Interview: 6 Questions & a Plug with EMILIE/EURIDYCE's Isabel Nelson

I'm probably just late to the party; well, not probably, I am. Minneapolis company, Transatlantic Love Affair (TLA), has been creating intriguing theater for several years now and this is the first I've seen one of their shows. I had the opportunity to watch opening night of EMILIE/EURIDYCE and then ask Director Isabel Nelson 6 Questions (and give her a plug, of course) to delve a little deeper into this new work.

Read up below, and get your ticket as the show closes Nov. 21, 2015. This is one you must see to "get"; truly, knowing the storyline will only get you so far. Experiencing this form of theatre in person is the only way you'll understand it, both in your head and heart. Head to Illusion soon for an emotional, transformative night of new theatre.

First, a little background. The story goes like this: Everything changed in an instant for Emilie, who fell into a coma after a catastrophic accident. TLA investigates enduring love and ambiguous loss in the modern world when loved ones must walk the line between impossible hope and inexorable grief - learning how to fight and how to let go.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the "veil," Emilie embarks on her own separate journey. And like the mythical Eurydice, bethrothed to Orpheus and who was banished to the Underworld, she must find her way back to the surface. Using the convention of a Greek chorus, TLA intersects Emilie's story with that of the mythological nymph and explores this netherworld.

Based on a real-life story of Emilie G., a woman Nelson heard about on a Radiolab broadcast who experienced a similar accident and coma, TLA developed this production and story over dozens of hours of work.

What about Emilie G.'s story inspired you most to create a theatrical piece about what you heard? You said in your notes that the story is not recreating her story but was inspired by it -- how did you work to make it different and unique from Emilie G.'s?

When I first heard Emilie G.'s story, I was inspired about the questions it raised for me about how we, as humans, navigate the murky waters of trauma - both when it happens to us, and when it happens to someone we love. How does it impact our relationships, our daily routines? When are we hopeful, and when do we give up? How do we walk the tightwire between these huge emotions of hope and despair in a space where physical progress seems frozen? I also found intriguing the question of how to put the inner life of a person in a coma onstage. Everyone I've spoken to who has experienced a coma reports not remembering anything of that time. The ensemble and myself chose, then, to unleash our imaginations in terms of portraying what that space could be, and how it could shift over the course of a coma.

In terms of practical departures from "the real Emilie"'s story, the most immediate and obvious changes are in the people who surround her: in our story, her lover is female, and the only present parent is her father. We also intentionally created an "Emilie" that lacked nearly all commonality with the real-life Emilie G, both in terms of identity (e.g., Emilie G. is a visual artist, while our Emilie is a dog-walker who makes pottery in her spare time), and in terms of the particulars of her experience (Emilie G. has some hearing loss and emerged from her coma having lost her sight, which plays heavily into her story; our Emilie has neither of these obstacles). Our choice to name our titular character "Emilie" is meant as an homage to the original inspiration to create the work, and does not imply any sort of biographical connection. EMILIE/EURIDYCE is not (and was never intended to be) a recreation or retelling of the real Emilie's experience, or of the Radiolab that first inspired its development, but a broader examination of how we humans cope (and how we move away from or towards each other) in the face of sudden, traumatic, and life-altering circumstances.

Tell me more about the "Eurydice" part of the show -- for someone unfamiliar with the myth, can you describe how that was used in your story and how you came up with the connection between that story and Emilie's?

The myth of Orpheus and Eurydice tells the story of a musician and poet (Orpheus) who loses the great love of his life, Eurydice, to a fatal snake bite on their wedding day. Determined to get her back, he travels to the Underworld and, through the power of his music, convinces the denizens therein to relinquish Eurydice. They agree that she will follow behind him during the long journey back to the upper world, but with the sole condition that Orpheus cannot glance back to ensure her presence before both have safely reached home. He fails in this request, and loses her forever.

Though the ending of our story (and of Emilie G.'s) is different, I was struck in both by the theme of following a loved one into the darkness, or finding a way to communicate through that impermeable veil, to bring your beloved home. In our version of the story, there are moments of imagery where we recall the myth, but it is most clearly seen in Olivia's identity as a musician, and her use of music to "bring back" Emilie. We also intentionally named our lovers so their first initials would correspond with their mythic counterparts (Olivia/Orpheus, and of course Emilie/Eurydice).

NIce touch. The piece is a collaboration of your cast and a result of workshops - can you tell our readers more about how you went about creating this piece?

For all of TLA's productions, the play is created throughout the rehearsal process, and almost exclusively in the rehearsal room with the entire ensemble present. Basically, instead of showing up with a script, we build the show (including the script, storyline and any movement sequences) over the course of weeks of rehearsal through improvisation, exercises and collectively trying out idea after idea. For EMILIE/EURIDYCE, we had two 30-hour workshop processes (in July 2014 and May 2015) where we developed about 60 minutes of total material. When we returned to the rehearsal room this October in preparation for the full production, part of our work was to determine which material would stay (about half), and what holes needed to be filled in the narrative (a lot). From there, we fleshed out the story we wanted to tell, and determined how best to tell it though a lot of trial and error, trying and failing, and full-bodied collaboration.

So, TLA's work is about using the human body as the actors, props, set and sound; what inspired you to start creating theatre in this form? Is this your creation or was this something you trained to do?

This form of theater has been around for a long time, though as far as I'm aware it doesn't have a single and universal name. I've heard it called "langue du geste," "melodrama," or simply "physical storytelling." It's a form, among others, that myself and my husband, Diogo Lopes (also a co-artistic director of the company), trained in at the London International School of Performing Arts, where we met. We've both found it to be a rich and inspiring format because of all it requires not only of the performers, but of the audience, requiring the full engagement of their imaginations. It also has nearly limitless scope in the landscapes and worlds it can portray, and (with no sets to move or props to track) allows for an almost cinematic shifting of perspective and location. As a medium to work within, it is endlessly challenging, inspiring and fun.

In your story, Olivia, (as we've mentioned, Emilie's partner) and her father are struggling to be her caregivers. Were you attempting to address the issues that happen when unmarried LGBTQ partners are left out of healthcare decisions of their loved ones, or was that not a consideration?

The short answer is "no." Early in the development process this had been mentioned as a possibility, but then, with the Supreme Court ruling all couples could marry nationwide, some of these questions were rendered wonderfully moot. In general, we were less interested in making the play "about" the fact that Emilie and Olivia are a lesbian couple (just as we chose not to make the play "about" the fact that they are also an inter-racial couple), and simply presented their relationship as a truth of the play and the world. Correspondingly, the obstacles that Olivia encounters in the play as an unmarried partner are those that any unmarried partner might encounter, regardless of their gender.

The cello was integral to your story and the show itself -- for the uninformed like me, do you always use the cello or one instrument in this way in your productions or do you vary the sound and use of music in your shows?

We typically build our shows in very close collaboration with a musician/composer, though this is the first time we've worked with a cellist (the very talented and all-around-lovely Emily Dantuma). Past shows have utilized the accordion (BALLAD OF THE PALE FISHERMAN), slide guitar (ASH LAND), electric guitar (THESE OLD SHOES), and guitar and drums (105 PROOF). The only show we have created that did not use instrumental accompaniment was RED RESURRECTED, where the ensemble sang shape note hymns live to score the piece.

What's next for TLA on stage -- what else do you have in the works?

We're looking forward to revisiting and remounting our very first production, BALLAD OF THE PALE FISHERMAN, at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis in June 2016. We also hope to return to the Illusion Theater next season for an expansion of last summer's Fringe Festival hit, 105 PROOF, or The Killing of Mack "The Silencer" Klein. We will likely also apply for the Minnesota Fringe again this year and, if accepted, will develop a new piece, but the precise subject matter is TBD. :)

Show info: EMILIE/EURYDICE
Conceived and directed by Isabel Nelson
Created by Transatlantic Love Affair

At the Illusion Theater November 6-21, 2015
Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Arts, 8th Floor
528 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis

Box office: 612-339-4944 or www.illusiontheater.org

Tickets: $17-25

Featuring a cast that specializes in imaginative, movement-based and collaboratively created theatrical storytelling, Emilie/Eurydice stars Heather Bunch, Joy Dolo, Alex Hathaway, Eric Marinus, Derek Lee Miller, Natalie Remus and Allison Witham. Music is composed and performed by Emily Dantuma.

TLA collaborated with Ivey Award-winning actor Sally Wingert on this piece for Wingert's 2014-15 McKnight Theater Artist Fellowship project. The McKnight Theater Artist Fellowships at the Playwrights' Center recognize Minnesota theater artists other than playwrights whose work demonstrates exceptional artistic merit and potential.

About: Transatlantic Love Affair (TLA)

Headed by Co-Artistic Directors Isabel Nelson (2012 Ivey Award Emerging Artist) and Diogo Lopes, Transatlantic Love Affair is a physical theater ensemble and creators of original works BALLAD OF THE PALE FISHERMAN (MN Fringe 2010; Illusion Theater 2012; Jon Hassler Theater 2012), RED RESURRECTED (MN Fringe 2011; Illusion Theater 2013), ASH LAND (MN Fringe 2012), THESE OLD SHOES (MN Fringe Festival 2013; Illusion Theater 2015) and 105 PROOF, or The Killing of Mack "The Silencer" Klein (Fringe Festival 2015). TLA artists hail from backgrounds and trainings as varied as Live Action Set, Sandbox Theater, the Minnesota Shakespeare Company, the University of Minnesota B.F.A./Guthrie program and the Lecoq-based London International School for Performing Arts (LISPA).

Photos: Ensemble with Emily Dantuma on cello; Photo by Jonathan Carlson. Isabel Nelson, courtesy of Transatlantic Love Affair.

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