The Joyce Presents James Whiteside in THE TENANT

The Joyce Theater Foundation, Inc. (Linda Shelton, Executive Director) is thrilled to present, in association with its Joyce Theater Productions initiative, the world premiere of The Tenant, a new dance play directed by choreographer Arthur Pita and starring American Ballet Theatre (ABT) principal James Whiteside, with ABT soloist Cassandra Trenary, and Kibrea Carmichael. Based on the 1964 novel of the same name by Roland Topor, The Tenant will be presented at The Joyce Theater, from November 6-11. Tickets, ranging in price from $10-$75 (Joyce Members: $38; $50), can be purchased at www.Joyce.org, or by calling JoyceCharge at (212) 242-0800. Please note: ticket prices are subject to change. The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue at West 19th Street. For more information, please visit www.Joyce.org.

Directed by London-based visionary choreographer Arthur Pita (The Metamorphosis with Edward Watson) and starring ABT's magnificent James Whiteside, The Tenant explores the psychic terrain of guilt, dread, paranoia, fears of sexual inadequacy, and hysteria, set to a stunning new score by composer Frank Moon. Like Roland Topor's novel before it, this breathtaking production of The Tenant aims to create a cinematic atmosphere which pays homage to its source material while at the same time elevating it through the power and artistry of classical and contemporary dance.

Whiteside, portraying the protagonist Trelkovsky, will be joined by his ABT colleagueCassandra Trenary, playing the role of Simone Choule, and Kibrea Carmichael, as Stella. Set in Paris in the near future, Trelkovsky rents an unassuming room where the previous tenant, Simone Choule, has ended her life by jumping out of the window. Becoming fascinated by the previous tenant, the work follows Trelkovsky's demise down a psychological paranoia spiral, ultimately succumbing to the same fate.

ABOUT Arthur Pita

Arthur Pita is a Portuguese choreographer born in South Africa who graduated from London Contemporary Dance School with a master's degree. He has worked internationally in opera, musicals, plays, and film, and created commissions for Phoenix Dance Theatre, Candoco, Bare Bones, Theatre Rites, Ballet Black, and BODYTRAFFIC. Recent work includes The Wind for The Royal Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet's 2016 production of Casse-noisette/The Nutcracker, Run Mary Run with Natalia Osipova and Sergei Polunin, The Ballad of Mack and Ginny for Wendy Whelan and Edward Watson, and Facada for Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev. His work for Men in Motion includes Volver Volver for Edward Watson, and Jingling from the Zills for Irek Mukhamedov. Pita's original productions include BoomShe SheBoom, Bugger: a fairytale, Camp (The Place); The World's Greatest Show, The Little Match Girl (Sadlers Wells, international touring); and Stepmother/Stepfather for DanceEast, where Pita is currently artist in residence. Pita's work was last seen at The Joyce in 2014, with his masterpiece, The Metamorphosis, an adaptation of Kafka's short story, that won both South Bank and National Dance Awards.

ABOUT James Whiteside

Born in Fairfield, Connecticut, James Whiteside is a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre. He joined ABT in 2012 as a soloist and was promoted to a principal one season later. Prior to ABT, he danced with Boston Ballet from 2002-2012, moving from the studio company to principal over the 10-year tenure. Throughout his professional career, he has performed the works of Balanchine, Cranko, Kylián, MacMillan, Ratmansky, Tudor, and Tharp, originating roles in Ratmansky's Serenade After Plato's Symposium, Harlequinade,and Chamber Symphony for ABT. Whiteside's dance training began at age nine studying jazz, tap, and ballet at the D'Valda & Sirico Dance Centre and, later, continued ballet training at the Virginia School of the Arts. James Whiteside is also known for his theatrical personas JbDubs, pop-dance artist, and Ühu Betch, part of the hilarious drag posse The Dairy Queens.

ABOUT JOYCE THEATER PRODUCTIONS

Joyce Theater Productions (JTP) is a producing initiative of The Joyce Theater Foundation, Inc. and Sunny Artist Management, Inc. (SAM). It was formed to create and tour works by some of today's most exciting dancers and choreographers. Through the partnership, JTP supports new productions created outside of a traditional dance company model, such as Daniil Simkin's INTENSIO and Wendy Whelan and Brian Brooks' Some of a Thousand Words; as well as the work of existing troupes through its Associate Company program, which currently includes Malpaso Dance Company from Cuba.

ABOUT THE Joyce Theater Foundation

The Joyce Theater Foundation ("The Joyce," Executive Director, Linda Shelton), a non-profit organization, has proudly served the dance community for over three decades. Under the direction of founders Cora Cahan and Eliot Feld, Ballet Tech Foundation acquired and The Joyce renovated the Elgin Theater in Chelsea. Opening as The Joyce Theater in 1982, it was named in honor of Joyce Mertz, beloved daughter of LuEsther T. Mertz. It was LuEsther's clear, undaunted vision and abundant generosity that made it imaginable and ultimately possible to build the theater. Ownership was secured by The Joyce in 2015. The theater is one of the only theaters built by dancers for dance and has provided an intimate and elegant home for over 400 U.S.-based and international companies. The Joyce has also presented dance at Lincoln Center since 2012, and launched Joyce Unleashed in 2014 to feature emerging and experimental artists. To further support the creation of new work, The Joyce maintains longstanding commissioning and residency programs. Local students and teachers (K-12th grade) benefit from its school program, and family and adult audiences get closer to dance with access to artists. The Joyce's annual season of about 48 weeks of dance now includes over 340 performances for audiences in excess of 150,000.

The Joyce Theater Foundation presents the world premiere of James Whiteside in The Tenant, directed by choreographer Arthur Pita, from November 6-11. Performances areTuesday and Wednesday at 7:30pm; Thursday and Friday at 8pm; Saturday at 2pm and 8pm;Sunday at 2pm at The Joyce Theater (175 Eighth Avenue at West 19th). There will be a post-performance Curtain Chat with company members of The Tenant on Wednesday, November 7, open to all patrons attending that evening's performance. Tickets range in price from $10-$75 (Joyce Members: $38; $50) and can be purchased at www.Joyce.org, or by calling JoyceCharge at (212) 242-0800. Please note: ticket prices are subject to change. The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue at West 19th Street. For more information, please visit www.Joyce.org.