N O W I S W H E N W E A R E

(the stars)

from Andrew Schneider

A Three-Dimensional, Interactive Experience Like Southern Utah Has Never Seen Before

by Michelle Sundberg

How often do we have the opportunity to experience, feel, and deeply connect with something new and truly unique? The answer is very rarely. One of these unique experiences is N O W I S W H E N W E A R E (the stars).

After a successful and emotional tour starting in New York City, N O W I S W H E N W E A R E (the stars) isc oming to Center for the Arts at Kayenta. It is an interactive light-and-sound installation and promises to be an experience that southern Utah has never seen before.

N O W I S W H E N W E A R E (the stars) is an interactive theatrical installation that pushes the participant to become the main character of the production. An unseen narrator guides participants through an individualized journey into a precisely programmed matrix of light—and into the cosmos of themselves. Part meditation, part exploration, the stars draws visitors into a hyper-focus on the present. The stars traces every decision that you have ever made as a contributing factor to being “here” and being “now.”

This ambitious project—with nearly 5,000 individually reactive LED lights and a 496-channel sound system—envelops each participant. The stars is an invitation to engage and become an active explorer—discovering the traces of yourself in light, the universe, and in those who have been here before us.

Every point in space occurs once at each moment of time, and an event in time is the intersection of a location and a moment. The stars installation creates a space where each participant can define and recognize personal truths about themselves.

How do we remain present in space?

How do we remain present in time?

How do we collectively grieve as a community?

How do we say goodbye?

How will we remember?

What are audiences saying about the stars?

“I didn’t realize how much I missed me. Thank you.”

- Lita, audience member (Northfield, Minnesota)

“It was magic.”

- Taia, audience member (Providence, Rhode Island)

“Thank you for a life-changing experience.”

- Sophia, audience member (Northfield, Minnesota)

N O W I S W H E N W E A R E (the stars) is an example of how technology can bring us closer together, shake us from the synthetic, and offer a genuine experience that becomes imprinted in our consciousness. The artist, Andrew Schneider, writes, “I’m interested in how creating meaningful time-based experiences can lead to more consequential human-to-human interaction. If, at its core, theater is humans telling stories about ourselves to each other, then I hope what I make is in the service of getting better at being human. That’s why I make the work with recurring collaborators with aligned values to create experiences for others. We work to interrogate the power structures that exist in the rooms in which we make and question how to systematically change inequitable systems.”V

N O W I S W H E N W E A R E (the stars)

Dates: March 9–19, 2023

Details: the stars offers two unique ticketed experiences:

GUIDED PERFORMANCE:

$35 general admission/$10 students

A one-hour-long crafted experience for up to eight audience members at a time. This theatrical experience features a beginning, middle, and end—all guided by an unseen narrator.

OPEN UNIVERSE INSTALLATION:

$20 general admission/$10 students

A self-guided experience through an open installation. You’ll have an entry time and 30 minutes to explore the space at your own pace.

Location: Center for the Arts at Kayenta

About us: Kayenta Arts Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to develop and create an environment where diverse artistic endeavors for educational and enrichment purposes can flourish. Our vision is to be the premier venue in the greater southern Utah area for the awareness, appreciation, education, enjoyment, and celebration of the arts.

Center For the Arts at Kayenta, located in Ivins, Utah, was built with grassroots support from the community, united by a shared passion for the cultural value of the art community. We bring diverse artistic talent and culture to our unique, premier venue for the benefit of the community.

Tickets: www.KayentaArts.com | Box Office: (435) 674-2787

Come, be part of the arts!