post

¡el Simio! or a contemporary retelling of Eugene O’Neill’s ‘The Hairy Ape’

Lorenzo Sariñana in The Hairy Ape (2013). Photo: Kenrick Fischer

Lorenzo Sariñana in The Hairy Ape (2013). Photo: Kenrick Fischer

¡el Simio! (or a contemporary retelling of Eugene O’Neill’s The Hairy Ape)
by Eugene O’Neill with translations by Lorenzo Sariñana

A story of a simple laborer trapped in a world controlled by the rich. This classic expressionist work is re-imagined as a one-man / hyper-media performance. This new bi-lingual translation and interpretation brings to the front the issues of immigration, class structure, and industrialism. First produced in 1922, the LIDA Project modernizes O’Neill’s text to address the modern themes of alienation in a stratified world.

Production History
May 1-3, 2015: HERE Arts Center :: New York City, NY
May 10 – June 7, 2013: work | space :: Denver, CO

Awards
Best Actor in a Drama (Lorenzo Sariñana), True West Award Nomination
Best Multimedia Integration (Brian Freeland), True West Award Nomination

Media Coverage
The LIDA Project takes on barriers of class and language in O’Neill’s The Hairy Ape – Westword
My night at The Hairy Ape – Culture West

The Company (2015 Production)
Direction: Brian Freeland
Producers: Steven J. Deidel & Annette Westerby
Stage Manager / Show Control: G. Austin Allen
Scenic Design: Sky Burks
Lighting Design: 
Anshuman Bhatia & Steven J. Deidel
Sound Design: 
Alex Hawthorn & Drew Levy
Projection Design: Steven J. Deidel & Brian Freeland
Costume Design: Annette Westerby

Ensemble (2015 Production)
Yank: Lorenzo Sariñana
O’Neill: Sonia Justl

The Company (2013 Production)
Direction: Brian Freeland
Assistant Direction: Laura Lounge
Scenic Design: David Lafont
Lighting Design: Kenrick Fischer
Sound Design: Dustin Lacy
Projection Design: Brian Freeland
Property & Costume Design: Laura Lounge

Ensemble (2013 Production)
Yank: Lorenzo Sariñana
O’Neill: Hart DeRose

post

R.U.R. / lol

R.U.R. / lol (2013)

R.U.R. / lol (2013)

R.U.R. / lol
a devised work of The LIDA Project*

Part text. Part noise. Part sound. Part image. All Robot.

R.U.R./lol, an original work loosely based on the 1920 Czech science-fiction play Rossum’s Universal Robots. At the end of humanity four robots remain. Through their controllers they work to protect what remains of the planet from a catastrophic event. The process leads them to question how we came to this end.

Production History
February 15 – March 2, 2013: work | space :: Denver, CO

Awards
Best Lighting Design (Steven J. Deidel), True West Award
Best Multimedia Integration (Steven J. Deidel, Kenrick Fischer, Kevin Zegan, Max Peterson and Brian Freeland), True West Award
Best New Play, True West Awards Nomination
Best Scenic Design (Steven J. Deidel / David Lafont), True West Awards Nomination
Best Sound Design (Dustin Lacy), True West Awards Nomination

Media Coverage
LIDA Project’s R.U.R./lol uses robots to examine what it means to be human – Westword
Photo Essay: My Night at LIDA Project’s ‘R.U.R./lol’ – CultureWest

The Company
Direction: Lorenzo Sariñana
Production Design: Steven J. Deidel
Lighting Design: Steven J. Deidel / Kenrick Fischer
Scenic Design: Steven J. Deidel / David Lafont
Sound Design: Dustin Lacy / Lorenzo Sariñana
Costume Design: Lorenzo Sariñana
Projection Design: Steven J. Deidel /Brian Freeland / David Lafont / Max Peterson

Ensemble
Robots: Rhea Amos / Hart DeRose / Laura Lounge / Heidi Pachner
Controllers: Kenrick Fisher / Brian Freeland / Dustin Lacy / David Lafont / Tommy Sheridan / Lorenzo Sariñana

Video

Images

 

 

post

Add It Up

Add It Up. Photo: Erin Preston 2012.

Add It Up. Photo: Erin Preston 2012.

Add It Up
An original interpretation by The LIDA Project inspired by the work of Elmer Rice.

Add It Up is a performance remix as interpreted by six sound, video, and performance artists from The LIDA Project. It is sound. It is light. It is music. It is words. It is images. It is machines. It is humans. It is about love. And hate. And murder. And death. And rebirth. And dancing. And eggs.

Production History
September 14 – October 6, 2012 : work | space :: Denver, CO

Awards
Best Use of Multimedia (Brian Freeland / The LIDA Project), True West Award

Media Coverage
Everything adds up as the LIDA Project embarks on its 18th season – Westword

The Company
Producers: Steven J. Deidel / Brian Freeland / The LIDA Project
Direction: Brian Freeland
Assistant Direction: Rhea Amos
Lighting Design: Steven J. Deidel / The LIDA Project
Sound Design: Lorenzo Sariñana / The LIDA Project
Costumes: Hart DeRose / The LIDA Project
Projection Design: Brian Freeland / The LIDA Project

Ensemble
Hart DeRose: 0
Michelle Hurtubise: Elmer Rice
Heidi Pachner: The Boss
Lorenzo Sariñana: Her
Matthew Schultz: Mrs. 0

Video

Images

 

post

Auto da Fé

Trina Magness and Dan O'Neill in Auto da Fé  (2012)

Trina Magness and Dan O’Neill in Auto da Fé (2012)

Auto da Fé
An original adaptation of the book by Elias Canetti by Rebecca Gorman O’Neill.

A twisted creation developed by The LIDA Project ensemble, playwright Rebecca Gorman, and director Brian Freeland. Manipulations of darkness and light and juxtapositions of ghastly imagery help to re-imagine Canetti’s breakthrough 1935 work about a lone recluse and his infinite library of books.

Production History
May 11 – June 2, 2012: work | space :: Denver, CO

Awards
Best New Work (Rebecca Gorman O’Neill), True West Awards Nomination
Best Actor in a Drama (Dan O’Neill), True West Awards Nomination

Media Coverage
LIDA Project’s surreal Auto da Fé – The Denver Post
The Sound and The Fury – Westword

The Company
Producers: Brian Freeland, Steven J. Deidel & The LIDA Project
Direction: Brian Freeland
Words / Dramaturgy: Rebecca Gorman O’Neill
Production Stage Manager: G. Austin Allen
Lighting Design: Steven J. Deidel / Anna R. Kaltenbach
Scenic Design: David Lafont
Projection Design: Steven J. Deidel / Ryan Gaddis
Costume Design: Hart DeRose
Sound Design: Brian Freeland
Associate Sound Design / Operator: Anson Nicholson
Associate Lighting Design: Tommy Sheridan

Ensemble
Dan O’Neill: Kien
Trina Magness: Therese
Robin Davies: Doorman / Fischerle
Lorenzo Sariñana: George / Brute / Beggar / Others

Images

post

Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep

Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep (2011)

Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep (2011)

Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep
a devised work of The LIDA Project*

The LIDA Project’s 6-part award winning epic on health, care, mortality and dying in the United States originally premiered in December of 2011 in a unique collaboration between the LIDA Project and a group of guest directors and community leaders. The work was environmentally designed and performed in private residences.

Production History
December 02 – December 17, 2011 : site specific residences :: Denver, CO
January 27 – February 11, 2012 :site specific residences :: Denver, CO

Awards
Special Achievement – Denver Post Ovation Award

Media Coverage
LIDA health-care epic: Home theater for what ails us – The Denver Post
Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep tackles health, care, death and dying in the USA – Westword

The Company
Direction: Robin Davies / Brian Freeland / Josh Hartwell / Jaime Lujan / Brenda Cook Ritenour / Kate Roselle / Tommy Sheridan / Kenny Storms
Artistic Director: Brian Freeland
Dramaturgy: Rebecca Gorman O’Neill
Movement: Tonya Malik-Carson
Scenic Design: Amelia Charter
Production Assistant: Laura Lounge

Ensemble
Rhea Amos, Meg Chamberlain, Hart DeRose, Nancy Flanagan, Michelle Hurtubise, Madeleine Joyce, Sonia Justl, Deanna Lowman, Heidi Pachner, Lorenzo Sariñana, Stefin Woolever, & Ryan Wuestewald

Video


The Works

The Soldier
The Soldier maneuvers through a recent Iraq War veterans struggles to care for herself and her relationships while her PTSD and grief from the war spin into a sadistic health insurance game show. Directed by Tommy Sheridan with performances by Rhea Amos, Hart DeRose, Nancy Flanagan, Michelle Hurtubise, Madeleine Joyce, Heidi Pachner, Stefin Woolever, and Ryan Wuestewald.

The Addict
The Addict is a cyclical spiral of losing control and asking for help. It grapples with both tangible and systemic addictions and whether or not we have the agency to choose our own paths. Directed by Kate Roselle and Kenny Storms with performances by Nancy Flanagan, Madeleine Joyce, Deanna Lowman, Heidi Pachner, Lorenzo Sariñana, and Stefin Woolever.

The Survivor
An exploration of how we grapple with death–both losing those we love and dealing with the knowledge of our own. Directed by Jaime Lujan with performances by Rhea Amos, Hart DeRose, Michelle Hurtubise, Madeleine Joyce, Lorenzo Sariñana, and Ryan Wuestewald.

The Middleman
An examination of the difficult choices that individuals have to make on health + care in a world of 7 billion people. Directed by Robin Davies with performances by Rhea Amos, Hart DeRose, Michelle Hurtubise, Heidi Pachner, and Ryan Wuestewald.

The Immigrant
An exploration of alternative medicine, cultural assimilation, and the red tape beaurocrtic hoops we have to jump through. Directed by Brenda Cook Ritenour with performances by Hart DeRose, Michelle Hurtubise, Deanna Lowman, and Lorenzo Sariñana.

The Patient
The Patient is a poetic and lyrical exploration of the ins outs ups downs of a person’s final moments and how hospice and its workers provide support to that person and their relatives. “What’s more important than our final moment,” one patient asks. Death responds, “Them.” Directed by Josh Hartwell with performances by Nancy Flanagan, Madeleine Joyce, Deanna Lowman, Heidi Pachner, and Stefin Woolever.

* Development collaborators: Rhea Amos, Meg Chamberlain, Amelia Charter, Robin Davies, Hart DeRose, Nancy Flanagan, Brian Freeland, Josh Hartwell, Michelle Hurtubise, Madeleine Joyce, Sonia Justl, Laura Lounge, Deanna Lowman, Jaime Lujan, Tonya Malik-Carson, Rebecca Gorman O’Neill, Heidi Pachner, Brenda Cook Ritenour, Lorenzo Sariñana, Kate Roselle, Tommy Sheridan, Kenny Storms, Stefin Woolever, & Ryan Wuestewald

 

post

Justin Bieber Meets Al Qaeda

Justin Bieber Meets Al Qaeda (2011)

Justin Bieber Meets Al Qaeda (2011)

Justin Bieber Meets Al Qaeda
a devised work of The LIDA Project*

This original LIDA collaborative work inspired by Max Fritch’s The Firebugs and Albert Camus’s The Just, focuses on American pop culture and attitudes a decade after the Al Qaeda attacks on the United States. An irreverent, bombastic, and controversial examination of American politics and culture post 9-11.

Production History
September 9 – October 8, 2011: work | space :: Denver, CO

Awards
Best Multimedia Integration (Steven J. Deidel) -Denver Post Ovation Award
Best Lighting (Steven J. Deidel) – Denver Post Ovation Award Nomination
Best Sound (Kenny Storms & Max Peterson)– Denver Post Ovation Award Nomination

Media Coverage
Art from the ashes: A decade later, great art inspired by 9/11 is rare
Photo call: Opening night for new LIDA Project
The Terror, the Terror!
The Denver Post Fall Arts Preview

The Company
Producers: Brian Freeland, Steven J. Deidel & The LIDA Project
Direction: Brian Freeland
Dramaturgy: Rebecca Gorman O’Neill
Lighting / Projection Design: Steven J. Deidel
Sound Design: Max Peterson & Kenny Storms
Costume Design: Annette Westerby
Associate Lighting Design: Anna R. Kaltenbach
Associate Lighting Design / Lighting Programmer: G. Austin Allen
Projection Associate / Content Creation: Ryan Gaddis
Pixel Twister: Joe Deats
Camera Operators / Video Technicians: Tommy Sheridan & Alex Polzin
LIVE Sand Artist: Amelia Charter

Ensemble
Patrick Balai: Homeland Security / George W. Bush
Robin Davies: White
Hart DeRose: Anna Lucia
Dan O’Neill: Osama Bin Ladin
Safa Samiezade-Yazd: The Chorus
Matthew Schultz: Sadam Hussain / Bieber
Ryan Wuestewald: Wilson

Video

Images

* Development collaborators: Robin Davies, Hart DeRose, Brian Freeland, & Matthew Schultz. Additional collaboration from Steven J. Deidel, Rebecca Gorman O’Neill, Dan O’Neill, & Kenny Storms

post

The Anonymous Mr. W.

The Anonymous Mr. W. (2005)

The Anonymous Mr. W. (2005)

The Anonymous Mr. W
a devised work of The LIDA Project* based on Georg Büchner’s Woyzeck

Inspired by Georg Büchner’s unfinished masterpiece, Woyzeck, The LIDA Project reinterprets the story of a young soldier returning from the horrors of war. Reality bends in the unsteady world of this soldier’s mind as he grapples with a society in which he no longer belongs. Originally written in the 1830’s and never finished, Büchner left modern literature with one of its first anti-heroes. This is the portrait of an Everyman who descends into madness and murder.  The Anonymous Mr. W brings this story of war and loss with a vengeance into the post-modern dialogue.

It’s up to audiences to interpret for themselves the hula hoop, the vaudevillian routine, the dominatrix doctor, the autopsy on a ticklish cadaver with sand for blood. – The Denver Post

Production History
December 1, 2005: Mattie’s House of Mirrors :: Denver, CO
December 8, 2005: University of Colorado :: Boulder, CO
December 16 – 18, 2005: Stage Left :: Chicago, IL
December 12 – 13, 2008: BINDERY | space :: Denver, CO

Media Coverage
“Anonymous” hits the road – The Denver Post

Company (2005)
Direction: Brian Freeland
Scenic Design: Brian Freeland
Costume Design: Nissa Almquist
Original Sound Composition: Paul Cure
Sound Design: Brian Freeland
Projection Design: Brian Freeland

Ensemble (2005)
Catherine Duquette
Jacob T. Morehead
Cole Schneider
Matthew Schultz

Company (2008)
Direction: Brian Freeland
Assistant Direction: Miriam Suzanne
Scenic Design: Brian Freeland
Costume Design:Julie Rada / Matthew Schultz
Original Sound Composition: Paul Cure
Sound Design: Brian Freeland
Projection Design: Brian Freeland

Ensemble (2008)
Julie Rada
Matthew Schultz

Images

* Development collaborators: Nissa Almquist, Robin Davies, Hart DeRose, Catherine Duquette, Brian Freeland, Jacob T. Morehead, Julie Rada, Cole Schneider, & Matthew Schultz.