Liturgy for Longing:
An intimate, interactive theatrical exploration of longing

Performance Details

Location: 
Beacon Performing Arts Center, Studio B: 327B Main Street, Beacon, NY

Times and Dates:
Friday May 9, 8pm
Saturday May 10, 8pm
Sunday May 11, 4:30pm
Thursday May 15, 7:30pm
Friday May 16, 8pm
Saturday May 17, 8pm
Sunday May 18: 2:30pm

Tickets:
Box Office: https://LiturgyforLonging.brownpapertickets.com
Tickets must be purchased in advance.
10 tickets per show at three, self-selecting levels:
Standard: $25
Supporter: $40
Discount: $15

Performance Description:

Quick version:
Liturgy for Longing is a one-of-a-kind theatrical experience created and performed by multidisciplinary performing artist Emily Clare Zempel. In Liturgy, audiences of 10 are invited to contemplate longing through collective experiences and solo performance.

More Details:
Liturgy: a set of prompts created to encourage communal interaction with deep questions. Longing: that endless tug towards the I-don’t-know.  

Why do we long? For what? In Liturgy for Longing, Emily has created a deeply personal, radically honest performance that aims to foster connection and engage audiences in unique and meaningful ways. Each audience member begins by entering a hallway to find a note written for them. After reading, Emily guides them into the theatre space to complete simple tasks (such a setting up a place to sit) to make that space their own. In the invitations that follow, each person is encouraged to engage in ways that feel right to them: there is always a choice, including the choice to only observe. These communal elements are woven seamlessly into Emily’s performance of her own story, which unfolds through movement, dance, sound, and music. The audience is an integral part of the experience, making each performance a unique, unrepeatable event.

Sponsored by:

For further information contact:
Emily Clare Zempel at LiturgyforLonging@gmail.com

I’m curious, but scared! What will this show be like?
As I developed Liturgy for Longing, it became clear that the audience would be a key part of the experience. This excited me but also made me nervous. How can I involve the audience while maintaining their agency and right to participate as they wish without limiting the opportunities I offer?

What it is:
It is very important to me that audience members are always in charge of their own bodies, minds, emotions, and souls. Interactive elements are always optional. Many of the invitations are centered on individual explorations done concurrently.

More details:
This show is “immersive” in that the audience space and performance space are on in the same. After your arrival in the theatre space, the first part of the experience involves setting the space up in a way that feels right to you. The following invitations are tactile or imaginative, and can be completed while sitting in your own space. There are also moments in which I will invite you to stand and join in an activity. There are times when I will offer touch.

There are always several options available to you. First, of course, you may participate as guided or in a way that feels right to you. You may also choose to stay with the group and observe rather than do. Third, at any time you may move around the space or away from the group. Finally, there will be a “Quiet Space” area where you can go if you do not want to interact with me or the group at all. In regards to touch, I will always alert you before offering touch, and you will always be able to let me know through gesture if you would not like to be touched.

I’m still not sure!
As a neurodivergent person, I know that some of you might need more details as to how the show will work, while others might want to embrace the mystery. If you would like specific details, or a very clear outline of the performance, please email me at LiturgyforLonging@gmail.com