The Catastrophic Theatre and Houston Cinema Arts Society (HCAS) announce a free two week virtual run of Leap and the Net Will Appear by playwright Chana Porter, directed by Tara Ahmadinejad, from August 21 – September 3. Catastrophic produced the rolling world-premiere of the play in conjunction with New Georges Theatre in New York City in 2018. A recording from Catastrophic’s initial run will be available via HCAS’s virtual streaming platform. As a complement to the play, Catastrophic and HCAS are co-presenting two live engagements. Director Tara Ahmadinejad and Chana Porter will engage in a live discussion about the work on Wednesday, August 26 at 7pm CST, and composer Andrew Lynch will hold a live concert of original music from the play on Wednesday, September 2 at 7pm CST. Both live events will stream via Catastrophic’s YouTube channel. The entire program is free to watch but donations are encouraged, going to support the participating artists.
Margie was raised to be a good girl, but Margie has a secret: she wants to be a lion. Leap and the Net WIll Appear traces one woman’s highly theatrical, time-hopping search for adventure, for love, and for her true self. Packed with wildly eccentric family members and unpredictable lovers, Margie’s journey is at turns uproariously funny and probingly melancholic. Her fierce insistence that she can discover her most fundamental nature takes her across the globe in a romantic and bewildering whirlwind.
“The Houston Cinema Arts Society is honored to be co-presenting this beautifully filmed recording of Leap and the Net Will Appear, the first of Chana Porter’s plays to be produced by The Catastrophic Theatre,” HCAS Artistic Director Jessica Green says. “Porter, on a frequency all her own, has a lot to say about who we are and what motivates us. The Catastrophic Theatre’s co-artistic director Tamarie Cooper’s performance in Leap is also a revelation and not to be missed the 2nd time around. At HCAS we are also really looking forward to the upcoming live online concert of original music from the play by Composer Andrew Lynch, and the live conversation with Director Tara Ahmadinejad and Playwright Chana Porter.”
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Houston Cinema Arts Society on a virtual screening of one of our most beloved world premieres, Chana Porter’s Leap and the Net Will Appear,” says The Catastrophic Theatre’s Managing Director Shayna Schlosberg. “Chana, Tara, and Andrew formed a deep bond with our Catastrophic community, and we can’t wait to host them for the live engagement events and to introduce this dynamic artistic team to Houston Cinema Arts Society’s audience. As all arts organizations find their way forward during this challenging time, collaboration is more important than ever before. We are grateful to HCAS for this opportunity and hope this partnership between our organizations is the first of many to come!”
For tickets, visit: https://www.cinemahtx.org/event/leap-and-the-net-will-appear/
To watch the live streams, visit: https://www.youtube.com/user/catastrophictheatre