Two Greens, Unrelated

Photo: Gayle Laird

Known separately for singular performances combining cinema with live musical accompaniment and narration, self-taught animator Brent Green and Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Sam Green (unrelated) make their Next Wave debuts with a collaborative program, Brent Green and Sam Green: Live Cinema, at the BAM Fisher, Dec 7—10. Foley sound artist Kate Ryan and a band comprising Brendan Canty (Fugazi), James Canty (Nation of Ulysses), and Becky Foon (Silver Mt. Zion) perform live alongside the cinematic proceedings: flickering stop-motion forays into the Southern Gothic from Brent, engrossing documentaries about provincial dreamers and doers from Sam. The result is a unique live art experience that fuses the energy and immediacy of a rock show with cinema’s immersive storytelling capabilities.

Adriana Leshko: Could you each briefly describe the work of the other?

Sam Green: I always come back to the word “protean” in describing Brent’s work. His live cinema work is so powerful and odd. He narrates but he’s really just singing his pieces. Brent is one of those artists who is channeling something: his work isn’t calculated or premeditated. He’s tapping into some weird rural Pennsylvania thing that goes back to his family. Brent and I take turns narrating short films in this piece, and I’m both intimidated and proud to follow him.

Brent Green: One thing I really love about Sam’s work is his insatiable curiosity. His journalistic background [Sam has a master’s degree in journalism from University of California Berkeley, where he studied documentary with acclaimed filmmaker Marlon Riggs] drives him deep down rabbit holes, where he encounters... new rabbit holes. And dives into those. I was at his studio a couple weeks ago, and he showed me an entire file of watermarked pictures—he was enamored with the watermark. He cares about things no one else cares about. Until he tells you about them and makes you care about them, too.

CITIZEN—Being and Belonging

Raja Kelly. Photo courtesy Reggie Wilson/Fist & Heel

By Christian Barclay

In 1936 Josephine Baker, then already a major star in Europe, returned to America to star in the Ziegfield Follies. The production featured choreography by George Balanchine, music by Vernon Duke, and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. In spite of the marquee names, the show was a flop. Many critics specifically attacked Baker’s performance, labeling her “a Negro wench,” incapable of portraying a woman of sophistication and power. Disgusted and disheartened, Baker renounced her American citizenship and moved to France. She wouldn’t perform in the US again for over a decade.

CITIZEN, the newest work from Reggie Wilson and the Fist & Heel Performance Group, was inspired by the challenges that Baker and other black artists and activists faced in America––and the reasons why some ultimately chose to leave. The piece is predicated on the concept of belonging, and asks the questions “What does it mean to belong?” and “What does it mean to not want to belong?”

In Context: 50 Song Memoir

Stephin Merritt and his seven-member band celebrate his 50th birthday with two distinct programs of new songs, one for every year of his melodious existence. Context is everything, so get even closer to the production with this curated selection of related articles and videos. After you've attended the show, let us know what you thought by posting in the comments below and on social media using #50SongMemoir.

In Context: A Gun Show

Sō Percussion’s gives the Second Amendment a soundtrack in this affecting foray into America’s fraught relationship with guns, directed by Obie-winning director Ain Gordon. Context is everything, so get even closer to the production with this curated selection of related articles and videos. After you've attended the show, let us know what you thought by posting in the comments below and on social media using #AGunShow.

Colson Whitehead on The Underground Railroad

On September 26, author Colson Whitehead came to BAM to discuss his most recent novel, The Underground Railroad, a sweeping narrative of pre-Civil War slavery that rockets from past to present through one woman’s escape from the horrors of bondage.

Whitehead read an excerpt from the novel, which just won the National Book Award for fiction, and discussed how he came to write the book, his research process, its resonance today, and more with Lisa Lucas, president of the National Book Foundation.

Listen to the full talk below:




The Colson Whitehead talk was part of our Unbound literary series, presented in partnership with Greenlight Bookstore.

In Context: On the Road

Choreographer Zvi Gotheiner and his company retrace Jack Kerouac’s most infamous route in this evening-length work, a synthesis of sensuous movement, original music, and kaleidoscopic video footage. Context is everything, so get even closer to the production with this curated selection of related articles and videos. After you've attended the show, let us know what you thought by posting in the comments below and on social media using #ZviDance.

In Context: The Tree of Life

More than 100 musicians and singers from the Wordless Music Orchestra perform live accompaniment to a special screening of Terrence Malick’s 2011 masterpiece starring Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain. Context is everything, so get even closer to the production with this curated selection of related articles and videos. After you've attended the show, let us know what you thought by posting in the comments below and on social media using #TheTreeofLife.

In Context: Thank You for Coming: Play

Brooklyn-based choreographer Faye Driscoll makes her BAM debut with the second work in her Thank You For Coming trilogy, exploring the fractured nature of language. Context is everything, so get even closer to the production with this curated selection of related articles and videos. After you've attended the show, let us know what you thought by posting in the comments below and on social media using #FayeDriscoll.

In Context: Memory Rings

Phantom Limb Company chronicles 5,000 years of environmental change in this series of surreal wordless vignettes, a phantasmagoric mix of puppetry, music, and macabre fairy tales. Context is everything, so get even closer to the production with this curated selection of related articles and videos. After you've attended the show, let us know what you thought by posting in the comments below and on social media using #MemoryRings.

Reflecting on Guns, part of A Gun Show

As part of Sō Percussion’s A Gun Show (Nov 30—Dec 3), a percussive exploration of our nation’s obsession with guns, BAM is partnering with StoryCorps to create a platform for you to share your experiences with guns. 

 

Please follow these simple instructions to share your story:

1. Create an account on StoryCorps.me from your desktop computer.

2. Join the BAM community Reflecting on Guns, part of A Gun Show at BAM. You can only do this from your desktop computer.

3. Download the StoryCorps.me app to your phone.

4. Prepare for your recording! You can record either a solo reflection or an interview. In either case, make sure to do a short introduction with your name(s), location, and some context.

5. Use the following prompts to guide your conversation:

• Describe your first memory of guns.
• Have you ever held a gun? If not, have you ever wanted to?
• How does gun use impact your day-to-day life in the United States?

NOTE: while you can record up to 45 minutes, recordings can also be as short as a minute.

In Context: Rules Of The Game

Choreographer Jonah Bokaer and visual artist Daniel Arsham celebrate a decade of collaboration in this evening of three works featuring an original score by Pharrell Williams. Context is everything, so get even closer to the production with this curated selection of related articles and videos. After you've attended the show, let us know what you thought by posting in the comments below and on social media using #RulesOfTheGame.

In Context: Plexus

French physical theater maverick Aurélien Bory takes Japanese dancer Kaori Ito, entangled in a dense field of 5,000 black nylon wires, as both muse and instrument. Context is everything, so get even closer to the production with this curated selection of related articles and videos. After you've attended the show, let us know what you thought by posting in the comments below and on social media using #AurelienBory.

A Gun Show—Weaponized Instruments

Photo: Stephanie Berger

By Christian Barclay

An abstract exploration of a visceral issue, Sō Percussion’s A Gun Show (Harvey Theater, Nov 30—Dec 3) uses music, text, and movement to explore America’s relationship with guns. The collective’s signature use of unconventional percussive objects––in this case, a decommissioned Russian army rifle––enrich the compositions and reflect the ensemble’s sonic associations with American gun culture, ranging from militaristic rhythms to mournful blues.

After the jump, Sō Percussion’s Adam Sliwinski discusses the catalyst for the show and the complexities of exploring a multi-faceted issue through music.