How Do We Navigate Space?

BY KARISSA MURRELL MYERS
DIRECTED BY DENISE YVETTE SERNA

Mar 15, 2021–Apr 18, 2021

Pay-What-You-Can with a suggested amount of $15.

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Strawdog Theatre Company's will conclude its all-virtual 33rd season with How Do We Navigate Space?, a series of original performances inspired by the events of 2020, from the pandemic to social justice.

How Do We Navigate Space? will feature performances devised and performed by Yuchi Chiu (he/him), Terri Lynne Hudson (she/her), Josie Koznarek (she/her/they/them), Mah Nu (they/them), Gloria Petrelli (she/her) and Erik Strebig (they/them/he/his).

How Do We Navigate Space? is an original, devised hybrid of film and theatre. This work will explore the experiences of Chicagoans navigating through our current, drastically-changed world. The piece is inspired by surveys submitted by Chicago residents sharing their experiences during 2020. Combining movement, music, visual art and the voices of Chicagoans, the film will express a non-linear story of our diverse and complex city in the search for connection.

Director Denise Yvette Serna comments, "The places through which we pass, the areas we retreat to, and the spaces where we cultivate our safety have been broken open for examination. As the sun begins its next orbit we articulate what has been illuminated - the complicated depths of collective transformation. Artists know the greyest days can be transformed by color, the coldest places can be infused with the warmth, and our determined occupation of public space proclaims our existence and demands recognition of our humanity. Even the silence can be measured and manipulated when we want it to be. How we understand the space between us will inevitably inform how we dismantle the systems that divide and destroy us. We're excited to play."

The production team includes Kamille Dawkins* (director of photography), design), Kyle Hamman* (video editing), Jos N. Banks (costume design), Heath Hays* (sound design), Becca Levy* (movement design) and Karissa Murrell Myers* (casting director).

Following the production, Strawdog will share a portion of ticket sales with Black Lives Matter Chicago.

*Denotes Strawdog ensemble member

A Weekend of ConeXión

I recently had the tremendous honor of participating in the 2018 Latinx Theatre Commons (LTC) Carnaval of New Latinx Work at DePaul University in Chicago, IL.

I was selected by the LTC, and counted in a cohort of some of the most exciting and respected practitioners in the industry today.  To say that I am honored, or humbled, does not even begin to express how much it meant for me to be in that space, and counted as a peer. 

I directed a play called Richard and Jane and Dick and Sally, written by Noah DIaz.

Carnaval Directors: with Ricardo Gutierrez, Diane Rodriguez, Denise Yvette Serna, David Mendizábal and Rebecca Martinez.

Photo Credit: Lisa Portes, Carnaval Champion

The classic “Dick & Jane” characters from the ubiquitous 1950s children’s books are grown-up and struggling to stay afloat in a home fractured by grief. Newly widowed Dick (now going by Richard) is raising his two children, Dick Jr. and Sally, who is deaf, while trying to manage a terminal illness that will inevitably leave them orphans. When he calls home his estranged sister, Jane, the family must reconcile and make peace with their shared and misunderstood histories before it’s time for him to go. A recipient of the Kennedy Center’s Jean Kennedy Smith Playwriting Award, Richard & Jane & Dick & Sally is a dramatic comedy about brothers, sisters, mothers, and fathers, with sign language, talking dogs, picnic tables, and Snickers bars.

When the play was sent to me, I had a block of time between one thing and another, and stopped at Dante's Pizza for a beer, a slice, and a read, I did not expect to be so moved by the piece.  I definitely cried in my pizza, and grabbed a second beer. The play had all the elements I love, a strange, surreal, painful, magical flow, movement sequences that were several pages long, people who love one another who somehow cannot seem to see one another, and the frank and honest portrayal of women and POC. I immediately emailed Lisa Portes, the Carnaval Champion, and agreed to participate. 

I was paired with a fantastic design team, who I learned a lot from and who captured everything about the piece that inspired and moved me.  We only had two 1-hour meetings - and they came up with a fantastic, impressive, magical design that felt like it came straight out of a dream. The creative team included Mariana Sanchez (scenic design), Carolyn Mazuca (costume design), David R. Molina (sound design), Pablo Santiago (lighting design), and Dr. Liza Ann Acosta (dramaturgy).

The Carnaval itself was so much fun.  6 readings, multiple sessions and conversations, food, drinks, and the largest scale affinity space I have ever experienced in my professional life. You can see the spirit, charge, and power of the weekend captured in the opening ceremony, which was live streamed around the world. (Hi Mom and Dad!)