The Institute Of Useless Activity's THIS AND THAT, Playing September 7-24
THIS AND THAT is co-created and performed by Phil Soltanoff and Steven Wendt.
By: A.A. Cristi Jul. 26, 2022
The Bushwick Starr is partner with The Chocolate Factory Theater to present The Institute of Useless Activity's THIS AND THAT, co-created by international theater director Phil Soltanoff (2020 Herb Alpert Award recipient) and performer/puppeteer Steven Wendt (Blue Man Group). What is THIS? What is THAT? - THAT imagines the creation of the universe.
Video equipment comes to life by the cranking of tripod knobs, zooming in and out, maneuvering visual feedback loops, dissolving images together and apart, creating an abstract video puppetry before our eyes. No pre-recorded video, no tricks. THIS is about people - their romantic sense of longing, loss, alienation and near miss... a cowboy sleeps under the stars, a family puts their child to sleep for the night, a crooner serenades his lover, a jazz pianist fantasizes while he plays. Hand shadow vignettes, inspired by Henry Moore sculptures, morph from one scene to another.
The Institute for Useless Activity has committed itself to the principles of 1) finding what is theatrically interesting through research and experimentation, 2) using/abusing any technology at hand and 3) avoiding slickness by discovering the poetry in simple objects. The work is not meant to be "useful" in a political or social sense, but playful and naive-curious and full of wonder.
THIS AND THAT is co-created and performed by Phil Soltanoff and Steven Wendt
THIS AND THAT is made possible by a Henson Foundation Workshop Grant
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