Lay Hold to the Softest Throat is an interdisciplinary collaboration between singers Alanna Stuart, Romy Lightman, sound artist Christopher Willes, and choreographer Ellen Furey, with aesthetic, energetic and spiritual contributions from Paul Chambers, Jeremy McCormick, Hanako Hoshimi-Caines and Anni Spadafora. This work is in large part a feminized, absurdist rendering of Grotowski's concept of the "Holy Actor".
… experimental bedtime story, devotional musical, questionable theatre touching on multiple latent interests of the group gathered.
Notions of discipline, alternative spirituality and dadaist energetics get spewed onto absurd tales of spiritual, artistic and inter-dimensional transcension. Lay Hold to the Softest Throat is a choreography for three vocalizing performers.
CREDITS
Production, choreography by Ellen Furey
Creation and performance by Ellen Furey, Romy Lightman and Alanna Stuart
Sound design by Christopher Willes
Dramaturgy by Hanako Hoshimi-Caines
Lightning design by Paul Chambers
Set design by Jeremy McCormick
Outside eye work by Anni Spadafora
Technical direction by Anthony Allan
Text co-written by Ellen Furey, Romy Lightman, Alanna Stuart (graciously channeled by-through Romy Lightman)
Song 1 - « We’ll Reach the Sky Tonight » Rita MacNeil
Song 2- « Take My Word » Ellen Furey
Surtitles translation by Elaine Normandeau
Surtitles Operator - Aris Keshav
Promo photo and video by Kinga Michalska
Show photos and video documentation by Do Phan Hoi
Co-produced by : Festival TransAmériques + La Chapelle Scènes Contemporaines + DLD- direction artistique Frédérick Gravel
With the support of : La Nouvelle Scène (Ottawa) + Usine C + Cape Breton University Creative residencies Annexe-A (Rouyn-Noranda) + L’Écart (Rouyn-Noranda) + Usine C + Studio 303 + Circuit-Est Centre Chorégraphique + CCOV – Centre de Création O Vertigo.
Co-presented by La Chapelle Scènes Contemporaines
Premiered at Festival TransAmériques at La Chapelle, Scènes Contemporaines, on May 28, 2023.
