Los Angeles Performance Practice & Wilderness Present
The U.S. Premiere of
The Day Shall Declare It
An Immersive, Physical Theatre Installation
Exploring the Concept of Work
At Imperial Arts Studios in Downtown Los Angeles
Thursday, February 26 to Sunday, March 22, 2015

LOS ANGELES, CA – January 23, 2015 – Los Angeles Performance Practice, in conjunction with Wilderness, will present the U.S. premiere of the immersive, site-specific physical theatre installation, The Day Shall Declare It, in Los Angeles opening Thursday, February 26, 2015 and running through Sunday, March 22, 2015. The critically acclaimed interdisciplinary piece weaves together dynamic movement with a collage of text inspired by American labor literature from a variety of iconic American authors including Tennessee Williams and Studs Terkel. It explores our beliefs about work and the concept of work/life balance, as we emerge from the global financial crisis. Created by the emerging and acclaimed international company Wilderness, developed and co-directed by Annie Saunders and Sophie Bortolussi, The Day Shall Declare It premiered in London in 2014 and was tagged “demanding, intelligent, and memorable theatre” by Time Out.

Performances start at 8:30pm on Wednesdays through Fridays and 7:00pm on Saturdays and Sundays in a limited four-week run for an intimate audience. The production will be staged at Imperial Art Studios, located at 2051 East 7th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90021. The approximately one-hour performances are largely standing room only. Comfortable shoes are recommended. A coat check is available and recommended. General admission tickets are $25, early bird tickets are $20 (available until 2/15/15), and can be purchased here. For more information, please visit http://thisisthewilderness.com.

“When the recession hit, the personal, private questions of the meaning of working – ‘What do I want to do?’ versus ‘What will I live on?’ – seemed to become immediately, drastically public. I wanted to make a piece that explored this and looked to a similar historical moment, the Great Depression, and the extensive canon of American labor literature,” says Saunders. “This piece is an effort to creatively conflate these period texts with a free-form theatrical model and contemporary movement score, echoing the responses of the current moment, such as Occupy Wall Street, which, for me, took on a powerful and spontaneous choreography of its own.”

The Day Shall Declare It – Downtown LA 2015
To view video, click on image above or: https://vimeo.com/119734366

The Day Shall Declare It –
Inhabiting a series of spaces within a 1925 Arts District warehouse, which has been intricately transformed into period working and living environments, The Day Shall Declare It is an immersive, site-specific theatre installation that weaves together multiple narratives, each of which investigates working and how it affects our relationships to others and ourselves. The audience explores the installation at will, moving through multiple scenes that interrogate beliefs about working, work ethics, and the idea of a “work/life balance.” Brought to life by three performers, this visceral physical theatre piece explores the tension of what work does for us and what it does to us, incorporating a montage of text influenced by iconic pieces of American literature, drama, and history by writers including Tennessee Williams, Studs Terkel, Howard Zinn, Jean-Claude van Itallie, and others.

The piece’s dynamic choreography is by Sophie Bortolussi (see bio below), who co-directs with artistic director and Wilderness founder Annie Saunders (see bio below), who also performs alongside Nick Konow and Chris Polick, with devising and dramaturgy by the company. Sound is designed by John Zalewski, whose recent work includes the original production of Jennifer Haley’s The Nether, for which he won his fourth Ovation Award. Lighting is designed by Iain Court, who has lit works in medieval churches, circus tents, on riverbanks, and in haunted houses, as well as many theaters.

Annie Saunders and Chris Polick in the London version of The Day Shall Declare It
(photo credit: Anka Bogacz)

Annie Saunders, Co-Director & Performer –
Annie Saunders is the founder and artistic director of Wilderness (see below). She also works internationally as a performer and experimental theatre-maker. She trained at The University of London. Prior to founding Wilderness, she co-created See You Next Tuesday, a fresh and provocative interdisciplinary festival in London marking International Women’s Day, and has worked as a performer and director at the Charing Cross Theatre, the Cafe de Paris, Queen Mary University, and the Etcetera Theatre. In the U.S., she has presented work and performed at EMPAC, the Center for the Art of Performance at UCLA, REDCAT, the Lyric Hyperion Theatre, the Boston Court Theatre, Son of Semele, and Theatricum Botanicum. She is a core performer with Lars Jan’s Early Morning Opera, a performance and art lab, and is currently performing in the aquatic performance installation Holoscenes and the forthcoming world premiere of The Institute of Memory at REDCAT. Saunders also teaches and develops work internationally.

Sophie Bortolussi, Co-Director & Choreographer –
Sophie Bortolussi is a French choreographer, dancer, and director who has lived in New York City since 2002. She recently movement directed and choreographed Red Eye to Havre De Grace at New York Theater Workshop and was Martha Clarke’s choreography assistant for The Threepenny Opera at the Atlantic Theater. She is the artistic associate of New York-based Nu Dance Theater and co-director and choreographer for The Day Shall Declare It, a project from L.A.-based physical theater company Wilderness. Bortolussi played the lead role of Wendy in Punchdrunk’s latest critically acclaimed production, The Drowned Man: A Hollywood Fable, at the National Theatre in London. Her performance was nominated for the 2013 UK Broadway World Award for Best Leading Actress in a New Production of a Play, together with Helen Mirren, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Natalie Chancellor. She also played the role of Lady Macbeth in Punchdrunk’s production Sleep No More, for which she was awarded the 2011 World Falstaff Award for Best Principal Performance. Bortolussi also worked on multiple projects with Martha Clarke, including The Threepenny Opera, Garden of Earthly Delights, Kaos, and Angel Reapers. She was also a member of the Martha Graham Dance Company, Drastic Action, and AMDaT. Thanks to a grant for choreographic studies from the French Ministry of Culture and Communication and a full scholarship from The Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance, Bortolussi trained at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance. She also has a degree in Philosophy from University of Paris 8 and is currently finishing her last year of the Body Mind Centering Somatic Movement Educator Program. Recently she became a faculty member at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama as a movement tutor.

Wilderness –
An experimental theatre company founded in 2011, Wilderness works internationally to push the envelope of the traditional theatre-going experience. Transforming disused, unexplored, and uninhabited urban spaces, Wilderness creates experiential and interdisciplinary theatrical environments. In The Day Shall Declare It, audiences roam freely through the world of the play and multiple storylines create a unique multifaceted and intimate experience. In Los Angeles, Wilderness has received critical acclaim for Leaves of Grass, presented as part of the Studio Series at REDCAT, which uses text and movement to explore the biology of identity and the look-alike phenomenon in couples. In 2014, Wilderness taught master classes in devising theatre at Territoria International Festival in Moscow, alongside Declan Donnellan (Cheek by Jowl) and Dimitris Papaioannou. Wilderness previously presented The Day Shall Declare It to critical acclaim in an extended run at the abandoned BBC London Studios building in the West End. Madani Younis, the artistic director of the Bush Theatre in London, describes Wilderness as “a company of theatre-makers whose work will define a new generation of artists.”

Los Angeles Performance Practice –
Los Angeles Performance Practice is a producing organization and artists’ network dedicated to supporting Los Angeles’ unique contemporary performance community. Founded by Miranda Wright in 2010, it is comprised of independent artists who create groundbreaking theatrical experiences through innovative approaches to collaboration, technology, and social engagement. By contributing to a shared knowledge, resources, and conversational critique; artists within this network will transform the cultural landscape of Los Angeles and beyond. Los Angeles Performance Practice is producing the Los Angeles run of The Day Shall Declare It.

Links –
• Wilderness Official Site – http://thisisthewilderness.com
• Wilderness On Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/thisisthewilderness
• Tickets – https://www.artful.ly/los-angeles-performance-practice
• Facebook Event Page – https://www.facebook.com/events/618224634987577
• Los Angeles Performance Practice Official Site – http://losangelesperformancepractice.org
• Los Angeles Performance Practice On Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/LosAngelesPerformancePractice

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For more information, a spot on the media guest list, photos, or to schedule an interview, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Tejada at 213-840-1201 or lynn@greengalactic.com.

~ Praise for the London Production of The Day Shall Declare It ~

“Dreamy, atmospheric, and fragmented… impressively performed.” –Lyn Gardner, The Guardian

* * * * “Demanding, intelligent, and memorable theatre.” –Miriam Gillinson, Time Out London

“Breathtaking phrases of movement… the choreography was a real joy to watch.” – Ruby Isla Cera Marle, A Younger Theatre

* * * * “Immersive theatre one would expect from the depths of Berlin. Well worth a visit.” –Chris Rogers, The Public Reviews

* * * * “The subtlety of the soundscape and the precision of the performers’ movements are really transporting. The effect is disorientating, heady, and pleasurable.” –Freddie Machin, Exeunt

“Dramatic and sexually charged.” –Ian Marshall, Weekend Notes

“Intriguing and alluring.” –Katie Colombus, The Stage

* * * * “A disused office space in central London has been converted into something quite spectacular… I left the performance feeling like it would continue even after the audience had gone.” –Colin Hake, Remote Goat

Anthony Nikolchev and Annie Saunders in the London version of The Day Shall Declare It
(photo credit: Anka Bogacz)