What Makes Us Feel Good begins with a cow attempting to put the audience at ease. In reality, however, this is an actor looking for self validation. We cannot be certain how the audiences at The Tank will respond, but Johnny the Cow will most certainly ignore them. Especially once he has asked them a question. You see, he wants to get to the good stuff. A trauma involving his mother. A lifetime of self doubt. Forgiveness. Anyway, there’s another actor on stage now. They are preparing to present an educational children’s theatre show based on the life of murderer William Bradford Bishop. They are certain that it will be both marketing and compelling. The resulting performance is an amalgam of children’s broadcast programming, live educational theatre, and William Bradford Bishop’s violent acts in Bethesda, Maryland in 1976.
In What Makes Us Feel Good, we meet William Bradford Bishop as he is burning the corpses of his victims and teaching us to spell “grave”. Along with his loyal pals, Mrs. Teapot and Johnny the Cow, William Bradford Bishop flees from the authorities and searches for meaning in existence. Through it all, William is plagued by flashbacks of his marriage, self loathing thoughts, and visits from a poetic and profound life sized squirrel.
The Equity approved Showcase will be performed by Marielle Young*, David Brummer, Alison Schilling, Gina Doherty, and Kelsey Lurie. Costumes by Iliana Paris. Lighting Design by Christina Tang.
*Appearing courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association.
Preview Performance April 4th
About the Artists
Brett Evan Solomon (playwright) is a writer and performer based out of New York City. His work as a playwright has been produced or developed through Nylon Fusion Theater Company, The Southampton International Theater Workshop, The Secret Theatre, Dixon Place, Muchmore's, Play Date at Pete's, The Tank, The Brick, Interrobang New Works Festival, Piggies Amusement Complex, The Exponential Festival, and The Drama League. He has held assistant positions with Young Jean Lee, Rachel Dickstein/Ripe Time, Target Margin Theater, New York City Players, A Collection of Shiny Objects, and Genee Coreno. B.A, Double Major in Theater and Performance/Playwriting and Screenwriting, Conservatory of Theatre Arts at SUNY Purchase College.
Gabriel Vasquez (director) is a director, performer, and native New Yorker. He has presented work at Muchmore’s, Dixon Place, The Tank, Vital Joint, and The Brick among others. He was a 2017 resident artist at the Drama League with Brett Evan Solomon's queer revenger tale Such a Tragedy. He began serious work on a new piece titled Minor Kerouac as part of Barton Booth’s Make Room residency on Governors Island this summer. He was last seen performing in SOMEONEPLEASELISTENANDUNDERSTAND (they’re wiretapping our brains) as part of the Exponential Festival. As an assistant director or intern, he has worked with Rachel Dickstein/Ripe Time, The TEAM, The Wooster Group, Sanaz Ghajar, and Sponsored By Nobody. BA, Theater and Performance, SUNY Purchase College. cargocollective.com/gabrielvasquez.