Talise Campbell, Director of Dance Show “Tracing Our Roots” Kate Fishman, Managing Editor May 3, 2019
Senior Dance Shows Highlight Non-Traditional Performances Kate Fishman, Managing Editor April 26, 2019
Students Take the Stage for Another Student Dance Showcase Kate Fishman, Managing Editor April 19, 2019
![Dancers rehearsed for Louise Wurzelbacher’s senior dance installation in Warner Main yesterday. For some innovative dance work this weekend, look no further than Wurzelbacher’s dual senior show with fellow College senior Celia Morris. The titles of the pieces alone provoke intrigue: Wurzelbacher’s Symbiotic Tendrils: An Organismal Installation is the first piece in the line-up, followed by Morris’ Post-Script: A Site-Specific Performance. The actual performances live up to their creative names. In Wurzelbacher’s piece, dancers will perform in Warner Main Space, but without traditional concert dance set-up and with large pieces of fabric adorning the space. She was only able to put up the installation less than a week ago. “I had to try to imagine how everything would change with the installation and try to communicate my vision with my team,” Wurzelbacher wrote in an email to the Review. “So this consisted of drawings of the space, and getting familiar with my color scheme and the materiality of the cheesecloth as a prop or, more precisely, the tissue of the organism.” After Wurzelbacher’s show, audience members will be walked to the fourth floor of Mudd Center where Morris’ show will take place. The site-specific piece, which will feature dancers outside in the glass rooftop courtyard, will present a unique opportunity for watching dance. “Celia and I decided to have our shows together because we have worked closely together for our entire time at Oberlin, have [complementary] aesthetics and concepts for the way we want audience[s] to interact with our work, and did not want the logistical pressure of an entire night for each of us,” Wurzelbacher wrote.The show will take place tonight and tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are currently sold out, but will be available at the door.](https://oberlinreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/LouiseDance_MegParker_WEB-900x600.jpg)
![Mr. Marmalade, a play written in 2004, is the story of four-year-old Lucy and her abusive imaginary friend, the titular character. “I think dark comedy sometimes is not done very well, but [the playwright was] really careful with it in this show,” said College first-year Clara Zucker. This production is her Oberlin directing debut. “It’s really about what our youth are exposed to, and I think that’s very prevalent now with media having such a presence in our lives. … It’s something that I worry about for the future, what it’s going to be like for other generations. What are they going to be exposed to?”Mr. Marmalade is informed by Lucy’s experiences watching how men treat her mom, as well as negative portrayals on TV programs and in other forms of media.“Our interpretation also is very multimedia, with the transitions incorporating more modern ads,” said College first-year Charlotte Wirth, Zucker’s assistant director. The show includes news clips and a recording of professional wrestling. Both Zucker and Wirth directed shows in high school, and quickly overcome anxiety about being younger directors.“Once you’re in a rehearsal space everyone just listens to the director, which is comforting to know,” said Zucker. Because of the dark material of the show, Wirth and Zucker have advertised it with content warnings for physical and verbal abuse, sexual harassment, mentions of suicide and physical harm, and drug and alcohol abuse. Brochures from Nord Sexual Assault Services Advocate Melissa Counts’ office will be available, and Counts will be on hand to provide support if needed on the show’s debut night. She will decide whether to have tap-out people, responsible for helping anyone who needs to exit the performance space, present in the remaining shows.Mr. Marmalade will run this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8 p.m. in the Asia House Multipurpose Room. Admission is free.](https://oberlinreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/pizza-900x600.jpg)
