Romeo Castellucci returns to Peak Performances @ Montclair with his latest masterwork Hey Girl! Peak Performances presented Castellucci’s Tragedia Endogonida in 2005, one of the most talked-about productions on either side of the Hudson. The lobby of the Alexander Kasser Theater was a veritable who’s who of the best and brightest on the national theater scene, all drawn by the rare opportunity to see Castellucci’s work in the United States.

Garnering critical praise at the Festival d’Automne in Paris at the Odeon Théâtre, this production is also touring across the United States and Canada in some of the most prestigious venues such as: The Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, The Wexner Center in Columbus, The Walker Arts Center in Minneapolis, PuSh International Performing Arts Festival in Vancouver and On the Boards in Seattle. Peak Performances @ Montclair will be the exclusive East Coast Premiere of Hey Girl!

For Hey Girl!, the stage is enveloped in fog as slow music surrounds the audience. A gelatinous substance softly falls from a table to the floor. Then, little by little, as if shedding a skin, the naked body of a young woman emerges. She will face many challenges as a newborn. She will need to harden herself and form a protective shell. Half Joan of Arc, half Juliet, she will be torn between the desire to fight for her freedom and a powerlessness that condemns her to wait to be saved. How can she free herself from the constraints of culture and history? How can she express her individuality? Castellucci shows that gestures still suggest meaning to us, even when deprived of context. Woven of images of fascinating and frightening strength, Hey Girl! explores the female body and sensitivity, evoking the slavery, violence, and servitude that still too often afflict women. Hey Girl! was inspired by a simple moment at an intersection when Castellucci saw a group of girls waiting for a bus. In Castellucci’s masterful hands, nuance is everything-- a look, a gesture, a raised eyebrow, or a nod speaks volumes.

Romeo Castellucci and his company Socìetas Raffaello Sanzio, (founded in 1981) are based in Cesena, Italy and though internationally acclaimed, rarely perform in the United States. Castellucci began his artistic life as a painter and the Raffaello in the company’s name refers to the Renaissance painter, Raphael. The company’s mission is to encompass all art forms and create work that challenges all our senses.

Adventurous theater lovers know that Peak Performances has presented the most exciting companies from around the world! Last season saw an extended visit by the fearless Jan Fabre. And in 2007, The Trojan Women: An Asian Story, which filtered Euripides through the stories of Korean comfort women in World War II, was a critical and popular triumph.

Tickets for Hey Girl! are only $15. To order your tickets call the Box Office at 973-655-5112 or order online at peakperfs.org. Peak Performances @ Montclair: Every Performance, every seat $15.

WNYC is a media sponsor for the 2007/2008 Season of Peak Performances @ Montclair. Peak Performances also acknowledges the generous support of the National Endowment for the Arts and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

Hey Girl! by Romeo Castellucci
Performance Schedule: Thursday, February 7th and Friday February 8th at 7:30pm
Saturday, February 9th at 8pm, Sunday, February 10th at 3pm
Tickets: $15
Peak Performances @ Montclair
Alexander Kasser Theater
Montclair State University
One Normal Avenue
Montclair, New Jersey
Box Office: 973 655 5112
www.peakperfs.org

Media Contact:

Alfred R. Fredel 973.655.3004
fredela@mail.montclair.edu

Released: January 8, 2008