Richard Maxwell New York City Players Joe

"One of the most gratifyingly original talents in experimental theater."
—New York Times

"Like a theatrical version of time-lapse photography," writes the Village Voice, "Richard Maxwell's deeply moving new play, Joe, depicts the title character at different ages...only to make more unnerving what doesn't change."

Five actors portray the life journey of Maxwell's ordinary Joe everyman from preteen to senior citizen, and beyond. We feel the pained and poignant path he takes through a distinctly American dystopia, as adolescent dreams of gridiron glory sour, and a lifetime of harboring grudges and wayward wandering gets him nowhere. Each Joe takes his turn in a succession of monologues that detail his arrested development punctuated by heartrending yet comic songs delivered under a canopy of stars.

Maxwell's singular knack for voicing the pathos and desolation of the everyday grind has made him one of the most respected American talents of our time. He's expanded on the legacies of predecessors such as Samuel Beckett, Arthur Miller, and Richard Foreman but with a new take that resonates particularly with today's audiences. Joe marks the third production by Richard Maxwell and New York City Players that has been co-commissioned by the Wexner Center.


production/support credits

Coproduced by the Wexner Center for the Arts, Walker Art Center, Bite '04, and Barbican, London.

The Wexner Center's 2004ñ05 theater season is presented by Altria Group, Inc.

This event is presented by the Wexner Center with additional support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Wexner Center is a member of the National Performance Network comprised of arts organizations located throughout the United States. The NPN and this presentation of Joe have been made possible with major funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts (a federal agency).

Major support for the Wexner Center's performing arts season is provided by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

Additional season support is provided by the Ohio Arts Council and the Corporate Annual Fund of the Wexner Center Foundation.