Kevin Augustine is the founding artistic director of Lone Wolf Tribe, a multi-disciplinary performance company based in Brooklyn, NY. He begins performances of Body Concert in the Ellen Stewart Theatre on October 7 as part of La MaMa Puppet Series 2021. Tickets are selling fast, so get yours now!
1. Do you have a favorite puppet in your performance?
Not really. When I'm puppeteering with each character, they are my sole focus. There are some who were easier to bond with-- the Eyeball took the longest. Initially, I was concerned audiences might not connect emotionally with these puppets because most of them don't have faces. So I worked a lot on the quality of movement and intention of each character to find their heart and personality.
This cast of puppets took the longest to make than any of my previous shows; there was a steep learning curve in working with new materials-- especially in creating the baby's translucent limbs. There are also quite a few mechanical magic trick elements that took me many months to figure out, particularly inside the Baby, the Eyeball and the Arm.
2. What inspired you to write Body Concert?
Disappointment. After making my last two shows on social issues and realizing no one is ever going to fully agree with my point of view, I wanted to make something that was indisputable. Something that didn't elicit a response on how we differ but where we're the same; what we all share. The ideas and performance approach to Body Concert—not having a text (and so no language barriers), focusing on universal aspects—our physical selves, our need for connection, our relationship with death and nature—these didn't come to me fully formed but took slow shape as I developed the piece over six years. But the underlying inspiration that carried me through, particularly during the times when it felt like this show would never quite manifest, was wanting to share a life experience on stage, not an ideology.
3. How do you expand the boundaries of puppetry?
I think this happens through the performance intention I gave to myself: make a solo show that pushes me further physically while puppeteering that I had thought possible before. The early years of attempting this were excruciating; I just didn't have the muscle capacity to use my limbs in the ways that were needed to animate the puppets. And when the puppets felt too heavy to hold—instead of trying to re-engineer them to be lighter, I decided to train harder and get stronger. My process was 2D first—sketch the puppets in relationship with each other and then figure out physically how to bring those pictures to life on stage. I like personal challenges but this was much harder than I had imagined. It was a long lesson in patience and determination. A welcome consequence has been an uptick in my willingness to be comfortable with feeling uncomfortable.
4. How did you get started in puppetry?
I still have the sock puppet my grandmother hand-stitched for me when I was a kid. Receiving that gift was the acorn that grew into discovering I too could make my own toys. Many years after that, here I am at the 25th anniversary of having my own theatre company, imagining up stories to tell while performing alongside the puppets I make.
5. What role does the music play in this performance?
Mark's music is essential. It pretty much covers every second of stage time. It informs my performance and helps lead the audience. There was a lot of collaboration between us to find the right quality of feeling. We had two residencies in Quebec in 2018/19 where we really dug down and honed in on discovering that path together.
6. What does working at La MaMa mean to you?
Working at La MaMa was always a New York dream of mine. It's the pinnacle of working as a downtown, independent theatre artist. Being back in the Ellen Stewart Theatre after 2016's The God Projekt means a lot. As a lone-wolf-type-artist, my work gives me purpose and is my main focus, so I don't have a big social circle or go out much. Introverted personalities can be challenging to people, so I'm grateful to Denise Greber for invited me back for this festival. I can't help think of that Van Gogh exhibit that's so popular now. During his lifetime the artist never sold a painting, yet today that digital exhibition is sold out & people can't wait to get tickets. Rich folks pay millions to hang his work on their walls. But when Vincent was alive, how many of those people would have felt comfortable inviting him into their homes or out to dinner?
La MaMa Presents
Body Concert
Performed and Created by Kevin Augustine (USA)
Co-production: Les Sages Fous (QC)
Co-production: Les Sages Fous (QC)
October 7 – 10, 2021
Ellen Stewart Theatre
66 East 4th Street, 2nd floor
New York, NY 10003
66 East 4th Street, 2nd floor
New York, NY 10003
Oct 7, Thursday at 8:30pm
Oct 8, Friday at 7pm
Oct 9, Saturday at 8:30pm
Oct 10, Sunday at 4pm
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