5 Shows to See at the 2016 Under the Radar Festival
(© Kelly O)
Speaking with Under the Radar artistic director Mark Russell is like visiting a fortune teller for the stage. He peers into his crystal ball to ascertain the overarching theme behind this year's Under the Radar Festival: "From what I can see right now, it's a dark message." Under the Radar is the Public Theater's annual presentation of the most exciting experimental theater on the global scene. The ideas, technology, and conventions on display at UTR regularly blaze a trail for the next several years of stagecraft. Perhaps it has something to do with the precarious state of the world, but much of the work in the 2016 festival reflects an element of darkness.
That's not to say that Russell chooses the participating acts with a message in mind. "I program from the gut," he asserts. Whatever moves him is likely to also move the Under the Radar audience. Then, as if by magic, a theme emerges out of the ether. "When you get these artists and performances all together you begin to see links," says Russell. "The festival will tell its own story."
Here are five selections from this year's festival (out of a total of 18 shows) that grabbed our attention. What story do they tell you?
(© Gabrielle Purchon)
1. People Doing Math Live!
This work-in-progress is being presented as part of UTR's "Incoming" series, which encompasses this newest of the new. It's also arguably the blandest title in the festival, but one suspects that there is something thrilling lurking under the lackluster academic veneer. Director Andrew Scoville, composer Joe Drymala, technologist Dave Tennent, and critically acclaimed playwright Jaclyn Backhaus (Men on Boats) present a live recording of a serialized podcast about math. Like magicians, they interact with the audience while demonstrating awe-inspiring feats of calculation. "They get people to do math within the show and enjoy it," says Russell. In a downtown theater, that is real magic.
2. The Art of Luv (Part 1)
Inspired by the 2014 Isla Vista shootings (most notable for the perpetrator's rambling and highly cinematic YouTube confessions), this performance uses multimedia installations created from found video. Royal Osiris Karaoke Ensemble lip-synchs to the projections to create an entirely new work exploring masculinity, love, and longing in modern America. An earlier iteration of the show appeared in last year's Incoming. This fuller version takes place in a completely tricked-out Anspacher Theater, which has only recently returned to normal (for First Daughter Suite) after being covered in sand for Julie Taymor's production of Grounded. "This one won't have sand, but it might have a lot of glitter," notes Russell. The clean-up crew must be jumping for joy.
3. Samedi Détente
Rwandan-French dancer Dorothée Munyaneza created this piece about the 1994 Rwanda genocide from her own childhood memories. The title takes its name from a popular Saturday radio program in 1990s Rwanda. "It's the first piece I've seen that is an actual Rwandan story of that tragedy," Russell says, acknowledging the vast number of plays and films that have covered the subject. Munyaneza infuses her story with her own distinctive and athletic choreography. It promises to be an unforgettable experience.
4. Now I'm Fine
Written and directed by Seattle-based composer and comedian Ahamefule J. Oluo, this ambitious work blends stand-up comedy with musical spectacular. "We're going big band at Under the Radar," says Russell, describing the 17-piece orchestra that Oluo conducts on the stage of the Newman Theater. Vocalist okanomodé gives a powerhouse performance as Oluo tells a personal story about illness, despair, and rebirth. Oluo was recently featured on This American Life and has collaborated with rapper Macklemore. He's a rising star that you'll definitely want to catch on the way up.
5. Nanook of the North
Canadian Inuk throat singer Tanya Tagaq creates a live soundtrack to the 1922 silent film Nanook of the North, widely considered to be the first modern documentary. But was it truly nonfiction? Depicting the lives of an Inuit family, the film has been criticized for staging scenes and altering facts for the accessibility and excitement of the audience (the central figure, "Nanook," actually bore the more difficult to pronounce name "Allakariallak"). Tagaq not only questions the authenticity of the film, but reclaims it with her unique style of music. "Tanya Tagaq is a complete rock star," Russell enthuses.
