Wisteria
Loading...
Date of Defense
12-10-2018
Date of Graduation
4-2019
Department
Dance
First Advisor
Jeremy Blair
Second Advisor
Whitney Moncrief
Abstract
Senior BFA Dance majors Alyssa Boone and Alyssa Brutlag produced, choreographed, and directed a multi-disciplinary, collaborative production entitled Wisteria. The production was enhanced through the WMU College of Fine Arts student collaborators including: lighting design by Cat Blomberg, projection design by Skyler Dickenson, costume design by Zandra Siple, scenic design by Rachel Yanna, as well as an original music composition by Keegan Nordby. Conceptually, the work was rooted in surrealistic processes pioneered by artists such as Salvador Dalí, René Magritte, and Robert Desnos. The intent was to apply fine art surrealistic processes to new, more immersive disciplines through collaboration. Utilizing choreography, costume design, lighting design, and scenic design, the collaborators aimed to immerse the audience in an immersive, dream-state.
This production was made possible through the Lulu Rara Avis Fund for Modern Choreography, granted through the WMU Department of Dance. Boone and Brutlag were mentored through the collaboration and choreographic process by WMU Dance Department faculty: Committee Chair, Jeremy Blair and Committee Member, Whitney Moncrief. Dance faculty member, Laura Cornish, served as the Production Advisor and was key in communicating between the artistic visionaries and the technical executors. Finally, Dance Department Chair, Megan Slayter, oversaw the marketing, budgeting, and programming elements for the production.
The production was presented on November 30, 2018 at 7:00 and 9:00pm in the Multi-Media Room in the Dalton Center on WMU’s main campus. Tickets were $5 for admission and open to the community. The evening consisted of an audience Q&A session, two sold-out shows, and full standing-ovations. The success of the event was rewarding to all the artists involved and reminded us that a production at this creative caliber could not have been achieved alone. The success of the multi-disciplinary collaboration, although with many challenges, became the most valued experience of the six-month process.
Recommended Citation
Brutlag, Alyssa, "Wisteria" (2018). Honors Theses. 3097.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/honors_theses/3097
Access Setting
Honors Thesis-Restricted
Restricted to Campus until
6-6-2021