WiLKoMen
Silliness goes hand in hand with change.
We create work that takes advantage of the medium of theatre.
We reframe and recalibrate.
From Taylor Mac’s Gary A Sequel to Titus Andronicus:
The clown encourages the idiotic
By getting laughs and praise for being dumb.
But Fools, they tease out our stupidity
With brains, so spark our feelings and our smarts.
The clown’s a selfish bloke whose only goal’s
To satisfy his belly, heart, and groin.
But Fools are empathetic sorts who learn
The suffering of others ‘cause they’ve been
Thrown out of homes and had the poo of life
Thrown at them just for being different-from.
And so while clowns are in it for themselves,
A fool’s ambition is to save the world!
The noun Volk is a German word that translates to people. It can be used to describe crowds, a community, ethnicity or nationality. You might find it parallels the English word Folk in meaning and sound. The pronunciations are very similar as the "V" in German sounds like "F" in English.
Our logo is a whimsical play on the Räuberrad.
From German Theatre History Scholar Christine Korte:
The Räuberrad, is a roughly drawn wheel with two stick legs copied from a medieval graffiti associated with actors, criminals, and traveling people…the symbol was related to those whose existence was relegated to the margins of history…[connected to] subcultures, anarchists, and to disenfranchised communities—to the “losers” of history. The Räuberrad permeated the Berlin streets as a refrain of resistance.
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR / CO-FOUNDER
Harris Singer (He/Him/His) is a New York City-based (Georgia born) director, playwright, performer, and illustrator. His work embodies a queer absurdist lens, probes artistic forms/structures to include both a classical rigor and experimental play, mixes mediums (puppetry, dynamic movement, horror, tattoo, performance art, food, etc), and most importantly bursts with whimsy. Previously, Harris was the project coordinator at La MaMa Galleria, where he curated and organized supporting events providing both logistical support and program insight to bring complex installations and multi-disciplinary performances to life. Additionally, Harris acted as the liaison between the gallery, the La MaMa archive, and the broader arts community. He is a lover of The Mountain Goats, statues, German theatre, and a witty joke. He is a graduate of New York University with a BFA in drama: focusing on performance, Shakespeare, and playwriting.
ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR / CO-FOUNDER
Sammy Rivas (He/Him) is an actor, writer, director, producer, musician, and puppet maker based out of New York City. Born and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina, he has a B.F.A. in Drama from NYU Tisch School of the Arts, having studied acting in NYU's Experimental Theatre Wing and Stonestreet Studios Film Acting Residency. He enjoys creating art that focuses on his cultural background as a Jewish and Mexican artist, and makes it a priority to tell stories that bring communities together and showcase positive social change, often while using absurdism or humor. Sammy enjoys working in a multitude of different artistic mediums, and especially enjoys combining theater and film to create work that is not bound by a single form. Seperate from The Fool Volk, he is a company member of the Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theater as well as International WOW Company. Additionally, he also has his own puppet construction company and is currently working on his own satirical puppet musical feature film.
ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Véro Matheny (she/they) is a director, actor, dramaturg, and writer from Northern California and based in NYC. She has a BFA in Drama from Tisch School of the Arts. She was the summer Introduction to Acting teacher at Interlochen School of the Arts. Much of her process and work is informed by her time studying acting and German theatre history in Berlin. Their work includes HomeBody (Co-Writer/Co-Director), Tisch Drama Stage; Titus Andronicus (Saturninus), The Fool Volk/LaMama ETC; The Winters Tale (Mamilius/Shepard's Son/Florizel), The Classical Studio; butterfly and ernie went looking for the birds (Butterfly), Playwrights Horizons Theater School; and daemon (devised and performed w/ ensemble), Tisch Drama Main Stage directed by Attilio Rigotti.
