Play of Delights
A community-based theater project that celebrates delight in everyday life
Performance, celebration, and potluck
Saturday, June 22 and Sunday, June 23, 4–6 PM
Saturday, June 22, 7–9 PM (BIPOC Community Night)
Youth Farm Project
24 Nelson Road, Ithaca
Free, reservations requested
Join professional and community artists for Play of Delights, the culmination of a four-month theater project involving performers of all ages from Ithaca and Trumansburg. The performance will feature essays inspired by The Book of Delights by award-winning author Ross Gay brought to life as dance theater and original work. Afterward, we will celebrate with a potluck and possibly a bonfire. We welcome you to dress with delight and bring something delicious to share!
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Tickets are free but we ask that you please reserve your seats so we know how many people to expect. Transportation and childcare are available! Fill out this form to sign up.
Credits
Co-facilitated and directed by G-Quan Booker and Sarah Plotkin
Created and performed by Sea Bayer, G-Quan Booker, Ali Diemecke, Ritza Francois, Xanthe Matychak, McDonald (Mac) Morris, Stephen Nunley, Megan Omohundro, and Elissa Palmer.
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Stage Managers: Deletris Bryant and Haleigh Oliver
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Company Managers: Robin Guiver and Jen Percy-Edwards
Associate Producer: Carley Robinson
Co-producers: Story House Ithaca, Civic Ensemble, and Jason B. Simms
Play of Delights is supported by a Humanities New York Action Grant, the Cornell Rural Humanities initiative from an award by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, a grant from Triad Foundation, Inc.​, and rehearsal space funded by the New York State Council on the Arts.
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FAQ
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How much does it cost?
The event is free! We will welcome donations online and at the door, which will be split between our community partners in Ithaca and Trumansburg: The Greater Ithaca Activities Center (GIAC) and the Ulysses Philomathic Library.
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Is it accessible?
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The Youth Farm Project is an ADA accessible venue and an accessible portable restroom will be provided.
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Is it appropriate for children? Will childcare be provided?
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The event will be most enjoyable for ages 8+, though younger children are welcome to attend if they are interested. Content will include mature themes, including discussion of anti-Black racism in the media and racial trauma. Childcare will be provided for children 4+. If you will need childcare, fill out this form.
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What is The Book of Delights?
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From the publisher: A spirited collection of short lyric essays, The Book of Delights, written daily over a tumultuous year, reminds us of the purpose and pleasure of praising and celebrating ordinary wonders.
Among Ross Gay's funny, poetic, philosophical delights: a friend's unabashed use of air quotes, cradling a tomato seedling aboard an airplane, the silent nod of acknowledgement between the only two Black people in a room. But Gay never dismisses the complexities, even the terrors, of living in America as a Black man or the ecological and psychic violence of our consumer culture or the loss of those he loves. More than any subject, Gay celebrates the beauty of the natural world – his garden, the flowers peeking out of the sidewalk, the hypnotic movements of a praying mantis. These remarkable essays serve as a powerful and necessary reminder that we can, and should, stake out a space in our lives for delight.
Additional questions?