STRANGE CARGO / The Painted Bird: Part 3
“There is no essential difference between war and any other traumatic experience,” said Jerzy Kosiński in an often-cited interview given to The Paris Review in 1972 – and this quote seems an appropriate introduction to THE STRANGE CARGO, the capstone of The Painted Bird trilogy. Conceived for five performers of strikingly different physiques, the dancers shift between confrontational scenes in which they threaten one another to moments of alienation and disconnect; none of the meetings of outsiders concludes in community-forming unity. The audience, arranged on either side of the stage, seems almost encouraged to take sides and make judgments as brutal and intense episodes unfurl on stage – leading to an unexpectedly quiet finale, evoking tragic ending met by The Painted Bird writer, who took his own life in 1991.
World Premiere: Performance Space 122 at Synod Hall of Cathedral of St. John the Divine, May 2012, 60 min
Concept/Direction/Choreography: Pavel Zuštiak; Original Music composed and performed by: Christian Frederickson and Ryan Rumery; Performers: Giulia Carotenuto, Lindsey Dietz-Marchant, Luke Murphy, Denisa Musilova, Jeremy Xido; Lighting Design: Joe Levasseur; Set Design: Peter Ksander; Costume Design: Asta Hostetter; Video Design: Keith Skretch, Manny Palad; Dramaturgy: A. P. Andrews
Developed and supported during the residency at Baryshnikov Arts Center (NYC) with the financial support of Princess Grace Foundation-USA. Further funding provided by John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, Greenwall Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts and Jerome Foundation. Production design support by The Edith Lutyens and Norman Bel Geddes Design Enhancement Fund, a program of the Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York (A.R.T./New York.) Funds for the composer’s commission and musicians fees supplied by the American Music Center Live Music for Dance Program. Also made possible through subsidized studio space available with support from the A.R.T./New York Creative Space Grant, founded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation by and by Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Swing Space program, provided by a real estate donation from Capstone Equities.