JUNE 26 - 29

THAT POOR DREAM

Inspired by Great Expectations, Charles Dickens’s classic novel about coming of age in a profoundly class-conscious society, That Poor Dream draws on the company’s own complex relationship to class identity and economic disparity in American society to exploring how class defines and divides us, and how our shared humanity might bring us closer together.

Set entirely on a MetroNorth train traveling from New York City to Fairfield, Connecticut (the hometown of playwright Stephen Aubrey), The Assembly's new play attempts to unite many worlds--those divided by class, geography, time, and privilege--into a moving mosaic of what it means, and what it once meant, to have great expectations thrust upon you.

THE ASSEMBLY THEATER PROJECT is a collective of multi-disciplinary performance artists committed to realizing a visceral and intelligent theater for a new generation. Assembly members unite varied interests in service of unabashedly theatrical and rigorously researched ensemble-driven performances that address and reflect the complexities of our changing world. Developing text, movement and environment side-by-side within the rehearsal room, the company embraces collaboration as the core of the creative process. Above all, we are dedicated to rooting our artists, audiences, and colleagues in a profound sense of community. The Assembly's most recent work, HOME/SICK, was presented at The Collapsable Hole in 2011, and at The Living Theater in 2012 as part of the undergroundzero Festival, before being invited back to the Living for a full run. HOME/SICK was a New York Times Critics' Pick.

That Poor Dream received funding for its development in 2013 from the Brooklyn Arts Council.