The Cherry Artspace, 102 Cherry St. Ithaca, NY
February 17-19 and 23-25, 2023
All performances start at 7:00 and that the show runs approximately 70 minutes.
Emma thinks it may be fun to have a fling with a colleague. Her manager thinks that's a breach of contract. As the office romance becomes more serious, so do the stakes in this pitch black comedy about the lack of humanity in human relations.
Content warning! This play deals with death in a way that may be triggering. To say more would be a major plot spoiler. We encourage you to reach out to us directly for details at thehouseofithaqua@gmail.com if you are concerned.
All tickets are pay what you will. We hope to average $20.00!
February 23rd is a mandatory full mask show. All attendees will be required to stay masked throughout the show. Masks will be provided.
Pay Statement
Access to the arts shouldn't be unaffordable for any person. Therefore, on a trial basis for 2023, House of Ithaqua is removing all fixed prices for tickets starting with our upcoming production of Mike Bartlett's "Contractions" in February. Each ticket purchased through our site or at the door will be offered at a pay-what-you-will price and we encourage everyone to choose the price that makes the most sense for their budget.
The risk in doing this is obvious. A portion of our budget for Contractions has been supplied by a generous grant from a small foundation but the majority still comes from our own pocket and theatre comes with necessary expenses including payment of all our talented collaborators on and off stage. Realistically we need to average about $20 per ticket to avoid taking a significant loss.
With that being said, we take this step with confidence and faith. The past few years have generated copious dialogue about accessibility to the arts and removing the paywall is where it needs to start. We believe that our audience members with resources to spare will join us in making sure that others need not part with an uncomfortable sum of money to enjoy a production.
From right to left: The Manager (Marissa Accordino) and Emma (Erin Lockett)
Creative Team
Director- AJ Sage
Stage Manager- Ayla Hodges
Sound Designer- Norm Scott
Light Designer- Cali Trainor
Lighting Tech- AK Cox
Cast
The Manager- Marissa Accordino
Emma- Erin Lockett
Cast Bios
Marissa Accordino
Marissa (she/her) is an actress, singer, writer and producer who found a passion for artistry at a young age. After attending The USDAN Center for Creative and Performing Arts as a child, Marissa knew early on that she wanted to spend the rest of her life calling the theatre her home away from home. Now that she has graduated from both The Actor’s Workshop of Ithaca (AWI) Sanford Meisner Technique Program and Ithaca College with a Bachelor of Science in Integrated Marketing Communications, Marissa is beyond thrilled to marry her two areas of expertise and continue her artistic endeavors right here in Ithaca! Production, marketing and teaching credits include: Marketing & Ticketing Manager for Kitchen Theatre Company, Production Manager and Teaching Assistant for AWI, Assistant Company Manager and Marketing Director for Hope on Stage at The Hangar Theatre, Marketing Consultant for Ithaca Fringe, along with various freelance film production projects. Recent acting credits include feature film, Stationed at Home, short film, The End of A Thing and House of Ithaqua’s audio drama, Pontypool. Equally as important, Marissa LOVES Hershey chocolate bars. A lot.
Erin Lockett
Erin Lockett is an actor from Oakland, CA who received her BFA in Acting from Ithaca College. She’s currently based in Jersey City, NJ. Some of Erin’s favorite roles have been Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Ithaca Shakespeare Company), Annie Easley in Commanding Space (Syracuse Stage), and Mia in Bee Trapped in Inside the Window (HartBeat Ensemble). She had great fun with House of Ithaqua as Lily in Skriker and she’s excited to be back!
Press Release
For the first time since 2019 House of Ithaqua is taking to the live stage. The local theatre and film production company, which made a remote return late last year with the audio horror drama “Pontypool”, will be presenting Mike Bartlett’s play “Contractions” at The Cherry Artspace from February 17-19 and 23-25 with all 6 performances beginning at 7:00pm.
The play, a two-hander directed by HOI Artistic Director AJ Sage and starring prior collaborators Marissa Accordino (Pontypool) and Erin Lockett (The Skriker) is a dark comedy that weighs in at 75 minutes and touches on the malicious pressure to comply to byzantine regulations in a workspace.
“Like most of what we do, it disturbs and entertains at the same time,” said Sage. “We try to get our audiences off guard where they’re laughing, crying and wincing within minutes. Any script that does those three things is a winner.”
With “Contractions”, House of Ithaqua will also begin a trial wherein every ticket is available on a pay- what-you-will basis with no audience member beholden to a fixed price. It’s a concept the company decided upon in 2020 and is now ready to implement, according to founder and Executive Director Christopher Teitelbaum.
“What we talked about is the reality of how we need to take in money to run the business, but how money should never be a barrier to someone taking part”, said Teitelbaum. “There’s a lot of dialogue about the arts including whole communities and it’s hard to do that without the step of removing the pay wall. So ideally those with resources to spare will support this by choosing to pay a little more - whether they think of that as a donation to the effort or simply the value of the ticket. We want this to be a long term plan.”
“Contractions” is stage managed by Ayla Hodges, with lighting design by Cali Trainor and sound design by Norm Scott. Tickets can be purchased at the door or reserved at the following link: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/5714033