The ETS: Yolo County ensemble consisted of an inter-generational cast of veterans from WWII, Vietnam, and the Iraq Era, working in collaboration with UCD students and recent graduates. The stories of those who risked their lives in service are offered in direct conversation with those whose ancestors were displaced by military action. A 90 year old WWII veteran tells of his fallen comrades. A Vietnam veteran has a conversation with a student, whose family lived an hour from where he served in Vietnam. An Iraq Era veteran challenges assumprions about disability with a virtuosicdance with his wheelchair. These stories live in bodies marked by difference - dancing together in a context of deep listening and mutual support.

 

For more information or to inquire about a workshop or performance in your community visit the ETS site, 

Facebook page, Tumblr, or contact echotheatersuitcase@gmail.com.

 

EchoTheaterSuitcase project: Yolo County

 

Directed by Daniel Bear Davis.

Created and Performed by Cynthia Arellanes, Jim Corbett, Hien Huynh, Tiffany Martin, Francis Resta, and Ian Rowland

Sound Design:  leaf Tine

Additional Music: Jesse Autumn, Stephen Katz

Video Design: George Brais

Lighting Design: Brice Hilburn

Set Design: Sojin Han

Costume Design: Mari Carson

ETS Project Advisor and Project Model Director: Krista DeNio

Production Advisors: Larry Bogad, Joe Dumit, Peter Lichtenfels

 

Thanks to our Project Partners: The Davis Student Veteran Organization and the Transfer Re-Entry Veteran Center and CounterPulse. This project was made possible with support from Cal Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Visit www.calhum.org.

 

Special Thanks to Emmett Spraktes, Larry Fisher, Russell Loving, Laurie Loving, Yolo County Military Families, Romana Norton, Victoria Broussard, Rebecca Kate Ackroyd, Crystal Han, Jessica McAlister, Bonnie Veblen, and ALL the UC Davis Theater & Dance MFA Students, Staff, and Faculty… and of course… the generous members of the ensemble!

 

 

For more information on the overall project model and upcoming productions and opportunities visit the EchoTheaterSuitcase project Website.

 

EchoTheaterSuitcase project, conceived and directed by Krista DeNio,  brings together mixed ensembles of professional performers, military veterans and civilian non-veterans in collective dialogue, shared learning and deep creative inquiry. Acknowledging the societal divide between veterans and the rest of the civilian population, ETS asks us to consider our relationship with territory, survival, violence, trauma and our real and perceived needs as individuals and communities. 

 

Each unique​ ensemble ​process includes​:​ 

1) Community ​building through ally-training, open workshops and selection of ensemble members from within th​e local ​community.

2) Performance ​t​raining ​using​ contemporary dance and theater technologies.

3) Audience-interactive, site-specific performance ​work​, engaging storytelling, movement design, ​and an interdisciplinary framework.

 

Performances have pre and post show opportunities for direct engagement with the content of war, family histories, lineage and personal relationships with the U.S. Military and contemporary conflicts. 

My other ETS credits include Assistant Director for: 

     The 2014 CounterPulse Iteration  

     YBCA Body Politic Field of Inquiry Performance

     ETS @ Bay Area Bold, 2015.