For Immediate Release:
November 13, 2017
Hi-res digital images available on request
Control Group Productions presents [Colony 933], An Immersive Mystery Dance-Theatre
Set in a Post-Apocalyptic World, the Audience Uncovers the Clues and Decides the Outcome
WHAT: [Colony 933]
WHEN & WHERE: Novo Coffee
1700 E 6th Ave, Denver, CO 80218
January 11, 12, 13 & 18, 19, 20, 2018 at 7:30pm
ADMISSION: $20 online | $25 at the door
INFO: www.colony933.com
DENVER – Control Group Productions presents a new immersive performance experience, [Colony 933], coming this January 2018. Six performances will be held January 11, 12, 13 & 18, 19, 20, 2018 at 7:30pm. Performances begin at Novo Coffee, 1700 E 6th Ave, in Denver from which the audience will be led to an undisclosed nearby bunker. Arrive early to enjoy Novo Coffee’s selection of coffee, wine, and beer prior to the show.
[Colony 933] is produced by Control Group Productions and directed by Kate Speer (Resident Artist at RedLine Contemporary Art Center). The work is conceived of and created collectively by Denver’s best experimental artists in music, dance, and visual art. The creative team has crafted an immersive mystery dance-theatre set in a post-apocalyptic world where the sun hasn’t risen in years. The audience will find themselves welcomed as new arrivals recently incorporated into the Colony 933. As they figure out this new world, there will be a choice: whether to embrace this new existence or stage the revolt. Only the audience can decide.
Denver has become a playground for immersive, interactive works in which the audience can disappear inside an entire environment. Control Group Productions is well known for cultivating rich immersive experiences responsive to their site, situation, and audience–from a multi-site bus tour in “Salon Romantik, op. 3: Fear & Prophets” (2013) to revamping an abandoned butcher factory in “SETTING FIRES” (2017). Artistic Director of Control Group, Patrick Mueller, has been part of Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ Off Center’s two recent immersive projects: “The Wild Party” as choreographer and “Sweet & Lucky” as a performer and creator.
[Colony 933] initiates a new type of programming by Control Group: a commissioned work by guest artist Kate Speer and her collaborative team, produced and mentored by the organization. The mystery theatre plot was developed by Frankie Toan, current Temple artist and former RedLine Resident Artist. Performers include dance and theatre artists Emma Acheson, Vanessa Ann, Amy Millennor, Sara Roybal, Rowan Salem, Kate Speer, Jessica Troppmann, and Rachel Oliver Young. Visual artists, Jessica Forrestal, Genevieve Waller, and Jess Webb, have painted murals and created immersive installations for the production. Musical artists, Michael Clark and Jake Wherry, complete the sensorial world with an original sound score.
[Colony 933] will be performed at Novo Coffee, 1700 E 6th Ave, January 11, 12, 13 & 18, 19, 20, 2018 at 7:30pm. Tickets are available online ($20 online and $25 at the door). Ages 12 and up are welcome. For more information, visit www.colony933.com.
About Control Group Productions
Founded in 2008 by artistic director Patrick Mueller, Control Group is a Colorado-based, globally-faced platform for contemporary performance research, production, distribution, and advocacy. With a revolving team of extraordinary artists, we pursue deep collaboration, rigorous research & development, and critical innovations in form and contents. Control Group has created 15 major works to date, ranging from stage performances to site-specific, installation, and film projects.
Control Group has received project and commissioning support from The Biennial of the Americas, Denver Theatre District, the Denver Office of Arts & Venues, and BINDERY|space; and its work has been presented by RedLine Gallery, Naropa University, Dance Initiative Carbondale, American Dance Festival’s MFA program, Boulder Fringe Festival, and others. Our work is supported by Colorado Creative Industries and the National Endowment for the Arts, Colorado’s Scientific and Cultural Facilities District, Broomfield Community Foundation, the Dugas Family Foundation, the Gilbert Family Trust, and other foundations, trusts, and individual donors. For more information, visit www.controlgroupproductions.org.
Kate Speer, Artistic Director
Kate Speer is a dancer, choreographer, and writer based in Denver, CO. Her own choreography has been supported by the Puffin Foundation and the Community Education Center’s New Edge Artist Mix Series (PA), and has been presented in Boulder International Fringe Festival (CO), Philly Fringe (PA), ETC Performance Series (PA), and FAB Dance Showcase (ME). Speer is also one fourth of XX, a Boulder-based collaboration with Ondine Geary, Lauren Beale, and Brook McNamara. Always seeking collaborative performance projects, she has had the pleasure to perform in work by Gesel Mason Performance Projects, Nathan Blackwell, Raja Feather Kelly, Tania Isaac, Patrick Mueller, and Willi Dorner. Currently a Resident Artist at RedLine Contemporary Art Center, Speer has had residencies at PlatteForum (CO), Middlebury College (VT), Swarthmore College (PA), and Mascher Space Cooperative (PA), all of which emphasize community engagement that is inherent in her dancemaking. She holds an MFA in Dance from the University of Colorado Boulder and a BA in Dance and Biology from Swarthmore College. For more information, visit www.katespeerdance.org.
Frankie Toan, Mystery Theatre Writer
Frankie Toan is an artist working mostly with craft and DIY materials and techniques to create large plush sculptures, interactive works, and installations. With an emphasis on labor and process, Frankie explores the complexities of touch, connection, and embodiment. Frankie holds a BFA in Craft/Material studies from Virginia Commonwealth University, with a minor in Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s studies. Originally trained as a metalsmith and metal fabricator, Frankie has recently been following their love of fiber and all things soft. Frankie has participated in many group shows and collaborations nationwide. Having previously completed several residencies including a year at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, they have recently completed a two-year residency at Redline in Denver, CO. For more information, visit www.fetoan.com.
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