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AUDIENCE REVIEW: Dream Chapters

Company:
Co-Produced by Evalina “Wally” Carbonell & Wei Wei Ma

Performance Date:
April 30 - May 2

Freeform Review:

In Philadelphia last month, theater week May 1st- 7th happened to be a great time to invite a small audience to stages all over. "Dream Chapters" was happening in Mount Airy, right outside the city of Philadelphia. It is on the edge of Montgomery County.

Modern, with a Classical twist, Joshua Culbreath entered with a break dance performance. "Lines and Scribbles" opened the space up in many ways. Playing with the antics of any great creative brain storm. In this play, Culbreath hovered over a diary. They tore pages out crumbled up,  and threw them away.

The space was an alternative stage, with a carriage style garage door which stood center stage. It divided the stage into two rooms.

Each dance introduced a piece of  a dream, chapters, if I may: Chapter 1: Lines and Scribbles

Chapter 2: In Dream, by Wei Wei Ma, a charades to a sleepy waltz. A real lively sedative, and if only we could imagine Wei Wei dancing in the clouds. This is so, because they have a pillow in hand, and wearing cloud, blue sky papjamas. To go through six solos, each by their own creator, there must be a personal connection to the theme. A script in which there descends a dreamlike state that only Tatyana Yassukovich could have written.

Chapter 3: Up-Lift

Paul Matteson with an outfitting that triggers for many a traumatic sign. This enigma seems to stare into the very depths of our existence at this point in history. Where it can go is, maybe next stop could be the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Matteson, with an original narrative called "If", composed by Sherry Delys, in hospital scrubs, they moved acrobaticly, while staying on the ground.

Moving quickly into the next piece, "Apple" by Evalina Carbonell was a whirlwind. Recently, I came across a 2015 program of Yvonne Rainer dance company at the MOMA. "Chair Pillow" stuck out to me, as I have been contemplating Carbonell's dance with chair, and co-producer Wei Wei with pillow. The vocabulary for this schematic device shaped a kind of climatic event for the historical aspect. As for the dance, itself, moments of popular culture seem to ring in when interested in the wide rimmed bullet hat, and prairie red dress.

My favorite thing is to see a wide spectrum of genre, style, and vignette. 
 

Chapter 5: Satyr

Ariel Isakowitz performed a burlesque/cabaret/drag show in the guise of a lion. We saw little bits and pieces of this feline friend around the stage. Like a stray, wandering the streets, it played and entertained.

Chapter 6: Rest

Shayla-Vie Jenkins left us in a spiritual daze. A veil was strung up across one of the two rooms. The effect of which created shadows for trans-material, with fabric design by Martha Chamberlain. Flatness on one side, and a cutting silhouette took shape in the second room.

Dream Chapters was supported by anonymous GoFundMe supporters, KYL/D, and The Commodore Restaurant.

Author:
Chuck Schultz

Website:
Chschulk.wix.com/review

Photo Credit:
Chuck Schultz