Who was John Henry? According to Johnny Cash, Bill Monroe, Pete Seeger, and Bruce Springsteen, he was a steel-driving railroad man who outperformed a steam drill before dying with his hammer in hand. But versions of the indelible American myth vary.
In this staged incarnation of her work Steel Hammer, 2015 Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Julia Wolfe teams with director Anne Bogart and SITI Company to distill the discrepancies of over 200 variants of the classic ballad and legend into a theatrical post-minimalist mountain-music hybrid. Playwrights Kia Corthron, Will Power, Carl Hancock Rux, and Regina Taylor provide additional texts as three singers and the Bang on a Can All-Stars—fortified with banjo, bones, mountain dulcimer, and other Appalachian instruments—give the folk hero a newfangled song for a new century.
Julia Wolfe and SITI Company
Bang on a Can All-Stars
Directed by Anne Bogart
Original text by Kia Corthron, Will Power, Carl Hancock Rux, and Regina Taylor
Choreography by Barney O’Hanlon
Part of 2015 Next Wave Festival
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:
WEDNESDAY thru SATURDAY @ 7:30 PM
SUNDAY @ 3 PM
Show Finder
Steel Hammer
First Preview: Nov 10, 2015
Opening Date: Dec 2, 2015
Closing Date: Dec 6, 2015
Running Time: 01:55
http://www.bam.org/theater/2015/steel-hammer?utm_source=Promo&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=2015_11_1
Playing @
BAM Harvey Theater
651 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Show Notes: No Intermission
Age Guidance: 13
TDF Tickets Offers:
TDF Member tickets:
Not currently available for this show
Listed at 
Never
Full-price tickets:
$25.00 - $75.00
Lottery & Rush
For live events, come to the BAM box office no earlier than 90 minutes prior to the performance to inquire. Rush tickets are $10 and are available to students 29 & under with a valid ID, veterans and active military, and seniors 65 & over. There is a limit of two tickets per purchase. Seating is at the discretion of the box office and is based on availability.
Video
Reviews
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…spectacularly inventive and original music theater…”
—Los Angeles Times -
…spectacularly inventive and original music theater…”
—Los Angeles Times -
…spectacularly inventive and original music theater…”
—Los Angeles Times -
…spectacularly inventive and original music theater…”
—Los Angeles Times
Accessibility
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Wheelchair Info
Four locations. Two areas in aisle of orchestra. Can accommodate two wheelchairs each. -
Elevator/Escalator
Elevator: Automatic. Accesses orchestra level (2nd floor only). Raised lettering. -
Passenger Loading Zone
Front. -
Parking
Lots: Two, both marked BAM across street. Spaces on street close to main entrance can be reserved. -
Curb Ramps
Corner of Ashland Pl. & Fulton St. -
Entrance
Double doors in series: 1st set (each 28.5) has one pair of automatic doors from 44th St. to Ticket Lobby with push-button control. 2nd set (each 28", attended by ushers) to inner lobby. Doors wide and heavy, but usually open during performances. Marked with large lettering. -
Box Office
Ticket Lobby. Counters 38.5", 41.5", 47". Accessible pass-through with writing shelf at 32". Assistance available.Main level. Counter less than 48". -
Restroom
Womens: 1st floor. Outer door wider than 32". Stall door 29". Stall size less than 60". Commode 18". Grab bars.Mens: 1st floor. Outer door wider than 32". Stall doors 31". Stall size less than 60". Commode 18". Grab bars. -
Water Fountain
Main Lobby. Spouts 36" and 44".Ask usher for cups. -
Telephone
Ticket lobby. Coin slot 46". Cord 29". With TTY and electric outlet. -
Assisted Listening System
yes -
Visual Assistance
None.
