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| © Beowolf Sheeha |
I’ve been waiting since February 23, 2017 –
the day I saw Pilobolus’s Shadowland
at the Wisconsin Union Theater’s Shannon Hall – for the arrival of Shadowland 2
(The New Adventure). Finally, it’s
here. Shadowland 2 plays Shannon Hall
next Friday, Nov. 1. I can hardly wait.
Let me explain. I’ve followed
dance/theater company Pilobolus – the name, biologically speaking, belongs to a
genus of fungi that grow on, well, cow poop – since its beginnings, in the
early ‘70s. In the twenty-first century, though, the troupe turned toward TV
commercials for financial support, famously putting out an award-winning
Hyundai ad in 2006 – a shadow play that became the foundation for Shadowland –
and, because I’m a dance snob, I lost interest.
Then Shadowland came to the Union
Theater, on that fateful February day, and I fell head-over-heels in love with the production. The story, written by "Spongebob Squarepants" lead writer Steven Banks,
with a score by singer/songwriter David Poe, was about a teenage girl
transformed into a dog who trots through a series of truly perilous adventures
rendered in a mind-blowing mix of shadow and revelation. Shadowland 2 has the
same technology, and Banks and Poe had the same roles in putting it
together. Still, I had my doubts. Could Two possibly be as good as the
original?
To get a handle on this show I
spent some time on the phone with co-artistic directors Renée Jaworski and Matt
Kent, neither of whom was among the collectively run troupe’s original
founder/directors (all of them now retired), though both boast long Pilobolus
histories. Their enthusiasm was contagious, their approach to dance theater so
creative and righteous, that I emerged convinced I’ll love Two, too –
maybe even as much as the original.
CulturalOyster: Lets talk about Shadowland: The New Adventure. It started touring, I think, around the time
we saw Shadowland 1 in Madison. I’m
happy to be able to see Two, but I was crazy about One – I could see it again and
again, in part because it’s about a dog, and the Shadowland dog was practically
a ringer for my own beloved pooch in both looks and spirit. People love and
relate closely to dogs – so can the sequel, which is not about a dog, possibly be anywhere near as good as Shadowland
1? Do audiences love it as much?
Jaworski: It’s different, and what I think people take away
is different as well. Shadowland 2 doesn’t have that mushy feeling – what
people connect to instead is the need to fight and resist and hold on to your
individuality and do the right thing. It’s really a direct commentary on
resistance – it’s about what you’re willing to stand up for.
Kent: It’s a different kind of story than Shadowland 1. It’s
about two goofballs trying to survive in a world that wants everyone to be the
same. They work in a factory where peole just move boxes – it’s an oppressive
work environment, and they have a bully boss.
Even the male lead in the story can’t really muster his power – what
elicits the response that leads to change in the heroine is the impulse to
nurture, when she finds a magical tiny bird in one of the boxes. It needs her
and that makes her stand up – and together they go on a crazy journey.
I will say – to me – this is truly
my subjective opinion – in America, Two seems to have connected in a way that
One did not. One is a story about coming of age, and it’s pretty dark, but people
don’t realize how dark it is. We met a college student once whose girlfriend
brought him to the show and the dancers were going on and on about the shadows
and dance techniques and the young man said he found it interesting that
everyone was applauding as this girl – the dog – was being abused. He hadn’t
known that dance could raise questions about abuse. In Shadowland 2 the story is
much more direct.
CulturalOyster: Beyond the story, is the technical approach you
use in Two similar to what you did with One?
Jaworski: We do use the same approach, but we also have some
new tricks up our sleeve.
CulturalOyster: The special end of Shadowland 1 – the way
it was about Madison – was heartfelt, touching, a delight. It made me cry. Do
you still do customized endings?
Jaworski: We still make what we call the encores specific to
the town – they’re a sort of tribute to the town we’re in.
Kent: People love that so much and we are so blessed to have
performers that can do that in every town they go to. They have to put it
together the day they’re there. We
really trust these guys to make something great on the spot. There’s this
glimmer of fun at the end that people take away, along with the real-world
relevance of the show.
Jaworski: It’s sometimes irreverent – and it’s always
playful.
CulturalOyster:
Will there be a Shadowland 3?
Jaworski: Never say never.
At this point we’re not sure how long the novelty of it will last. Other people are doing shadow now. It might be time for us to innovate
again. We’re always excited to get into
the studio and be novices again. We’re
always looking for new ways to work.
Kent: If there was a shadow story that excited us we would
do it. We did Two because there was
demand for it. Next time, it would be if we found something to say in that
technique. But right now we’re going in
another direction. The next story show we’re working on is a collaboration with
[British synth-pop duo] the Petshop Boys and the choreographer [Venezuela-born
iconoclast] Javier de Frutos. Steve Banks, who wrote both Shadowlands, also
might be involved.
Jaworski: Its working title is Tales from the Underworld. We’re
imagining an evening of stories about the underworld – the dark and light of
it.
Kent: The company is going to be 50 next year and we’re
doing a Big 50 tour – we’re going to be doing the underworld piece for
that. The other thing we’re looking at
is going to be about borders and – the wall.
We’ve been working with Nortec Music Collective in Tijuana – the name’s
a mashup of norteño and techno. It’s great
– it’s got that techno beat and they play these norteño instruments like accordion
and tuba. It’s like being on another planet where nobody owns art or feeling
and everybody wants to dance together.
To get ready for that we’re going
to go to border towns and do workshops to make work together. What does it look
like to keep someone out, and what does it mean to get into America? The collaborations on those themes will allow
us to show multiple perspectives onstage.
We’re
really excited to try these things.
They’re in the same spirit the company’s always had, but they take us in
new directions. To go out and
crowdsource collaborations has limitless potential. It applies the idealism of
the ‘70s collaborations that company started out with to contemporary issues. Renée
and I are not interested in being museum curators, trying to do pieces made in
the past. The old works will be sepia-toned with certain nostalgia – but we
want to keep Pilobolus alive and breathing.
__________________________________________________ interview
by SK
The day of the show, Pilobolus leads a free movement
workshop for people with diverse abilities/disabilities at the Memorial Union’s
Festival Room. The class is limited to
20 – there may still be time to register.
If you’re interested, the person to contact is WUT’s Community and
Campus Relations and Engagement Director Esty Dinur: edinur@wisc.edu, 608-262-3907
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