Theaterlab Presents the World Premiere of Orietta Crispino's LET ME COOK FOR YOU: THE TRILOGY

Performances run September 2 – October 2.

By: Aug. 15, 2022
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Theaterlab Presents the World Premiere of Orietta Crispino's LET ME COOK FOR YOU: THE TRILOGY

Theaterlab will present the world premiere of Orietta Crispino's LET ME COOK FOR YOU: THE TRILOGY, a conclusion of a five-year exploration of memory, truth and fiction, fashion and food - and the nurturing nature of the stories we tell. Initiated in 2017 with Let Me Cook For You and developed in 2021 with This Would Look Good On You, the site-specific work returns to Theaterlab with an all-new coda, Let Me Dream With You.

Directed by Liza Cassidy and designed for a limited audience of up to fifteen people, the 130-minute show features a home-cooked meal, an installation of unique garments from Orietta's designer collection, and a closing ceremony, in which strangers share more than just the space. Performances will take place at Theaterlab (357 W 36th St, 3rd floor, NYC, 10018) and run from September 2 thru October 2; Friday & Saturday at 7:00 pm and Sunday at 5:00 pm. Tickets ($35-60) can be purchased at https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/1134578.

Let Me Cook For You is an epic journey through food, fashion, and fable. It is an invitation to a meal that is life itself, an offering of personal history as its main ingredient, a meditation on a life in service of others and on the kindness of strangers. It is a ritual of repetition and renewal, and a multi-sensory show that asks audiences to examine the stories and objects that make up a life. It focuses on the stories we repeat, the clothes we take from one place to another (in Orietta's case, from Milan to New York), and the foods that remind us of our childhoods. By sharing a meal, touching fabrics rich with history, and listening closely together, audiences engage with and re-enact the moments of resiliency that define our sense of self.

Writer and performer Orietta Crispino explains: "I am interested in how stories nurture us, how our personal myths shape who we are, and how we create personas of ourselves. It was always conceived as a trilogy and even though I didn't know exactly what the pieces would be like when I started, I knew that I wanted the audience as my cherished guests to journey through the space that is my artistic home, spending time with life in service of the other, and taking a close look at the obsession with beauty."

Director Liza Cassidy adds: "I had the pleasure of witnessing Orietta from the very inception and it is quite thrilling to finally experience her full artistic vision. Let Me Cook for You is an ingenious mechanism that reveals the way theater and performance bear witness to human experience and invites its integration - in this case, through consuming the work together, quite literally. Our process is a collaborative dance of improvising, listening, and witnessing to draw out the full meaning and content that celebrates what Orietta most cares to offer her audience."

The production features lighting design by Riva Fairhall. Molly Shayna Cohen is the Assistant Director.

Let Me Cook for You is a theatrical experience where the audience consumes food as they consume the larger-than-life story. Guests are invited to take their masks off and participate in this crucial element of the experience. In order to keep everyone safe, we will require a negative COVID test within 24 hours of the performance. You may submit your own COVID test (any kind will work, including at-home rapids); we will also offer testing on-site. Those who wish to receive a test from Theaterlab on-site must email theaterlab36@gmail.com and request a test at least 48 hours before the show and arrive 30 minutes before the curtain time.




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