FRIGID New York Presents THE SPECTATOR &THE BLIND MAN: STORIES OF SEEING AND NOT-SEEING,2/20-3/3

Voilà, enlightenment's blind side! Set in eighteenth-century Paris, The history of Braille begins at a sideshow spectacle and ends with revolution. Hear intimate stories of triumph and degradation embedded in sound and visionscapes. Think Ken Burns on hallucinogenic steroids!

Godin has shamelessly named The Spectator & the Blind Man after her 2009 dissertation, which you can find at Google Books. This then is a research project running off the rails! In the history of the education of the blind there are moments and characters that do not fit neatly into the dry and straightforward narratives of progress and enlightenment. Godin decided to investigate these little stories. The result is a dark and humorous work of speculative fiction with a steampunk aesthetic. It is informed as much by research as by the degenerative eye disease that has slowly taken her sight.

"We all play in history blindly," she says with a wink. "I have been thinking about these stories for a long long time, and am thrilled to have them brought to life by such an amazing team of artists, academics and performers!"

Dr ML Godin is a writer and performer whose autobiographical treatment of Helen Keller's time on vaudeville called The Star of Happiness is proud to be one of Horse Trade's touring shows. She received her Ph.D. in early modern literature from NYU's English department and has taught many classes on poetry, fiction, and the great books of Western Civilization!? When she is not teaching and writing she can be seen running around town with her handsome Igor GuideDog and performing at comedy, storytelling, and variety shows such as Tell Your Friends, The Liar Show and Alter Ego. She is a proud winner of the Moth Story Slam and the faithful sidekick of Sideshow Goshko!

Purchase tickets at www.FRIGIDnewyork.info