The World Premiere of THE MAR VISTA, a dance/theater work written and choreographed by Yehuda Hyman in collaboration with the Mystical Feet Company (Ron Kagan, Dwight Kelly, Amanda Schussel and Hyman), will be presented at The Theater at the 14th Street Y, 344 E. 14th Street, from June 11 – 13, 2015 at 8pm and June 14, 2015 at 3pm and 7pm, as part of NYTF’s KulturfestNYC. Tickets are $18 in advance or $22.50 at the door. Tickets are available at 646-395-4310 or www.labajournal.com/2014/12/mar-vista/.

 

THE MAR VISTA is a fractured memoir about an American Jewish family. Taking place over a span of almost 100 years, THE MAR VISTA weaves together dance, gesture, spoken word, improvisation and ritual to tell a comical/tragical fragmented narrative about Hyman’s parents.

 

“Mar Vista” is Spanish for “view of the sea.” It is also the name of the Los Angeles neighborhood where Hyman grew up, a working class area on the Westside that had a high population of World War II and Korean War veterans and their families, many of whom bought their homes with the help of GI loans. The neighborhood’s name held within it a promise of views of the Pacific Ocean for all.  Unfortunately, the Hyman’s small house was at the bottom of a big hill, which blocked his family’s view. In this lyrical and quirky new work, Hyman attempts to climb that hill and witness the sea below.

 

THE MAR VISTA is performed in three parts:

Part 1:  Hamsa, is a solo performed by Hyman, which deals with curses, Passover, the 10 plagues and the story of his father.

Part 2:  Leaning Into Moisture, a duet for Hyman and Amanda Schussel about his mother and her forbidden wartime romance in Istanbul.

Part 3:  Cincinnati, takes place in Cincinnati, 1951 on the night that Hyman’s father proposed to his mother – in a hurry.

 

The MAR VISTA was incubated at LABA: A Laboratory for Jewish Culture at the 14th Street Y.

 

“LABA was the breeding ground for the birth of THE MAR VISTA,” explained Artistic Director Ronit Muszkatblit. “That year the theme of ‘Mother’ resonated with Yehuda and inspired him to develop this exciting dance theater work.”

 

Creative Credits

Artistic Director/Choreographer: Yehuda Hyman

Performers: Yehuda Hyman, Ron Kagan, Dwight Kelly, Amanda Schussel

Costume Designer: Amy Page

Lighting Designer: Kryssy Wright

Sound Designer: Dominick Boyle

 

Yehuda Hyman was born in Los Angeles to immigrant parents from Poland and Russia. He began making dances in NYC at the Riverside Dance Festival and Washington Square Church. His work has been produced at the McCarter Theatre, Mark Taper Forum, San Diego Repertory Theater, and Highways Performance Space among others. Honors include two NEA Grants, Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays Award, Jerome Fellowship and grants from the Center for Jewish Culture and Creativity. He performed his solo piece, The Mad 7 at the NYC Fringe, the JCC Manhattan and across the U.S. and performs with Target Margin Theater (at HERE Arts Center, Chocolate Factory and the Bushwick Starr). He was a 2013/14 Artist Fellow at the LABA House of Study/14th Street Y. He received his M.F.A. in Dance from Sarah Lawrence College and currently teaches in the Dance/Movement Therapy M.S. program at Sarah Lawrence College. He is the Artistic Director of Yehuda Hyman/Mystical Feet.

 

About The 14th Street Y

The 14th Street Y serves over 10,000 East Village residents each year with a variety of community programs. The 14th Street Y is proud to be a part of Educational Alliance, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a 125-year history of serving New Yorkers downtown.

 

The Theater at the 14th Street Y is a center for experimental theater, dance, and multi-disciplinary arts wherein the many faces of a vibrant community center in the East Village meet.

 

“It all starts here. Art incubated at the 14th Street Y.”