North
American Cultural Laboratory’s second
group project brought together six artists from Canada
and the U.S., who worked through the winter of 1998,
exploring daily physical and vocal training, and creating
an original piece of theatre. This piece, A
Canon for the Blue Moon, told a delightful
and delicate tale of a post-war village inhabited only
by women. At its core, the piece explored the mystery
of the human need for song, and was thus noted for
the performers’ vocal, as well as physical, presentation.
The cast included Eileen LaMourie, Tannis Kowalchuk,
Kersti Tacreiter, Allison Waters, and Jane Wells,
with the direction of Brad Krumholz.
A Canon for the Blue Moon saw its world premiere
in June of 1998, with a three week run at La MaMa
E.T.C., New York, NY. The performance then toured
for two outdoor remountings. The first, performed
on a southern New Jersey cow farm, played to the
enjoyment of a rural community whose hospitality
and appreciation were both heartwarming and inspiring.
In this performance, the cast was joined by unexpected
guests--- some curious cows with a secret passion
for acting!
In
August of 1998, A Canon for the Blue Moon was
shown under the starry skies of Umbria, Italy. Performing
to a filled-to-capacity audience, most of whom did not
speak English, the actresses chose to translate portions
of the text into Italian. It was an unforgettable European
debut for NACL and its collaborating artists.
Like
the journey of the women depicted in A Canon for
the Blue Moon, the entire period of rehearsal,
performance, and touring, was a fruitful exploration
of collaboration, labor, and love, coming together in
a celebration of life’s mysteries.
