The lights come up on a stage full of chaos and disorder. This lack of organization is consistent in every facet of “Tango,” Frisson Theatre Company’s inaugural production, including the set design, costumes, makeup and characterization, until the third act, when everything changes.
“Tango,” written in 1965 by Polish playwright Sławomir Mrožek, is the story of a broken family’s home. The play’s protagonist, Arthur, is a university student who cannot find a sense of direction to navigate the world around him. However, since every other character is without a sense of discipline, the arduous task of being in control is thrust upon Arthur.
Alex Tissiere, a current NYU student who is finishing his senior year at the Tisch School of the Arts, plays Arthur.
“It’s nice to be playing a character very close to where I’m at in my life,” Tissiere said.“But also parts of who I used to be and parts of who I am now.”
“Something that I do want my audience to walk away with is, what is the responsibility of our generation in society today?” NYU graduate Lauren Aldeman said. “If we want to change things, what is action versus just talking about it?”
The message of “Tango” is meant to be easily relatable to a modern generation. “Even though the play was written for 1960s Poland, it has a lot of themes that are relevant to today,” Aldeman said.
Both Tissiere and Aldeman are looking to empower their audience to take action. “I think people should [become impassioned] about changing something, and want to go out after they see something and do something about it,” Tissiere said. Frisson Theatre Company has plans for future works in progress, including a radio show and collaborations with playwrights over new works.
“Our mission is to create and curate theatrical experiences that are made up of frissons, in order to wake people out of the monotonous mundane of just going through your daily life, and bring them to heightened realities,” Aldeman said.
“Tango” runs until Sept. 14, and can be seen at the Robert Moss Theater at 440 Studios, located at 440 Lafayette St.
A version of this article appeared in the Tuesday, Sep. 10 print edition. Sarah Nichols is a contributing writer. Email her at [email protected].
