Ritual Cabaret Art Brothel

Ritual Cabaret Art Brothel is inspired by Jean Genet's classic play, The Balcony. Blurring the lines between reality and fantasy, Genet’s work explores themes of power, patriarchy, identity, and illusion. Characters in "Madame Irma's House of Illusions" present an immersive theater experience throughout the expansive Coney Island USA facility -- the Sideshow Stage, the Freak Bar, the Museum, and the Annex, including the interior and exterior passageways between these sites. Beyond the mainstage performances, the ensemble is fabricating performance/art installations or "brothel rooms." Each performer has devised a persona and a scenario that creatively explores their shadow self. Audiences are invited to peer in on the fantasies of "Madame Irma's working girls." These personas have also created art -- both objects and services -- that are offered one-on-one to individual theatergoers via a menu for an additional charge. Artist as "escort." Art patron as client, voyeur, and speculator on art$value.