College of Visual and Performing Arts

Honoring the Legacy of Bill Reeder

Emily Schneider — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 14:33:25 +0000

Honoring the Legacy of Bill Reeder Emily Schneider Wed, 04/16/2025 - 10:33

In This Story

I am so very sorry to share the sad news of Bill Reeder's death, surrounded by his family in hospice care after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Bill was the Founding Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA), joining us in 2001 to lead the newly formed college after a distinguished career as an operatic tenor and arts administrator.

Bill Reeder at a university event with his customary smile and style.

He served as Dean until May 2015, and continued to work, as a faculty member (and a term as Director), of the Arts Management program, one of three new academic programs (including Film and Video Studies and Computer Game Design) that were launched under his leadership. These programs have helped shape CVPA into the comprehensive arts college that it is today. He had a transformative physical impact on the arts landscape at Mason as well, securing for CVPA the planned "Academic V" facility, now known as the award-winning Art & Design Building, coordinating philanthropic, state, and university support for the DeLaski Performing Arts Building addition, and the renovation of what became the Music Theater Building.

Carol Merchant Kirby, Bill Reeder (center), and Provost David Wu at the Hylton Performing Arts Center Education and Rehearsal Wing ribbon cutting ceremony in 2019. Photo by Evan Cantwell.

His crowning achievement was the successful realization of a long-held community vision for an arts center serving Manassas and Prince William County. Bill's tenacious, loquacious, always-optimistic advocacy, expressed in countless breakfast meetings in diners, neighborhood gatherings, political forums, and rounds of golf with prospective supporters, led to the creation of the Hylton Performing Arts Center on what is now the Science & Technology Campus. At times it seemed as if Bill was almost single-handedly willing the center into existence — but it was really his tireless behind-the-scenes coordination of university, civic, and volunteer energy that carried the day. He was honored for his accomplishment at the Hylton Center's 5th Anniversary Gala in 2015. At this year's Gala, we will take a moment — or three — to remember Bill's foundational contributions.

Bill will be remembered for his energetic and passionate advocacy for artists of all kinds and at every stage of their journeys. I will always be grateful for his friendship and mentorship over 25 years of personal and professional collaboration.

Bill Reeder and Dean Davis celebrating together at an Arts Management program event before Reeder's retirement from George Mason. Photo by Setarra Kennedy.

Details regarding memorial arrangements will be forthcoming. If you would like to share memories and photographs of your experiences with Bill, please submit them through this form.

Bill's full obituary, provided by his family, can be accessed here.

Topics

College of Visual and Performing Arts

College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) Arts Management Program

Arts Management News

Dewberry School of Music

Hylton Center

School of Art

Mason Artist-in-Residence Ballet Hispánico Connects Campus and Community in Deep Hispanic Heritage Month Engagement

Laura Mertens — Wed, 06 Nov 2024 22:10:18 +0000

Mason Artist-in-Residence Ballet Hispánico Connects Campus and Community in Deep Hispanic Heritage Month Engagement Laura Mertens Wed, 11/06/2024 - 17:10

In This Story

Samantha Sinagra

Lawrence M. Jackson

Victor Adebusola

Learn more about Mason Artists-in-Residence

Mason Artist-in-Residence and “smashingly theatrical” dance company (Chicago Sun-Times) Ballet Hispánico led a whirlwind of inspiring engagement activities October 1–5, 2024 during Hispanic Heritage Month. With events held at the Center for the Arts, in Mason classrooms, and at other sites around the community, the residency exemplified the Center's commitment to joyous and transformative experiences in the arts for all ages.

"Ballet Hispánico’s visit to the Mason community far exceeded my expectations. It’s clear that community engagement is a top priority for this organization," said Victor Adebusola, programming and engagement manager at the Center for the Arts at George Mason, "Very rarely do you have an Executive Director participate in so many residency activities, further evidencing their commitment to community outreach. During every engagement, they brought warmth and fun while educating communities on the historical and cultural influences of various Hispanic diasporas. It was a joy to see so many smiling faces! Their performances at our Concert Hall were the cherry on top of a phenomenal weekend."

The Maryland Theatre Guide declared of the October 5 performance, "Saturday night’s program at the George Mason University Center for the Arts (the culmination of their time as a Mason Artist-in-Residence) was a well-curated, sophisticated, and poignant production with work spanning three decades. The dancers of Ballet Hispánico are all fabulous, technically talented, and charismatic performers."

Below is a recap of just some of the week's events:

Ballet Hispánico company members taught a master class on modern repertoire to students in George Mason University’s School of Dance on Wednesday, October 2 at 10:30 a.m.

Ballet Hispánico led a masterclass on modern repertoire with local high school students at Fairfax County Public School's Fairfax Academy, also participating in discussion with the students on Wednesday, October 2 at 1 p.m.

Ballet Hispánico members led a Latin Social Dance Workshop and Community Party the evening of Thursday, October 3, co-hosted by the Latin Student Association and Mason Dining outside Southside Dining Hall, for George Mason students, faculty, and staff. Chef Monica Bastidas Moreno curated snacks for the event including Colombian ceviche and churros, and Latin dance student group Azucar attended, along with many other Mason students of all experience levels.

The company performed exciting excerpts of works for hundreds of students in grades 6-12 in a free school time matinee performance on Friday, October 4, at 11 a.m. With brief interstitial presentations, charismatic Ballet Hispánico artistic director and CEO Eduardo Vilaro fully immersed the students and teachers in the program, getting them up on their feet and dancing along.

The free and interactive Artists in Conversation: Latin Social Dance Workshop with Ballet Hispánico, co-presented by the City of Fairfax and the Center for the Arts at George Mason University, offered community members free lessons in salsa, merengue, cha chá, and more on Friday, October 4, at 7 p.m. at the Stacy C. Sherwood Community Center.

Ballet Hispánico artistic director Eduardo Vilaro taught an interactive Baila Conmigo dance workshop to members of the public and the Mason Community Arts Academy following the free school time matinee performance on Friday, October 4, 2024.

George Mason School of Dance Professor Lawrence Jackson moderated a pre-performance discussion with Vilaro in Monson Grand Tier, on the third level of the Center for the Arts, prior to the October 5 culminating performance. The recorded discussion is available for viewing on the Mason Arts Amplified digital venue, which features curated arts experiences including livestreamed concerts, releases of previously recorded content, behind-the-scenes talks with artists, and more (free account setup and login required).

Vilaro joined additional George Mason classes for discussion, including the “Survey of Latin American History,” taught by Associate Professor Joan Bristol from George Mason’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences, on Tuesday, October 1, at 9 a.m. Vilaro discussed topics including the company's history and how the need for visibility for a community spurred rich innovation based on the intersection of Latin diasporas; colonization, the cross-Atlantic slave trade, and the legacy of movement throughout history; and the history of Latin dance in modern dance and culture in the United States. In the virtual class “Introduction to Arts Management,” taught by Professor Samantha Sinagra from George Mason’s Arts Management Program on Thursday, October 3 at 1:30 p.m., Vilaro discussed with class members how the company centers its mission when creating programs and initiatives.

The Mason Artist-in-Residence program is supported in part by the Wendy Frieman and David Johnson Fund.

Topics

CFA

Center for the Arts

Friends of the Center for the Arts

College of Visual and Performing Arts

College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA)

College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) Arts Management Program

College of Visual and Performing Arts School of Dance

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Mason Dining

Latino Student Association

Virginia Opera's "Loving v. Virginia" Will have World Premiere at Center for the Arts May 3–4

Laura Mertens — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 17:14:19 +0000

Virginia Opera's "Loving v. Virginia" Will have World Premiere at Center for the Arts May 3–4 Laura Mertens Mon, 09/30/2024 - 13:14

In This Story

Rick Davis

Get tickets for the world premiere of Loving v. Virginia at the Center for the Arts

Learn more about the production from Virginia Opera

The Center for the Arts season culminates May 3–4, 2025 with the highly anticipated world premiere of Virginia Opera’s Loving v. Virginia, based on the true story of Mildred and Richard Loving, a couple from Central Point, VA (pictured above, photo credit: Estate of Grey Villet). Criminally charged for their 1958 interracial marriage in Washington, DC and forced to leave Virginia to avoid prison sentences, they took their case to the Supreme Court and won a landmark victory for civil rights in the U.S. in 1967. Widely considered the beginning of the dismantling of “Jim Crow” race laws, the case paved the way for future cases addressing equality, including Obergefell v. Hodges which legalized same-sex marriage in 2015.

Composed by Damien Geter, a Virginia native praised by the Wall Street Journal for his “skillful vocal writing,” the opera features a libretto by Jessica Murphy Moo and is directed by Washington, D.C. native Denyce Graves. A mezzo-soprano recognized as “an operatic superstar of the 21st century” (USA Today), Graves has recently expanded her talents to include stage-directing with credits including Minnesota Opera, Glimmerglass Festival, and Portland Opera. Reflecting on her illustrious career to WETA Arts, Graves has said, “I’ve portrayed all kinds of characters. For more than 40 years, I’ve told all kinds of stories. And the stories that are most important to me to tell now are those stories of truth, of inclusion… those stories that remind us that we are more alike than unalike. That’s so vitally important for our survival.”

Offered in conjunction with the development of the work, a fall 2024 semester-long Mason Honors College class (HNRS 360), Opera as Social Change: Loving v. Virginia, taught by College of Visual and Performing Arts Dean Rick Davis, explores the history behind and development of this world premiere work, as well as other operas that have been credited with, or intended for, examining social issues.

Don’t miss this important world premiere production, telling a Virginia story that yielded a landmark moment in American history.

Culminating the 2024–25 Great Performances at Mason season at the Center for the Arts, this performance, which is also part of Virginia Opera's 50th anniversary season, is sponsored by Woodleigh Chase.

You can save 15% off tickets to 2024–25 Great Performances at Mason and Family Series events when you purchase three or more at the same time. Learn more about subscription benefits.

Topics

College of Visual and Performing Arts

College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA)

Mason Artist-in-Residence Ballet Hispánico Returns to Center for the Arts, Leads Hispanic Heritage Month Events

Laura Mertens — Fri, 27 Sep 2024 19:35:55 +0000

Mason Artist-in-Residence Ballet Hispánico Returns to Center for the Arts, Leads Hispanic Heritage Month Events Laura Mertens Fri, 09/27/2024 - 15:35

George Mason University’s Center for the Arts presents a full residency, culminating in a Great Performances at Mason program, featuring Mason Artist-in-Residence Ballet Hispánico this October. During Hispanic Heritage Month, the company will visit Northern Virginia for four days to offer a range of educational and interactive dance programs, leading up to its mainstage performance at the Center for the Arts on October 5.

“We’re excited to have Ballet Hispánico back in our community to help us celebrate Latino culture through dance and cultural enrichment activities. We will certainly feel the presence of this dynamic and fun group across campus, and I’m delighted to have them engage with so many different community stakeholders,” said Victor Adebusola, programming and engagement manager at the Center for the Arts at George Mason.

Recognized as one of America’s cultural treasures, Ballet Hispánico celebrates the ever-growing and multifaceted Hispanic diasporas through vibrant contemporary dance. The company was founded in New York City by dance luminary Tina Ramirez in 1970, on the principle that everyone deserves dance, quality dance training, and innovative performances. Since becoming its artistic director and CEO in 2009, Eduardo Vilaro has further built Ballet Hispánico to uplift the intersection of Hispanic cultures, pioneeringly breaking down boundaries and stereotypes.

The October 5 program at the Center for the Arts features: Sombrerísimo by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, inspired by the surrealist world of Belgian painter René Magritte; Buscando a Juan by Eduardo Vilaro, inspired by the life of Juan de Pareja, the Afro-Hispanic painter who was enslaved in Spanish painter Diego Velázquez’s studio for over two decades before becoming an artist in his own right; and Club Havana by Pedro Ruiz, which transports audiences through classic Cuban culture with the intoxicating rhythms of conga, rumba, mambo, and cha-cha-chá.

As a Mason Artist-in-Residence, Ballet Hispánico will engage George Mason students and the local community through a variety of classes, talks, and interactive workshops in the days ahead of the company’s performance. Details about these events are listed in the schedule below.

Launched during the 2019–20 season through George Mason’s College of Visual and Performing Arts, the Mason Artist-in-Residence Program connects artists appearing at the Center for the Arts and its sister-venue the Hylton Performing Arts Center with on- and off-campus communities.

Open-to-the-Public Residency Events:

Field Trip: Ballet Hispánico

Friday, October 4, at 11 a.m.
Center for the Arts at George Mason University (4373 Mason Pond Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030)
FREE, registration required

In conjunction with the Great Performances at Mason series, the Center makes it easy for your class or group to attend field trips, which are all offered in person. From their seats, students will be introduced to dance, theater, and music from around the world.

Artists in Conversation: Latin Social Dance Workshop with Ballet Hispánico

Friday, October 4, at 7 p.m.
Stacy C. Sherwood Community Center (3740 Blenheim Boulevard, Fairfax, VA 22030)
FREE, registration required

This Hispanic Heritage Month event celebrates the ever growing and multifaceted Hispanic diasporas, featuring an interactive social dance workshop led by the “smashingly theatrical” dance company (Chicago Sun-Times) Ballet Hispánico. Move to the rhythms of salsa, merengue, cha chá, and more!

Co-presented by the City of Fairfax and the Center for the Arts at George Mason University

Residency Activities for George Mason and Local Communities:

The events listed below are not open to the general public.

Tuesday, October 1, at 9 a.m.

Ballet Hispánico and Artistic Director Eduardo Vilaro will virtually visit the class “Survey of Latin American History,” taught by Associate Professor Joan Bristol from George Mason’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Vilaro will present to the students on topics that include the history of Ballet Hispánico and how the need for visibility for a community spurned rich innovation based on the intersection of Latin diasporas; colonization, the cross-Atlantic slave trade, and the legacy of movement throughout our history; and the history of Latin dance in modern dance and culture in the United States. There will also be a Q&A for the students.

Wednesday, October 2 at 10:30 a.m.

Ballet Hispánico will offer a masterclass on modern repertoire to students in George Mason’s School of Dance.

Wednesday, October 2 at 1 p.m.

Ballet Hispánico will offer a masterclass on modern repertoire to local high school students in the Fairfax Academy.

Thursday, October 3 at 1:30 p.m.

Ballet Hispánico Artistic Director and CEO Eduardo Vilaro will join the virtual class “Introduction to Arts Management,” taught by Professor Sam Sinagra from George Mason’s Arts Management Program. Vilaro will present the history of Ballet Hispánico and how the company centers its mission when creating programs and initiatives. There will also be a Q&A for the students.

Thursday, October 3 at 6:30 p.m.

Ballet Hispánico will lead a Latin Social Dance Workshop and Community Party, hosted by the Latin Student Association and Mason Dining at Southside Dining Hall. This event is open to George Mason students, faculty, and staff.

Friday, October 4 at 1 p.m.

Ballet Hispánico will offer a dance workshop to a limited number of participants from the school time matinee.

Center for the Arts Public Performance Information:

Mason Artist-in-Residence
Ballet Hispánico
Saturday, October 5 at 8 p.m.
$55, $47, $33; half-price for youth through Grade 12

Tickets for Center for the Arts performances are on sale to the general public and available for purchase in person at the Center for the Arts Ticket Office (open Tuesday–Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and two hours prior to ticketed events in the Center for the Arts Concert Hall), by calling 703-993-2787, or through the Center for the Arts website (cfa.gmu.edu).

A pre-performance discussion with Ballet Hispánico’s Artistic Director and CEO Eduardo Vilaro, moderated by George Mason School of Dance Professor Lawrence Jackson, will take place in Monson Grand Tier, which is located on the third level of the Center for the Arts Lobby, 45 minutes prior to curtain.

The Mason Artist-in-Residence program is supported in part by the Wendy Frieman and David Johnson Fund.

About Ballet Hispánico
Ballet Hispánico was born from a bold vision to transform the world through the power of dance and reimagine how Latinx culture is celebrated on the global stage. Since its founding in 1970 by the trailblazing Tina Ramirez, Ballet Hispánico has been breaking barriers and reshaping expectations, using dance as a dynamic force for cultural expression, empowerment, and meaningful change.

Today, Ballet Hispánico proudly stands as the largest Latino cultural organization in the United States and an acclaimed "America’s Cultural Treasure." Through our three core pillars—the professional Company, School of Dance, and Community Arts Partnerships—we lead with purpose, uplifting the vibrant, diverse voices of the Hispanic diaspora. Our Company brings the work of visionary Latinx choreographers to life, delivering groundbreaking performances that ignite cultural dialogue and challenge artistic boundaries.

Under the visionary leadership of Artistic Director and CEO Eduardo Vilaro, who began his journey with Ballet Hispánico as a dancer in 1985, the company continues to chart new paths forward. Building on Tina Ramirez’s legacy, Vilaro has expanded the company’s impact, amplifying the intersectional stories of Latinx identities. Programs like Instituto Coreográfico, the Latinx Leaders Summit, and Diálogos foster innovation and leadership, nurturing the next generation of Hispanic artists and cultural leaders.

A true trailblazer in the world of dance, Ballet Hispánico has performed for more than 2.5 million people across three continents. As we look to the future, our unwavering commitment is to empower communities, inspire through the beauty of dance, and continue elevating Latinx voices on the world stage.www.ballethispanico.org.

About Eduardo Vilaro
Eduardo Vilaro, Artistic Director & CEO of Ballet Hispánico since 2009, has revitalized the company with his vision of dance as a reflection of America’s diverse cultural tapestry. Born in Cuba and raised in New York, Vilaro’s choreography explores the Latin American experience and its intersections with other cultures. He previously founded Luna Negra Dance Theater in Chicago, promoting Latinx artistry. Vilaro’s work has earned him numerous awards, including an honorary Doctorate from Adelphi University, recognizing his leadership in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the arts.

About the Center for the Arts
A Mason Arts venue, the Center for the Arts is the centerpiece of performing arts on George Mason University’s Fairfax campus. Each year, the Center welcomes hundreds of thousands of community members into its nearly 2,000-seat Concert Hall. The Center presents an annual season of national and international professional artists through its Great Performances at Mason and Family Series—offering the best of classical music, opera, jazz, global music, dance, theater, and more. Managed by George Mason’s College of Visual and Performing Arts, the Center hosts many student and faculty performances presented by the Schools of Music, Theater, and Dance and supports the events of the School of Art, Film and Video Studies, Computer Game Design, and Arts Management programs. The Center brings distinguished visiting artists as Mason Artists-in-Residence for extended engagements designed to engage and inspire diverse audiences both on and off campus. The Center for the Arts serves as a performance home for many community arts organizations in the greater Washington, D.C. area. cfa.gmu.edu.

About George Mason University
George Mason University, Virginia’s largest public research university, is located near Washington, D.C., and enrolls more than 40,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. George Mason has grown rapidly over the last half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity, and commitment to accessibility. In 2023, the university launched Mason Now: Power the Possible, a one-billion-dollar comprehensive campaign to support student success, research, innovation, community, and stewardship. www.gmu.edu.

For more information, please visit:
George Mason University’s Center for the Arts

In This Story

Victor Adebusola

Get tickets for the October 5 Ballet Hispánico performance

Learn more about the Mason Artist-in-Residence program

Topics

Mason Artists-in-Residence

College of Visual and Performing Arts

College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA)

College of Visual and Performing Arts School of Dance

Campus News

Small Island Big Song Connects with George Mason University and Local Community

Zoe Harr — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 16:38:19 +0000

Small Island Big Song Connects with George Mason University and Local Community Zoe Harr Wed, 04/24/2024 - 12:38

In This Story

Victor Adebusola

Adrienne Bryant Godwin

Learn About Mason's Artist-in-Residence Program

Right before Earth Day, Small Island Big Song (SIBS) presented an "impassioned" (Roots World) concert experience at the Center for the Arts on April 20, combining music, spoken word, and stunning projections of indigenous artists from Pacific and Indian Ocean island nations while shining a light on the devastating effects of the climate crisis on our world’s oceans.

After hearing the 5th Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, Small Island Big Song Co-founders and husband-and-wife duo, BaoBao Chen and Tim Cole, quit their jobs and spent three years visiting artists and the artists’ homelands, sharing and building upon songs from island to island. The outcome includes two award-winning albums, a feature film, educational programs, and a live concert that has toured all over the world. Billboard describes Small Island Big Song as “one coherent jaw-dropping piece that is likely the first time these traditional instruments have been mixed together… The result is breathtaking.”

Want to learn more about Small Island Big Song? Read more on the official website.

As a Mason Artist-in-Residence, Small Island Big Song also deeply engaged with the community through a series of education and engagement programs. Programming and Engagement Manager at the Center Vic Adebusola notes, “Small Island Big Song connected with academic classes, local nonprofits, and students from local K-12 schools in our community through demonstrations, panels, and arts activities. It was powerful to witness firsthand their ability to simultaneously shed light on the climate crisis of their artists’ Indigenous communities while building community through music, dance, and crafting. They are truly the full package!”

Meet the Participating Small Island Big Song Artists

BaoBao Chen (Taiwan) has produced and managed Small Island Big Song's two multimedia concert productions, two award-winning albums, documentary, as well as curating world tours across 18 countries in Europe, the USA, Asia, and Oceania. BaoBao is one of Taiwan’s most prominent producers of cross-cultural arts projects, an International Society for the Performing Arts fellow, and has been invited to speak at TEDx, WOMEX, APAP NYC, and Stanford Live. (Image courtesy of artist)

Tim Cole (Australia) is a music producer and filmmaker who’s produced numerous albums, films, and concerts for Australian aboriginal, Torres Strait islander and Pacifica artists including Archie Roach, Telek, and Shellie Morris. He was a senior music producer at CAAMA - Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association before beginning Small Island Big Song and has received a Churchill fellowship as well as invitations to speak at the United Nations HQ, APAP NYC, and WOMEX. (Image courtesy of artist)

Sam Roem (Wamena heritage, West Papua and Indonesia) is an Australian- based performing artist from West Papua. In 2006 with 40 other West Papuans he crossed over 600 miles of open seas to seek political asylum in Australia, sparking a diplomatic crisis. After graduating from Australia’s Dance Academy Sam has pursued a dynamic career in the arts drawing on his unique Papuan heritage, performing at The Sydney Opera House, Womadelaide, and BluesFest Byron Bay. (Image courtesy of artist)

Emlyn (Creole heritage, Mauritius) is leading a wave of performers across the Indian Ocean proudly reclaiming their unique rhythms and cultural mix. Written with a reactive pen and sung in Mauritian Creole, Emlyn brings the grooves of Sega with the sounds of her traditional frame drum, Ravann, which originated from the rhythms of African/Madagascan people during the slave trade. SIBS has been collaborating with Emlyn since 2020. (Image courtesy of artist)

Sammy (Merina heritage, Madagascar) followed his passion for Madagascar’s musical heritage by mastering and learning how to make most of Madagascar’s instruments. His efforts came to the notice of the UK’s world music scene as his band Tarika Sammy gained international recognition, becoming a regular on major festival stages and being acknowledged as one of the world’s “Best Ten Bands,” alongside U2, by TIME Magazine. He’s featured in both SIBS albums and concert tours since 2018. (Image courtesy of artist)

Yuma Pawang (Atayal heritage, Taiwan) is a multidisciplinary artist expressing her thoughts on "Atayal" cultural preservation, transformation, essence, and social equity in film, music, painting, and performance. With Taiwan’s respected Minang performance group, she was invited by Indigenous nations of Northern Europe for a cultural exchange. This experience along with studying film performance made her aware of the significance of cultural practice in the context of Atayal life, where written language was historically limited. (Image courtesy of artist)

Mathieu Joseph (Creole heritage, Mauritius) has been a professional dancer and choreographer since the age of 14 when he was discovered breakdancing on the suburban streets of Port Louis, Mauritius by renowned choreographer Stephen Bongarçon. Quickly embedding himself in Bongarçon’s SRDance, he won the gold medal for dance at "Les Jeux de la Francophonie'' in 2009. This led to a succession of shows and companies, including choreographing "Di Sel,” a tribute to the salt workers of Mauritius which won the "Les Jeux de la Francophonie” in 2017. (Image courtesy of artist)

Mea Joy Ingram (Motu heritage, Papua New Guinea and Australia) comes from a long line of drummers and dancers. She was taught by her father, master percussionist Airileke Ingram in the tradition of Manus Garamut, Cook Island Pate, and Gabagaba Motu Mavaru. The Garamut drumming of Papua New Guinea was traditionally an artform dominated by men, however Mea, having just turned 18, represents the new generation of female log drummers. (Image courtesy of artist)

Airileke Ingram (Motu heritage, Papua New Guinea) is a percussionist, producer, composer, activist, and, in the words of Britain's Songlines Magazine, "cause for celebration." Airileke is a master drummer with one foot in the world of traditional drumming of Melanesia and his other in the modern world of beat production and hip-hop. Tim and Airileke have been long-time collaborators; they met up again during SIBS’s field trip to Papua New Guinea in 2016. (Image courtesy of artist)

Richard Mogu (Magi, Papua New Guinea)—singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist—has spent many years as a solo artist and session musician, excelling in both traditional and contemporary style. While bass is his featured instrument, he is also adept at mambu (bamboo flutes), garamut drumming, guitars, and percussion. Mogu has also been involved as a producer of other PNG artists and toured internationally in the London Olympic cultural festival and in the U.S. as well as Australia. (Image courtesy of artist)

Small Island Big Song artists and Center for the Arts staff enjoy a welcome lunch together.

The residency’s activities commenced with an April 2 potluck lunch with Center for the Arts staff and guests from across campus, including Mason Dining Marketing and Sustainability Manager Sophia Nelson, to welcome artists of Small Island Big Song. The lunch included sustainable practices such as the use of reusable/compostable plates and cutlery, take-home containers, and local ingredients. SIBS co-founder BaoBao Chen explained at the welcome luncheon that creating community through the arts, similar to Mason Arts’ mission, was a goal of Small Island Big Song and its hope to take audiences to some places that “we might not have the courage of going alone, to celebrate, to confront, to inspire, to mourn, to feel hopeful.” During the event, members of the ensemble were presented with welcome gifts, including Mason merchandise and honey harvested by Mason’s own The Honey Bee Initiative, a program supported by George Mason University’s School of Business and operated by the Business for a Better World Center.

“What I loved about this welcome event was that we brought together people from across campus and the world to help build community and introduce our Mason Artists-in-Residence directly to our Center for the Arts staff and people across campus in a fun and casual way. I think everyone really appreciated the opportunity to interact with the artists and enjoy a delicious meal together."
-Adrienne Bryant Godwin, College of Visual and Performing Arts Director of Programming

SIBS artists Richard and Emlyn converse with audience members after Artists in Conversation event.

Later that day, SIBS artists Sammy, Yuma, Mathieu, and Co-founder Tim Cole visited Mason’s Dewberry School of Music program’s “Music History in Society III” course taught by Professor Gregory Robinson. With over 20 students, the artists led a discussion that shared traditional string instruments like the valiha, jejy, and kabosy; drums such as the kundu and garamut; and rhymes, songs, and stories. In the evening, Small Island Big Song hosted a Friends of the Center for the Arts Artists in Conversation event, Our Shared Seafaring Heritage, Alive in Rhythm and Song, at the Stacey C. Sherwood Community Center in Fairfax, VA. Co-presented by the City of Fairfax and Center for the Arts, SIBS artists— Emlyn, Richard, Mea Joy, BaoBao, and Tim— led a lecture-demonstration that provided geographical and historical background about the great oceanic migrations that affected the featured island nations of the project. The event included musical demonstrations and an interactive Q&A.

In a Dancing Mauritian Sega workshop the following day, approximately 100 grade school students from Hunters Woods Elementary School were invited to learn the Sega dance from Mauritius, led by Mathieu Joseph and Sam Roem, who also provided drumming accompaniment. Both the national dance of Mauritius and a profound artistic embodiment of the historical and cultural memory of colonial slavery, Sega is a testament to the strength of the human spirit and the capacity to create and express beauty out of nothing.

Small Island Big Song artists join “Folklore and Festival Management” course.

Small Island Big Song artists and co-founders BaoBao Chen and Tim Cole led a virtual discussion on the topic of “Artivism in Action - Managing Cultural Initiatives” with more than 20 students of Mason’s Arts Management and Folklore programs’ “Folklore and Festival Management” course, a collaboration with the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.

Director of Mason’s Arts Management program and co-professor of the course, Dr. Karalee Dawn Mackay, notes, "Being able to hear about how their projects were funded, created, their goals for the performances, and the multi-dimensional aspect of their work were an invaluable experience for our students as they explore how to work with and create programming with cultural tradition bearers. Our students were able to ask questions that greatly enhanced their understanding of this project and how it impacts the Pacific Island communities, the artists, and the audiences that they share their work with through their documentary and concert performances."

“For students, this project exemplified folklore studies’ emphasis on community-based collaborative projects.” -Dr. Lisa Gilman, co-professor and director of the folklore program

BaoBao Chen joins Mark Cooley (middle) and Edward Maibach (right) for Climate Change: Our Response as Artivists.

On April 18, BaoBao Chen joined Mark Cooley, Mason School of Art faculty and Green Studio founder, for a special discussion entitled Climate Change: Our Response as Artivists. Co-presented with the Inclusive Collaborative Arts at Mason (ICAM) project and moderated by Distinguished Professor at George Mason University and Director of Mason’s Center for Climate Change Communication Edward Maibach, the conversation explored ways in which artists can use their voices to expand global conversation on political, economic, social, and cultural questions at the root of the climate crisis.

The following day, Small Island Big Song hosted a schooltime matinee performance for more than 800 local students, teachers, and parents. In a specialized, shortened version of the April 20 performance, SIBS artists brought students to their feet to dance and sing along with unique oceanic grooves and soulful island ballads. Adebusola recalls the meaningful interactions between the audience and SIBS, stating, “I don’t think I’ve ever heard this much excitement, laughter, and singing in our Concert Hall. The visiting students were enthralled with Small Island Big Song’s music and dance—likewise, the Small Island Big Song artists left the stage beaming with joy. It was truly an equal exchange of positive energy.”

Later that afternoon, Emlyn led a cooking demonstration at Ike’s Dining Hall, presented in partnership with Mason Dining. With assistance from BaoBao and Tim, as well as musical accompaniment from Sammy and Mathieu, Emlyn created a traditional island dish, fish curry, for the assembled Mason students and community members.

On the morning of April 20, SIBS artists Sammy led a “Trash to Music” workshop with the help of Richard, Yuma, and Nini, the ensemble’s company manager. Hosted by UpCycle Creative Reuse Center, the hands-on workshop demonstrated how to make musical instruments from trash, commonly recycled, and/or reused materials. Participants made a Malagasy-style berimbau, trying them out alongside the artists. Watch the video below to see SIBS’ Sammy play a berimbau in the first moments of the video:

That evening, audience members at Small Island Big Song’s culminating concert at the Center for the Arts, One Island, were treated to a plethora of pre- and post-show experiences including a performance from Mason’s Healing Arts Ensemble in the lobby. The ensemble is improvisatory in nature and includes unconventional, as well as common, instruments and voice. Led by Director Rita Gigliotti, students played instruments such as crystal quartz singing bowls, handbells, gong, and Tibetan flute.

Mason's Healing Arts Ensemble.

In Monson Grand Tier, BaoBao Chen and Tim Cole joined a pre-performance discussion moderated by Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies and Ethnomusicology for Mason’s Dewberry School of Music, Dr. Gregory Robinson. Prior to the performance, Vice President of Mason’s Native American and Indigenous Alliance (NAIA), Sara Jefferson, delivered a land acknowledgement from the stage. Small Island Big Song strives to amplify the voices of indigenous communities so by having local representation at the performance, SIBS continued to apply its mission to retain and recognize indigenous culture. After the Small Island Big Song performance, SIBS artists greeted the audience in the Center’s lobby, signing CDs and sharing handmade items from their respective islands.

Small Island Big Song touched the lives of Mason and its local community, proving that there truly is “one island” we all share. Adebusola elaborates, “It is very clear to me that Small Island Big Song prioritizes making an impact in the communities they visit. Every participant who interacted with them left the engagement or performance with a smile on their face. They use the arts to create community and inspire hope to address climate change--they are the real deal!”

Read more about the Center for the Arts’ Mason Artist-in-Residence program, including the upcoming 2024—25 visiting artists.

This engagement of Small Island Big Song is made possible through the ArtsCONNECT program of Mid Atlantic Arts with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Mason Artist-in-Residence program is supported in part by the Wendy Frieman and David Johnson Fund.

The Small Island Big Song residency is supported in part by Eloise Stinger.

Thank you to the City of Fairfax Parks and Recreation Everybody Plays Grant program for making free tickets possible for the schooltime matinee program. This grant was funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

Topics

CFA

Center for the Arts

Mason Artists-in-Residence

College of Visual and Performing Arts

ARTS by George! Returns with Headliner Renée Elise Goldsberry

Zoe Harr — Fri, 30 Jun 2023 17:02:41 +0000

ARTS by George! Returns with Headliner Renée Elise Goldsberry Zoe Harr Fri, 06/30/2023 - 13:02

Learn about ARTS by George!

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“An evening like no other,” ARTS by George! returns on September 30 for an evening that showcases the remarkable talents of Mason students amid an array of spectacular food and beverages, culminating with a special performance by Broadway superstar, Renée Elise Goldsberry in Concert.

Star of stage and screen, Renée Elise Goldsberry, is a Tony-, GRAMMY-, and Emmy Award winner, best known for her portrayal of Angelica Schuyler in Hamilton. In an interview with NPR, Goldsberry recalls being cast in the role, stating, “I knew the role was special. I knew there was just magic everywhere. . . It was like nothing I had ever encountered.” As a member of the original cast, she also received a GRAMMY Award when the original cast album won Best Musical Theater Album in 2016, featuring her show-stopping rendition of “Satisfied.” In addition to her most recent Broadway appearances, she has also starred in The Color Purple (original cast, Nettie), Lion King (Nala), and Rent (Mimi Marquez). Watch Goldsberry capture “commanding power, laced with vulnerability” (Houstonian) in a clip from Hamilton below.

Audiences will also recognize Goldsberry for her many television roles on shows including ABC’s One Life to Live, CBS’s The Good Wife, and Disney+’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Her most recent role in Peacock’s Girls5eva sees her as a multi-faceted diva and leader of the reunited 90s musical girl group featuring fellow performers Sara Bareilles, Paula Pell, Ashley Park, and Busy Philipps Both funny and heartfelt, the television show features themes surrounding aging, fame, friendship, and family. Filmed during the height of COVID-19, Girls5eva released its first season in 2021, followed by its second season the following year to rave reviews by fans and critics alike. In a recent interview with TIME Magazine, Goldsberry discusses the experience of making this show and its importance during a global pandemic, "It sounds basic, but we’ve shot the show two seasons in a row in a surprising COVID winter and the show has really saved us. That’s what we’ve learned about humanity and what’s so crucial about art— how it helps us survive impossible challenges. In a world that is increasingly unrecognizable, here we are in the middle of it laughing.” Goldsberry’s performance earned her a nomination at the 2023 Critics Choice Awards for Best Actress in a Comedy Series.

Renée Elise Goldsberry performs at the Center on September 30.

Aside from her artistic endeavors, Goldsberry aims to use her platform and talents to inspire conversation about social justice and arts education. In a 2018 interview with the National Endowment for the Arts, Goldsberry states, “There’s a new Mozart, a new Miles Davis, a new Misty Copeland, a new Matisse potentially languishing in a math class somewhere. If we fail to introduce them to art, we fail humanity.” By discussing these issues, Goldsberry aims to provide a future that emphasizes the importance of arts being offered in schools. She continues, “If there is anything young people need, it is confidence and an identity and a purpose. Arts education gives that to so many people regardless of what careers they choose. Arts education also enables students to find out who they are.”

To see Renée Elise Goldsberry in action, whether it be receiving a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Hamilton, 2016) or performing a rendition of Justin Timberlake’s “Sexyback”, check out a YouTube playlist of her highlights below.

ARTS by George! raises support for student scholarships in visual arts, dance, music, theater, game design, film, arts management, as well as for the Mason Community Arts Academy, Green Machine Ensembles, and the Great Performance at Mason season at the Center for the Arts. Since its creation in 2006, ARTS by George! has raised more than $2 million for the arts at Mason. For more information about ARTS by George!, visit the website.

Individual tickets to Renée Elise Goldsberry in Concert go on sale August 1. Subscribe to the Center for the Arts today and receive early ticket access to this event as well as additional benefits including discounts all season long, free ticket exchanges, and priority access to seating. For more information, visit the subscriptions website.

Topics

CFA

Center for the Arts

College of Visual and Performing Arts

Green Machine

College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) Arts Management Program

College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) School of Music

College of Visual and Performing Arts Film and Video Studies

College of Visual and Performing Arts School of Dance

College of Visual and Performing Arts School of Theater

School of Art

Computer Game Design

Mason Community Arts Academy

A Concert with a Cause: Jazz4Justice™ Celebrates 20 Years of Giving back through Music

Kirstin Franko — Wed, 03 Nov 2021 20:32:12 +0000

A Concert with a Cause: Jazz4Justice™ Celebrates 20 Years of Giving back through Music Kirstin Franko Wed, 11/03/2021 - 16:32

Hear members of the Mason Jazz Ensemble and more in Jazz4Justice™ November 20 at 8 p.m. at the Center for the Arts. Photo by Gabriel Rivera-Martinez.

On Saturday, November 20 at 8 p.m., George Mason University’s Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music is proud to present the Jazz4Justice™ 20th Anniversary Concert, a one-of-a-kind event celebrating Northern Virginia’s love of music while raising funds to support legal services for low-income Northern Virginians and the George Mason University Jazz Studies program.

This year, in celebration of Jazz4Justice™’s 20^th anniversary, Professor of Jazz Studies and Mason Jazz Ensemble Director Jim Carroll has assembled a stellar musical program featuring a tribute to the great Duke Ellington. The performance will include world premieres of new music as well as classic jazz standards performed by the Mason Jazz Ensemble and Mason Jazz Vocal Ensemble. To commemorate the special event, George Mason University Provost and Executive Vice President Mark Ginsberg will take the stage as a special guest conductor and lead the Mason Jazz Ensemble in select performances.

“We thought what better person to ask to take the baton as guest conductor for our 20th Anniversary than our Chief Academic Officer, Provost Mark Ginsberg,” Carroll said. “We are grateful he agreed to join us and lead us as Special Guest Conductor.”

Jazz4Justice™ is presented in partnership with Legal Services of Northern Virginia (LSNV), a nonprofit legal aid organization that has assisted thousands of clients in the NOVA region for over 40 years. The services of LSNV in tandem with the musical talents of Mason’s Jazz and Vocal Ensemble has transformed Jazz4Justice™ into a welcoming space where Jazz admirers can congregate and celebrate their love for music. With over 3,000 concert attendees annually and over 50 Jazz4Justice™ concerts held so far, the audience response has been an enthusiastic one, and the event’s reach continues to expand year after year. In celebration of Jazz4Justice™’s incredible impact, alumni from the Dewberry School of Music Jazz program have been invited back to perform during the event’s program.

“Giving back to the community through musical performance is a great opportunity to share the joy and history of Jazz,” shared Tomas Jackson, a Dewberry School of Music alumnus (MA in Music ’20) and six-time Jazz4Justice™ performer. “Those strong relationships have lasted past my graduation and have inspired my peers and I to continue our support of our community and pursuit of Jazz through writing, arranging, recording, and performing. We will always be grateful for the opportunities and inspiration Jazz4Justice™ provided us.”

Professor of Jazz Studies and Mason Jazz Ensemble Director Jim Carroll with the 2021 Jack Wood Award for Town-Gown Relations.

Jazz4Justice™ began in 2000 when Fairfax attorney Edward L. Weiner attended a jazz recital by Mason’s School of Music. Impressed by the music, and reflecting on his work as a past President of the Fairfax Law Foundation (FLF), Weiner saw an opportunity for a new partnership—one in which universities would provide the musical talent and the local legal community would provide the audience and sponsors.

Today, this breakthrough idea has grown into a symphonic, celebratory event with over $500,000 raised for music scholarships, educational aid, and charitable legal services for Virginians in need of civic resources. Due to its astounding impact, Jazz4Justice™ has received awards from the American Bar Association and the Virginia State Bar, and has most recently received the 2021 Jack Wood Award for Town-Gown Relations, a coveted award recognizing leadership in fostering beneficial relationships between George Mason University and the community during the past year.

“This year’s Jazz4Justice is especially important as so many people in our community are hurting,” Carroll added. “That we can use Jazz, a true metaphor for democracy and teach our students to be “Artists as Citizens”' is truly a blessing.”

Tickets to the concert at the Center for the Arts are available at the Ticket Office (open Tuesday–Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.), by calling at 703-993-2787, or at cfa.gmu.edu.

Topics

College of Visual and Performing Arts

Center for the Arts

Campus News

Jack Wood Award for Town Gown Relations

Dewberry School of Music

Center for the Arts Announces Upcoming COVID-19 Vaccination Policy

Kirstin Franko — Fri, 01 Oct 2021 18:40:14 +0000

Center for the Arts Announces Upcoming COVID-19 Vaccination Policy Kirstin Franko Fri, 10/01/2021 - 14:40

READ THE FULL POLICY

The Center for the Arts at George Mason University is committed to the safety of its patrons, staff, volunteers, and performers during these everchanging times. Beginning October 18, and until further notice, all attendees of indoor events or performances at the Center for the Arts (or any of Mason’s College of Visual and Performing Arts performance and exhibition venues), regardless of age, must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by the date of their visit or show a negative COVID-19 test result upon entry. Face coverings will be required for patrons ages two and up.

Read the full policy for detailed information regarding the new requirements, including how to prepare for attending an indoor event or performance.

For any questions or concerns about attending upcoming performances, please email (text) stagecfa@gmu.edu or call the Ticket Office (voice) 703-993-2787 to discuss options.

Topics

vaccinations

Center for the Arts

College of Visual and Performing Arts

Chamber Orchestra Builds Resonance & Relevancy

Kirstin Franko — Fri, 01 Oct 2021 17:36:26 +0000

Chamber Orchestra Builds Resonance & Relevancy Kirstin Franko Fri, 10/01/2021 - 13:36

Members of the chamber orchestra Sphinx Virtuosi bring their program Tracing Visions to the Center for the Arts October 17 at 3 p.m.

In what ways can a classical music ensemble build resonance and relevancy in modern society?

Sphinx Virtuosi, the Center for the Arts's second Artist-in-Residence of the 2021/2022 season and one of the nation’s most innovative and pioneering chamber music ensembles, tackles that issue with a two-pronged approach.

First, the self-conducting ensemble consists of 18 classically-trained Black and Latinx soloists, crafting an incredibly diverse group of musicians. Sphinx Virtuosi is proud to amplify the plethora of talented composers shaping the sound of American classical music today, including Jessie Montgomery, Carlos Simon, Xavier Foley, Andrea Cassarubios, and so many others. Further, Sphinx engages contemporary composers in annual commissioning projects and is dedicated to uncovering and programming works by composers of color from the past.

Second, Sphinx Virtuosi believes that education and community is vital to their mission. During activities in Northern Virginia as Artists-in-Residence, the musicians from Sphinx Virtuosi will be able to flex both muscles, providing both learning experiences for those they interact with as well sharing a communal love of music.

Their dynamic program Tracing Visions on October 17 at 3 p.m. at the Center for the Arts stretches beyond usual notions of the classical music canon with a vibrant program of music by women and composers of color. Sphinx Virtuosi hopes that audiences leave their performance with a sense of belonging, personal discovery, and a connection to their mission of transforming lives through the power of diversity in the arts.

Members of Sphinx Virtuosi ensemble will be participate the following week in educational and artistic activities across Northern Virginia. Mason students will have an opportunity to participate in lectures, select classroom visits, and masterclasses in Strings and Symphony Orchestra. In addition, Sphinx Virtuosi plans to visit several local schools, including Halley Elementary, Garfield High School, Osborne High School, and Unity Reed High School. Finally, the residency will conclude with a Center for the Arts donor event reflecting on their residency and community impact.

The Center for the Arts connected with President and Artistic Director of Sphinx Virtuosi Afa S. Dworkin to learn more about their mission and upcoming program Tracing Visions.

Please tell our readers a bit about what they can expect at your performance at the Center for the Arts?

Dworkin: They may expect to delight in a collection of works that may not be readily recognized. We focus on sharing the vibrant and important voices of living composers, with an emphasis on those of Black and Latinx heritage. Tracing Visions challenges the listener to open their hearts and minds to new sounds, learn about important historical and present-day composers of color, find joy in new sounds and experience a connection to what is traditionally heard as classical music. Visually, it is a compelling array of virtuosity by the nation's most dynamic professional ensemble of artists of color. The audience can also expect to hear the artists speak to the curation of the program, what it means to them and why they chose to share this music today.

What do you want patrons to come away with after taking in the performance?

Dworkin: A sense of belonging, a sense of personal discovery, and a connection to our mission of transforming lives through the power of diversity in the arts. We hope that each patron may relate to the music they hear, connect to the artistry of the Sphinx Virtuosi, and support the concept of promoting artistic excellence through inclusion and diversity. We hope to change hearts and minds through a common language that unifies all of us.

The past 18 months have changed all of our lives. How has the pandemic changed the Sphinx organization and its mission? How will your residency and performance at the Center for the Arts reflect those changes?

Dworkin: Our artists were silenced by the twin pandemics of our time, literally and figuratively. This period called for reckoning, but also, unity, resilience, innovation, and collaboration. Sphinx pivoted its programming to the digital space, by using technology to have the voices of our artists be heard across the world despite the isolation. Our artists have been driven to express their sorrow and courage by showing resilience, commitment, and a sense of hope for a brighter tomorrow. This is a poignant moment that resonates with the pain of yesterday and the present day while also shining a light upon what a more just and equitable future may look and sound like. We are excited to share our vision with our audiences.

Is there a process for crafting an interpretation of the music Sphinx performs? How do [musical] interpretations change as political climates shift and new social movements emerge?

Dworkin: We focus on social impact and the philosophical role of this collection of citizen artists. Ours is a unique mission, which combines a sense of service, commitment to our communities as well as our artistic pedigree. We express these sentiments by architecting programs that are reflective of our times, with all of its challenges and all of its promise.

What part does education take in Sphinx’s mission? How can audiences continue to engage with Sphinx and its mission after the performance?

Dworkin: Education/creative youth development is one of the four central pillars of our programming. We serve and educate our youngest members of the family through a variety of programs. Patrons can find more information about staying involved by joining our email list, learning about advocacy opportunities, or by donating via our website.

Topics

College of Visual and Performing Arts

Center for the Arts

Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music

Navigating Our Place in the World with Kaneza Schaal

Stacey Schwartz — Thu, 02 Sep 2021 20:24:10 +0000

Navigating Our Place in the World with Kaneza Schaal Stacey Schwartz Thu, 09/02/2021 - 16:24

The company of CARTOGRAPHY (L-R) includes Janice Amaya, Noor Hamdi, Malaika Uwamahoro, Vuyo Sotashe, and Victoria Nassif.

CARTOGRAPHY is a “stunning” (The New York Times) and timely theatrical work that follows five young refugees searching for a new place to call home. Created in collaboration with Artist-in-Residence Kaneza Schaal and writer and illustrator Christopher Myers, CARTOGRAPHY draws on their work with refugee youth from around the world. The interactive performance combines visual arts, storytelling, filmmaking, sound sensor technology, and even audience cell phones to represent all of our collective journeys.

Kaneza Schaal will be on-hand at Mason for the week before the performance, engaging with Mason students and the greater community as part of her residency. Kaneza sat down with the Center for the Arts to talk about CARTOGRAPHY, her residency, and her interests in integrating technology into performance.

When did you begin CARTOGRAPHY, and what inspired your writing journey?

Kaneza: CARTOGRAPHY grew out of our work in Munich 2016 with young people who came to the city on their own from around the world.

Earlier that year, The New York Times had reported 30,000 people were arriving in Munich each day. We asked ourselves what we had to offer, as artists to this moment. We worked with kids from Mali, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Eretria, Nigeria, and Syria. They had crossed oceans in inflatable rafts, walked through forests, hidden themselves in the holds of cargo trucks. At the end of our work together, when we asked the group what should we do next, what do they want from us, they said we want a place to be seen. They said that after spending so long having to hide, where invisibility was part of survival, being seen was the most valuable part of our time together. They said we should create places for kids like them to be seen.

CARTOGRAPHY is our answer to this request. The piece creates a platform for audiences to consider their own histories of movement, how we all place ourselves in the continuum that led to this historical moment of the largest mass migration in human history.

For us, the most powerful part of the work in Munich was creating a context for young people to think together about these questions. There was a group of girls working with us who all lived in the same residence. We did a mapping exercise where each participant drew their journey. A girl from Nigeria and a girl from Syria who had been living together for three months realized for the first time that they had both been on inflatable rafts in the Mediterranean. The girl from Nigeria turned to the girl from Syria and said, “We must go home to tell our sisters not to get on these boats.”

CARTOGRAPHY is a platform to centralize young audiences to think together about this historical moment.

CARTOGRAPHY combines conventional storytelling with interactive video and sound technology. Can you share more about your interests in technology and its place/uses/purposes in performance?

Kaneza: For the children and families who have migrated, especially those crisscrossing the Mediterranean, the sea itself functions as a mystical, untethered character like the unpredictable gods of Greek tragedy. How do we interpret its motions, allowances, and punishments with any degree of rationality as ancient tales of Mediterranean migration have? There figures like Scylla and Charybdis stood in for the dangers of the sea. We understand the ocean itself as a character and embody it on stage. Through custom-designed technology we can project an image of an ocean and have actors on stage control the intensity of the waves and wind with the timbre of their voices and movements, thus inverting the experience of most migrants who find themselves tossed about by the sea.

Co-creator of CARTOGRAPHY and Artist-in-Residence Kaneza Schaal.

When did you decide on integrating interactive video technology into CARTOGRAPHY, or had this idea always been a part of your thinking for this piece?

Kaneza: The work is rooted in the commonalities of migration and the concrete and metaphorical mapping at the center of worlds in motion. The performance integrates multiple mediums to reflect the technological hybridity of our everyday lives. Visual tools such as map-making and inventory meet performance tools like filmmaking, dancing; sculptures create a catalogue of both interior and exterior journeys; sound sensor technology responds to the timbre of actors’ voices and a virtual storm is activated; cellphones are used to mark memories, the distances we have traveled. CARTOGRAPHY invites viewers to consider their own personal histories of movement and the maps we all have yet to draw.

Cell phones have become increasingly integrated with the fabric of everyday life, from mapping to financial institutions, from being in constant contact with loved ones to finding resources in resource-poor environments. Nowhere is this more evident than in the lives of contemporary migrants who may do without food or water but need their cellphones as a resource before all others. In the theater, so often, the cell phone is asked to be shut off. In CARTOGRAPHY, we utilize this tool of travel in our storytelling. Through a residency with the Interactive Media Laboratory at the AbuDhabi Arts Center, we built an interactive mapping platform that allows the live audience to map their own personal histories of movement onto our stage through a closed network server. Thus, every member in the audience is invited to consider their own family’s history of movement, whether recent or generations removed, in the ongoing continuum of migration.

I understand that you have worked with Mason’s Game Design Program and Virginia Serious Game Institute (VSGI) to develop technology for a new performance piece. Can you share more about that project and what you have learned working with them?

Kaneza: In this moment of social distance, we are rethinking the process of sharing theatrical works and looking toward new technologies as sites of engagement with live performance. I am interested in pursuing two kinds of interventions. The first uses augmented reality to envision a hidden world onstage during a live performance. The second brings a recorded performance into the intimacy, architecture, and kinetic life of people’s homes.

My research with Mason’s Game Design Program will be used in my upcoming work KLII, which will premiere at the Walker Arts Center in January.

What do you hope that people take away from the performance of CARTOGRAPHY?

Keneza: Whether recent or many generations passed, we are all part of the history of human migration which has brought us to this historical moment.

CARTOGRAPHY: Saturday, October 2, 2021 at 7 p.m. at the Center for the Arts.
Tickets are available here.

Topics

Kaneza Schaal

Game Design

Center for the Arts

immigrants and refugee communities

College of Visual and Performing Arts