Visions from Marfa (that is, the people who attended the devising intensive) ebb just beneath the imagination of the devising ensemble selected to continue the work in Lubbock. The show feels like a secret unfolding on stage, each opening carefully choosing its own moment; a flow that exists in relation to time that has already passed.
Mere, and beneath the heavenly expanse of an International Dark Sky1, imposed by the magnanimous weight of what is infinite and unknown, avenues of creative ideation hold candlelight vigils in the minds of artists, hoping for formidability in their physical expression. Faithfully, the artist ruminates, ambling over the romanticized dust of South Texas. Spanish conquests and stories of vaqueros2 fascinate wild-west historians who seek solace in the desert wind of the past while sipping quality coffee in an unassuming café of fashionable tastes. Welcome to Marfa, TX – says nobody. Most people say it without saying it. If a laptop is closed, then a smile may draw the curious into discussions about old wars and indigenous tribes, the evolution of Mexican culture in America, or possibly the influence created by the Buffalo Soldiers at nearby Ft. Davis; and, more presently, how it pertains to their stay. Although, the reservation of privacy is apparent in a remote, mountainous desert which seemingly boasts an eerie ability to stop time; it is not difficult for an artist to find tejas3 among the dusky loners, the decadent players, and the desolation that fringes from the sand and the supernatural. Artists working in curbside spaces sometimes leave the garage door up, in invitation; or maybe only to ventilate in the dry heat of late July – heat that peels at the skin like paint stripping away from dull canvas. This heat is energy. It is the fuel of ancestral desperation which modern comforts conceal in a bid for safety and goodness’ sake. It is a competition between primitive endurance and social evolution. It is payment of respects to human willpower. It is instinctual residue. It is art in the making.
It is what students from Texas Tech University’s School of Theatre & Dance commit themselves to investigating when attending a rigorous, devised theatre workshop, dreamed into life in 2016 by Executive Director, Dr. Mark Charney, and alum and owner of Hotel St. George in Marfa, TX, Tim Crowley. The Marfa Intensive, an exceptional and one-of-a-kind opportunity, was led this past summer by Assistant Professor of Movement, Dr. Chris Staley, Columbia Theatre faculty, Katherine Wilkinson, and Head of Dance, Kyla Olson. The 2024 Intensive also invited performers from Bilkent University in Turkey, as well as a Kennedy Center national awardee. Students from all areas of theatre worked outside of the comforts of their major area of study, innovating around unfamiliar hindrances. Designers performed on stage; actors became overnight playwrights. New, ten-minute works were melded by the miracle of pressure, every few days. Moments from these rough diamonds were set aside for polishing at Texas Tech University in the fall semester, by a new and expanded ensemble cast, into a grand culmination of primordial musings transcended through quality stagecraft and intelligent, ethical framework into a thought-provoking, purposeful, and highly entertaining production. Visions from Marfa (that is, the people who attended the devising intensive) ebb just beneath the imagination of the devising ensemble selected to continue the work in Lubbock. The show feels like a secret unfolding on stage, each opening carefully choosing its own moment; a flow that exists in relation to time that has already passed. It folds over itself and finds more meaning in each progressive wave. There is a calculated, weightless undertow crawling from under the seats, to the stage, and back. It pulls the audience into terrifying adaptations, philosophical logistics, and solemn revelations until the theatre is fully submerged in the substance of meaningful exchange.
The devising throughlines for the 2024 Marfa Intensive were “ghosts” and “memory.” Tasked to look outside the inevitability of death, students experimented within pre-determined boundaries of movement techniques and prompts that directed attention to certain elements of horror and other theatrical deliciousness (stage-gore, for example). One thought continually permeated rehearsals – the theatre ghost. Be it superstition or ritual, the ghosts of past performances are said to haunt every theatre. This story is so common that theatres traditionally incorporate the use of a ghost light – a singular bulb left energized on the stage after the theatre is empty, so that ghost actors hidden by the usually invisible realm of the afterlife may appear and perform at their leisure (while ghost audiences enjoy the show, of course). This is to hopefully mitigate the potential for any paranormal mischief during shows performed by the living. Although there is no guarantee that actual visits from beyond our realm will occur during this show’s run, the quality of the production will certainly serve as a haunting reminder for the production crew to leave the light on. The material inspiring this project is deeply personal, as all art must be. Experiences of grief, speculations of an afterlife, unsettling legends, and stories of loved ones who are gone, but not forgotten, were shared by cast members and respectfully crafted by one another for the stage. It is for your consideration that this work has been touched by many hands. It is an intimate and emotional palimpsest that, at varying points in production, renders every person involved a ghost (metaphorically, at least). In the afterglow of thematic deliberation and some soul-searching, it was apparent that the recurring focus of how people tell another person’s story was the acme of The Ghost Project.
1Marfa, TX is near the Greater Big Bend International Dark Sky Reserve. Myriad views of stars and celestial bodies at night, without the interference of light pollution, are the main attraction of an International Dark Sky.
2Vaquero is a Spanish word. In the Southwestern United States, it typically represents a “Mesoamerican cowboy.”
3Tejas is a Caddo native word meaning “friends or “allies” and it is the namesake of Texas.