OZ Arts Nashville Presents Internationally Acclaimed, Warhol-Inspired Multimedia Theater Project from Berlin-based Artist Collective, Gob Squad, from March 24-27

 Journey back to 1965 as Gob Squad tries to reconstruct Andy Warhol’s famous film “Kitchen” using live video with one big twist – none of the performers have actually seen the original

Nashville, Tenn. – March 10, 2022 – Contemporary arts center OZ Arts Nashville today announced it will present Kitchen: You’ve Never Had it So Good by Gob Squad, an acclaimed multimedia collective of ingenious artists from the U.K. and Germany, in its expansive warehouse from March 24-27. Known for their inventive arsenal of live video and performance techniques, Gob Squad enlists audience members in a quest to celebrate the King of Pop himself, Andy Warhol, and the culture-bending heyday of the artist’s famed Factory.

Venture back in time to the 60’s where everything is about to happen – pop, subculture, superstars, feminism, drugs, bright lights and sex are about to rock the world like never before. In an attempt to remake Warhol’s famous 1965 Edie Sedgwick vehicle Kitchen as a live film in front of the audience, Gob Squad acts out a recreation of Warhol’s films on a bare bones set, viewed as a black-and-white film by the audience in the theater. During each performance, the company recruits a few audience members to help them finish the film, stepping into various roles in a unique form of audience participation that goes beyond what might be expected. The production transports audiences back to the underground cinemas of New York City to encapsulate the hedonistic experimental energy of the swinging sixties.

“With technical brilliance and great charm, Gob Squad blends truth and fiction, past and present, to take audience members on a wild, entertaining ride,” said Mark Murphy, OZ Arts Executive and Artistic Director. “They are some of the foremost creators of live media-based performance, and their interdisciplinary approach celebrates new possibilities in theatrical forms — plus it is great fun!”

Described as “live magic act of sorts, and one of the most enjoyable such feats ever seen at the theater” by The New York Times, Gob Squad’s Kitchen: You’ve Never Had it So Good is one of the company’s most widely toured shows, having been performed well over 100 times throughout Europe and around the world. In January 2012, the piece was performed as an extended run at The Public Theater in New York to significant acclaim, winning the 2012 Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience.

The collective’s residency in Nashville will also include a free master class for local theatre-makers and performers. For more details or to inquire, email info@ozartsnashville.org.

Tickets for Gob Squad’s Kitchen: You’ve Never Had it So Good begin at just $20 and are on sale now at the following link. OZ Arts is invested in the health of its guests, artists and the overall community. Proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours prior to the event is required to attend this event.

This performance is made possible with generous support from donors and grants, including media sponsor the Nashville Scene and funding from the Metro Nashville Arts Commission and the Tennessee Arts Commission. To learn more about upcoming performances at OZ, please visit www.ozartsnashville.org.

Watch the trailer on Vimeo

Read The New York Times review of Gob Squad’s Kitchen: You’ve Never Had It So Good

About Gob Squad

Gob Squad is a seven headed monster, an arts collective with seven bosses. Gob Squad has a schizophrenic identity and a multiple split personality: hermaphrodite, binational and bilingual, both a patchwork family and a social utopia. Gob Squad have been devising, directing and performing together since 1994, working where theatre meets art, media and real life.

For over 20 years, Gob Squad have been searching for new ways to combine media and performance, producing stage shows, video installations, radio plays, interactive live films and urban interventions. The use of audio and video technology plays a prominent role in their work, with the result that alienated forms of intimacy have become a central theme. They try to scratch beneath the shiny, pixelated surface of the 21st century, seeking out the dark corners and hidden desires of contemporary culture.

Gob Squad was founded in 1994, whilst its members were still at Nottingham Trent and Giessen universities. Berlin has been the group’s creative home since 1999. Core members are Johanna Freiburg, Sean Patten, Sharon Smith, Berit Stumpf, Sarah Thom, Bastian Trost and Simon Will. Other artists are invited to collaborate on particular projects. The group is managed by Eva Hartmann.