About the Show
Opus 14, No. 1 is in the key of E major. And it’s a party, and there are people at the party, and wasn’t it a great time? Too bad Karl couldn’t make it, he’s been pretty down lately. But yeah, no, it was so great to finally meet you, I’ve really got to get back to my studio. I play piano.
Ludwig van Beethoven wrote 32 sonatas for pianoforte (sometimes called the New Testament of keyboard music, following an Old Testament by J.S. Bach) and some of these sonatas have little nicknames like "Pathetique," "Moonlight," "Tempest," and "The Hunt." THE PEOPLE v. BEETHOVEN is a long-term performance project exploring the narrative potential of these multi-movement works through a series of hybrid piano recitals. This is Part Two of Thirty-Two.
Created and Performed by Ian Axness
Directed by Jeanna Phillips
About the Artists
Ian Axness is a pianist and music director based in Brooklyn. He pursues a wide range of creative projects — from the classical canon and American musical theater to improv, cabaret, and devised ensemble performance — and has collaborated with writers and directors at New Dramatists, Yale Rep, Ars Nova, York Theatre, NY City Opera, Oberlin College, Brooklyn College, and CAP 21. Recent productions: The Other Room (Inner Voices/Premieres), The Threepenny Opera (Atlantic), Clown Bar (Pipeline Theatre), Carousel (NY Philharmonic, with Rob Fisher), Lyrics & Lyricists: W.S. Gilbert (92nd Street Y), Political Subversities (Ars Nova & The PIT), As You Like It (Delacorte/Public). Faculty: Playwrights Horizons Theater School. www.ianaxness.com
Jeanna Phillips is a multidisciplinary theatre artist living in Brooklyn. She recently assisted directors Annie Tippe (Debutante, Bernie Wohl Arts Center) and Ryan Amador (The RealAD Show, NYU Abu Dhabi), and her original work has been performed at Dixon Place and the Experimental Theatre Wing. As a performer Jeanna has developed new work with Elizabeth Swados, Moises Kauffman, Rachel Chavkin, Oliver Butler, Dave Malloy, Cynthia Hopkins, Karen O, and Adam Rapp. Recent productions: The Fatal Eggs (American Theatre of Actors), Stop the Virgens (St. Ann’s Warehouse, Sydney Opera House), The Imaginary Menagerie (Joe’s Pub, Ars Nova). BFA: NYU