GALLERY OF ECHOES Returns to Shadowbox Live Tonight

"Having immersed myself in art during a lifetime, I was confident that I could handle anything you had to show me. I was wrong."

These words were taken from a three page letter written by Bruce Burns, a self described art lover who has travelled the world pursing that passion. The letter, presented to Shadowbox Live CEO and Executive Producer Stev Guyer, was Burns' attempt to describe his experience watching Gallery of Echoes.

Gallery of Echoes, which had its world premiere this past May in Columbus, Ohio, is a unique collaboration between America's largest resident theater company Shadowbox Live and the nationally recognized Columbus Museum of Art. In its short four day, seven performance initial run, Gallery of Echoes was met with audience and critical acclaim.

"Gallery of Echoes must be judged a qualified but very real success," writes Michael Grossberg of The Columbus Dispatch. "Shadowbox largely overcomes the sometimes awkward fusion of different artistic mediums to make it possible for untutored audiences to experience something that one might have thought was impossible: bringing a series of static museum images to such life with such vivid clarity and haunting resonance."

Gallery of Echoes is a multi-media, multi-discipline production that bridges the gap between visual arts and live performance, inspired by and starring twenty-one works of art from the Columbus Museum of Art's permanent collection.

At the center of the production is immersive video of each piece, sometimes taking the audience inside the artwork with 3D effects, sometimes showing details and perspectives that often go unnoticed, all projected on a 27 by 9 foot screen and set to original music by Shadowbox Live musicians, Light. Each piece of original music, written specifically for its intended artwork, helps convey the message of the artist, the emotion of the piece and/or the state of the environment in which the artist worked. Additionally, Shadowbox Live vocalists and dancers are sprinkled liberally throughout the performance, bringing the artwork further to life.

"When we first went about choosing which pieces to work with, we had the wonderful experience of being led through the museum by Chief Curator Dominique Vasseur," said Guyer, who in addition to his duties as Executive Producer was also lead composer for Gallery of Echoes. "His knowledge of the artwork is astonishing, and he was able to tell us all about the artist, the history of the piece and the intended interpretation. This was invaluable to us as we began to write the music. We wanted to take all of that knowledge and pass it on to the audience through our performance."

In the year leading up to the premier, Light, the band responsible for composing and performing the music, set out to do just that, working and reworking the 21 song cycle until each piece captured a feeling and a sound that was unique and appropriate to each work of art. The five person group, made up of Shadowbox Live musicians Stev Guyer (keys & percussion), Gabriel Guyer (bass), Matthew Hahn (guitar), Jennifer Hahn (keys), and Brandon Smith (drums), successfully evoked a wide range of sensory experiences and emotion, from sheer terror in George Tooker's Cornice to finding oneself on the high plains of Nayarit, Mexico in Court Musician with a Turtle Carapace and Deer Horn Rasp.

"Seriously, no matter how impressed you are by the show in general, you can't help being blown away by the music," writes Columbus theater critic, Richard Ades. "These pieces are in a class by themselves. The best ones complement their respective artworks perfectly, and are all flawlessly performed."

Roughly half the works in the song cycle were accompanied by dance or production, choreographed by Shadowbox Live Head Choreographer Katy Psenicka. This helped to illustrate both the emotion and the meaning of the art, utilizing dance styles that were as varied as the music. In Masumi Hayashi's composite photo Ohio Penitentiary, Death Row, one lonely dancer conveys the desolation and despair of a death row prisoner with small, subtle, soft shoe movements that evolve into anger and frustration. While Thunderstorm, 1921, by Arthur Dove included a stage full of dancers symbolically representing wind, rain, waves and lightning with strong and often violent physicality. And Bouquet of Light, a sculpture of optical lead crystal by Columbus native Christopher Ries, featured a very different kind of dance; one that that featured bubbles. Four bubble makers were moved around the stage, allowing bubbles to fill the air and spill into the audience, each one a mini version of the play of light Ries worked with so well.

But the true focal point of Gallery of Echoes is the artwork itself. The Shadowbox Live video department, led by Chief Editor David Whitehouse, painstakingly edited high resolution photographs and video of each piece into stunning creations which were projected onto a giant screen provided by Columbus production company Mills James Creative. The images would zoom in and out, sometimes focusing on one section of the piece, sometimes digitally manipulating parts of paintings to appear three dimensional or move, and often show the audience aspects of the work that are easy to miss in a casual viewing. Even those intensely familiar with the artwork were surprised to see and learn new things.

Linda Bass McClelland studied art at OSU and CCAD, and is a former docent for the Columbus Museum of Art. "As a docent in the late 70's I became very familiar with many of the paintings in the museum, but sitting in the audience watching Gallery of Echoes, I felt I was seeing the artwork for the very first time. I actually had tears in my eyes at one point, seeing details in a vast landscape I'd never seen before."

Gallery of Echoes created a lasting change for some audience members, altering the way they view art and opening their eyes to the treasure trove contained in their own community.

"I've long thought of my hometown collection [of art] as respectfully modest, fit for a nice relaxing afternoon stroll," says Richard Brown, published author and Columbus theater critic. "But after being immersed in the sights and sounds of Gallery of Echoes, I will slow my pace and take in a deeper appreciation for their collection. And I will never look at the Columbus Museum of Art the same way again."

With this overwhelming response and support from the local community, Shadowbox Live and the Columbus Museum of Art are thrilled to announce an encore run of Gallery of Echoes, taking place November 5th through November 16th, 2014.

"We need more of this," states ColumbusUnderground.com. "Theater appreciating the other art forms and uniting them into an experience only a theater can do. Not just in Columbus, but in the rest of world as well."

Many audience members agreed with exactly that sentiment, and to that end, a committee of community leaders has formed with the goal of bringing this extraordinarily unique performance to a wider audience.

"Gallery of Echoes is an incredibly creative original work that is unmatched by anything I've seen in our area in years," says Tom Katzenmeyer, President of Greater Columbus Arts Council. "The show clearly has potential on the national stage and I look forward to helping achieve that vision."

In addition to Katzenmeyer, other members include Bill Connor, President of Columbus Association of the Performing Arts, Mike Gonsiorowski, Central Ohio Regional President of PNC Bank, Brian Ross, President and CEO of Experience Columbus, Christie Angel, Deputy Chief of Staff for City of Columbus, Shelli Smith, Director of Programs of the PAST Foundation, and Columbus City Councilmember Eileen Paley, among others.

"Gallery of Echoes was a unique, creative, exciting, memorable, and important work of art," says Gonsiorowksi. "PNC would like to assist in having this production continue to be performed. In show terms, this act has legs and needs to be preserved and, perhaps, expanded with other partner museums in an even broader geographic scale."

The message of Gallery of Echoes is one of inspiration, from each artist who was inspired to create their work, to the inspiration of the musicians and performers who brought that work to life and to a new audience.

Gallery of Echoes, art inspired by art inspired by art. Shadowbox Live and Columbus Museum of Art present Gallery of Echoes, today, November 5 - 16, 2014. Show times and ticket information TBD. For more information, call the Shadowbox Live Box Office at 614-416-7625 or go online at www.shadowboxlive.org. Gallery of Echoes is presented in part by PNC's Arts Alive!

Shadowbox Live is the largest resident theater company in America, producing over 400 shows per year. A non-profit 501c3 performance troupe, Shadowbox Live employs 45 full time ensemble members immersed in the Shadowbox Live philosophy of "everyone does everything," including arts administration. These Shadowbox Live metaperformers self-produce a wide range of shows, as well as run the company on a day-to-day basis. For 25 years this creative team has produced world-class performances, spanning the artistic spectrum with sketch comedy, rock 'n 'roll, original rock operas, traditional musicals, drama, dance theater and new media; always putting emphasis on the unparalleled live experience. Shadowbox Live is a healthy, vibrant, self-sustaining arts organization that generates the majority of its funding from its patron base, and leads the way as an artistic tour de force in Midwest.

Pictured: Left: Bird by Aldo Casanova, Not Dated, metal, Columbus Museum of Art: Museum Purchase, Howald Fund. Photo Courtesy of Columbus Museum of Art. Right: Shadowbox Live metaperformer Amy Lay performing in Bird from Gallery of Echoes. Credit: Will Shively.

To post a comment, you must register and login.