Tanya Orellana
Composition - Cassia Streb
Sound Design - Colbert Davis IV
Puppet Design - Nao Kobayashi
Lighting Design - Maximiliano Urruzmendi
Costume Design - Hector Martinez
Scenic Construction - Yusuke Soi
Scenic Painting - Anya Kazimierski
Shadow puppets/video - Alexis Macnab
Stage Management - Paul Seliga
Technical Direction - Thadeus Reed
THE FASTING GIRLS is made possible by generous support from CA$H Theatre from Theatre Bay Area, The Jim Henson Foundation, The Puffin Foundation, Automata Arts, the Koret Foundation, the CalArts Center for New Performance, and the City of Santa Monica.
