Lisa Fay & Jeff Glassman Performance Duo

Tonight I went to see Lisa Fay and Jeff Glassman perform 4 short experimental movement theatre pieces in the Performing Arts Hall at Drake University. According to an article posted on the Drake website, the duo invents systems to organize theatrical movement and speech in theatre, similar to those utilized by musicians to compose music. They apply these complex composed structures to ordinary human behavior and situations to create a unique form of theatre art.

The first piece the duo performed was about two individuals meeting in a restaurant for a business meeting. Sound became paramount in the piece to create complex, repeated rhythms. Sounds utilized throughout the performance included speech, sounds produced through movement of the human body and through the disruption of inanimate objects, such as the clinging of silverware.

The second performance was a solo piece by Jeff, who created abstract sounds through a microphone that was enclosed inside of his mouth. The sounds were given context and meaning through the movements performed.

The third performance was a conversation that jumped forward and backward in time, similar to an effect caused by a skipping CD.

The fourth and final performance was a scene of a woman coming home after a burglar has ransacked her house. The entire scene was acted out completely in reverse.