Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – In Brooklyn, a pair of in-person performances that uniquely and profoundly engage their audiences: 1:1 CONCERTS & ZOETROPE

• By drediman
• May 16, 2021
• No Comments

Currently on view in Brooklyn are a pair of in-person performances that uniquely and profoundly engage their audiences. Here are my thoughts.

1:1 CONCERTS
Brooklyn Academy of Music / Silkroad Ensemble
In-person through May 16

Somewhere in the desolate Brooklyn Navy Yard, you can encounter classical music concerts like no other. Presented by the Brooklyn Academy of Music and curated by Silkroad Ensemble, the succinctly by aptly entitled 1:1 Concerts (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) give audience members the enticing opportunity to experience (safely distanced) musicians play only for them on a one-one-one basis. What’s profound about these concerts is how they distill and intensify the experience of in-person performance, which is especially powerful given that many of us have had to do without it, either as performer or audience member, for over a year. Once you’ve been escorted to your undisclosed location – most likely a cavernous warehouse somewhere in the sprawling navy had – you’re wordlessly greeted by your randomly chosen musician, who then swiftly embarks on a performance of an original composition (which can vary greatly depending on the musician you’ve been designated) only for your ears. Although each micro-concert only lasts approximately ten minutes, I found it to be a highly-charged and surreal experience, as well as an ingenious way for both performers and audiences to dip their feet back into the practice of engaging in in-person performance. I applaud BAM for administering a smooth, efficient operation, as well as Silkroad Ensemble for contributing their diverse pool of talented idiosyncratic musicians. All donated proceeds (the concert itself is free of charge) of 1:1 Concerts go to Weeksville Heritage Center.

ZOETROPE
Exquisite Corpse
In-person through June 20

Then just a few blocks away from the navy yard in Brooklyn’s Clinton Hill neighborhood, you may have noticed a curious white trailer parked on an empty lot on the corner of Vanderbilt and Myrtle. There, you’ll be able to experience Exquisite Corpse’s equally unique production of Zoetrope (RECOMMENDED), a new play by Elinor T. Vanderburg, Leah Barker, and Emily Krause. Audience members are positioned in socially distanced pods around the trailer, from which vantage point they’re able to peer into it the curious makeshift structure. The short, episodic one-act play depicts the evolution of a romantic relationship between young two women – Angel and Bae (shrewdly performed by Leana Gardella and Starr Kirkland, respectively) – over the course of the long, grueling months of the pandemic. Like many coupled New Yorkers, they live in a tiny apartment (in this exaggerated case, the size a claustrophobic 8- by 12-foot trailer), allowing the playwrights to explore the fuzzy boundaries of intimacy and privacy. In addition to the diorama-style viewing, the production also distinguishes itself with its interactive elements, which give viewers the ability to choose, at certain key moments, the direction the piece goes in. Although the play itself may take a backseat to its inventive presentation and immersive aspects – kudos to co-directors Porcia Lewis and Tess Howsam for realizing this ambitious concept – its content is likely to hit close to home for many viewers (like myself).