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RSSEvery house has a door presents Testimonium with Joan of Arc
Chicago Cultural Center > DCASE Theater & Dance > Testimonium
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Testimonium responds to the American Objectivist poet Charles Reznikoff’s unfinished masterwork Testimony, a collection of courtroom testimonies translated into poetry. Documenting crimes of violence or workplace negligence, Reznikoff imagined an alternate history of the United States to include voices omitted from the history books. This performance reimagines Reznikoff’s poems as fragmented texts infused with biography and philosophy. The performance alternates between Stephen Fiehn’s inventive movement sequences, Bryan Saner’s sober recitation of the text, and original songs performed live onstage by Chicago band Joan of Arc: Tim Kinsella, Bobby Burg, and Theo Katsaounis.
“With the presentation of the work-in-progress of [Testimonium],Every House Has a Door, have managed to reveal the porous borders between performance and thought. Through their use of an extremely loud live post-rock band with hints of Sonic Youth, text, live actions, and in an attempt to respond to the unfinished poem Testimony by the American Objectivist poet Charles Reznikoff, Goulish and Hixson have shown how thought can unfold in the familiar space that is the black box of the theatre; how, in the end, Plato’s fears were unfounded as the work of the poet does, indeed, touch that of the philosopher.”
--João Florêncio, from “How Performance Thinks: An international, two-day conference co-organized by the PSi Performance and Philosophy Working Group and Kingston University’s practice.research.unit London Studio Centre,”Society for Dance Research Newsletter, July 2012
Every house has a door
Every house has a door was formed in 2008 by Lin Hixson (director) and Matthew Goulish (dramaturg). The company’s mission has three major aspects: to assemble project-specific teams of collaborators and specialists; to broaden the collaborative spectrum to an international scope in the aspiration of establishing a post-national aesthetic; and to support the work of younger artists. The company has premiered three performance works to date. Let us think of these things always. Let us speak of them never., a bilingual work in English and Croatian, premiered in Rijeka, Croatia in 2010 and subsequently toured to Chicago, New York, and Austin, TX. They’re Mending the Great Forest Highway, a dance/theater work, premiered in Chicago in June, 2011. 9 Beginnings, a performance derived from the UK live art archives, premiered in Bristol, UK in September 2012. The company has co-produced the film Waking Things by Chicago director Melika Bass, and will co-produce the forthcoming recording of Testimony Songs by Joan of Arc, from Polyvinyl Records. Hixson and Goulish shared an honorary doctorate from Dartington College of Arts in 2007, and a United States Artists Ziporyn fellowship in 2009.
Collaborators:
- Director: Lin Hixson
- Dramaturg: Matthew Goulish
- Assistant Director: Daviel Shy
- Performers: Bobby Burg, Stephen Fiehn, Theo Katsaounis, Tim Kinsella, and Bryan Saner
- Music by Joan of Arc: Tim Kinsella (guitar, vocals), Bobby Burg (bass), and Theo Katsaounis (drums)
- Set and lighting: Michael Schmelling
DCASE Theater & Dance
The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) presents an ongoing performing arts series that showcases both emerging and established music, theater, dance and multi-disciplinary artists at the Chicago Cultural Center and other venues. Dedicated to capacity building in the arts, DCASE hires the artists and provides performance space as well as technical and marketing support.
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Dates:
Friday, October 18-Sunday, October 20, 2013 & Thursday, October 24-Sunday, October 27, 2013
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Hours:
7:30pm, Sundays at 2pm
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Location:
Storefront Theater
66 E. Randolph St.
Chicago, IL 60602
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Admission:
FREE
RSVP:
Due to limited space reservations are highly encouraged.
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Website:
For more information, visit everyhousehasadoor.org.
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Public Transportation:
For travel information, visit www.transitchicago.com
