Created by Theater in Asylum
Performed live May 27-28, 2021
The Debates 2021 will be our fourth iteration of The Debates, this time adapting New York City's 2021 Democratic primary into an original play. With an electoral contests for mayor, comptroller, and many city council seats, we ask, "What do we want our city to be?" As in past years, we’ll host a slew of events including debate watch parties, political analysis meetings, and finally, an original play about the election. We want not only to get out the vote, but to empower the voter to engage in the electoral process with understanding and confidence. With our unique blend of mimicry, abstraction, and earnest curiosity, we seek to illuminate the candidates, the issues, and ourselves.
Learn more about our process on The Talkback, and on BRIC TV
Learn more about our process on The Talkback, and on BRIC TV
What is "The Debates"?
Created by Theater in Asylum (TIA), The Debates is a process of adapting political debates into theatrical performances. After watching a debate, we gather to analyze it, and create an original performance based on it. Throughout the process, participants speak lines from the debate, imitate candidates' gestures, invent scenes that provide context or history, and analyze the candidates the way an actor would a character in a play. Behind the scenes, every word and assertion (whether from the debate transcript or generated by the participants) is rigorously fact checked. All sources are noted in our publicly available script. Ultimately, we hope the material on stage, and the voting materials offstage, will empower audiences to engage with the democratic process with knowledge and confidence.
The Team
Project led by TIA’s Artistic Directors Paul Bedard and Katie Palmer
Dramaturgy, sourcing, and fact-checking by Ariella Axelbank
Community Engagement facilitated by Hilarie Spangler
Produced by Kathryn Appleton and Theater in Asylum
Original compositions and music directed by Ali Dineen
Lighting designed and video DJed by Dan Stearns
Video designed by Audrey Lorber
Co-created, stage managed, and project coordinated by Jennifer Malbuisson
Co-created and performed by Alexis Atkinson, Malcolm Callender, Rachael Chau, Emily Johnson-Erday, Nadia Diamond, and Jesse B. Koehler
Thank you to the teams of The Debates 2016 and The Debates 2020, who helped us develop and hone the process to make this show.
Dramaturgy, sourcing, and fact-checking by Ariella Axelbank
Community Engagement facilitated by Hilarie Spangler
Produced by Kathryn Appleton and Theater in Asylum
Original compositions and music directed by Ali Dineen
Lighting designed and video DJed by Dan Stearns
Video designed by Audrey Lorber
Co-created, stage managed, and project coordinated by Jennifer Malbuisson
Co-created and performed by Alexis Atkinson, Malcolm Callender, Rachael Chau, Emily Johnson-Erday, Nadia Diamond, and Jesse B. Koehler
Thank you to the teams of The Debates 2016 and The Debates 2020, who helped us develop and hone the process to make this show.
Our Process
- Watch Party. We watch the debates live on television. These parties can be at a bar, a home, or a community space.
- Political Analysis Meetings. We go through the transcript and separate fact from fiction, highlighting moments that deserve more attention. Facilitators lead participants in research and discussion to better understand what occurred during the debate. By the end of these meetings, the transcript is parsed into what is most potent for our show (either politically or theatrically) and what is discardable (repetitive or unsubstantive).
- Scripting Meetings. We devise scenes or lift dialogue from the transcripts and accompanying research. Here we make the original script.
- Rehearsals. We stage and rehearse the original script. Directors and choreographers lead actors and designers to bring the script to life on stage.
- Performance. We present the team’s work to the community.
- Follow Through. At all our events, voter registration and materials are available. After the performance, we work to remind all participants and audience to vote.
Our Timeline
- March 18 - Civics Happy Hour: Mayor vs. City Council
- March 23 - Watch Party: Meet the Candidates Forum
- March 25 - Political Analysis Meeting: Unpacking the Meet the Candidates Forum
- April 8 - Civics Happy Hour: Comptroller, Public Advocate, and Borough President
- April 22 - Civics Happy Hour: The Mayoral Candidates
- May 13 - Debate Watch Party with Political Analysis Meeting immediately after
- May 27 & 28 - The Debates 2021 live performances
- Throughout June - The Debates 2021 streaming on demand
- June 2 - Debate Watch Party with Political Analysis Meeting immediately after
- June 10 - Text banking party to get out the vote
- June 16 - Debate Watch Party with Political Analysis Meeting immediately after
- June 22 - Primary Election Day
- November 2 - General Election Day
Our Supporters
We are so grateful to our 2021 Season donors including Jim Andrews, Eve Appleton, Jessie Atkinson, Jake Beckhard, Andrew Bedard, Joyce Bedard, Kelly & Mike Bedard, Sharlene Bedard, Kathleen Bemis, Judith C Berger, Sandra & Yoni Berkowitz, Donna Blackmond, Kathryn Bowman, The Boxcutter Collective, Fred Boyd, Renee Carroll, Inés del Castillo, Emily Conley, Katie Dagon, Christopher DeSantis, Connor Descheemaker, Lawrence Dreyfuss, Lionel Dripps, Paul Feinberg, Martha Ferguson, Stephen Foglia, Julia Foster, Richard Fudge, Kate Gazzaniga, Amanda Ghosh, Eric Grunin, Sarah Habib, Cody Hom, Benjamin Inbar, Ruth & Robert Keogh, Samantha Keogh, Esther Ko, Martins Jukna-Parsons, Marilyn Lawson, Julia Levine, Camden Louie, Maggie Low, Marisa Mackey, Allen MacLeod, Max Mondi, Alyssa Montalvo-Rios, Victor Milione, Justin Nichols, Julia Nickerson, Torrie Ogilvie, Alicia Outing, Julie Pedtke, Alice Pencavel, Maxine Phillips, Veronica Pickett, Sue Ramsay, Lauren Randall, Austin Regan, Chip Rice, Jacob Rice, Dana Rich, Mandy Robbins, Jonelle Robinson, Jess & Bryan Rosenberg, Dominique Salerno, Alix Sobler, Jamie Soltis, Alyssa Stone, Lucinda Stone, Justin Taylor, Kristina Tom, Aria Umezawa, Alison Walter, Stephanie Warren, Pandora & John Wohler, Gennady Yusim, Diana Zuluaga, and the 35 heroes who donated anonymously.
Thank you for a donation made in loving memory of Janet B. Milione.
Thank you for a donation made in loving memory of Janet B. Milione.
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The Debates 2021 is sponsored, in part, by the Greater New York Arts Development Fund of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, administered by Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC).
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A Disclaimer
We are not lawyers, election officials, nor representatives of any campaign. We are theater makers. All expenditures for The Debates are paid for by Theater in Asylum. No actions, script lines, voting guide, or events are authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee. Theater in Asylum never endorses candidates in a race. We simply want more people, people like you, to engage and participate. No copyright infringement, defamation, libel, or slander is intended. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to email us at [email protected]. Please don’t sue us!
