Arthur Adair returns to La MaMa with his new show, Your War'try Grave, which opens at The Club @ La MaMa on June 12 and runs through June 21, 2015. Your War'try Grave is a musically-charged theatrical installation of psychedelic modernism informed by our species’ relationship to water and war. Arthur took time out of tech week to answer our 6 Questions!
1. What inspired Your War'try Grave?
My father, a Vietnam veteran; SuperStorm Sandy and my buddy’s children; and Ellen Stewart and 74A East 4th st. (there was initially a narrative stream concerning the history of the building but that grew into a piece of its own, perhaps in the future that shall come to the light).
2. How do you use sound and music in the piece?
“Art communicates that which words cannot,” is a quote I oft refer. The piece is non-linear in narrative, but there is a journey. Sound and music reinforce the journey while providing context for the streams within the narrative. I believe the piece wants to be a musical. It’s scratching its way to the surface.
3. What should the audience expect from Your War'try Grave?
I don’t know. I know that I enjoy the work, I think others will too. Robert Wilson said something to the effect that, art should inspire the question, “what is it?” Anton Chekhov said something to the effect that, theatre need not provide the answer, but rather lead one to ask the question. In my work as designer/director, I heed Wilson; as playwright, Chekhov. I work to provide a compelling experience for the audience, one that is worthy of their time, investment, and thought. I do not take that responsibility lightly.
4. Who has inspired you artistically?
As Director, Ellen Stewart, Peter Brook, Georgia McGill. As Designer, Jun Meada, Robert Wilson. As Playwright, Euripides, Anton Chekhov, Henrik Ibsen, Samuel Beckett.
5. What was the last good book you read?
The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way by Amanda Ripley. A wonderful communication of how process equals product even in education.
6. What does working at La MaMa mean to you?
I am proud to be a La MaMa artist. I walked into the building Saturday December 21st, 1996 and never left. When I work at La MaMa I am creating specifically for Ellen, for La MaMa, each intention, each decision. Since I began working on the piece, Ellen has been with me every step of the way. I have never experienced anything quite as magical as living and collaborating with Ellen. When she smiled, the whole world lit up. I can feel her smile in rehearsal.
La MaMa presents
Your
War'try
Grave
Conceived, created and assembled by Arthur Adair
June 12 - 21, 2015
Friday and Saturday at 10pm; Sunday at 6pm
Tickets: $18 Adults; $13 Students/Seniors; ten tickets priced at $10 each are available to every performance (while they last) pre-sale only.
For Tickets and Info: CLICK HERE
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