The Big Funk Company Presents Joanna Pickering's THE ENDGAME in Paris

The reading is on December 2nd, at Le Pave D’Orsay in Paris. 

By: Nov. 30, 2022
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The Big Funk Company Presents Joanna Pickering's THE ENDGAME in Paris

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Endgame, a new play written by Joanna Pickering, is on the roster for The Big Funk Company (American Theatre in Paris) for their American Friday play reading evening on December 2nd, at Le Pave D'Orsay in Paris.

The Endgame tackles as yet unspoken issues on stage and takes place over a game of chess. It has been described as brutally honest and intense, with daring humor, suspense and wit.

The Endgame sold out shows in New York City, in August 2022, in its first development production with New Perspective Theatre Company, directed by Illana Stein (Overall Excellence Award in Directing at NY fringe theatre) starring Marie Eléna O'Brien and William Franke. The play was written for New Perspective's Theatre Woman's Work Lab as part of their Short Play Festival, after Pickering was awarded a short play fellowship by producer and artistic director Melody Brooks. Pickering, who initially wrote The Endgame for a full play, has been awarded the full play fellowship with New Perspective Theatre, for 2023.

The Endgame has been further developed, with directorial and dramaturgy input from Gould, as part of Pickering's new full-length play, Bad Victims. Bad Victims is a collection from Pickering's one act plays, interwoven with The Endgame, and tells the stories of three women and their unpredictable reactions in the aftermath of violent assault. In its debut, Pickering played the lead protagonist alongside West End's Richard Emerson (Chess, ENO Coliseum, West End, Alain Boublil's Manhattan Parisienne, A Chorus of Disapproval directed by Trevor Nunn, West End), Georgia Christodoulou (Romeo and Juliet, Midsummer Scene Festival), Kyle Titterton (TV series Sons of Spielberg), Lisa Depuis (BBC's Doctors, ITV's Vines), Eugenia Kuzmina, (Woody Allen Fading Gigolo, Guy Ritchie's The Gentlemen, Spy City, True Blood, New Girl), Dara Seitzman (Twelfth Night, Grease), Lera Savannah and Aoife Scott (The National Youth Theatre).

The work was noted for its powerful and scorching writing and likened to when The Vagina Monologues hit the West End—uncomfortable and brilliant—and a cultural must for expanding the conversation in a post-me-too universe. Pickering's writing was described as Noel Coward meets Sarah Kane with the deviousness of Phoebe Waller-Bridge to flip a scenario on its head, and a blast of Kane with an echo of Tarantino.

Founder, actress, producer of BFC Tiffany Hofstetter has said, "I have waited a life time to play a female role like this and as a producer to put such a daring play to stage on topics that will open the conversation."

This upcoming evening in Paris is a chance to preview Pickering's The Endgame, as a stand alone one act play, with Gould's directorial input, alongside four other playwrights and one act plays readings.

The full line up for the evening is as follows:

Dissonance by Craig Pospisil, directed by Tiffany Hofstetter

with Olivier Raynal and Laura Woody

Back in the Day written/directed by Jimi Goninan

with Laura Woody and Tiffany Hofstetter

16 pounds by Neil LaBute, directed by Olivier Raynal

with Sharon Mann and Matthew Luret

The Endgame* by Joanna Pickering, directed by Erica Gould

with Tiffany Hofstetter and Olivier Raynal

*The Endgame comes with an explicit trigger warning for sexual assault and language. 18+ or 16-18 PG.

Pickering has previously showcased work in Paris. Her trilogy Truth, Lies and Deception sold out its full run in December 2021. The trilogy is published by Next Stage Press and is now available to buy at the Drama Book Store in New York City.

The Big Funk company was created following a Bilingual Acting Workshop production of "The Big Funk" by John Patrick Shanley. The BFC's first production was a collection of 5 never-before-seen one-act plays called "In my life" by John Patrick Shanley, directed by Julie DeLaurenti. Since then the BFC has taken over the France theatre scene with original work such as "Dog Cat Story", written and directed by Julie DeLaurenti performed in Paris at the Alhambra in 2014, American classics such as "Un Tramway Nomme Desir" (A Streetcar Named Desire) by Tennessee Williams, directed by Manuel Olinger, performed at the 2016 and 2017 Avignon Theater Festival, a 2017 tour in France, and in 2020 in Paris at the Théâtre de La Scène Parisienne, and American Wednesdays, original full length plays at the Theatre de Dix Heures in 2018. The BFC's current creation/production of "Maya, A Voice" (inspired by the life of Maya Angelou) and directed by Molière-winner Eric Bouvron, is currently on tour around France before a full run in Paris.

Since 2014 the BFC offers seasonal American theater events in Paris including: American Sundays, Brunch and Theater at the Théâtre du Lucernaire; and Theater Fridays, play-readings and wine.

 




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