Seattle Theatre Group Commissions New Work by zoe | juniper & Xiu Xiu

Seattle Theatre Group announced that it has commissioned a new collaborative work by dance and visual art company zoe | juniper and punk band Xiu Xiu, which will have its world premiere on May 17 and 18, 2025, at The Moore Theatre as part of its 2024/25 Performing Arts Series.

This is the third major commission by STG, following 2024’s “Leviticus or Love and to walk amongst HUMANS (Book I)” by dani tirrell and The Congregation and 2019’s “The Sun Burns Here” by Kate Wallich and Perfume Genius. In addition to funding, a major STG commission includes two residency periods at The Moore Theatre in Seattle.

zoe | juniper & Xiu Xiu’s new piece will be an evening-length live music and dance performance choreographed and directed by Zoe Scofield, with visuals by Juniper Shuey, music by Jamie Stewart and Hyunhye Seo (Xiu Xiu), dramaturg Mikhaela Mahoney, puppets and masks by Joe Seely, producer Lilach Orenstein, and four stellar dancers. This collaborative show takes inspiration from Shakespeare’s The Crucible and Jordan Peele’s horror films and casts the patriarchy as an insidious virus, examining the backlash against the MeToo movement and the reversal of Roe vs Wade.

“In my role as curator, I get especially excited about mashing up two of my favorite things that rarely go together: contemporary dance and live rock music,” said Jack McLarnan, STG’s Associate Director of Performing Arts Programs. “This project—which is a perfect example of this kind of unique collaboration—would not be possible without the support that STG can offer, through our model of investing in arts, culture, and education, funded by the income earned from popular shows and with the support of our board and donors.”

STG is committed to leveraging its size, reach, and long history of presenting everything from modern dance to stand-up comedy to rock bands, to commission artists to make exciting new work that blur the boundaries of style and genre. zoe | juniper, which was founded in Seattle, have long been making innovative, interesting, and beautiful performance work, combining dance and theatrical performance with sculpture, video, lighting installations and other creative production elements to make wonderfully intriguing shows. The band, Xiu Xiu, have similarly been making bold, cutting-edge, fearlessly experimental music for over two decades.

The full lineup for STG’s 2024/25 Performing Arts Series will be announced on June 11, 2024. Season subscriptions will go on sale June 11, 2024, and single tickets will be available for purchase beginning June 20, 2024, online at www.stgpresents.org and in person at The Paramount Theatre Box Office at 911 Pine Street in Downtown Seattle.  

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