The Octopus Ensemble

The Octopus Ensemble's "Rappaccini's Daughter," a lyrical interpretation of Nathaniel Hawthorne's 1846 short story, features live original music, tabletop puppetry, site-specific installation design, and mask. This wordless piece tells the story of a scientist whose greatest experiment has just resulted in his daughter's death.

Several months of telephone conversations, research and rapid emailing (the company is spread over four countries) led to two weeks of intense development during August, 2004 in New York. "Rappaccini's Daughter" was premiered at Chashama, 217 East 42nd St, on September 4, 2004.

Since then, The Octopus Ensemble has performed this piece at the Jim Henson Foundation Carriage House Cabaret (Oct. 17) and received a residency with Theatre Et Al to develop and perform this piece on Dec. 17 and 18, 2004 at The Chocolate Factory Theater.

About the company:

The Octopus Ensemble was born in a kitchen in Berlin.

In March of 2004, a puppeteer, a violinist, and a contemporary composer shared a strong pot of coffee and a few pastries and discovered a common interest: finding a new approach to collaboration that involves a dialogue between artistic forms at the earliest stages of creation.

The Octopus Ensemble uses the intersection of action and sound as the basic creative element. Ideas for a new piece are explored simultaneously through movement, music and visual design, with discoveries in one medium immediately informing experimentation in the others.

The Octopus Ensemble:

Emily DeCola (Chashama Artist in Residence, 40 Worth St.)
Tracy Bersley
David D. Dunn
Owen Molloy
Joshua Palay
Daniella Strasfogel
Bryony Stroud-Watson
Saori Tsukada
Aaron Mostkoff Unger
Eric Wright
For more information about the Octopus Ensemble and upcoming productions, please visit our website: www.octopusensemble.com

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