Latest Project

Two Girls has been on hiatus for a year. Gina and I are both tackling our most challenging role to date: "Mom". I thought I would post some pictures of what has consumed my world for the last 8 months. It's a thrilling adventure having a baby. I admire women (and men) who have done it and continue to participate in their art. Lack of sleep alone has me hallucinating and forgetting myself. The stage calls me still but the timing hasn't been good. Not yet. We may explore some of our options in the year ahead- either here in the Quad Cities or in Chicago. I am thinking about putting Rosie back up if it jives with the show we are planning to do.

But I was wondering if, in the spaces between our performances, this blog could serve as a place to put these thoughts in my head about who I am now that this little lady has entered our life. There must be something valuable about these days too: hearing your daughter's voice for the first time, having a late night discussion with your husband, seeing a good art show or theatre performance (or a bad one), or just a safe place for those insecurities and failures that creep up to land. And so, you may be hearing from me now and again. For now, meet Amelia...

Venus Envy QC 2008

Come hell or high water... people showed up for our performance in good numbers. We ended up moving inside due to the wind, but the 4th floor raw space suited the newspaper piece and our bare feet nicely. With my pregnant belly in tow, Skim Helpless Informed Buzz Dead Dead Dead went over extremely well. We really enjoyed all the great feedback, and it was wonderful to be on stage again- the two of us. Until our next project, performance, or the baby (which ever comes first), it was thrilling to have had this experience.

The Newspaper Piece comes to the Quad Cities

We are thrilled to be bringing our first original performance piece back to life and to the QC stage for Venus Envy. Skim Helpless Informed Buzz Dead Dead Dead, or The Newspaper Piece as it was affectionately named in Chicago, will be back on it's feet May 3rd, 2008 at the Bucktown Arts Center in Davenport, IA. In this performance we explore the functions of a newspaper both as a source of information as well as familiar object until it is deconstructed to leave behind torn pages; fragments of words. Because we always use the present day newspaper, current events are often layered into the performance. It's an objective reference to what's going on in the world.
We have included a couple pictures of rehearsal at the Spare Room space in Chicago until we have images from the show.

Images from "Was Home..." at Venus Envy QC 2007

Was Home...

An independent venture, Was Home... combines images of houses frozen in blocks of ice with sound installation. It explores the evolution of home. Was Home... will be displayed at Venus Envy QC 2007.

Rosie

Rosie was a piece born out of learning the true story about Rosemary Kennedy. The details surrounding her lobotomy in 1941, arranged by her father, provided a disturbing and rich tapestry of text and imagery. We wanted to be able to give Rosemary a voice to describe the life she lived before and after the procedure that left her unable to care for herself. Through letters and diary entries that Rosemary had written, we were able to uncover a personality from the past. What stays with me when I think about what was done to her, and what was taken away, was the fact that they placed her head on a sandbag during the surgery. This was the prop we used in our performance to tell her story.