Sunset Park

Target Margin Theater boosts careers of up and coming artists

January 12, 2018 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Normandy Raven Sherwood is one of the artists awarded a year-long fellowship through the Target Margin Theater Institute. Photo courtesy of Target Margin Theater
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A groundbreaking theater company that created a great deal of excitement in Brooklyn’s artistic community when it moved from Manhattan to Sunset Park last year is seeking to cement its standing in the borough by moving forward with its residency and fellowship programs to help up and coming artists.

Target Margin Theater, which moved into its new home at 232 52nd St. in 2017, announced this week the artists that it will be supporting this year in its incubator LAB festival, its five-year-old fellowship program, and its new artist-in-residency program.

The fellowship program, known as the Target Margin Theater Institute, is a yearlong fellowship that offers five talented artists space to work, artistic support, and a $1,000 stipend. The 2018 Institute Fellows are Thomas Bane, Nelson T. Eusebio III, Noelle Ghoussaini, Sierra Ortega and Normandy Raven Sherwood.

Another project that provides support for artists, the new Target Margin Theater Residency Program, seeks to offer mid-career and emerging talents up to 100 hours of rehearsal space for free.

The 2018 Winter /Spring Artists-in-Residence are Julia May Jonas, Little Lord, Claire Moodey and Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew.

In the spring, the theater will present the “Sinbad Lab,” a festival featuring works inspired by the seven voyages of the classic Sindbad tales from “The Thousand and One Nights”

The Lead Artists who will present the works include composer and musician Avi Amon, director Kareem Fahmy, actor and director Stephanie Weeks and Target Margin Theater Associate Artistic Director Moe Yousuf. 

Target Margin Theater Founding Artistic Director David Herskovits said the company’s move to Sunset Park has enabled it to expand its mission.

“Target Margin now involves more artists than ever and our new permanent home finally gives us the resources we’ve needed to fully support the next generation of theater makers,” he said in a statement.

The theater is also doing its part to compensate for the fact that New York City has fewer performance spaces for alternative theater, according to Herskovits.

“As alternative performance spaces continue to vanish, I’m excited to see what vital questions these 13 artists will ask in their work. I’m humbled that as Target Margin has matured into a more diverse and democratic company, we’re able to expand our resources and help keep New York City at the forefront of theatrical innovation,” he stated.

Target Margin Theater, which was established more than 25 years ago, specializes in interpretations of classic plays, as well as lesser-known works and new plays. Over the years, more than 1,000 artists have worked in the company.

The company has produced 11 world premieres of plays and has won four OBIE Awards.

The new headquarters boasts a 3,250-square-foot performance space capped by an 18-foot-high ceiling, as well as two rehearsal studios and office space.

Target Margin Theater named the performance space in its new home on 52nd Street the DOXSEE Theater in memory of Lenore Doxsee (1965-2017), a founding member.

The company’s new home was found after an exhaustive search for the perfect spot, according to Herskovits. Prior to finding a permanent new home in Brooklyn, the theater company worked in more than 20 theaters and 50 rehearsal studios in three of the five boroughs.

“Having a permanent home finally gives us the freedom to work on each project just as it demands. The space is a natural result of the growth of our mission. Target Margin now involves more artists than ever, with fellowship, community and production programs, growing steadily in recent years,” Herskovits stated shortly after the big move.

For more information, visit www.targetmargin.org.

 

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