Maplewood’s own ‘kitchen theater’ expands to Brooklyn and beyond

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — ‘Aglio e Olio,’ a one-woman show that was launched in a Maplewood kitchen in 2016, will be a featured performance at Auxiliary Projects, a multidisciplinary art space in Brooklyn, according to a recent announcement from the show’s creators.

“Aglio e Olio,” or “Garlic and Oil,” was co-created by Maplewood residents Meg Persichetti, who performs the piece, and Laura Gilkey, who directs. It tells the story of the relationship between a young woman and her father, and the journey they took together as he dealt with terminal cancer. This unique, multi-sensory production is performed entirely in the kitchen of Gilkey’s home while Persichetti is cooking linguine aioli. Following the performance, audience members get to enjoy tastings of some of the food mentioned in the story. Performances have been invitation-only, and the show has been staged more than a dozen times since its debut in June of 2016.

“Meg and I are so thrilled with the response ‘Aglio e Olio’ has received,” Gilkey said. “The growing interest in this play has spread only through word of mouth, and we have continued to add performances long after we thought the run would end. We are delighted to now be able to bring this show to an even broader audience through our fellow artists at Auxiliary Projects.”

Located in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, Auxiliary Projects is a collaborative project space founded and run by two multidisciplinary artists, Jennifer Dalton and Jennifer McCoy. The gallery focuses on small handmade artworks conceived to exhibit in concert with an artist’s larger body of work. “Aglio e Olio” will be performed Saturday, June 2, at 7 p.m. in conjunction with the exhibit “Hand Held,” by artist Valery Jung Estabrook. “Hand Held” delves into the experiences of grief, loss, memory and healing; Estabrook’s imagery is mined from her memories following her father’s death last year.

For information about the “Aglio e Olio” performance at Auxiliary Projects, contact the gallery at [email protected]. For general information about “Aglio e Olio” and to be put on the invitation list for the next Maplewood-based performance, contact Gilkey at [email protected].