Artists Space

The Owl Answers

Staged Reading
February 29, 2020, 7pm

Acclaimed director Tea Alagić presents a staged reading of Kennedy's classic play The Owl Answers, which premiered at the White Barn Theatre in Westport, Connecticut in 1965. Set in a shifting landscape composed of a New York City subway, the prison at the Tower of London, a Harlem hotel room, and an altar at Saint Peter's Basilica, a young black girl's desperate attempt to establish her white heritage is spurned by a chorus of Europeans, embodied in the towering figures of Chaucer, Shakespeare, William the Conqueror, and Anne Boleyn.

Limited tickets available
RSVP to friends@artistsspace.org

A light pink paper with black typeface announcing the premiere of two plays, AM by Otis Bigelow and The Owl Answers by Adrienne Kennedy. Other printed information includes the time, date and location of the show, the board of directors, and the director.
Poster for the original production of The Owl Answers at The White Barn Theatre in Westport, Connecticut, 1965. Courtesy the Harry Ransom Archives at UT Austin, Texas. [A light pink paper with black typeface announcing the premiere of two plays, AM by Otis Bigelow and The Owl Answers by Adrienne Kennedy. Other printed information includes the time, date and location of the show, the board of directors, and the director.]

Tea Alagic is an internationally-acclaimed, multilingual director. Based in NYC, her credits include off-Broadway, regional and international productions of both traditional theater and devised work. She holds a BFA in acting from Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic, and an MFA in directing from the Yale School of Drama, where she received the Julian Milton Kaufman Prize in Directing. Tea is presently the head of the MFA and BFA directing department at The New School for Drama in NYC.

Directed by Tea Alagić
Dramaturgy by Andi Villa Stover
Stage Management and Sound by I-Chen Wang

Cast
Tiffany Rachelle Stewart
Tonya Pinkins
Jay Smith
Cynthia LaCruz
Jamar Williams
Ryan Desaulniers

Six figures stand before a set of music stands in front of a seated audience in an interior space with industrial columns. They stand side by side in a horizontal line and are illuminated by overhead lights. A figure at the group
The Owl Answers. Performance documentation, February 29, 2020, Artists Space. Photo ©️ 2020 Filip Wolak. [Six figures stand before a set of music stands in front of a seated audience in an interior space with industrial columns. They stand side by side in a horizontal line and are illuminated by overhead lights. A figure at the group's center looks up towards the audience, speaking. Their outstretched hand gestures towards the crowd.]
Close up of three figures standing side by side. The figure on the right raises a fist in the air and appears to shout towards the figures on their left. They wear glasses and an intricate, gold and black collar piece. The figure directly to their left gazes downwards, pressing their fingers to their temples.
The Owl Answers. Performance documentation, February 29, 2020, Artists Space. Photo ©️ 2020 Filip Wolak. [Close up of three figures standing side by side. The figure on the right raises a fist in the air and appears to shout towards the figures on their left. They wear glasses and an intricate, gold and black collar piece. The figure directly to their left gazes downwards, pressing their fingers to their temples.]
Close up shot of four music stands arranged side by side. The torsos and hands of three figures are pictured beside the stands. They leaf through the pages of scripts held in black binders, supported by the music stands.
The Owl Answers. Performance documentation, February 29, 2020, Artists Space. Photo ©️ 2020 Filip Wolak. [Close up shot of four music stands arranged side by side. The torsos and hands of three figures are pictured beside the stands. They leaf through the pages of scripts held in black binders, supported by the music stands.]
Five figures standing before a set of music stands. The figure closest to the viewer stands in profile and gazes ahead, while two figures directly behind them look towards him with furrowed brows.
The Owl Answers. Performance documentation, February 29, 2020, Artists Space. Photo ©️ 2020 Filip Wolak. [Five figures standing before a set of music stands. The figure closest to the viewer stands in profile and gazes ahead, while two figures directly behind them look towards him with furrowed brows.]
Six figures standing around a line of music stands in an interior space with concrete flooring and industrial columns. Some of the figures lean against the columns, their hands at their sides or casually crossed at their chests. Five of them stare at an isolated figure situated in front of the line of music stands, holding a black binder. She turns to gaze back at the others, illuminated by overhead lights as she speaks.
The Owl Answers. Performance documentation, February 29, 2020, Artists Space. Photo ©️ 2020 Filip Wolak. [Six figures standing around a line of music stands in an interior space with concrete flooring and industrial columns. Some of the figures lean against the columns, their hands at their sides or casually crossed at their chests. Five of them stare at an isolated figure situated in front of the line of music stands, holding a black binder. She turns to gaze back at the others, illuminated by overhead lights as she speaks.]
Two figures standing behind a set of music stands. The figure on the left gazes downwards, while the figure on the right looks up, speaking. Her hands are raised by her torso in a gesture. Both figures wear dark clothing.
The Owl Answers. Performance documentation, February 29, 2020, Artists Space. Photo ©️ 2020 Filip Wolak. [Two figures standing behind a set of music stands. The figure on the left gazes downwards, while the figure on the right looks up, speaking. Her hands are raised by her torso in a gesture. Both figures wear dark clothing.]
Three figures standing by a set of music stands in front of a seated audience. The center figure faces the audience, her arms stretched wide. The figures on either side of her appear to mime grasping something above themselves—such as a bar or handle—with one hand. One
The Owl Answers. Performance documentation, February 29, 2020, Artists Space. Photo ©️ 2020 Filip Wolak. [Three figures standing by a set of music stands in front of a seated audience. The center figure faces the audience, her arms stretched wide. The figures on either side of her appear to mime grasping something above themselves—such as a bar or handle—with one hand. One's expression is solemn, the other's incredulous.]
Close up of two figures standing before a set of music stands, their hands turning the pages of a script. They gaze at each other while the figure on the right speaks, their arm raised towards their chest in a small gesture. This figure wears glasses and an elaborate, gold and black collar piece.
The Owl Answers. Performance documentation, February 29, 2020, Artists Space. Photo ©️ 2020 Filip Wolak. [Close up of two figures standing before a set of music stands, their hands turning the pages of a script. They gaze at each other while the figure on the right speaks, their arm raised towards their chest in a small gesture. This figure wears glasses and an elaborate, gold and black collar piece.]
Two figures behind music stands perform before a seated audience. One of the figures wears a striped shirt and has turned away from the figure beside them, who gazes out towards the audience as they speak.
The Owl Answers. Performance documentation, February 29, 2020, Artists Space. Photo ©️ 2020 Filip Wolak. [Two figures behind music stands perform before a seated audience. One of the figures wears a striped shirt and has turned away from the figure beside them, who gazes out towards the audience as they speak.]
Six figures each stand before a music stand in front of a seated audience. They are arranged side by side in a horizontal line, illuminated by overhead lights. A figure at the group
The Owl Answers. Performance documentation, February 29, 2020, Artists Space. Photo ©️ 2020 Filip Wolak. [Six figures each stand before a music stand in front of a seated audience. They are arranged side by side in a horizontal line, illuminated by overhead lights. A figure at the group's center is speaking. Their outstretched hand gestures towards the crowd.]

The Owl Answers Program Book

Support for this program is provided by The Friends of Artists Space, Lambent Foundation Fund of Tides Foundation, May and Samuel Rudin Foundation, Atelier4, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.