Open Dance Project Presents 1968
For Immediate Release
MEDIA CONTACTS
Open Dance Project | Robin Anderson, Managing Director
robin@opendanceproject.org | 832-962-8982
Open Dance Project and lead commissioner
Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts at the University of Houston
present
1968- The Whole World is Watching
(HOUSTON, Texas, March 11, 2023) — Open Dance Project (ODP) with lead commissioning support from the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts at the University of Houston present 1968 – The Whole World is Watching, an immersive dance theater performance devised by the ODP ensemble under the choreographic direction of Annie Arnoult. 11 ticketed performances will run at MATCH – Midtown Arts & Theater Center Houston, May 12-20, 2023.
1968 is a collaboratively devised, immersive dance theater performance by Open Dance Project that researches the year 1968 in the United States as captured through iconic photos and audio. In this interdisciplinary, multimedia performance, Open Dance Project’s 10-person ensemble led by ODP Artistic Director Annie Arnoult investigates the body as both source and site of protest – drawing connections between 1968 and contemporary social justice movements and mining the source material for a deeper understanding of our conflict-ridden, intensely mediated here and now.
Contributing to the intimacy of the narrative, the performance engages audience members through a multisensory experience that places them in the direct center of the theatrical moment, allowing individuals to choose how they navigate the stage and challenging the conventional boundaries between artist and audience. The archival photos at the center of 1968 will be seen/felt/lived in by our audience as they walk through a multi-sensory, multimedia set designed by longtime ODP collaborator Ryan McGettigan. Projection mapping by Tiffany Schrepferman and architectural staging of the dancers blur the lines between past and present, living and artifact, while original music by Paul Beebe captures the social upheaval and revolt of the era.
“The immersive multimedia environment draws from archival photos, journal entries, letters, government documents, and environmental recordings that also inspired the movement and text.” said Arnoult. “It is designed to be actively explored by the audience, who stands and walks in and among the performers in a format that directly confronts conventional divisions between artist and audience.”
Supported by accomplished artists Ryan McGettigan(set designer), Tiffany Schrepferman (lighting and projection designer), Ashley Horn (costume designer), and Bryan Ealey (sound design) and Lauren Davis (Props master), the show benefits from their extensive local and national design experience specializing in interdisciplinary collaboration and innovative use of movement, space, and form. This is the sixth immersive performance this collaborative team has built together with production manager Christina Maley and ODP artistic director Annie Arnoult.
The intermission-free, hour-long performances will take place Fri, May 12 and Sat, May 13 at 7 and 9 p.m, Sun, May 14 at 3 & 5 pm, Thursday, May 18th at 7 pm and Fri and Sat, May 19 and 20th at 7 and 9 p.m. at MATCH – Midtown Arts & Theater Center Houston, 3400 Main Street. Tickets are $40 for the general public (Saturday, May 13th – 9 pm – pay what you can) and are available at www.matchouston.org. Tickets go onsale April 1, 2023. The production features mature content and is recommended for ages 13 and above.
Press review tickets, photos, interviews, and access to in person or virtual open rehearsals available by request. Please contact Robin Anderson, robin@opendanceproject.org
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WHEN: Friday, May 12, 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Saturday, May 13, 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. (Pay what you can, 9 pm only)
Sunday, May 14, 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Thursday, May 18, 7 p.m.
Friday, May 19, 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Saturday, May 20, 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.
WHERE: Midtown Arts and Theater Center of Houston (MATCH)
3400 Main Street, Houston, TX
TICKETS: www.matchouston.org (on sale April 1, 2023)
Production Team:
Annie Arnoult (Choreographer), Paul Beebe at Beebe Gun Studio (Composer), Lauren Davis (Scenic & Prop Artist), Tiffany Schrepferman (Lighting and Projection Design), Ashley Horn (Costume Design), Ryan McGettigan (Set Design), Bryan Ealey (Sound Design) Christina Maley (Production Manager) and Mary McNeely (Stage Manager), Robin Anderson (Producer)
ODP DANCERS:
Joshua de Alba, Sonia Engman, Atticus Griffin, Madelyn Manlove, Taylor McAnulty, Lizzy McGoldrick, Cameo Renée, Joseph Stevens, Jaime Garcia Vergara, Brenden Winkfield
SUPPORT
The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts at the University of Houston serves as lead commissioner of 1968-The Whole World is Watching. 1968 is funded in part by the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance and the Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts. Additional major supporters include Texas Commission on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Brown Foundation, Inc. and Dance Source Houston.
Open Dance Project is a contemporary dance-theater company, under the direction of Annie Arnoult, whose ensemble-driven work transforms literary, historical, and community-based source material into highly stylized performance experiences. Through a collision of dance and theater, live performance and new media, urban grit and magical realism, Open Dance Project breaks down conventional barriers between artist and audience to make dance more accessible and meaningful for both. Open Dance Project is on the Texas Commission on the Arts Touring Artists Roster and is funded in part by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance. The company brings high-quality interdisciplinary arts education and arts integration to Houston school children through its extensive education and community engagement program and partners with Young Audiences of Houston and Arts Connect Houston to work towards arts equity in Houston schools.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/opendanceproject
Twitter: @opendanceproj
Instagram: @opendanceproject
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