Culturemart 2010
JOHARI MAYFIELD – The Venus Riff
The Venus Hottentot struts in a cage as a sideshow freak and scientific specimen in 19th century England. Fast forward to the present day where a young woman solicits men in elevators. The Venus Riff blends irony and social critique in a twisted commentary on the fall and resurrection of womankind. Dance, music, and burlesque intermingle in a theatrical exploration that shines an informed light on scientific and religious urgings to pin women down as types, as species, and as good or evil. Directed by Jose Zayas.
MICHAEL BODEL – Sonnambula
Bellini’s pastoral opera, La Sonnambula is peeled back to reveal the experience of young Amina on the day before her wedding, surrounded by her village but lost in her own mind. A sleepwalker, Amina exists in the space between sleeping and waking, vibrant and lifeless. Visceral choreography of two dancers converges with puppetry on multiple scales. Amina’s world decomposes. Soprano Mme. Giuditta Pasta is brought to life, moments before she steps onto the stage of La Scala, 1831.
LAURA PETERSON – Wooden
A dance with rigorous geometry and intense physicality, Wooden explores endurance and the decay of structure. The dancers twist through endless configurations without repetition until both the set and their performances are changed and broken. Gaps are left, creating new imprints in the space and the audience’s memory. Inspired by natural architecture, Wooden is created and performed by Laura Peterson Choreography with a live, installed set of sculpted and tangled trees and metal.
XIMENA GARNICA AND SHIGE MORIYA – Floating Point Waves
An installation of strings and water, real-time video projection, and live electronic music converge to create a stunning, seamless landscape in which a single Butoh artist moves. Every motion of the dance is reflected in the surface of water, creating waves, which in turn, affect the light and projected image. Floating Point Waves explores the unstable and interconnected nature of our world. The adult human body is approximately 60 percent water. By heightening this perception and emphasizing the significance of its weight in our body, the dance emerges as an interplay between the body and gravity. Projected video creates forms of light that function as visual music. The world transforms until our only standing point is instability and we are but an interconnected floating point.
TONI DOVE – Lucid Possession
Lucid Possession is a schizoid duet between a woman with a head like a radio receiver and her own avatar. The uncanny manifestation of a virtual multiple personality plagued by ghosts from the past, this automated video pop-up book forges an entirely new form: let’s call it cinematic bunraku. Live performers animate video bringing characters to life through motion, voice, and robotics. Onstage, Toni Dove and composer and violinist Mari Kimura control the physical and virtual movements of video and robotic entities. Performer Hai-Ting Chinn sings and speaks through the Avatar, alongside songs and musical interludes by Elliott Sharp and Mari Kimura. Software designer R. Luke DuBois and roboticist Leif Krinkle control additional layers of light, sound, and movement.
KAMALA SANKARAM – Miranda
Pop-opera meets reality TV. Miranda is a multimedia chamber opera where the audience becomes detective, judge, and jury for an unsolved murder. An innovative mix of original music inspired by hiphop, tango, Baroque counterpoint, and Hindustani classical ragas, Miranda is set during the live taping of a hit Court TV show. Miranda explores the way that we spin our own stories about ourselves and others, and the devastation that can result when we discover those stories aren’t true.
YOAV GAL – Mosheh
“And that you may tell in the ears of thy son, and of your son’s son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that you may know that I am the LORD.”
Mosheh is a videOpera re-enacting the seminal Biblical saga of Moses through highly stylized, original music, movement, and video projections. A choir of four “mother figures” who nurtured and protected Moses in his evolution recounts the text of the ten plagues that God had wrought upon Egypt. “The Plagues” are the concluding episode of Mosheh and will be presented in concert form. The full production of Mosheh will premiere at HERE in Fall 2010.
ERIN ORR & RIMA FAND – Don Cristóbal, Billy-Club Man
For centuries, the puppet Don Cristóbal has charmed audiences with his drunken, lusty, billy-club wielding antics. But does he secretly struggle with his role as the Billy-Club Man and long for love and escape? Through experimental puppetry, clowning and live music, Don Cristóbal, Billy-Club Man explores the violent appetites of Cristóbal’s on-stage persona and follows him off-stage to reveal his poetic possibilities. Inspired by the puppet plays of Federico GarcÍa Lorca, the piece features shadow, hand and large figurative puppetry by Erin Orr and evocative original music by Rima Fand.
LINDSAY ABROMAITIS-SMITH & EMMA JASTER – Epyllion
Carnal and spiritual collide and entwine through the dawning of the first day and the moonshine of the first night. Inspired by the fantastical imagery of Magical Realist painter Remedios Varo and the poetry of Rumi, Aeolian Theatre presents a new creation myth told through puppetry, dance, ritual and song. Born of a collective wrestling to find the story that belongs to all of us, we offer a world that seeps in through the senses, flooding our hearts, inviting performers and audience alike to peel back some of the many layers around our hopes, sorrows, fears, and secret delights to reawaken the purity of our primitive selves.
LAKE SIMONS & CHAD LYNCH – At Long Last: Phase One
Simons unravels a silent tale through the inanimate objects surrounding her on stage. With imaginative child-like perception and innocence, Simons brings
these objects to life in a new solo performance piece spanning clown, puppetry and dance. Simons and Lynch channel the stylistic qualities of silent film stars and pantomimic gestures of the prima ballerina from days of yore. Both ridiculous and poetic, At Long Last: Phrase One, is part of a larger piece being developed by the duo and will include a Phrase 2 and Phrase 3.
DEKE WEAVER – A Small Leashed Monkey
A Peace-Corps-volunteer-turned-office-worker-drone transforms into a social superhero: a brilliant conversationalist, an exquisite chef, a passionate lover, a shrewd and compassionate corporate titan. He is unstoppable. And then, one night, during a spectacular dinner party filled with heartfelt tributes, deeply moving songs and transcendent dancing, the worm begins to turn. With a hint of Spalding Gray and a dash of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, Weaver’s grapplings with shadow and light are simultaneously disturbing and hilarious.
NICK BROOKE AND JENNY ROHN – Border Towns
Border Towns explores how recordings have reengineered the psychological landscape of the U.S., stitching together hundreds of recordings collected along the borders. Seven performers lipsync, sing, and move precisely with a dense map of song fragments, ambient sounds, and border broadcasts. Along the way, musical Americana gets reconstructed into a surreal theatrical collage reflecting on recording, location, and culture.
The Venus Rift
With support from the Harlem Stage Fund of New York
Choreographer/Dancer/Writer Johari Mayfield
Voiceovers Max Mcguire, Ngozi Anyanwu, Hugh Sinclair, Vanessa Morosco, Johari Mayfield
Director Jose Zayas
Set Designer Laura Taber Bacon
Sound Designer David Margolin Lawson
Sonnambula
Developed through the HERE Artist Residency and Dream Music Puppetry Programs, with additional support from The Jim Henson Foundation, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Swing Space program; space at 14 Wall Street is donated by Capstone Equities”, the Puppet Lab at St. Ann’s Warehouse, and a handful of generous donors.
Created and Directed by Michael Bodel
Vocalist & Musical Director Casey Cole
Dancers Cheri Paige Fogleman, Hannah Lundeen
Puppeteers Cory Antiel, Hunter Kaczorowski, Erica McLaughlin, Katie Sasso
Puppet Design Michael Bodel & Diana Ho
Costume Design (puppets & performers) Hunter Kaczorowski
Light Design Ayumu “Poe” Saegusa
Composer Mike Rugnetta
Projection Design Hannah Wasileski
Scenic Backdrops Shiraj Ganjuly
Stage Manager Alejandro Rodriguez
Floating Point Waves
Floating Point Waves is being developed through the HERE Artist Residency Program, with additional developmental support from CAVE, the New Hazlett Theater residency, and The Silo dance residency.
Company LEIMAY
Conceived & Designed by Ximena Garnica & Shige Moriya
Dance & Choreography Ximena Garnica
Video-Light Shige Moriya
Lighting Solomon Weisbard
Soundscape Jeremy D. Slater
Developmental Credit Denisa Musilova, Irem Calikusu,
Stephanie Lanckton (dancers)
Roland Toledo (sound artist)
Stage Assistance Bleakley Mcdowell & Masanori Asahara
Stage & Costume Assistance Kate Griffler
Additional HERE Production Libby Leonard
Lucid Possession
Lucid Possession has had work in progress shows at CULTUREMART, HERE Arts Center, 2009, Republique Theater (ongoing residency), Copenhagen, 2009, Spielart Festival, Munich, 2009.
CONCEIVED, WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY TONI DOVE
SOFTWARE DESIGN R. LUKE DUBOIS
ROBOTICS DESIGN, TECHNICAL DIRECTOR LEIF KRINKLE
SCREEN FABRICATION, COSTUME DESIGN KAREN YOUNG
COMPOSER ELLIOTT SHARP
ASSISTANT DESIGNER EMILY SPIVACK
PERFORMERS
VIDEO OPERATOR TONI DOVE
MUSICIAN, COMPOSER MARI KIMURA
VOCALIST HAI-TING CHINN
VIDEO
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY TOSHI OZAWA
COSTUME DESIGN, ART DIRECTION KAREN YOUNG
PRODUCTION DESIGN SONYA GROPMAN
PRODUCTION ELECTRONICS LEIF KRINKLE
SOUND RECORDING DANIEL PERLIN
SOUND POST PRODUCTION DANIEL PERLIN
VIDEO EDITOR LILI CHIN
CAST
BEAN HAI-TING CHINN
TISI CHRISTINA CAMPANELLA
ARATHUSA WENDY VIEROW
13TH CENTURY NUN EMMA JASTER
ASSISTANT PRODUCER KASSANDRA HENDRIX
DEVELOPMENT DAVID SHEINGOLD
PRODUCTION
BUSTLELAMP PRODUCTIONS, INC.
CO-PRODUCERS
HERE – NEW YORK, SPIELART FESTIVAL – MUNICH, REPUBLIQUE – COPENHAGEN, THEATER IM PUMPENHAUS – MÜNSTER IN THE FRAME OF CONNECTIONS
Miranda
Miranda is being presented through HERE’s Artist Residency Program (HARP), which commissions artists, and gives them development and full production support.
Music/Libretto/Photos Kamala Sankaram
Director Suzi Takahashi
Video Design Adam KendalI
Sound Design Bradley Kemp
Lighting Design Ayumu “Poe” Saegusa
Technical Director Matt Tennie
Mosheh
Developed through HERE’s Artist Residency Program (HARP), which commissions artists, and gives them development and full production support. Mosheh was originally commissioned by Kaufman Center – Merkin Concert Hall with generous support from Denise Simon, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
By Yoav Gal
Music Director Kathleen Tagg
Bitia, Pharaoh’s Daughter Heather Green
Zipporah, Moses’ Wife Beth Anne Hatton
Yocheved, Moses’ Mother Judith Barnes
Miriam, Moses’ Sister Hai-Ting Chinn
Bass Flute Sato Moughalian
Clarinet Alejandro Acierto
Saxophone Argeo Ascani
Percussion Peter Wise
Violin 1 Olivia De Prato
Violoin 2 Josh Modney
Viola Victor Lowrie
Cello Isabel Castellvi
Video by Yoav Gal, with help from Joshua Frankel
Dón Cristobal, Billy-Club Man
Developed through the HERE Artist Residency Program, with funding from The Jim Henson Foundation and Cheryl Henson and additional support from the St. Ann’s Warehouse Puppet Lab, The Hip Pocket Theatre, LMCC Swing Space and the September 11th fund, Shetler Studios, The Abrons Art Center, Tandem Otter Productions and a production residency from One Arm Red.
Creator / Composer Rima Fand
Creator / Puppetry Erin Orr
Movement Director Hillary Spector
Flamenco Consultant La Magdalena
Set Design Erin Orr
Scenic Painting Leat Klingman, Clauda Acosta, Sarah Petersiel, Jenny Campell, Rebecca Josue, Rima Fand
Costume Design Laura Catignani, Erin Orr
Lighting Design Ayumu “Poe” Saegusa
PERFORMERS
Rosita (Actress / Puppeteer) Claudia Acosta
The Director/ Boy in the Midnight Hours Todd D’Amour
The Poet David Fand
Don Cristóbal Puppeteer (Head, Hand puppet, and voice) Brendan McMahon
Don Cristóbal Puppeteer (Arms) / Invalid Puppeteer / Midnight Hours Puppeteer Fabián González
Don Cristóbal Puppeteer (Feet) / Midnight Hours Puppeteer Matt Groff
Mother Puppeteer / Flower Puppeteer / Midnight Hours Puppeteer Sarah Petersiel
Rosita (Singer) / Flower Puppeteer / Girl in the Midnight Hours Justine Williams
Flower Puppeteer / Girl in the Midnight Hours Cybele Kaufmann
Flower Puppeteer / Midnight Hours Puppeteer Lisa Van Wambeck
Percussion / Boy in the Midnight Hours Quince Marcum
Piano / Mandolin Rima Fand
Guitar Avi Fox Rosen
Epyllion
Developed through HERE’s Artist Residency Program (HARP), which commissions artists, and gives them development and full production support, with funding from the Jim Henson Foundation and Cheryl Henson.
By Lindsay Abromaitis-Smith (Puppet Director)
& Emma Jaster (Movement Director)
Music Director, Composer Akie Bermiss
Lighting Designer Ayumu “Poe” Saegusa
Technical Director Marlon Hurt
Stage Manager Neelam Vaswani
PERFORMERS
Linsday Abromaitis-Smith
Cory Antiel
Emma Jaster
Sophie Nimmanit
Matt Pearson
MUSICIANS
Keyboard and Vocals Akie Bermiss
Percussion Zach Dunham
Bass Kyle Jaster
Violin Emmanuelle Lambert-Lemoine
Flute Rachel Menyuk
At Long Last: Phase One
This piece has been given a Creation Residency at the performance space One Arm Red in Dumbo, Brooklyn and will be presented in the New York City area in 2010. It will also be part of the 34th season at the Hip Pocket Theatre in Ft. Worth, Texas.
Created by Lake Simons and Chad Lynch
Performed by Lake Simons
Lighting by Ayumu “Poe” Saegusa
Lighting Operation by Masako Kataoka
Costumes and Puppets by Lake Simons
A Small Leashed Monkey
A Small Leashed Monkey is one of the stories that inspired Weaver’s The Unreliable Bestiary, a Creative Capital supported project presenting a performance for every letter of the alphabet, each letter represented by a particular animal or habitat.
Written and performed by Deke Weaver
Border Towns
Developed through HERE’s Artist Residency Program (HARP), which commissions artists, and gives them development and full production support, with additional support from Bennington College, The Field’s ERPA Program and the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Swing Space program. Space at 14 Wall Street is donated by Capstone Equities.
Composer / Co-director Nick Brooke
Co-director Jenny Rohn
Set Design Sue Rees
Lighting Design / Production Manager Madeline Best
Sound Design / Live Mixing Mike Rugnetta
Production Intern / Stage Manager Marialena Difabbio
Costume Consultant Simone Duff
Performers: Genevieve Belleveau, Hai-ting Chinn, Michael Chinworth, Davina Cohen*, Matt Pearson*, Kamala Sankaram, Dax Valdes
*AEA Members | Equity Approved Showcase