’62 Center for Theatre and Dance

Presents

N O W I S W H E N W E A R E (the stars)

Created by Andrew Schneider

Sound Design by Andrew Schneider and Bobby McElver

Additional software engineering by Oren Shoham

Produced with Miranda Wright + Los Angeles Performance Practice 

The ’62 Center for Theatre and Dance presents N O W I S W H E N W E A R E (the stars), an immersive, interactive, light and sound installation guiding each visitor through an internal monologue about grief, community, and the one-way-ness of time. It is ultimately a story about you.

“An electrifying mission into the distant galaxies of the self. ★★★★★”  —TimeOut Melbourne

“You could think of it like an immersive planetarium or a planetarium that you can walk through. Each star is hand-soldered and individually controllable, meaning the entire thing can act as a giant volumetric display,” says  Andrew Schneider. “And, as with most of my work, it’s highly technical, but the technology becomes hidden in the service of the story. So how is the technology giving humans an experience that they wouldn’t otherwise been able to have? One of the way is by doing something that no one in their right mind would ever do.”

The audience doesn’t sit back and watch a story, they walk through the experience and explore traces of themselves and others in the cosmos. “Every decision you have ever made in your entire life has led to this exact moment” – the guests are reminded. The story of Stars is not the story of the narrator. It is the story of each person who comes through. It is the story of you.

There are two ways to experience the show. GUIDED–journey through the installation guided by an unseen narrator. OPEN UNIVERSE–an entirely self-guided experience.

GUIDED PERFORMANCE: A one-hour long crafted experience, for up to 8 audience members at a time. This theatrical experience features a beginning, middle, and end, all guided by an unseen narrator.

Wednesday to Saturday, Feb 22-25, 4 PM, 5 PM, 7 PM, 8 PM

OPEN UNIVERSE INSTALLATION: A self-guided experience through an open installation. You’ll have an entry time and can explore the space at your own pace.

Thursday & Friday, Feb 23 & 24, 10 AM, 10:30 AM, 11 AM, 11:30 AM

It is first a guided narrative, then an interactive exploration. Visitors are invited to explore a warehouse-sized room that will eventually be filled with over 5,000 individually controlled points of light. Using the 3D sound-spatializing technology Wave Field Synthesis and a room-sized tracking system, the technology behind this project allows us to pinpoint the precise location of every star and place a voice, a memory, a fleeting whisper at each – heard only there and nowhere else. The memories are community members’ stories, memories, thoughts, and recollections – recorded where the project is currently housed.

Tickets are $10/$3 (students).

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Accessibility:

This is a non-seated, interactive environment recommended for ages 12 and up. For seating and other accessibility requests, please email 62boxoffice@williams.edu.

Sensory Note:

There will be periods of complete darkness during this experience and occasional loud noises and flashing lights.

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http://www.andrewjs.com/work/

Development of NOWISWHENWEARE was made possible with support from The Brown Arts Institute, Carleton College Arts and Technology Initiative, The Simons Foundation and Science Sandbox, The Onassis Foundation, The Sundance Institute Interdisciplinary Program, and Eliko Industries. This project is produced with and managed by Los Angeles Performance Practice / performancepractice.org

COVID-19 is still a present and evolving public health issue. As such, Williams College and the ’62 Center are keeping a close eye on the latest state and federal recommendations. We hope to welcome community members to all our performances; however, the College’s policies, based on a preponderance of caution for the health and safety of our students, faculty, staff, artists, and community members, might require us to change on short notice. For current policies being enforced, please visit the ’62 Center’s website. We will also articulate the current health and safety guidelines in our newsletter and pre-show emails. Please look out for these updates. Thank you for your patience and support.

We are excited to recommit to our mission to connect a global community of performing artists with the curriculum of Williams. We are excited by the leadership of artists, both faculty and visiting artists, to challenge traditional forms, engage in the larger political dialogue, and allow students and community members to explore diverse modes of expression.  Not content to merely present popular work, the professional performances, workshops, and student productions are designed to invite the entire Berkshires community to engage, debate, and celebrate the experience of both witnessing and creating live art.

The CenterSeries performances are made possible by the W. Ford Schumann ’50 Endowment for the Arts and the Lipp Family Fund for Performing Artists.