The Eternal Space

A play by Justin Rivers about the demolition of New York's original Penn Station during the mid-1960s. Transit, history and theatre are now in one space.

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The Wonder City: Volume 2

November, 1942: A few months after Lizzie's tragic disappearance, Owen teams up with Velma Graydon to find his sister. First, Velma must secretly school him in the ways of the mysterious Light Keepers and their 400-year mission to guard New York City from its foretold destruction. Now the Tovernboak, a sprawling account of the city's true history, is revealed to Owen against the Light Keepers' wishes.

 By Justin Rivers & Courtney Zell

November, 1942: A few months after Lizzie's tragic disappearance, Owen teams up with Velma Graydon to find his sister. First, Velma must secretly school him in the ways of the mysterious Light Keepers and their 400-year mission to guard New York City from its foretold destruction. Now the Tovernboak, a sprawling account of the city's true history, is revealed to Owen against the Light Keepers' wishes.

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Norman McGrath Returns to Photograph Penn Station 50+ Years Later

Renowned architectural photographer Norman McGrath got behind the camera once again to shoot the set of The Eternal Space. McGrath, whose work is internationally acclaimed, lent many photos from his catalog to help recreate New York’s old Penn Station on our stage. Seeing the show earlier in the week, he called it a “masterpiece” and shot the set yesterday afternoon as a “dramatic and fitting climax” to his photography of Penn Station that began some 50 years ago.

Below are some photos of the master photographer shooting his own work in an unimaginable and unanticipated way. We also include a video with our Marketing Director, Malini Singh McDonald, to discuss his career, his inspiration to photograph Penn Station’s demolition and his critique of our production. 

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Schedule for Thanksgiving Week

The Eternal Space announces it augmented schedule for the week of Thanksgiving. On behalf of the Producers, Cast & Creative team, have a wonderful holiday and we hope to see you at the show! Tickets available through Telecharge.com through December 6th.

Monday, November 23, 7pm

Tuesday, November 24, DARK

Wednesday, November 25, DARK

Thursday, November 26, DARK

Friday, November 27, 8pm

Saturday, November 28, 2pm & 8pm

Sunday, November 29, 3pm & 7pm

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WATCH OUR SPOT ON NEWS 4 NEW YORK

Watch the entire interview by clicking here. 

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Thank to @mikegroove for his amazing photos of our show. This is only one of many. "How many people can say they've seen the sunrise in Pennsylvania Station." #pennstation #NYC #nyctheater #getyourtickets #theater #theatrerow #Manhattan #theaterlife #offbroadway

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Great Rehearsal Photo Feature on Broadway World

Check out the entire post here. 

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Holy crap. Our poster is hanging outside! This is real people! #theeternalspace #pennstation #Performance #theater #3daysleft #gettingthere #getyourtickets

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Here's the star of @theeternalspace... The bench. Fresh from Middletown, CT. It's a fine nod to old Penn's long wood benches on the old concourse. #props #theater #theeternalspace #pennstation #Performance #roadtrip

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So proud of this badge. Thanks to @mas_nyc for the amazing opportunity. @theeternalspace is eternally grateful. #summitnyc #summer2015 #theeternalspace #theater #pennstation #NYC

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Producer's Notebook Update--October 21, 2015

Production Meetings

So that’s the whole team at one table last Thursday morning. We met at the Stage Director’s & Choreographer’s Society and this was our first all-hands-on-deck production meeting. That’s my coffee and Pellegrino in the center, also an integral part of the team as it keeps me alive. This coming Friday, all production designs are to be submitted so they can go to build. I’ll try to get some shots of the concept art for the set. It’s really awesome! Rehearsals begin this coming Monday and run for two weeks straight. It’s a grueling schedule but worth it so we can put up the best show we can. 

MAS Summit Tomorrow

Tomorrow The Eternal Space is honored to be featured as part of the Municipal Art Society’s two day Summit for New York City. We were given a 10 minute time slot to perform a brief piece from scene one. It’s in the New York Times Center and will have an audience of nearly 1000 people in person and over 100,000 online. Although I don’t have the live streaming link yet, the MAS has assured us that they event will go up on their website so anyone can view it at their convenience. I’ll be sure to pass that information along to you as soon as I have it. Should you be interested in going in person click here for tickets. Among this year’s speakers are Chuck Schumer, Corey Booker, and yours truly (although I only get a minute to introduce the show). We go up at 5:20 after the keynote speaker.

Backer Tickets 

I’ve received quite a few emails about ticket confirmations from you guys. Thank you for reaching out. The box office at Theatre Row has assured me that they will begin mailing out your tickets starting next week so you have them before performances begin. I will continue to keep you updated on that front. 

Penn Remnant Tours 

Once again we are having our Penn Station Remnant Tour (our tenth if you can believe it) this Sunday, October 25. There will be two tours to commemorate the 52nd anniversary of Penn Station’s demolition. We’ve added two newly discovered remnants to the tour, one of which is pictured above and “found” by yours truly. Take a look below to see where it used to be.  Although the first tour this Sunday is sold out, the second still has some spots available if you’re in town. Click here to join us. 

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Accessible Tickets Available Through Theatre Development Fund TAP Program

Maybe partially inspired by the warm reception of the Spring Awakening production that's taking Broadway by storm this fall, we have partnered with our friends at Theatre Row and the Theatre Development Fund to offer premium accessible seating locations  to select performances of The Eternal Space. These seats are exclusively available through the TDF Theatre Accessibility Program. Information on the program can be found here and you can directly email the program here. 

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Accessible Tickets Available Through Theatre Development Fund TAP Program

Maybe partially inspired by the warm reception of the Spring Awakening production that's taking Broadway by storm this fall, we have partnered with our friends at Theatre Row and the Theatre Development Fund to offer premium accessible seating locations  to select performances of The Eternal Space. These seats are exclusively available through the TDF Theatre Accessibility Program. Information on the program can be found here and you can directly email the program here. 

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Remnants of Penn Station Tour & Show Ticket Deal

Untapped Cities has created a special deal for NYC history buffs and Penn Station enthusiasts. As our co-promoted tours continue to sell-out, Untapped Cities is offering a combo tour and show ticket for selected Sunday performances during the fall. Beginning at noon, attendees will enjoy the 90 minute tour, led by playwright Justin Rivers and licensed tour guide Tamara Agins. We'll hunt for the relics of Penn Station past before heading over to Theatre Row on 42nd for a 3pm curtain. During the roughly 90 minute intermission between events, attendees can take advantage of lunch deals that we have created in the vicinity of Theatre Row. Bookings for this combo deal are available exclusively through Untapped Cities and offer a 20% discount on the show ticket. Space is limited, but you can read all about it  here and get the combo deal here.

We hope to see you all at the show this fall!

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Those Hudson River Tunnels Turn 109 today

It’s been quite the week for anniversaries related to the old Penn Station.

On September 10, 1906 quite the engineering feat was accomplished when the first Hudson River tunnel was connected. Digging for two years from opposing shores, engineers met behind the tunnel shields midway beneath the Hudson. In a moment resulting from precise mathematical calculation and quite possibly luck – the final alignment was only off by 1/16 of an inch. The connected tunnel hosted reporters, engineers and executives two days later for a walk through. The second tunnel was completed two months later. When they finally opened to train traffic they were the longest underwater structure in the world. Engineers remained confounded by their constant shifting and oscillation. Tidal effects in the Hudson were finally identified as the cause. 

These are the same tunnels that have consumed political conversations of the past few months. Politicians near and far have postured on a plan for the inevitable replacement and cost. In a nostalgic and romantic way, it’s nice to remember that math and little luck helped create an underwater structure that has faithfully served us for 109 years and probably more while political battles wage on. 

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Those Hudson River Tunnels Turn 109 today

It’s been quite the week for anniversaries related to the old Penn Station.

On September 10, 1906 quite the engineering feat was accomplished when the first Hudson River tunnel was connected. Digging for two years from opposing shores, engineers met behind the tunnel shields midway beneath the Hudson. In a moment resulting from precise mathematical calculation and quite possibly luck – the final alignment was only off by 1/16 of an inch. The connected tunnel hosted reporters, engineers and executives two days later for a walk through. The second tunnel was completed two months later. When they finally opened to train traffic they were the longest underwater structure in the world. Engineers remained confounded by their constant shifting and oscillation. Tidal effects in the Hudson were finally identified as the cause. 

These are the same tunnels that have consumed political conversations of the past few months. Politicians near and far have postured on a plan for the inevitable replacement and cost. In a nostalgic and romantic way, it’s nice to remember that math and little luck helped create an underwater structure that has faithfully served us for 109 years and probably more while political battles wage on. 

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This day (and yesterday) in Penn Station history...

In the course of conducting research for the show, it's pretty easy to find anniversary dates for something. With construction of Penn Station taking roughly ten years, and then it standing for another fifty-five, something can be found for nearly every date on the calendar. But as we ease back into post-Labor Day routines starting today, this is a week full of fun factoids. 

Today, September 8th is an anniversary of the LIRR extension in Penn Station The LIRR, owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad at the time, would be the first line extended into the station. While the station remained under construction around them, LIRR passengers boarded and disembarked in a cordoned off area. The first trip 115 years ago, would be the first of many to provide easy rail access to Manhattan that fueled suburban growth in Long Island and New Jersey in the first half of the 20th century. By the 1920s, two-thirds of Penn Station's traffic will come from the suburbs.

 Yesterday, Labor Day Monday, remains a celebration of America's workers. As the the holiday came to be recognized federally in 1894 by unanimously passed legislation, it's passage followed the conclusion of the Pullman workers strike that crippled the railroads, resulted in 30 deaths and required federal intervention. While Labor Day had its origins in New York City in 1880s when 10,000 garment workers held a parade, rally and picnic, railroad workers are often symbolically linked with the Labor Day movement. 

More impressively, yesterday marked the 101st anniversary of the opening of the New York Post Office. At opening it was simply called Pennsylvania Terminal, and later renamed the Farley post office in 1982. Also designed by McKim, Mead & White, the postal building continued the Corinthian Colonnade of its railroad neighbor.  The famous inscription adorning the building: "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds" is not the official motto of the United States Postal Service (it doesn't actually have one).  It was suggested by McKim, Mead & White staffer William Mitchell Kendall who borrowed from Herodotus' Histories description of Persian mounted couriers.

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Days of Our Kickstarter Fulfillment continues. In this episode I go to bed with prints and postcards and tickets and large flat envelopes. #transit #pennstation #kickstarter #photography #graphicdesign #theater #imcrazy