A NEW STORY AT THE QUARRY
Opera House Arts offers a sneak preview of work-in-progress for a follow up to 2007’s Quarryography performance at Stonington’s Settlement Granite Quarry
STONINGTON – Following on the success of “Quarryography” in 2006–07, Opera House Arts (OHA), in collaboration with Maine artists Alison Chase, Mia Kanazawa, and Nigel Chase and local conservation group Island Heritage Trust (IHT), presents a sneak peek on August 7–9 at the development of a new “story at the quarry.” “Q2: Habitat,” like “Quarryography” before it, is an original multidiscipline performance work commissioned by Opera House Arts and directed by Chase, founding artistic director of Pilobolus Dance Theater, at the historic Settlement Quarry(granite) in Stonington. “Q2: Habitat” is a theatrical spectacle including professional dancers in aerial performances; community members in multiple character roles; original steel drum music from a live community band; giant puppets created and choreographed by Mia Kanazawa; and heavy equipment operated by Rick Weed of Deer Isle and Charlie Peabody of Stonington. “Q2: Habitat” is in its first of two years of development leading up to a second full scale, outdoor spectacle at the quarry in August 2010.
“In developing new performance on this scale, it is important to take time to try things with our audiences and at the unique site,” said Carol Estey, a founding Co-Artistic Director of OHA and the Production Manager for “Q2: Habitat.” “We look forward to input from those who attend: what works, what doesn't? How does this new ' story at the quarry'entertain and impact you?”
Where the original “Quarryography” story featured the industrial history of the granite quarrying site come to life in the character of Cableman and interacting with both flora (milkweed, spruce, granite block) and fauna (as represented by the chainsaw-wielding ATV rider), “Q2: Habitat” depicts the tensions and demands made on beautiful coastal places, from Martha’s Vineyard to the coast of Maine, by the diverse populations which claim these properties as their own. From the ancient porcupine (a giant puppet, animated by local puppeteers) and seagulls; to the industry and machinery of generations of fishermen (represented by Rick Weed, Charlie Peabody, and others); to conservationists and bird watchers, and the visions of “dream home” owners and their architects (a series of giant puppets), the scenic and unique coast of Down East Maine is faced with increasing, and often conflicting, use and development demands. What role does each of us play in this; and how do our own individual needs and priorities impact the lives of others in ways both visible and invisible?
In addition to the community component, the professional dance company will be lead by returning soloists Matt Kent, Rebecca Darling, and Emily Kent, all former Pilobolus dancers; Wendee Rogerson of the Carolyn Dorfman Dance Company; and Tawanda Chabikwa, a masters student in dance at Southern Methodist University.
“The natural dramatic setting of the Settlement Quarry continues to inspire these original performances — as do the development issues and choices faced by our coastal communities,” said Chase. “This new story, incorporating both humor and spectacle, offers an opportunity for us to share each other’s different experiences of this special place.”
Alison Becker Chase, a founding artistic director of Pilobolus Dance Theater, is a resident of Brooksville. She is the 2009 Maine Arts Commission Performing Arts Fellowship Recipient. She was born and raised in St. Louis, received her B.A. in Intellectual History and Philosophy from Washington University and her M.A. in Dance from UCLA. She was choreographer–in–residence and Assistant Professor of Dance at Dartmouth College for three years before joining Pilobolus in 1973. Ms. Chase co–created many Pilobolus works through the years, as well as making pieces on her own for the company, most recently the acclaimed Star–cross’d and Night of the Dark Moon. With Moses Pendleton she premiered the company Momix at the Milan Festival in 1980. Ms. Chase taught at Yale from 1991–1997.Ê She was a recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1980 and a Connecticut Governor’s Award in 1997 and a Scripps Award in 2000. She has choreographed for La Scala Opera, the Geneva Opera, the Ballet du Rhin, the Fete de l’Humanite, the Ririe–Woodbury Company, and for the Rockettes of Radio City Music Hall.
Mia Kanazawa constructs, choreographs and performs her own work. She uses dance, handmade felt, paper, fabric, foam, rattan and bamboo to create one of a kind functional and theatrical objects. Her dances explore issues of ethnic and cultural diversity; of finding a place for oneself in society. With designer Debby Lee Cohen and husband Mark Kindschi, Mia has constructed, choreographed and performed giant endangered speciesÊ puppets for the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade, sculptural costumes for Meredith Monk, Houston Grand Opera, PBS’s Kratt’s Creatures, Ben & Jerry’s and the Festival Quartier d’ete Parade in Paris.Ê Funded by a grant from the Jim Hensen Foundation, she constructed two giant dog puppets for David RousseveÕs productionÊ of “Love Songs.” In 2002 she built giant puppets for Urban Bush WomenÕs “ShadowÕs Child.” In 2003, the Stonington Opera House commissioned Come...stay...go , a theater piece with dance and puppets. Most recently, Mia worked on a television project with HBO. She has participated in exhibitions at the Portland Museum of Art and the Center for Maine Contemporary Art as well as many other places; and her feltwork is sold in galleries and stores around the country. Mia has a B.S. in dance and music from the University of Wisconsin.Ê She has taught at College of the Atlantic and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, as well as numerous workshops and residencies in the U.S&;and is the recipient of a prestigious Henson Foundation grant for her puppet design and creation for “Q2: Habitat.”
Nigel Chase, also of Brooksville, is the founder and director of the Pan Institute in Blue Hill. Nigel performs around the New England region as a bass can player and arranger.
Matt Kent is a noted international dancer and teacher who has worked with Alison Chase since 1996 when he began collaborating with Pilobolus Dance Theatre under her artistic and choreographic direction. He served as Pilobolus Dance Captain for three years. Together they have worked with circus performers, dancers, composers, musicians and authors of different cultures, backgrounds and styles. Anna Kisselgoff of the New York Times says Matt is “hilariously camp,” and “he strides admirably through a performance of some physical risk.” Matt has worked with the Pilobolus Institute as a consultant as well as master teacher and performer, bringing the unique lessons of improvisation and collaborative play from Lincoln Center Institute to Universities, high schools to kindergarten, and prestigious private schools to public schools in the Bronx. Matt now works with a division of the Woodruff Arts Center, Young Audiences of Atlanta, to bring dance into the city's schools.
Wendee Rogerson is a half–time resident of Stonington. A native of Northern Ontario, Canada, she began her formal training with The Royal Winnipeg Ballet. Eventually she went on to train and dance with The Toronto Dance Theatre. In 1991, she moved to New York and studied at the Limón Institute under Risa Steinberg. Wendee has been dancing with the Carolyn Dorfman Dance Company for the past 10 years.
Audience members are strongly encouraged to purchase tickets in advance and to car pool as there is limited parking at the Settlement Quarry. Because the 2009 presentation is only a 30–minute preview of work–in–development, shuttle service will not be provided from downtown Stonington. Annotated maps will be available upon purchase of advance tickets. Those driving to the Quarry will be directed to parking and may need to walk as much as a half a mile to get to the performance area. Audience members with accessibility needs may be dropped off at the performance entrance, and will be shuttled to the rim of the amphitheater, making the performances fully accessible for all. Audience will be admitted to the performance area no earlier than 5 p.m.
Work–in–development performances of “Q2: Habitat” will be Friday, August 7 at 6 p.m.; Saturday, August 8 at 2 and 6 p.m.; with a rain date of Sunday, August 9 at 2 p.m.
All tickets for the performance are $10; Deer Isle–Stonington school students attend for free. Tickets may be purchased in advance online at www.operahousearts.org; by calling the Opera House box office at 207–367–2788; or by stopping by the box office on the corner of Main and School Streets in downtown Stonington Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Partial funding for this project has been generously provided by the Jim Henson Foundation; and by the Holland Family.
A B O U T I S L A N D H E R I T A G E T R U S T
The Island Heritage Trust has been for 20 years Deer Isle’s non–profit private land trust dedicated to conservation that protects significant open space, scenic areas, wildlife habitats, natural resources, and historic and cultural features that offer public benefit and are essential to the character of the Deer Isle area. IHT is the steward for the Settlement Quarry in the Oceanville section of Stonington.
A B O U T O P E R A H O U S E A R T S
OHA is celebrating its 10th anniversary season. A nonprofit community and performing arts organization, it was founded in 1999 to restore the 1912 Stonington Opera House, on the National Register of Historic Places, to its original role as a central community institution. It’s mission is to use the performing arts to foster and promote excellence in all the ways we perform our lives: Incite Art, Create Community! ÊFor further information and a full schedule of year round events and movies, visit the Opera House online at www.operahousearts.org.
