produced by CHRISTINA CAMPODONICO
What does it mean to grow up? How do you preserve a child-like spirit and creative wonder for the world throughout your life? And what do mermaids and Merce Cunningham have to do with any of this? These questions came up in the third episode of The Drive Home, as Christina Campodonico discussed Rashaun Mitchell, Stephin Merritt and Ali Naschke-Messing’s Performance with Ampersand’s Elizabeth Nonemaker.
Merritt and Mitchell collaborated with visual artist Ali Naschke-Messing on Performance’s set design. Dancers Cori Kresge and Hiroki Ichinose also performed. While these artists come from different disciplines, Nonemaker and Campodonico discovered that their influences — Merce Cunningham and mermaids, respectively — actually do have a lot in common with childhood dreams and coming-of-age.
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Rashaun Mithcell stands amid the debris of "Performance's" set design | Photo courtesy of REDCAT -
Stephin Merritt strums his ukulele in "Performance" | Photo courtesy of REDCAT
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Hiroki Ichinose, Cori Kresge, Silas Riener & Rashaun Mitchell in "Performance" | Photo courtesy of REDCAT
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The cast of "Performance" plays with Ali Naschke-Messing's stringy set design | Photo courtesy of REDCAT
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Ali Nacshke-Messing's set design, made of gold leaf flakes, sparkles in "Performance" | Photo courtesy of REDCAT
& Extra
Performance ran at REDCAT in Los Angeles from December 4- December 7, 2014. For more about the show read Neon Tommy’s review by Ampersand’s Christina Campodonico.
[featured image courtesy of REDCAT]