From the program notes: “DIRECT ADDRESS is theater as discourse. It is a celebration of the First Amendment and an experiment in making art out of the present tense. DIRECT ADDRESS is an appeal to your imagination and a gathering in the heart of the storm. Cornerstone Theater Company has commissioned a group of local artists to make …works that directly address the state of things as they are right now and attempt poetic interventions on behalf of a just future.” This is a tall order but was managed very well by all involved. Before the show even started, we were treated to a preshow amble by Fahad Siadat & Hex concerning recycled and found objects that needed a home, thereby avoiding landfill. Their message? “We make slop, we are slop”. Good point – harsh but well taken. All six have lovely voices put to excellent use in the evenings’ ponderings. Once in the house, the seats for the event were all arranged onstage, up close and personal. The house of the Ford was closed, and we all sat in a semi-circle onstage. From there I saw everything!
There was a highly spirited piece, “I Dream America” by Ana Maria Alvarez. This had voice over about being an immigrant and wanting America to be welcoming to immigrants the way it used to be. The performers entered the stage at different points and engaged in a group dance that showed off individuals and their styles. It came together in a group clump center stage as if some calamity had leveled Humanity. Then it segued into great keening and lamentation by the Hex singers. The remainder reminded me of Auguste Rodin’s “Gates of Hell”. It was a powerful montage of angst and suffering. Sapiens being social animals, it was heart-wrenching to see how each individual reached out for and then grabbed another in order to express their pain. Performers were: Ana Maria Alvarez, Xochiti Loco, Lily Amoroso, Cali Amoroso, Cam Amoroso, Tsim Nuj, Mya Edwards, Dey DeGuzman, Jesse Ocampo, Cinthia Duran Larrea, Brenda Estrada, Stephanie Franco, Vriska Chauhan, Brianna Roche, Antavius Chavez, LaQuannia Lewis, Fabricio Apuy Novella, DeVonsia Davis, Louis Davis Lyons, Cameron Davis Lyons, Lola Bryant, Amir Whitaker, Jerry Schaefer, Edrian Pangilinan.
“Direct Address” – “I Dream America” by Ana Maria Alvarez – Photo by Noé Montes.
“Paletero Days” by Mario Vega was a lovely vignette about a daughter afraid of leaving her father at a time when ICE Agents are roaming around taking people away by force. The father wants her to leave and go to college while she wants to stay and make sure that he is safe. The music by Eliza Vedar was lovely and perfectly conveyed the mixed emotions brought about by the situation. Performed by Lux Amaya and Noe Cervantes this was a perfect commentary on the fear produced by ersatz authority figures.
“Rant: What is Enough?” by Fahad Siadat & Hex was a fantastic dissertation on money and the very real question of what is enough money for someone? Anyone? As Fahad Siadat takes this question apart and explores its consequences to the enlightenment of the crowd, his Hex singers (Saunder Choi, James Hayden, Sharon Chohi, Molly Pease, Chloé Vaught) are busy behind creating a sonic backdrop that elevates his argument to the sublime. They are incessant, over-the-top, relentless, and very funny. I learned something about investing a billion dollars and getting a 7.5% return on the investment and then giving 2.5% of that return away in order to alleviate homelessness and poverty, hunger and disease. Will the billionaires do it? Will the 46 billionaires that live in Los Angeles do it? I do not think so – however let me interject here that I just read that Jeff Bezos’s ex-wife, MacKenzie Scott, walked away with $38 billion after the divorce. What did she do with the money? She gave away $14 billion in 4 years. It is a start.
“Direct Address” – “I Dream America” by Ana Maria Alvarez – Photo by Noé Montes.
“OWL: FIRE” by Daniel Alexander Jones was a tone poem along the lines of Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven”. It was a Twilight Zone edition of poetic discourse detailing the lives and deaths of an Owl during the fires in Los Angeles. The Owl also describes the death and destruction of a number of women he witnessed during his own demise. Performed by Jacques Colimon in a gorgeous headdress with very little gestural movement, it was a beautiful essay alluding to the inherent destructive tendencies of those Sapiens I mentioned earlier.
“The Intimacy Of Crossing The Highway With Your Mouth Torn To Pieces” by Agnes Borinsky was an interesting excursion into existential angst. It reminded me a bit of “Waiting for Godot”. Arne Gjelten appears onstage and wonders how did he get here, and that he remembers leaving the theater but not what he left there. What did he forget at the theater?! It goes on and galvanizes us in his need to remember – but he never does of course. He speaks of boredom and that he was supposed to do something. In this version we do not have to wait for Godot because he was already here and left. Well done. Music provided by Darian Donovan Thomas on violin was a fantastic accompaniment to Gjeltens’ meanderings.
Contra-Tiempo came back and regaled us with a rousing finale where some of the audience joined in for a communal movement sequence that energized us as a group. This was followed by “I Love You”, by Chloé Vaught. Sung by Fahad Siadat & Hex, this was a list of all the things that one of the women loved. A great deal of the imagery was oceanic and had to do with aquatic creatures and the beach. It ended with the refrain “I love you” as they waved good-bye and exited the back of the house. A lovely sentiment to end on. This was an entertaining and thoughtful evening of what-ifs and food-for-thought. Congratulations Cornerstone Theater.
For more information about Cornerstone Theater Company, please visit their website.
To learn more about The Ford, please visit their website.
Written by Brian Fretté for LA Dance Chronicle.
Featured image: “I Dream America” by Ana Maria Alvarez – Photo by Noé Montes.
