UNDER CONSTRUCTION will hold its New York premiere April 21 - May 7 at Dance Theater Workshop (photo by Michael Brosilow)
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Dance Theater Workshop
219 West 19th St.
April 21 – May 7, $20-$35, 7:30
212-924-0077
www.dancetheaterworkshop.org
www.siti.org
Founded in 1992 by Anne Bogart and Tadashi Suzuki, Manhattan-based SITI Company specializes in presenting original multidisciplinary works that examine the nature of theater itself as well as unique interpretations of plays and text by such writers as August Strindberg, Virginia Woolf, Noël Coward, and William Shakespeare. In 2001, artistic director Bogart and playwright Charles L. Mee began a four-part road trip through the concept of the United States with bobrauschenbergamerica, followed in 2006 by Hotel Cassiopeia, set in the boxlike world of Joseph Cornell. The third part of the American Museum Cycle, Under Construction, which melds the down-home charm of Norman Rockwell with the visual flair of contemporary installation artist Jason Rhoades, holds its New York premiere April 21 – May 7 at Dance Theater Workshop as part of DTW’s Guest Artist Series. The always engaging Bogart and Mee will participate in preshow Lobby Talks April 25-27 and May 2 at 6:30, but you can get some of the inside scoop from her now in the below twi-ny talk.
twi-ny: You recently wrote on your blog that SITI “offers a gym for the soul.” How would you say Under Construction fits that description?
Anne Bogart: Because the play has no obvious narrative structure, Under Construction asks the viewer to put together the pieces. But when you do put the pieces together, using your associative and imaginative toolbox, the journey will be a buoyant and adventurous one.
Artistic director Anne Bogart and SITI Company are on a mission to redefine and revitalize contemporary theater (photo by Michael Brosilow)
twi-ny: Under Construction is the third part of the American Museum Cycle, in which the work of American artists influences the productions directly and/or indirectly, including Robert Rauschenberg in bobrauschenbergamerica, Joseph Cornell in Hotel Cassiopeia, Norman Rockwell and Jason Rhoades in Under Construction, and James Castle in the upcoming Soot and Spit. How do you and Chuck decide which artists to build your stories around? Were there any artists you wanted to use that just didn’t work out?
Anne Bogart: It was Chuck Mee who suggested Robert Rauschenberg, Joseph Cornell, and James Castle. But for many years both Chuck and I had secretly harbored a fascination for Norman Rockwell. This mutual interest led toward Under Construction. But, in typical Chuck fashion, it was he who had the brilliant idea to juxtapose Norman Rockwell and his vision of America with the wild and woolly world of installation-artist Jason Rhoades. I once suggested to Chuck the idea of doing a play based upon Andy Warhol, but Chuck did not take the bait. The subject matter must be of interest to both of us. But in general, it is Chuck Mee who takes the lead in the choice of subject and the format of the play.
twi-ny: SITI’s stated mission is “to redefine and revitalize contemporary theater in the United States through an emphasis on international cultural exchange and collaboration.” How would you say the company is doing as it looks toward its twentieth anniversary next year? Do you think contemporary theater in general still needs to be redefined and revitalized?
Anne Bogart: Theater is the art form that perhaps, more than any other, needs to be redefined and revitalized on a regular basis. New forms and audience/actor relationships are in a constant state of flux. What was revolutionary fifteen years ago now feels antiquated. As for how SITI Company is doing, as we move into our nineteenth year of existence, we are reevaluating our processes and our methods of existence and looking with fresh eyes at our mission statement. Here is the new one that we just composed:
“SITI Company was built on the bedrock of ensemble and we believe that through the practice of collaboration, a group of artists could make a life together and have a significant impact upon both contemporary theater and the world at large. Through our performances, educational programs and collaborations with other artists and thinkers, SITI Company will continue to challenge the status quo, to train to achieve artistic excellence in every aspect of our work, and to offer new ways of seeing and of being as both artists and as global citizens. SITI Company is committed to providing a gymnasium-for-the-soul where the interaction of art, artists, audiences, and ideas inspire the possibility for change, optimism, and hope. We are hopeful for the future and look forward to the adventures that lie ahead.”