hi. we’re BITCRUSHER, a digital theater collective
we make plays and put them on the internet.
the idea is to radically democratize the theater
by integrating it into the digital landscape
and by casting and showcasing diverse artists.
we’ve got an amazing group of performers and designers,
a couple of gigs at pretty cool venues,
scraps of half-finished manifestos, piles of student
debt and a healthy dose of absurd overconfidence.
we’d love you to join us.
THUD!
FringeNYC premiere
as seen in TimeOut NY
a drug-addicted hospital clown has to entertain a misanthropic 15-year-old
and finds the only thing that cheers her up is watching him get hurt
a play about other peoples’ suffering and why it’s hilarious.
written by Dan Rider
directed by Holly Kristina Goldstein
August 2016, tickets available July 15th
all jessy wants to do is have a tea party
what’s so funny about that?
created and performed by Jessy Yates, aka Cerebral Pussy
directed by Holly Kristina Goldstein
ONE NIGHT ONLY! September 16 @ Dixon Place
developed as part of the John Drew Theater Lab
at Guild Hall Theater
sam is transforming into a cello.
she doesn’t know why, she doesn’t know how
but she knows that she wants to be played.
a new musical about people, objects, and everything in between.
book, music and lyrics by Dan Rider
directed by Holly Kristina Goldstein
October 2016, venue TBD
so they tell us.
they say there’s no way to recreate the live experience
that its beauty is in its impermanence
and that there’s no replacing that simple, powerful act
of being a body in a room with other bodies
that it’s foolhardy to even try.
and they’re right. it can’t be done
and we’re not trying to.
we just want to provide an alternative
for those without $80 for a ticket
for those without the means to live in NYC
for those who have to work during box office hours
for those who can’t make it up the stairs to the mezzanine
for those who don’t feel safe going out at night.
for those who are marginalized, because theater can
and should exist in the margins. for all of us.
HOLLY KRISTINA GOLDSTEIN (co-artistic director) is a director, stage manager and performer currently based in New York City. Recent Stage Management & Technical credits include The Mary Jo Camel Show: Vitals at Ars Nova’s ANTFest ,Seven Minutes in Eternity at Columbia University, The Young Artists and Writers’ Project at Stony Brook University Southampton and over 35 productions while on the technical team at Dixon Place. Recent Directorial and performance credits are Perfect Fifths at the John Drew Theater Lab, Houseworld, Kate Mueth and the Neopolitical Cowgirls’ EVE at Judson Gym, You’re Going to Hell If You Laugh – featured in BAM’s CRIPFEST 2015 – at Playwrights Horizons Theatre School, andThud! at Playwrights Horizons Theatre School, which will make its fully staged debut at NYC Fringe in August.
DAN RIDER (co-artistic director) is a writer, musician, sound designer and actor. Dan was the first-ever musical theater apprentice at Playwrights Horizons, and the assistant music director of Hadestown at NYTW, by Anais Mitchell, directed by Rachel Chavkin. Recent sound design credits include A Ride on the Irish Cream(American Realness), The Wolves (Clubbed Thumb), MOUSE (The Brick’s Trans Theater Festival), and 7 Minutes in Eternity (Columbia University, upcoming). Dan garnered over 600,000 views on YouTube with his video, “Doctor Who Theme A Cappella (With Lyrics!)” which was featured on The Morning Show and CNN’s “Geek Out!” blog. “Dan Rider is a gift–intuitive, creative, and totally focused–can’t wait to see what he does next!” —Anais Mitchell www.daninadress.com
ARTISTS-IN-RESIDENCE:
• Allison Ciuci, resident producer (Di and Viv and Rose, Theater Row)
• Jessy Yates, performer-in-residence (BAM’s Cripfest)
• Hannah Cook, resident designer (The Neo-Political Cowgirls’ EVE, the Gym at Judson)
• Dani Leggard, resident graphic designer
• Ian Elliott, resident videographer (NJTV)
The initial $10,000 in seed money we’re asking for will get us through our first two productions (Thud! and You’re Going to Hell if you Laugh), allowing us to pay for props, costumes, space, and most importantly, collaborators! The budget roughly breaks down like this:
As if a three-show season weren’t enough, BITCRUSHER will be appearing a few other times in the coming months:
Bitcrusher is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a nonprofit arts service organization. Contributions for the charitable purposes of Bitcrusher must be made payable to “Fractured Atlas” only. Any contribution above the value of the goods and services received by the donor is tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.