A HOTEL SAVANT WORKSHOP PRESENTATION
November 17th, 2001 at 8:00pm.
$5 suggested donation.
The Hotel Savant presents, in workshop form, a one evening open-to-the-public presentation of John Jahnke’s latest work "The Shady Maids of Haiti" at chashama, 111 West 42nd Street.
The play, which explores slave and property ownership in 19th century Haiti, follows the acclaimed productions of Jahnke’s Lola Montez in Bavaria… and Mercurius. "[Jahnke’s] vision is so grand and florid and strangely evocative... flamboyant yet somehow never frivolous." – - Time Out New York.
The Shady Maids of Haiti follows the lives of four individuals during the Haitian slave revolution of 1806. Amidst betrayal, blackmail, and sexual surrender, each is on a desperate path to outmaneuver one another in claiming a singular piece of property – a place they perceive as a certain sanctuary from the violence of the revolution.
Written and directed by Jahnke, the The Shady Maids of Haiti features Tanisha Thompson, Grant Neale, Natalie Lebert and Lousie Edmunds. Along with Jahnke, the performance is designed by Andrew Hill (lighting), Jerry Schwartz (sets) and Hillary Moore (costumes), the team behind both Mercurius and Lola Montez in Bavaria…
The Hotel Savant is under the artistic direction of John Jahnke, of whom the Los Angeles Times noted "If, like poet laureate, there were an honorary position for enfant terrible, John [Jahnke] would be a hot contender for the title." The company was created in 1989 at the California Institute of the Arts. Past works include Syphilis, Maldoror, Antigone, La Sainte Courtesane, Beasts of Luxury, the company’s critically acclaimed New York debut, Lola Montez in Bavaria..., and Mercurius. Playwright / director / actor Jahnke was a member of Reza Abdoh’s Dar a Luz company and has appeared alongside such infamous L.A. artists as Ann Magnuson, Ron Athey, and John Fleck. He is best known for his plays which mismatch strange figures in history and literature, finding similarities in their unusual exploits.