THE TALLEST MAN IN THE WORLD

“As a composer and a writer, a significant talent.” – The Irish Times

Ailís Ní Ríain is an Irish contemporary classical composer and published writer for stage who aims to produce work that challenges, provokes and engages. A regular collaborator with artists in other art-forms, her artistic interests are diverse and combined with an unwavering desire to push and develop her artistic practice through each new project or commission. In November 2016 she was awarded the prestigious Paul Hamlyn Award for Composers. www.ailis.info

Ran Xia is an interdisciplinary theatre artist originally from Shanghai, China. As a playwright, her plays have been seen on NYC stages including IRT (POMEGRENADE, also artistic producer of The Arctic Group's Fridge Fest), HERE Arts Center (Harmony), Dixon Place (ECHO, PRINCESS ANYBODY, NORTH, THEY LIVED IN THE ATTIC, TABULA RASA, etc.), The Tank (ECHO, TAO, during Dark Fest), 4th Street Theater at NYTW (WORD PLAY), The Brick ([ai]), Jewel Box Theater (DE PROFUNDIS, also at the Cell), The Kraine (TRES EX MACHINA), The Wild Project (LORD BYRON IN VELVET DANCE SHOES, and the upcoming DIRT), etc. As a frequent collaborator with the Exquisite Corpse Co., her audio/visual installation ECHO is currently featured in The Memory House (404A Colonel Row, Governors Island). She was one of the writers for THE ENCHANTED REALM OF RENE MAGRITTE. Ran is a current Resident Director at The Flea. She has directed DAISY, WANDA, AND THE GREAT RAPTURE for ECC's site-specific series on Governors Island, DISABILITY, (Planet Connections Festivity), and INDEPENDENT STUDY (The Tank) . As a sound designer, she's worked on Maggie Cino's production of THREE SISTERS at The Brick, Colleen Hughes' YOU SOUND LIKE A GIRL, SOUND SCULPTURE with Project + Connect, the recent revival of an immersive DUTCHMAN (Dir. Demone), etc. Ran is a co-creator of the bi-monthly Polar Bear Plunge salon show at Lucky Jack's. Off Broadway Assistant Directing credit include BABY FAT: ACT I (La Mama & Columbia Stages, Dir. Michael Scholar Jr.), TWO MILE HOLLOW (by Leah Nanako Winkler, Dir. Morgan Gould at Woman's Project), THE GREAT LEAP (by Lauren Yee, Dir. Taibi Magar at the Atlantic Theater), and the upcoming Carrie Mae Weems performance art concert at Joe's Pub. A contributing critic with Theatre Is Easy and Exuent. ranxia.info | thearcticgroup.org

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