Ford Theatres and The Big Show Co. Present the World Premiere of THE COLLECTIVE MEMORY PROJECT

The Ford Theatres, in association with choreographer/director Arianne MacBean and The Big Show Co., presents the world premiere of The Collective Memory Project on June 28 and 29 at 8:30 p.m., as part of its IGNITE @ the FORD! series. The Collective Memory Project is an original dance-theatre piece inspired by memories of U.S. military veterans, the performers and the audience themselves. For this intimate performance, all audience members will be seated onstage.

This event is the culmination of a three-year community performance initiative, and follows thirteen Memory Movement Workshops held with local veterans at the Ford Theatres and beyond. The work examines memory's effects through time, the agency of remembrance and forgetting, and investigates aspects of the past by which the present is always haunted. Just like memories, no two versions of The Collective Memory Project are alike, as memories of each new audience are incorporated into every presentation.

In an interview, Arianne MacBean explains, "Using our signature blend of dance, theater, text, music and visual imagery, we have created a series of inclusive, highly-personal performances where memories are activated and reimagined to create communal performance experiences. The Big Show Co. has partnered with LA-based nonprofit, Veterans in Media & Entertainment, which works to bridge the military/civilian divide, to provide a series of memory-writing workshops from which text is used to create scripts for The Big Show Co. performances."

In addition to her outreach work with The Big Show Co., Arianne MacBean was also a community liaison for DIAVOLO's The Veterans Project, which offers movement workshops to local veterans, culminating in a public performance.

Olga Garay-English, Interim Executive Director for the Ford Theatres said, "This performance is deeply personal as it explores the intersection between art and healing. Through this initiative, Arianne MacBean has created an invaluable opportunity for veterans to explore their experiences and express them through movement. We feel privileged to be the venue that will present the world premiere of this important project which features local veterans and LA-based artists."

Seating is very limited for this intimate IGNITE on stage experience. Tickets are available by visiting FordTheatres.org or by calling 323.461.3673.

About The Collective Memory Project
In January 2015, The Big Show Co. embarked on an exciting three-year community performance initiative called The Collective Memory Project - dance-theater inspired by the survival memories of U.S. military veterans, the performers and the audience. The Big Show Co. was established in 1999 by choreographer/writer/educator Arianne MacBean with the mission to bring cutting edge original dance-theater to Los Angeles and beyond. The Big Show Co. has presented work at The DIA Center for the Arts and WOW in New York; The Skirball Cultural Center, The Museum of Contemporary Art, The Hammer Museum, Electric Lodge, Barnsdall Art Park, Highways Performance Space, the El Portal Theater, Electric Lodge, Diavolo Dance Space, the CalArts Commuter Festival, REDCAT's Studio, The A.W.A.R.D. Show! produced by The Joyce Theater NY and ODC in San Francisco.

The Collective Memory Project was a departure from The Big Show Co.'s established practice of simultaneously developing script material with movement during the rehearsal process. Instead Artistic Director Arianne MacBean and Dramaturg Nathan Clum led free Memory Writing Workshops for veterans at the Los Angeles Public Library. Text generated in these workshops was sourced for script material and used as the inspiration for creation of original dance-theater by The Big Show Co. Works-in-progress showings were presented in October 2015 at The Brand Library in Glendale, May 2016 at ARC in Pasadena, and October 2017 at El Camino College. As the project continued, a handful of veterans regularly attended the workshops. Relationships and bonds were developed between the company members and the veterans. The veterans began to show interest in performing alongside the company as they re-imagined memories - both painful and joyful - from their past. In February 2017, four veterans performed with the company for the first time at the work-in-progress showing at Hollywood Legion Post 42.

The Collective Memory Project explores the creative act of memory-making. The performances engage with "actual" memories and re-embody them through movement, time, space, and visual imagery. Never abandoning the structures inherent in performance itself, the work relies upon ephemerality. By utilizing artistic relationships to illuminate memory association, repetition, and reappearance as well as forms of "active" forgetting, this work reveals an essential performativity in the aesthetic and art of memory-making.

With generous funding from the City of Los Angeles' Department of Cultural Affairs and the California Arts Council, as well as additional support from the Los Angeles Public Library.

Arianne MacBean is the Artistic Director of The Big Show Co. She is Adjunct Faculty at Cal State University Long Beach, Pasadena City College and Glendale Community College. She also facilitates weekly Memory Writing Workshops as part of the Women's Empowerment Group at Casa Treatment Center in Pasadena - a facility for women undergoing treatment for drug and alcohol abuse. MacBean holds a BA in Dance from UCLA and a double MFA in Dance & Critical Writing from California Institute of the Arts.

About the Ford Theatres

At 1,200 seats, the Ford Theatres creates an intimate concert experience that is a favorite among Angelenos. Each summer, the Ford hosts music, dance, theatre, film and family events reflective of the communities that comprise Los Angeles County. Proceeds from IGNITE @ the FORD! events benefit the Ford Theatre Foundation. The Ford is owned by the County of Los Angeles and operated in partnership with the Department of Parks and Recreation and the Ford Theatre Foundation. Nestled in a canyon of a County regional park in the Cahuenga Pass, the Ford Theatres has a rich history dating back to the 1920s. Audiences attending the 2018 Season will enjoy a fully revitalized Ford after the completion of a nearly three-year renovation project, including improved lighting and sound and the Ford Terrace Café on the new terrace - dubbed The Zev - with a menu by Crumble Catering.

The 2018 Season at the Ford Theatres is made possible through the support of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. Additional support provided by Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, along with ABC7; the Caruso Family Foundation; the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles; Chamber Music America; City National Bank; Discover Hollywood; First 5 LA; Fusicology; The James Irvine Foundation; KCETLink; KCRW; LAArtsOnline.com; Motev; The National Endowment for the Arts; NBC Universal; Southern California Edison; Union Bank; Univision; The Wasserman Foundation; Wells Fargo; and Yelp.com.

Photo Courtesy of the Company

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