John Jesurun


John Jesurun is a writer, director and multi-media artist, based in New York City. His work Chang in a Void Moon is a live serial running since 1983, originally at the Pyramid Club in the East Village and now less frequently at venues worldwide. He was born 1951 in Battle Creek, Michigan.

Education

Jesurun received his B.F.A. from the Philadelphia College of Art in 1972 and his M.F.A. in Sculpture from Yale University in 1974.

Career

From 1976 to 1979 Jesurun was a television content analyst for CBS. From 1979 to 1982 he was assistant producer of the Dick Cavett Show. In 1982 he began his theatrical career at the Pyramid Club with his serial play Chang in a Void Moon. Since 1984 he has written, directed and designed over 25 pieces.

Works

YearTitle
1982-83Chang in a Void Moon episodes #1-36
Bird’s Eye View
Non Chang pieces
1984Dog’s Eye View
Number Minus One
Red House
Chang in a Void Moon, episodes #37-42
1985Shatterhand Massacree
1986Deep Sleep
White Water
1987Black Maria
1988Chang in a Void Moon, episodes #43-45
1989Sunspot
1990Everything that Rises Must Converge
1991Blue Heat
1992Iron Lung
1993Southern Cross
Point of Debarkation
1994Slight Return
Pearly Iridescent
Joan D’Ark
1995Chang in a Void Moon, episodes #46-50
1996Faust/How I Rose
1997After Image
Chang in a Void Moon, episodes #51-53 at The Kitchen
1999Land of the Living
2000Snow
2003Bardo
Chang in a Void Moon, episodes #54-56 at La MaMa
2004Chang in a Void Moon, episode #57 at La MaMa
Chang in a Void Moon, episode #58 at Berliner Festspiele
2005Septet, part 1
Stoned Love
Chang in a Void Moon, episode #56
2006Septet, part 2
Firefall
2009Liz One
2014Chang in a Void Moon, episodes 59-61 at Incubator Arts Project

Style

Jesurun's presentations integrate elements of language, film, architectural space and media. His exploded narratives cover a wide range of themes and explore the relation of form to content, challenging the experience of verbal, visual and intangible perceptions. His work features integrated creation of the text, direction, set and media design. Describing his process, Jesurun explains, "Usually everything happens at the same time. I write with a typewriter on one side and a sketchbook on the other side. So then the words and images and ideas happen simultaneously."

Touring

Jesurun's company has toured extensively in Europe and the United States. His work has been produced and presented by numerous venues including La Mama, The Kitchen, Dance Theater Workshop, the Walker Arts Center, On the Boards, Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Wexner Center, Kampnagel Theater, Prater Theater, National Theatre of Mexico, Mickery Theater, Theater am Turm, Granada Festival, Eurokaz Zagreb, Bogota International Festival, Vienna Festival, Kyoto Performing Arts Center and Spoleto USA. His short films have been shown at festivals and alternative spaces in Europe and the US.

Grants received

Jesurun is the recipient of numerous grants including the:
Jesurun has taught theater at Goethe University, Frankfurt; Justus Liebig University, Giessen; DasArts, Amsterdam; New York University; La Mama, Umbria; Tokyo University; Kyoto University of Art and Design; and The New School.