The Story Behind the Performance

Our assembled group came together a few months before to work and explore physical theatre. Along the way, we lost a few fellow pilgrims on our journey to creating an ensemble piece. Troupe members brought in visuals, pieces of text and music from which 5 or so were chosen to be the seed, the inspiration for all the scenes that would arise thereafter.

Thirty lines of seemingly random text were picked from a slew of strange sources. These lines were the only words any of the directors were allowed to use in their short pieces. With common source material, a shared body of text and many weeks of group physical training, three directors began to develop and improvise scenes that would arise thereafter.

Eventually the pieces came into being through group exploration. Next came the long task of polishing them, picking an appropriate order and placing connecting bits between the larger work. Only then were we able to step back and breathe deeply, and see what kind of lifeform we’d brought into the world.

We were very excited to continue developing and adding scenes during the course of the run, making it truly a work in progress.

The new Hand2Mouth Theatre company is a troupe of young artists who gained their experience by training with Anne Bogart, immersing themselves in ritual and stilt-walking around Europe. In short, theirs is an eclectic theater, interested in creating collages of movement and language. The company’s second piece is a series of blackouts primarily exploring human behavior and the difficulties in communication. There are also some comical interludes, as well as a balletic segment of mourners ritualistically washing the dead. The performers, which include Walt Schaefer, Aryn Bartley, Faith Helma, Susan Faust, and artistic director Jonathan Walters, are rarities in Portland, as they are nimble in movement and expressiveness and are able to communicate more in a raised eyebrow than half the Macbeth cast can in their three hours of arm spasms and shouting. At the top of the show, performer Jean Fogel Zee presents another work in progress, Polus, a meditation with rope, punctuated by a very funny etymology lesson.

-Willamette Week, April 26 2000