Built for Collapse Presents NUCLEAR LOVE AFFAIR at HERE Arts Center, 9/20-10/6

Following a critically acclaimed Eastern European tour, Built for Collapse (built4collapse.org) returns to New York with its award-winning, physically charged production. Witness the fall of the American Empire in this "extraordinary tale of victory, hypocrisy and ignorance" (NYTheatre.com). NUCLEAR LOVE AFFAIR runs Thursday, September 20 through Saturday, October 6 at HERE. The official press night is scheduled for Monday, September 24. (Watch a trailer for the show below!)

In this spectacular multi-media investigation of America in the Atomic Age, unnerving images, vibrant rhythms, disturbing text, and violent slapstick collide to create an erotic pop culture explosion. Focusing on the period of 1941-1969, Nuclear Love Affair traces America's obsession with violence through the social and political chain reaction caused by dropping of the atomic bomb. Featuring Elvis Presley dancing through Vietnam, Charlie Chaplin at Hiroshima, Lucille Ball doing a commercial for an electric chair, and Marilyn Monroe teaching us all how to "Duck and Cover," Nuclear Love Affair presents a harsh and hysterical vision of a world gone wrong.

Nuclear Love Affair is directed by Sanaz Ghajarrahimi and features Emily Brazee, Matthew Helm, Ben Hobbs, Vincent Santvoord, Will Seefried*, Maggie Thompson and Nicole Weiss. The production includes media design by Room 404 Media, costume design by Michael Krass, production and lighting design by Dan Stearns, and sound design by Colleen Toole. *Member of Actors Equity. Equity Approved Showcase.

At times an erotic opera, at times a freakish and violent circus, Built for Collapse has been described as a subversive and "creative new approach to theatre." Through an ever-evolving process, work is created that pushes the limits of theater and dance. Built for Collapse is the recipient of the Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grant, the LaGuardia Performing Arts Lab Grant, the Tank Space Grant and the Hangar Theater Summer Residency. Winner of the 2012 Prague Fringe Festival 'Inspiration Award' for Best New Work.

SANAZ GHAJARRAHIMI (Writer, Director) is an Iranian-American director, writer and choreographer. She is the recipient of grants from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council and the Foundation for Contemporary Arts. Selected directing credits: NUCLEAR LOVE AFFAIR (HERE Arts, Prague Fringe Festival, Ars Nova, Theater for the New City); KILL TO EAT by Caridad Svich (Hangar Theatre); HAMLET (Galapagos Art Space, Grace Exhibition Space); MELANCHOLY PLAY by Sarah Ruhl (Robert Moss Theater); HOUSE (Brooklyn Lyceum); ORPHEUS AND THE PLASTIC MASQUERADE (Galapagos Art Space); ROMEO AND JULIET (Access Theater); THE ELEPHANT MAN by Bernard Pomerance (Wings Theatre); and JET OF BLOOD by Antonin Artaud. Recent Assistant Credits: PRIMA DONNA by Rufus Wainwright directed by Daniel Kramer (Manchester International Festival) and MAP OF THE WORLD directed by Bob Moss. Sanaz is a Drama League Fellow and holds a BFA from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.

Ben Hobbs (Writer, Performer) is a performer, writer, choreographer and visual artist. Currently a cast member of the Off-Broadway hit FUERZABRUTA. Other selected performance, writing and choreography credits: NUCLEAR LOVE AFFAIR (HERE Arts, Prague Fringe Festival, Ars Nova) ORPHEUS AND THE PLASTIC MASQUERADE (Galapagos Art Space); a re-imagined HAMLET (Galapagos Art Space, Grace Exhibition Space); a musical adaptation of ROMEO AND JULIET (Access Theater), WE WALK, WE STOP (site-specific piece sponsored by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council), LYNN BARR DANCE THEATRE (Judson Church, Kaatsbaan); THE ELEPHANT MAN (The Wings Theatre). He holds a BFA in Drama from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, with a minor in Art History. He studied Chinese Opera at the Shanghai Theater Academy and Dance at Point Park University.

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