Digging In

FROM PHILIP HIMBERG (Producing Artistic Director):

That the young Rwandan dancer eating his lunch across from me was imprisoned in the Congo, at 17, just for being Rwandan, makes it quite hard to see him in the exact  same way I saw him before I learned this.  He looks so young, I would say the epitome of “innocent” – lithe, and full of the most gorgeous smiles, and a warm laugh. I try feebly to speak French with him, though his English is pretty perfect. We share some Neme Tea at lunch. Yes, this aging Jew with the nervous stomach got kind of out of balance yesterday. As my neurotic mind imagined landing in Lamu Hospital, where one of the doctors is a veterinarian for the town Donkeys, I was offered a “horrible” tasting tea made from the leaves of a local tree, which is purported to cure 40 diseases. I’m not sure which 40 diseases, but at that moment it didn’t seem to matter. I sipped it (along with Stoney’s Ginger Beer) and lo and behold, felt 100 percent better in an hour. Now I’m hooked. I think I’ll bring it back to New York, and sell it to Whole Foods as “Phil’s Fabulous Forty Disease Potion”.  Anyhow, life on Lamu.

Today, Monday was a big workday. Two of the four projects were to read their scripts in their entirety aloud and then receive feedback. First, however, Grace, one of the company choreographers, suggested that we all meet as one big group, to “bond” again in the morning, after breakfast, and to do some physical warm-ups as a group. How wonderful was that? She had us twirling dizzyingly on the ballet floors, and sweating up a storm. Loved it, though I did suggest that she have a separate set of exercises for us “elders”. Sadly, she agreed.

At tea break, news hit us on our various cell phones that a bombing in Kampala had killed 60 people.  Immediately there was conversation and a lot of contacting of friends to be sure all was okay. Amazing how the entire group rallied around our Ugandan guests to assure that they were able to talk through their anxieties. So far, everyone everyone knows is safe and sound.

The morning was our time to meet with Kenyan poet/writer Sitawa and her collaborator/choreographer Amimo on their project CUT OFF MY TONGUE. We sat and she read us all of her poems, some of which prompted much emotion in her – much to her surprise. She said she had not taken the time, lately, to quietly reconnect with her text. What followed was a question and answer session, lead gracefully by Liesl Tommy, concerning what Sitawa wished her piece to be, and the deep questions the content of the poetry raised – identity as a Kenyan, history known and history erased, tribal connection and tribal interference, post-election violence and the threat of what could come. We spoke of the ‘the stakes’ of her piece and the round-table was as powerful and exciting as any at Sundance in Utah. She is oh so ready to tackle the next re-write of this project and to add new writing and organize around a dramatic structure. 

Lunch of Shrimp and Beef burgers followed back at Diamond Beach and as the surf crashed in the background and the dog, Obama, wandered around the tables, we chatted and laughed, and drank more Neem Tea, made faces. Moise from Rwanda got bitten by some flying African beast and Rachel quickly applied fresh Aloe to his neck and because it swelled, I ran back to get my homeopathic Apis and Christopher some good old anti-histamine. Crisis averted.

After lunch, it was time to meet and hear a reading of Judith Adong’s play, SILENT VOICES, from Uganda.  We had strongly urged Judith to read the play aloud herself but she and her director, Jacob Otieno, insisted they hear it in actor’s mouths as a cold reading. Being Sundance, we said: “we are here to do what feels right for you.” And so they did, and we sprawled out on the floor of the dance studio and heard this unique, daring and frightening play about a mother who murders children to retaliate for the death of her family during the war up north. One thinks MEDEA and ANTIGONE – the bravery of going so far with a story is what attracted us to Judith’s writing. There was a general conversation following the reading with the cast and the audience (something again we never do in Utah, but what our Ugandan artists wished to do). It was very helpful and after tea and some snacks back at Baobab house, we re-convened with Judith and her director and choreographer, Grace, to talk in more detail about what work might lay ahead. George Seremba, Roberta, Liesl and I took turns asking questions of Judith and prodding her to experiment with structure and order. She seems more than game and grateful for the focus on her work.

What a day! As rigorous and thought-provoking as any in our Sundance Theatre Lab history.

I sit here now being devoured by mosquitoes, on my balcony (but I’ve applied LOTS of super poisonous DEET to dissuade them), and listen to the waves, and get ready for our dinner. I think about how lucky I am to meet these folks  -  and how caught up my life in New York sometimes gets as I hustle to work on the number one train, or fret over what feels now like a very inconsequential deal in a contract. Perspective is just one gift of this residency.

Yesterday, our day off, was a day that most of our Lab participants spent in LAMUTOWN, but I stayed behind to prepare for this work day. So, I’ll let Christopher Hibma relate to you what Sunday, July 11 was all about.

FROM CHRISTOPHER HIBMA (Associate Director):

After a relaxing morning where some of us took in the ocean and a leisurely breakfast, 17 of us waded through the shallow water to board two Dhows bound for Lamutown. Since the World Cup Finals were on Sunday, sides were quickly determined and one dhow rooted for Spain and the other for the Netherlands. And since it was a breezy afternoon, the dhow captains unfurled their sails and we sailed seamlessly over the water to Lamutown. One dhow then the other alternating the "lead." A vast amount of cheering and jeering ensued.

After landing a Lamutown, we each went our separate ways to enjoy the village. Deborah Asiimwe and I went in search of a cash machine and internet access (I'm so Western...). We then met up with some members of our group and enjoyed the patio of a local hotel while we sipped Krest (a soda) and had some ice cream. Amimo took the opportunity to get henna tattoos up and down both arms.

Six o'clock came quickly and we headed back to Manda... ah, blessed Manda. I, for one, looked forward to our return because Manda ("our" island) is truly a safe haven and a place to clear one's mind.

I brought a new projector with me from the U.S. and arranged for the World Cup Final game to be broadcast from it using Rachael's satellite feed. I loved that the Blue Moon Bar was quickly filled with our participants and roughly 40 locals who cheered into the night. Philip talks a lot about being blessed here, and I have to agree. The cool night air, scented by the nearby ocean, encourages all of us to "go there." Wherever "there" is. A place where time and space and be suspended for a brief moment. A place where the pressures of our lives are momentarily put aside in favor of friendship and artistry. Today was the first day that I saw our participants begin to relax and embrace the environment. Elidady plucking his guitar in the corner, Grace improvising with movement to his music, Moise nursing a glass of red wine and Irene chatting about the Tanzanian project with her colleagues under the stars.