A live reading of the entire United States Constitution, narrated by a full cast, accompanied by projected cartoon images inspired by a century of American pop culture icons!
Adapted from R. Sikoryak’s graphic novel Constitution Illustrated
Featuring
Cecily Lyn Benjamin
Marissa Carpio
Spencer Gonzalez
M. Sweeney Lawless
and R. Sikoryak
Wednesday, October 30 at Dixon Place
Dixon Place, 161A Chrystie Street, New York, NY 10002
Wednesday, Oct 30, 2024
Doors: 7:30pm
Estimated Runtime 60-70 minutes
TICKETS
Standard Admission: $17 in advance, $20 at the door
Students and Seniors (please bring ID): $14 in advance, $20 at the door
Tickets and more info:
https://dixonplace.org/performances/constitution-illustrated/
carouselslideshow.com
Among Sikoryak’s spot-on unions of government articles and amendments with famous comic-book characters: the Eighteenth Amendment that instituted prohibition is articulated with The Simpsons; the Fourteenth Amendment that solidifies citizenship to everyone born and naturalized in the US is personified by Ms. Marvel; and the Nineteenth Amendment offering women the right to vote depicts Wonder Woman breaking free from her chains. American artists from George Herriman (Krazy Kat) and Charles Schulz (Peanuts) to Raina Telgemeier (Sisters) and Alison Bechdel (Dykes to Watch Out For) are homaged, with their characters reimagined in historical costumes and situations. Sikoryak distills the very essence of the government legalese from the abstract to the tangible, the historical to the contemporary.
Praise for the book:
“The most slyly patriotic book of the year.” —The New York Times
“This pastiche of comics and politics is a cleverly educational and irresistible way to engage with this foundational text.” —Publishers Weekly
“From Preamble to Amendment XXVII, this is a comic lover/political junkie’s dream…” —School Library Journal
“Sikoryak’s satirical pairings breathe new and sometimes uncomfortable life into the United States’ most living document.” —Pop Matters
“Constitution Illustrated is as much a history lesson about great American comics as it is about the country’s most cherished foundational document.”
—Popzara
“The Constitution is a fixture of our lives, whether we think about it daily or not, and so too are some if not all of these artists. They are the We of We the People.”
—Multiversity Comics
“R. Sikoryak, able to perfectly mimic any other cartoonist, is the Will Elder of our time… I’m totally in awe of the many different styles and characters that are included…”
—Boing Boing
For more info on the book:
https://drawnandquarterly.com/books/constitution-illustrated/
Bios
Cecily Lyn Benjamin – is an actor, director and writer holding degrees from UCLA and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She is an emeritus member of The WorkShop Theater Company and former workshop leader and guest artist with Rehabilitation through the Arts at Sing Sing Correctional Facility. She has appeared in numerous productions including national tours, Off and Off-Off Broadway plays, as well as film and television. On screen acting credits include: Sing Sing, Paul Schrader’s First Reformed, HBO’s Random Acts of Flyness, the web-series, Off-Off Kilter, AFI’s One of the Boys and The Friends. Stage credits include: The Revolutionists, The Color of Justice (national tour), Verbatim Verboten, with guest artist Olympia Dukakis, and NY Times Critic’s Pick Interchange at the WorkShop Theater.
Marissa Carpio is an actor and filmmaker from outside of Chicago, currently based in NYC. Catch her onscreen in HOCUS POCUS 2, THE SLEEPOVER, “KRAFTY KID” with Ryan Reynolds and more. Her award-winning screenplay MISSUS is currently in development. She also produced the acclaimed English-language world premiere of Yukio Mishima’s play “The Lighthouse.” www.MarissaCarpio.com
Spencer Gonzalez is a young artist based in NYC. Since graduating from The Manhattan School of Music with a degree in Musical Theatre, Spencer has performed in several brand new plays in Off and Off-off Broadway theaters. Some recent favorites include Ghostlight at The Tank, Indian Summer with Columbia University and Here There Be Dragons at The Players Theatre. Instagram @spencergonzalezz
M. Sweeney Lawless is a writer and dramaturg in NYC. Recent work includes writing in issues of American Bystander and Lowbrow Reader. Meg is Resident Scrivener at The Unemployed Philosophers Guild and can hide up to five bees secretly in her mouth.
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