CHASING THE TIDES, OR EXPOSURE |
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Blessed Unrest |
Matilda Woods |
Jessica Burr |
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A Note from the Director
The process of creating this piece has been like nothing I have done before. Chasing the Tides, or Exposure began with a series of writings called “body musings,” initiated by prompts I gave Matilda, asking her to be hyper-present in her body in seemingly mundane activities– like exercising, bathing, and cleaning. I expected to get back a few brief notes; she returned with masses of pages. When asked “what is this show about?”, the first thing that came to mind was: it’s about being a woman. As we near the first performance, however, the answer turns out to be much more complex. It’s about what is passed down to you, the things that are
not yours, but that you inherit regardless, and that cannot be ignored. Involuntary inheritance made manifest on stage.
There is a lot of darkness in this work. Performed sexuality, both forced and consensual; self-loathing; the critical gaze of mothers; and finally, permission for love of body and self. It was difficult to work with material so personal and demanding, both for Matilda and me. To rein in something this intense requires tremendous discipline. Every moment of the performance needed to be structured and choreographed– because at times, there isn’t anything to hold on to; it’s like a dance on a tightrope with no safety net. The process has been shocking and harrowing
and immensely satisfying. Enjoy! –Jessica Burr
A Note on the Pseudonym…
When I started writing this piece, I had no idea where it would go. But as the words came faster and faster, I began to discover that what I was actually doing was creating space for myself to speak from my point of view about various events and happenings
in my life that I had never given myself permission to speak about. While the piece is a mix of memoir (with all the slippery contradictions of memory) and fiction, it is deeply personal from my perspective and my perspective alone. It necessarily intertwines with others’ stories. Stories that others may not choose to share, but stories I must share to fully discover mine. And maybe they
are unfair, maybe they are incomplete and maybe they would be misunderstood, or not. But that has always been the thing that has kept me from speaking. For so many years.
In my life, I have become very good at being and doing what I perceive others need me to be and do. It was a part of how I navigated the world as a child and the result of growing up
in a particular time, I think. Or maybe not at all. And so, the only way that I can give myself permission to say and do the things I need to in this piece is by giving myself an alter ego, a safe space where I can play as hard and as wild as I must. For this.
Some of the material in this piece is rigorously truthful, some of it is rigorously fiction and yet in its way, everything is emotionally true. Perhaps I am a coward. In fact, I think I really am a coward that I cannot say and own these things without the protection of invisibility. But the piece itself is about making visible what so often moves beneath the surface. Of the water. At high tide. And we have to swim. We have to swim so hard to keep up with what we perceive the world expects and needs from us. And so there is this. In this moment. Now. –Matilda Woods
Creative Team
Jessica Burr
Matilda Woods
Sera Bourgeau
Julian Evans
Jay Ryan
Photos
Photo © Maria Baranova
Photo © Maria Baranova
Photo © Maria Baranova
Blessed Unrest is a subversive physical theater ensemble that transforms new and classic plays into channels for unexpected alchemy, energetic discomfort, and complex articulation. Through a dedicated and diverse ensemble, international collaborations, and a rigorous training and devising process, they are fueled by the innate human desire to collaborate, the thrill of the impossible challenge, and the instinctual need to rebel. Now in its 22nd season of generating original theatre in NYC and touring worldwide, the group received many accolades, including four New York Theatre Awards (twelve nominations), the Cino Fellowship for Sustained Excellence, the LPTW Lucille Lortel Award, and first prize at the 2016 Secondo Theatre Festival (Switzerland). The company’s work has been praised for “magnetism and electricity" (TimeOut NY) and “physical ingenuity and visual artistry" (NYTheatre.com). blessedunrest.org
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