I have launched a new projected called the Performance Interface Lab, founded in late March 2020 in response to the closure of traditional theatrical venues from the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing social distancing measures. The goal of the Performance Interface Lab (PIL) is to reckon with the spatial, social, and creative limits being placed upon us right now and to recontextualize them as opportunities to adapt and renew the platform of theatre. This is a laboratory intended to explore that. The lab has produced a separate series of live, interactive, at-home, theatre-for-one pieces to be performed in 30 minutes or less for each added month of stay-at-home orders.
Lab A features 3 new works: woolgatherings, Couples Therapy, and OUT OF TIME. As artistic director, I have served as producer, creative consultant, box office manager, and stage manager for each of these pieces.
Crafted by Pete Danelski & Jordan Clark Halsey, woolgatherings is an instruction-based piece investigating ritualized space, the nature of making connections, and the power of naming your “ghosts.” Read Patrick McLean’s review on No Proscenium here.
Couples Therapy, by Lily Kerrigan & Matthew Marcus, crafts an improvisation-based, problem-solving experience for the interactive theatergoer eager to dive headfirst into a session. Tune in below for an interview with the team on NY theatre critic Asya Gorovits’ vlog.
Joan Cummins & Susan Stroupe’s piece OUT OF TIME is a guided exploration of navigation and how we conceive of time.
Lab A runs April 10 through 26, Thursday through Sunday evenings, and Saturday/Sunday afternoons, in half-hour time slots. All pieces are to be experienced from within your home, and thus require a basic technical interface and WiFi through which to communicate. The interfaces (phone, Zoom, video game, etc.) being used by each piece are specified on the website. Please visit the company website here to purchase Pay-What-You-Will tickets and learn more, and follow us on Facebook to stay updated on future lab cycles or to submit a proposal.
UPDATE: After selling out our initially scheduled run, OUT OF TIME has extended through May 3, due to popular demand. Reserve tickets here.