2010-2011 Lab residency

Adele Myers – Theater in the Head

Adele Myers is a choreographer who creates highly physical work that combine robust athleticism, theatricality and social commentary. During Ms. Myers Lab residency, she will work with members of her company to develop a new work, “Theater in the Head.” Riddled with confetti and iconic pop references, “Theater in the Head” is a highly kinetic satire about fame.  The piece takes place on a 4'x6' pink shag carpet. Envisioned as a three-act evening-length work, each section will explore themes of audience appreciation, unrequited love between the audience and the performers, and the juxtaposition of the hyper-theatrical and the mundane.

The sound score for "Theater in the Head" will be developed in collaboration with composer Josh Quillen.  Inspired by pop references and the use of sampling (of beats or spoken text), Quillen’s hope is to build sonic collages using sampled materials in juxtaposition with original material. Quillen is also inspired by the collaborations of John Cage and Merce Cunningham, and their use of chance operations to devise new choreography and music, and these techniques will be used as both a compositional technique and an important aspect of the composer-choreographer collaboration.

The choreographic concept for "Theater in the Head" originated as part of the 2009 Bates Dance Festival Emerging Choreographer Residency and will continue to be developed during a year-long creative residency at the Vermont Performance Lab. Additional residencies are planned for 2011 at Summer Stages Dance at Concord Academy and at the Yard at Martha's Vineyard.

In Vermont, Adele Myers and Dancers will be developing the work during creative periods in June 2010 and May 2011 in the dance studio at Marlboro College and the recording studio at Guilford Sound.   During the creative process, Ms. Myers will invite students, directors and artists from the local dance and theater community to participate in various aspects of the creation process by opening up company warm ups, offering movement workshops and sharing the work through informal works in progress showings. Audiences will have several opportunities to see different aspects of the work-in-progress in June 12th 2010 and May 2011, with the premiere to be presented in VPL’s Progressive Performance Festival June 2011.