AUTUMN KNIGHT
OCT 10 - 13
PHOTO BY LYNN LANE
M _ _ _ ER
We begin by acknowledging this land is the ancestral home of the Duwamish and many other Indigenous peoples recorded and unrecorded, who have been the custodians of this land since time immemorial. As guests and — in many of our cases — as settlers on this land, we extend our deepest gratitude and respect to their ancestors and elders past, present, and future. On the Boards is beginning to engage in conversations to deepen our practices in a way that reflects and honors Coast Salish protocol. Part of our understanding of the protocol is making material gifts to the Indigenous peoples of this land as a way of recognizing their genealogical responsibility to the well-being of the territory and all beings who make a home here. We encourage you to donate online at realrentduwamish.org.
Filming and photography are not permitted during performances. Please note that this performance contains haze and strobe-like effect.
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Hi Art Lover, Happy Fall! Welcome back to OtB, I'm glad you're here. In the words of Rachel Mars, "Congratulations, you made it out of the house!" Arts organizations and artists need you, here at OtB, and also at our sister organizations like Velocity, like Base, like Intiman, ACT, CD Forum, Wa Na Wari, Studio Current, NW Film Forum, W.E.T., the Frye, StG, the Henry and more--NOW MORE THAN EVER! The challenges of making art happen and supporting artists are making themselves felt in our community this season. By being here at On the Boards today, you are part of the solution. You're a fierce warrior in a fight against ambivalence and complacency. You are a champion in the battle for human experiences that spark dialogue and bring community members closer together. Thank you for caring and for showing up. We love you! Go get 'em tigers, see some art! Betsey PS. In preparation for our 40th Birthday later this month, I've been digging deep into our past shows and seasons. I know many of you have been here with us since the beginning, at Washington Hall or shortly thereafter. Will you share an On the Boards memory with us? In writing, on video, in photos -- if you've got a story to share, send it my way! I'm betsey@ontheboards.org and I would LOVE to hear from you! Betsey Brock Executive Director, On the Boards
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Autumn Knight: M _ _ _ ER Post-performance videos will be screened in the Rehearsal Room.
Autumn Knight: M_ _ _ ER is a National Performance Network/Visual Artist Network (NPN/ VAN) Creation & Development Fund Project co-commissioned by DiverseWorks; On the Boards, Seattle; and Women & Their Work, Austin. M _ _ _ ER premiered at DiverseWorks in October 2018; M _ _ _ ER is created with additional commissioning support from Abrons Arts Center for the work’s New York Premiere in March 2020.
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Curatorial Note Autumn Knight is an interdisciplinary artist who employs improvisation, text, social interactions, performative objects, and room sized world building to address a range of intimate subjects. M _ _ _ ER is a nonlinear, scenic examination of entanglement from mothers to matter. The work investigates relationships that are common to almost everyone—the nature of intimacy with self, others, and objects-stuff—and probes at precarious relationships that are born out of physical or emotional proximity. The title suggests various interpretations of the missing letters, such as “mother” “murder” and “matter,” while still leaving room for ambiguity. This new performance addresses the artist’s desire to experiment in a black box theater setting with a lighting designer and sound collaborator to create an immersive experience that investigate spaces that can be created and activated by visual and performative elements. It is important to Knight to find abstract metaphors in order to pose critical questions about race, identity, and gender. Her aesthetic language creates environments that reconsiders notions of the black female body and explores a broad range of subjects from group psychology, spirituality, ritual, and humor. She is interested in creating sensory and emotional experiences through images, movement, and language. As a performer, Knight uses her personal experiences to open up conversations about the shifting power of politics, cultural commodification, and interpersonal connections. Drawing on her background in drama therapy, Knight is constantly observing how strangers perform and exist as a unit. Knight defines community as a group of people that are mutually invested in an idea, goal, feeling, or action. Her collaborative process takes the form of assigning roles and tasks, setting boundaries, and evaluating measures for the work. Knight enjoys collaborative experiences and sees them as opportunities to broaden a cross-cultural understanding of race, class, gender, and sexual politics. She is interested in how the community becomes connected through a performance project, and how, as the project comes to an end, the relationships and networks of the community become based on memory, place, and exchange.
Rachel Cook
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About the Artists AUTUMN KNIGHT, Interdisiplinary Artist Autumn Knight is an interdisciplinary artist working with performance, installation, video, and text. Drawing from her training in theatre and the psychology of group dynamics, Knight makes performances that reshape perceptions of race, gender, and authority. Her performance work has been on view at more than a dozen institutions internationally, and her ongoing performance series Sanity TV was featured in the 2019 Whitney Biennial.
RENA ANAKWE, Sound Collaborator Rena Anakwe is an interdisciplinary artist and performer working primarily with sound, visuals, and scent. Exploring intersections between traditional healing practices, spirituality and performance, she creates works focused on sensory-based, experiential interactions using creative technology. She is based in Brooklyn, New York by way of Nigeria and Canada. Rena is a graduate of: the Interactive Telecommunications Program (iTP) at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts (MPS), The Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University (MFA) and New York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business (BS.) She is a 2019 ISSUE Project Room Artist-in-Residence, a 2019 Abrons Arts Center (AAC) Sound Series commissioned artist, a 2018 Signal Culture Artist-in-Residence.
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TUCE YASAK, Lighting Designer Tuce Yasak graduated from the Department of Industrial Design at METU in Turkey. Moved to NYC following light in 2008. Credits include: 'Unsettled' in DanceMotionUS at BAM with Korhan Basaran Company and David Dorfman Dance (DDD); Tropico at Danspace, Another Fucking Warhol Production at the Kitchen, Ugly at the Bushwick Starr with the Feath3r Theory and Raja Feather Kelly; Shasta Geux Pop at Under The Radar(Public Theater) with Ayesha Jordan & Charlotte Brathwaite, Four Nights of Dreams with Alec Duffy and Mimi Lien at Japan Society, “…memoires of a Unicorn with Marjani Forte Saunders at Collapsable Hole and the Ford Theater, May Day Hay Day Parfait with Daria Fain and Common Choir at BRIC Media Arts, Aroundtown with David Dorfman Dance at Next Wave Festival at BAM Harvey, Marigram with Annie Wang at Five Myles, joyUS justUS by Contra Tiempo Urban Latin American Dance Theater on 2019 USA Tour.
She has received 2018 BESSIE Award for outstanding visual design for Marjani Forte's "... memoires of a Unicorn”. She recently collaborated with Miguel Gutierrez on his new work This Bridge Called My Ass at the chocolate factory and participated ay Montpellier Dance Festival in France. She has collaborated with Ni'Ja Whitson on their most recent work Oba Qween at the DanSpace which has been nominated for Bessie 2019 for the Outstanding Visual Design. She is interested in site specific work, light installations, architecture and believes that light and movement are divine partners.
RYAN DUNN, Associate Lighting Designer Ryan is a Seattle-based lighting and scenic designer for theatre, dance and events whose work has been seen recently at Book-it Repertory Theatre, Intiman Theatre, On the Boards, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Village Theatre, ArtsWest Playhouse, Washington Ensemble Theatre, Seattle Public Theatre, Strawberry Theatre Workshop, and Café Nordo, among others. Ryan was born and raised in Seattle and graduated from the University of Washington with a BFA in Visual Communication Design in 2014. Ryan is the Resident Designer for Seattle-based experimental theatre troupe The Horse in Motion, a company member of Washington Ensemble Theatre, and an affiliate artist with Umbrella Project.
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THANK YOU, ON THE BOARDS DONORS! INSTITUTIONAL & COMMUNITY PARTNERS 100,000+ | The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation 50,000+ | New England Foundation for the Arts (National Dance Project and National Theater Project)
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1,000+ | 501 Commons, Baby & Company, Facebook, Grace Jones Richardson Testamentary Trust in honor of Lance Neely, Jean T. Fukuda Memorial Fund for the Performing Arts, Herbivore, Lane Powell, Mutuus Studio, The Pink Door, The Seattle Foundation, Tomlinson Linen Service, Wyman Youth Trust
25,000+ | ArtsFund, The National Endowment for the Arts, National Performance Network
2,500+ | ArtsWA (Washington State Arts Commission), Nordstrom, Olson Kundig Architects, PayPal, The Ostara Group
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INDIVIDUAL DONORS Thank you to all our donors! This list includes donors through October 4th, 2019. Please contact Erica Bower Reich at erica@ontheboards.org if your name should be included but isn’t, or is spelled incorrectly. Thank you!
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$500+ Howard Goodfriend & Helen Anderson, Judy Tobin & Mike Baker, Karena & Ian Birk*, Betsey Brock & Eric Fredericksen*^, Susan Den*, Linda Derschang, Jennifer Salk & David Ehrich*^, Mark Foltz*, Ariel Glassman*, Ben Goosman, Aaron & Karen Grady-Brown*, Seth Grizzle, Adrianne Hersrud,
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You can join this list of treasured humans by: - adding a donation when you buy your tickets - calling or emailing samie@ontheboards.org / 206-2179886 ext.1023 - dipping your credit card in the ART ROBOT DipJar (look for the sign that says Art Robot) Thank YOU for fueling art!
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THANK YOU
On the Boards is grateful for the generous support of the following organizations
IN KIND & MEDIA SPONSORS
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About On the Boards Founded by artists in 1978, On the Boards invests in leading contemporary performing artists near and far, and connects them to a diverse range of communities interested in forward-thinking art and ideas. We believe if we are successful in our work that we can grow our field, enrich peoples’ lives, and contribute to civic and global dialogues. We value: artistic risks while being fiscally responsible; leadership in our field and the multiple communities we serve to strategically advance the role contemporary artists play in society; racial and social equity, and accountability, to ensure our organization includes multiple viewpoints; provocative art as a vehicle to connect people of diverse backgrounds and perspectives; our local creative community as we engage with international artists and peers; and professional and transparent management.
STAFF Betsey Brock, Executive Director Rachel Cook, Artistic Director Samie Detzer, Director of External Relations Rich Bresnahan, Technical Director Sara Ann Davidson, Operations Manager and Office Witch Alexandra Harding, Assistant Technical Manager Clare Hatlo, Associate Producer Ben Marx, Sound Technician Erin McCarthy, Bookkeeper Pamala Mijatov, Director of Audience Services Eze-Basil Oluo, House Manager Erica Bower Reich, Patron Relations Specialist Charles Smith, Curatorial Administrator Kate Connerty, Communications Associate Sara Jinks, Production Coordinator
BOARD Davora Lindner, Board President Ruth Lockwood, Past President John Hoedemaker, Vice President John Robinson, Treasurer Michaela Hutfles, Secretary Tyler Engle, Member at Large Tom Israel, Member at Large Norie Sato, Member at Large Kristen Becker, John Behnke, Kim Brillhart, Maryika Byskiniewicz, Jeanie Chunn, Florangela Davila, Jeffrey FracĂŠ, Rodney Hines, John Hoedemaker, Tina LaPadula, Mari London, Lance Neely, Emily Tanner-McLean, Kate Murphy, Mary Ann Peters, Spafford Robbins, Jimmy Rogers, Robert Stumberger, Annette Toutonghi, Josef Vascovitz, Bill Way, David Taft, Lara Behnert, Mireya Lewin Corey Gutch
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COMING SOON
GET YOUR TICKETS NOW
ontheboards.org
Performance Lab: In the Round Wed, Oct 16, 7:00 pm Merrill Theater
Ten Tiny Dances Thu–Sat, Oct 24–26, 8:00 pm Merrill Theater
Co-curated by Performance Lab Producer Charles Smith and artist KT Kusmaul
An experiment in confined space, Ten Tiny Dances® is a performance series dedicated to fostering inventive dance/performance art and providing an accessible performance experience for a diverse audience… all on a 4x4 foot stage!
Performance Lab is a continuation of OtB's longstanding commitment to showcasing works-in-progress by artists from across the Pacific Northwest. Artistic risk is a cornerstone of OtB's mission & values: supporting new works by artists from our community is one of the most important ways we manifest this commitment. Each Lab includes a Q&A with the artists, who discuss their pieces and processes with the audience and each other. KT Kusmaul is a fat, queer, genderqueer femme performance artist, dancer, choreographer, and community builder. She is the founder and Artistic Director of Body Home Fat Dance. With a history of creating radical gender performance in the underground queer art scene, now she is using her creative skills to bring fat liberation performance art to life. In 2018 she was awarded the year-long Alembic Artist Residency at Performance Works NW. Her work has recently been produced as part of PDX Dance Collective Choreographers Showcase, Knock Out, On The Boards' NW New Work Festival, and Risk/Reward.
Choreography by Arson Nicki, Scott/ Powell Performance, Mike O'Neal (Majinn), Etienne Cakpo, KT Niehoff, ilvs strauss, Vis à Vis Society, Cheryl Delostrinos of Au Collective, Fox Whitney/Gender Tender, and Jessica Jobaris & General Magic. Ten Tiny Dances® was created in Portland, OR in 2002 and continues to be produced by founder Mike Barber and others, with permission. Please see www.tentinydances.org for more information. On the Boards' 40th Birthday Friday, Nov 1, 6:00 pm In 1979, On the Boards was born; the love child of a group of artists with a dream for world-class contemporary performance in Seattle. Over the past four decades, On the Boards has shaped the way our region experiences performance. Join us for this birthday extravaganza ft. Reggie Watts from 6-10PM and become a part of the future of On the Boards!
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SUSAN AHAMAFULE OLUO
COMING SOON
DEC 5 - 8
PHOTO BY NAOMI ISHISAKA
This darkly comic musical portrait of Oluo's mother builds one story out of many, a journey from Section 8 housing in 1980s Seattle to the mangrove swamps of the Niger Delta to the Clallam Bay Correctional Facility. With stunning new compositions combined with soul-baring stand-up interludes, OLUO explores two intertwining narratives: his mother’s life as the white, Midwestern wife of a Nigerian chief and, later, a destitute single mother; and his own journey to Nigeria, as an adult, to visit his late father’s village and discover a family on the other side of the world.
The follow-up to Oluo’s musical Now I’m Fine, SUSAN is a story about the failings of men and the endurance of women. It is a crystalline slice of American life; a collision of class, race, bodies, love, and men with bad intentions; a tragedy about the most comically optimistic person on earth.
Commissioned by On the Boards through the 18/19 Artists-in-Residence Program, SUSAN will be presented at Portland Institute for Contemporary Arts TBA Festival in September 2019, and premieres at On the Boards in December 2019. SUSAN was developed through the Creative Capital Project.