STUDIES IN MOTION:

THE HAUNTINGS OF EDWEARD MUYBRIDGE

Production History and Reception

Elizabeth Stuart-Morris

Concept .. . . . . .

“Inspired by the life and work of 19th century photographer Eadweard Muybridge, whose instantaneous photography and exhaustive studies in animal and human locomotion foretold the invention of the modern-day cinema. In 1885 Eadweard Muybridge embarks on a mission of cataloging animal movement and human gestures, dissecting time and in so doing, revealed a world invisible to the naked eye. However, Muybridge is haunted by the ghosts of his past actions; the man he killed, the child he abandoned, and the woman he thought he knew. The play, a physically and visually explosive spectacle, explores themes of memory, identity, and the quest for meaning at the very beginning of our culture's obsession with images.”Electric Company Theatre website

Kevin Kerr

Origins .. . . . . . . Gardiner approached Electric Company Theatre to experiment as a

scenographer in a series of professional co-productions (video projections as lighting source for shows). UBC worked with ECT in past.

Began joint, extended design-dramaturgy creation process in January of 2005 on Studies In Motion, then Electric Company Theatre’s “future” project idea written by co-artistic director Kevin Kerr.

PuSh International Performance Festival join us as a co-producer and co presenter on this project (UBC worked with before).

Staff /faculty researchers and students of UBC Theatre Program in collaboration with members of Electric Company Theatre (also made possible by five year Reserach/Creation Grant in Fine Arts from the Social Sciences an Humanities Research Council of Canada)

This project compelling because our contemporary media-driven culture with the domination of media arts, film, and television is highly comparable to the late 19th century one, when photography was a new and fascinating technology and changed the way we view the world

Robert Gardiner

Creation Process .. . . . KIM COLLIER .(director): “My job is often to get out of the way and create space for

their individual and collective impulses.” “We challenged ourselves in our rehearsal process to

create side by side, to allow staging to affect design and design to affect staging”

“My job, as Director, is to strive for a production that is visually exhilarating, to insist on precise and vibrant physicality and to communicate a clear and truthful emotional arc. I endeavor to work with my arms open, allowing the surprise of the creative impulse to enter the room and then to be ferocious in tying it all together. Most importantly, it is my responsibility to listen to the Playwright; to actively discover and support the vision and themes embedded in the script.”

First Performance .. . . . .

Studies in Motion: The Hauntings of Eadweard Muybridge Premiered January 19, 2006 at the Frederic Wood Theatre at the

University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada. Cast :

Ryan Beil, Lara Gilchrist, Kai James, Shane Kolmansberger, Allan Morgan, Dawn Petten, Joel Redmond, Kyle Rideout, Juno Ruddell, Erin Wells, Jonathon Young (co-artistic director) and Andrew Wheeler as Eadweard Muybridge

Stage Manager: Jan HodgsonChoreographed by Crystal PiteCostume Design: Mara GottlerComposer: Patrick PennefatherScenography and Media by Robert Gardiner

Studies in Motion at the Frederic Wood Theatre, 2006

First Response .. . . . . .2006 Reviews

“A complex, thoughtfully layered script that makes us laugh and care about this deeply troubled man.” The Globe and Mail

“The vision is extraordinary.” The Georgia Straight

“A piece of theatre polished to brilliance, so complete and completely satisfying that this awe-inspiring oddity should be seen on major stages around the world.” The Vancouver Sun

2006 Awards Jessie Award for Outstanding Lighting Design

Robert Gardiner, STUDIES IN MOTION Jessie Award for Outstanding Sound Design

Patrick Pennefather, STUDIES IN MOTION

Touring Cast 2009/10 .. . . . Starring: Andrew Wheeler as Muybridge With:

Gaelan Beatty, Julien Galipeau, Allan Morgan, Dawn Petten, Kyle Rideout, Michael Rinaldi, Juno Ruddell, Celine Stubel, Erin Wells, Jonathon Young, & Frank Zotter

Director: Kim CollierChoreographed by Crystal PiteCostume Design: Mara GottlerComposer: Patrick PennefatherStage Manager: Jan HodgsonOriginal Scenography and Media by Robert GardinerLighting adapted by Adrian MuirAssistant Stage Manager: Jennifer SwanAssistant Scenographer: Jamie NesbittRehearsal Director: Andrea HodgeAssistant Director: Blake William Turner

Yukon Arts Centre . . . . .2009 Review

“Nude pics, murder, and spectacular theatre in Whitehorse.” Yukon News

2009 Interviews Yukon News interview with Kevin Kerr What’s up Yukon interview with performer/co-arrtistic director

Jonathan Young

Studies in Motion at the Yukon Arts Centre

Vancouver Playhouse .. . . .2009 Reviews

“Revamped Studies in Motion marked by unevenness” Straight Newspaper

“It's not often that a play fires explosively on all cylinders: aesthetic, dramatic and intellectual...” Vancouver Courier

“It would be very unfortunate if boundary-challenging work like this were banished from the Playhouse stage.  This is the kind of show that mainstream theatre audiences need to see more of, not less.” VancouverPlays Arts Club Review

Alberta Theatre Projects . . .2009 Reviews

“Indeed the opening sequence is one of the most engaging and breathtaking scenes I have witnessed in many years ” GayVancouver

“Visually, Studies in Motion is mesmerizing. It assaults the senses with images, movement, sounds and music that are, as the play's title promises, truly haunting. The use of nudity is as beautiful as it is essential.” Jam Showbiz

2009 Awards Betty Mitchell Award for Outstanding Production (Calgary)

STUDIES IN MOTION Betty Mitchell for Outstanding Choreography (Calgary)

Crystal Pite, STUDIES IN MOTION Betty Mitchell for Original Composition (Calgary)

Patrick Pennefather, STUDIES IN MOTION

Festival TransAmérique . . . .2009 Reviews

“One could not help but sympathize with the Electric Company of Vancouver as the Festival TransAmériques debut of their Studies in Motion at the D.B. Clarke Theatre.” The Gazette

“At the Festival TransAmeriques, Montreal has been enjoying a spring fling with Vancouver.  You can see why the independent theatre scenes of these two cities are attracted to each other: They share an interest in vibrant visuals and a passion for toying with technology.” Globe and Mail

Citadel Theatre .. . . . . .2010 Reviews

“What an Intriguing Piece of Theatre” Edmonton Journal

“Studies in Motion is dazzling” Edmonton Sun

“Beautiful Studies in Motion Captivates Citadel Audience” Edmonton Journal

“Studies In Motion is, in every way, a beautiful piece of work. Not least because it is, onstage, what it proposes. For one thing, it's genuinely multimedia, in an age that has devalued that term into murky nothingness. The collaborators are all essential, and all exceptional” Edmonton Journal

Canstage .. . . . . . .2009 Reviews

“Studies in Motion's central figure and subject are so transfixing that your attention is kept throughout – even on a second viewing” Globe and Mail

“Studies in Motion: The One Thing You Should See This Week” Toronto Life

“Words aren’t enough for Vancouver’s Electric Company Theatre. The troupe galvanizes audiences with a multimedia performance style.” NOW Toronto

Discussion Questions.. . . . ? If the dialogue of the play poorly written,

unclear, unfulfilling or disallowed you as a reader to become invested in the play and the characters within, in which ways/which parts?

Understanding that the play was mostly visual (stage directions unclear, for example), did that hinder you’re understanding or investment in the play?

Do you think seeing it would have affected your reactions?

What are your thoughts from seeing the production (if you have) compared to reading it?