Five original student works transform UK Fine Arts Building into multivenue experience
The University of Kentucky Department of Theatre and Dance presents “A Collective in Muse,” a groundbreaking two-day performance event featuring five original student works spanning film, immersive theatre, experimental installation and multidisciplinary performance. The event, Feb. 27-28, transforms the entire College of Fine Arts Building into a dynamic, multivenue showcase where audiences can explore concurrent performances at their own pace.
“To be ‘in muse’ is to be in a state of deep thought or dreamy abstraction,” said artistic director Kate Field, assistant professor of scenic design. “It has been incredibly exciting to see these students take full advantage of the resources we have here in the department to research and create new and innovative works that they would otherwise be unable to showcase during our typical mainstage season. The students are truly a collective in muse, and I hope audience members will step away from this project feeling the same.”
Featured works include:
“Just Something About You” by Seven Kessler
Guignol Theatre, every 20 minutes
This heartfelt 16-minute film follows Ciara, a young woman weary of loneliness, whose inner voice keeps her cynical about connection. Determined to break free, Ciara decides tonight will be the night she lets loose — a relatable journey of friendship and growing camaraderie. Featuring a cast of 10 theater and dance majors with cinematography by Autrey Brown. Seven Kessler is a senior theater major with a Film Directing Certificate.
“Dante’s” by Autrey Brown
Lucille Little Black Box Theatre, every 30 minutes
A 20-minute original immersive production loosely based on Dante’s “Inferno,” this promenade murder mystery transports audiences to 1927 Chicago, where lead performer Alice Blance has just been murdered in a prohibition-era speakeasy. Audience members follow actors of their choosing throughout the space to discover who committed the crime. Told almost solely through movement and music, the production explores themes of love, loss, betrayal and death. Autrey Brown is a senior theater major with a minor in interdisciplinary art studies and certificates in film production and dramatic writing.
“This experience has been fantastic, teaching me so much about collaboration with my fellow artists as well as beautifully combining my work throughout college,” Brown said. “I’m excited to graduate and take with me the skills I have learned through this experience.”
“Hippolyte” by Eli Vann
Briggs Theatre, every 20 minutes
An experimental art installation exploring the physical properties and movement of light, inspired by physicist Armand Hippolyte Louis Fizeau and his work calculating the speed of light. With no traditional performers and a 20-minute repeating loop, audience members become central participants, interacting with moving light and examining how it behaves, shifts and becomes perceptible as motion. Eli Vann is a senior theater major with a focus on lighting design and technology with a minor in interdisciplinary arts.
“Assembled” by Hersch Nathan
Guignol Theatre lobby, every 15 minutes, beginning 7:30 p.m.
A 15-minute multidisciplinary theater work blending puppetry, robotics and object performance. Inspired by Karel Čapek's “Rossum’s Universal Robots,” the first play to introduce the word “robot,” the piece explores the anthropomorphization of inanimate objects and examines humanity’s emotional and ethical relationship with artificial beings. The work reflects Hersch Nathan’s combined practice as a roboticist and puppeteer, investigating the overlap between engineering and performance. Nathan is a dual-degree student in electrical engineering and theater with a minor in mathematics.
“Aunt Leaf” directed by Zander Chojnacki
Fine Arts Building courtyard, 7 p.m., 8 p.m. and 9 p.m., 40-minute run time
An experimental, immersive and abstract play originally written by Barbara Wiechmann that invites audiences into an intimate exploration of storytelling, relationships and imagination. The piece follows Annabelle, a young woman learning to tell stories to her aging, depressed Aunt Leaf. Through fragments, fibs and tall tales, the production dissolves traditional boundaries between performer and audience, placing viewers directly inside the world of the story in a multisensory theatrical experience. Zander Chojnacki is a junior dual major in theater and dance.
Note: This outdoor production will have heaters and hand warmers stationed throughout the courtyard. Audience members are encouraged to dress accordingly.
“A Collective in Muse” performances will be 7-10 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27 and Saturday, Feb. 28, in and around the Fine Arts Building, 465 Rose St.
Tickets are $22 for adults and $14 for students (additional fees may apply online) and are available through the Singletary Center for the Arts box office at UKDOTDTickets.com or by calling 859-257-4929. Audience members may purchase tickets online until 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 28 and box office ticket sales end at 7:30 p.m. each day of the event.
With a flexible, exhibition-style structure, attendees can purchase a single “weekend pass” ticket and move freely between scheduled performances. One ticket allows entry to both days of performances. Works range from 10 to 40 minutes and loop continuously for maximum interaction, encouraging exploration across multiple artistic genres.
