k a t a b a s i s
PRESS PAGE (public page here)
katabasis is a processional performance inspired by ancient Greek and Roman mystery rites that led congregants through a series of sensorial and spiritually illuminating encounters. In fourlarks' fete of music, spectacle, and immersive physical theatre, a company of trans-disciplinary performers guide the audience across the grounds and gardens of the Getty Villa, to commune with the dead and receive blessings for this life and the next. The sold-out season was canceled due to the Woolsey Fire which swept through the neighborhood the night it was set to premiere. The production has been re-scheduled for January 24-26, 2019
katabasis was developed as a companion piece to the Villa's current exhibition Imagining the Afterlife. The score and libretto borrows texts and motifs from artifacts in the exhibition, exploring ancient and contemporary conceptions of the afterlife and rebirth. The music is inspired by ancient tonalities and rhythms, filtered through a prism of world music traditions, opera, psych-folk and chamber pop. Samples of the score available below:
fourlarks presented a concert version in downtown LA, with heavily reduced staging, choreography and design: watch here.
Created, Staged, and Composed by Mat Sweeney
Set / Prop Design and Choreography by Sebastian Peters-Lazaro
Lyrics Co-Written with Jesse Rasmussen
ensemble:
Sheila Brown Ellis, Maya Gingery, Yvette Cornelia Holzwarth, Sharon Chohi Kim, Jett Kwong, Matt Orenstein, Ryan Parrish, Lukas Papenfusscline, Zachary Carlisle Sanders, Titus Tompkins, James Vitz-Wong, James Waterman, Eli Weinberg
The photos on this page (by Gema Galiana) capture the final dress of katabasis at the Getty Villa, the night before the original season was canceled.
For more information about katabasis, and other performance works from fourlarks, please contact us at info@fourlarks.com
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