Arca Nova is an epic, song-filled work which unearths the mythical and mystical foundations of the stories and parables found in "The Book of Genesis." It is not an adaptation of Genesis; rather, it is more like a theatrical commentary, in the tradition of scholarly and Rabbinical commentary, which uses the unique medium of theatre to explore and interpret elements of this vastly important spiritual text.

The performance is breathtakingly beautiful. Its scenic and visual elements, its many live songs (about 20, both instrumental and a capella), its dynamic physical score, wonderful actors, and complex choreography- all of these make Arca Nova an unforgettable and inspiring theatrical event.

The audience enters as living cargo into an ark-like vessel, in the midst of a present-day deluge. When the ark embarks on its flood voyage, the crew begins its enactment of scenes and stories of Genesis and its mythical underpinnings. Arca Nova presents the stories in its own way, not as a proposal for the "reality" of the "original stories," but as a personal, theatrical reaction to the stories in all their forms-- Biblical, Apocryphal, Midrashic, Modern, etc.

The powerful tales from the ancient and mysterious world of Genesis are woven together as the voyage progresses toward its ultimate moment: the return to a transformed and purified earth. It is our hope that the audience, upon exiting the ark of the theatre, will experience this change and carry it with them.

 " 'Enchanting,' 'awe-inspiring' and 'ecstatic' are vain attempts to describe what was truly an indescribable experience."
--Jordan Kinzler, The River Reporter (Catskills)

Arca Nova is the most ambitious performance project to date by NACL Theatre (North American Cultural Laboratory), a company founded in NYC in 1997. The ensemble is perhaps the only company in New York City which works consistently in the Grotowski/Barba tradition of performer training and theatre creation. NACL developed Arca Nova over 5 months, and premiered the show in August 2000 at The First Ever Catskills Experimental Theatre Festival. The results of this long and demanding process are evident in the ensemble work, the craft of the performers, and in the overarching attention to detail and precision.

Arca Nova is directed by Brad Krumholz, and stars Randall Kent Cohn, Benedetta Ferrario, Lidy Lopez Gonzalez, Tannis Kowalchuk, Jill Samuels, Pamela Samuelson, Allison Waters,
and Megan Wyler.

Arca Nova was performed
October 12-28, 2000, Wed.-Sat. at 8pm.
Washington Square United Methodist Church
135 West 4th St. (east of 6th Ave.), NYC