Arts Partner: Axis Company

thevastmachine_main

“There is nothing less calming for a seaman than to be trapped aboard a becalmed sailing vessel. Now imagine if that vessel were to be carrying an illicit human cargo, the discovery of which would lead to prosecution and possible hanging of the entire crew. That is the situation in which the men of the Perisher, an illegal slave ship on its way to the slave market in Trinidad, find themselves in the Axis Theatre production of Randy Sharp’s compelling new drama…”-TalkinBroadway.com

Axis Theatre stages the world premiere of The Vast Machine Oct. 8, artistic director Randy Sharp’s play inspired by the award-winning book “The Slave Ship: A Human History,” by Marcus Rediker. The author has been an adviser to Sharp during the development of the new work.

In The Vast Machine, a slave ship faces peril, and the remaining five members of the crew must decide what to do with the 235 living people beneath the deck. Set in the period in which slave trade was being outlawed, it offers insights into the crewmen who continued to perpetuate slavery crimes.

Who were the crewmen that perpetrated the complex and multi-faceted crime of slavery? Who would take this work knowing what it entailed? Is there a vast machine that still grinds away today existing only because of the complacency and fear of the witness?

**Please note: Recommended for ages 13+**

Visit www.axiscompany.org for more info!

  • October 17, 2015
    8:00 pm
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Event Location

Venue:  

Address:  
1 Sheridan Square, New York, New York, 10014, United States