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Live, in-person performances are finally returning to the Brooklyn waterfront at St. Ann's Warehouse.
On April 15 and 16, the venue and Piece by Piece Productions are hosting concerts by folk-rockers The Bengsons called "The Broken Ear Setlist: Songs from Ohio" that'll play to a hybrid of in-person and virtual audience members.
Artists like Barrie Lobo McLain, Vuyo Sotashe and Allan K. Washington will be joining The Bengsons for both shows, which the artists hope will create the feeling of a "congregation."
"Through music and technology and vocal audience participation, we are trying to create the feeling of a community service: welcoming people in, welcoming us back together," Shaun Bengson said. "We start off with the notion that we will be a congregation here today, and congregations can be beautiful and places of healing but also can do great harm."
Abigail Bengson said the new work plays on the idea that "loss is the mechanism by which God comes close."
"We’re interested in this great loss that we’ve all been moving through that has many names and is communal, but is also specific and particular to each person," she said. "We’re interested in seeing if we can look at that loss as an opportunity to see the divinity in one another."
Wendy vanden Heuvel, the director of Piece by Piece, says The Bengsons always bring community healing, joy and exuberance into the room and that is what is needed these days as we emerge from the pandemic.
"The exquisite architecture and grace of St. Ann’s Warehouse make it the perfect place for this concert," she said. "St. Ann’s space elevates everybody and everything that enters it. We are overjoyed to be working with the Bengsons at St. Ann’s Warehouse, and to be joining the inspiring, visionary work that [Artistic Director] Susan Feldman has brought to our city."
St. Ann's has been busy since last spring. The venue projected art on its facade over the summer and held installations like its current Supremacy Project series, "Supremacy: Who Protects Me From You?," as well as a series of pop-up concerts on its roof called "Get Back!"
The warehouse, which is around the corner from Time Out Market New York, is able to reopen because it can drastically reconfigure its large space from production to production, allowing for social distancing while reducing its capacity to 50 people per show. Not only that, it has also upgraded its HVAC system and plans on doing health screenings and temperature checks.
"These concerts are the perfect way for audiences to tiptoe back into the theater gradually, and for The Bengsons and their collaborators to maintain both in-person social distancing and the intimate communication they have been sharing with their virtual audiences throughout the pandemic," Artistic Director Susan Feldman said. "We are thrilled to be opening our doors again with these special artists and this timely event. To hear The Bengsons sing is to fly.”
Tickets for the in-person concerts are sold out but you can watch virtual for $10 or pay-what-you-wish. The virtual show is designed by Jeff Snugg and will be a high-quality experience. They're available now at stannswarehouse.org.
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