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written by kay kemp
developed by The Elif Collective
The artist is working. We don’t know how long it’s been. His publicist eats takeout in the corner, blindfolded. She’s only allowed to examine his work by touch, and she insists that it—that she—is warm. In turns absurd comedy and starved romance, sleepless is an interrogation of creative obsession and mediated intimacy.
ORIGINALLY CONCEIVED AS PART OF THE
Elif Bet Residency
The Elif Bet Residency is a pilot play development program that centers collective devising and audience involvement. The program elevates non-traditional forms of storytelling – like interactive activities and social experiences – to the same level as traditional scene-writing. The Residency works through the following components:
Dramaturgy Meetings
The playwright, director, and dramaturg discuss the play’s development and how to use labs to serve playwright’s goals.
Experimental Labs
The whole team, including actors, meet to read new pages, improvise around them, and devise new sequences.
Intermediary Showings
The team invites audience members to participate in the show’s interactive activities and share feedback.
sleepless had its Elif Bet Residency readings in December 2024 at the Dramatists Guild Foundation and the Endangered Language Alliance.
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