Working Title: My Merce, My Man 

Description: In the rumble of Westbeth’s windtunnel, time is folding onto itself and multiplying. We’re witnessing the making of many Merce Cunninghams. “My Merce, My Man” is a performance score of hypotheticals exploring an inheritance of experimentation, mastery, affect, and power interpreted through an abundance of bodies. This is a work of fanfiction in the realm of performance and is holding space for degrees of reverence and humor, the technically sound and the amateur attempt, the expected and the absolutely absurd. 

Casting: Any genre of performer interested in interpreting a dimension of Merce Cunningham. Whether that be his performance as a dancer, collaborator, authority figure, or revered art pioneer. Maybe your interpretation dives further into notions of chance, questions of affect, takes on technique, or the way in which a person becomes a landmark unto themselves.

I’m excited to hear from actors, impersonators, comedians, dancers, drag entertainers, circus performers, and poets just to name a few. BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ performers are encouraged to participate. This work is best suited for individuals who feel excited to co-create ensemble-work, are open to experimental prompting, and feel comfortable working with a cast of mixed skill sets, ages, genders, movement backgrounds, and areas of expertise.

Prep: Selected performers will be given a selection of writings, interviews and performances to springboard their own interpretations from. 

Rehearsals: 3-4 ensemble rehearsals starting late March through May. Rehearsals will last between 2-3 hours. There is an option for  additional 1:1 Zoom calls with performers throughout the process should they desire it. 

Performance: Dress rehearsal May 28th in Westbeth's courtyard. Performance premiere May 31st at 7 pm. 

Compensation: At this time I cannot offer monetary compensation to the performers in the ways that I aspire to, but I am working towards a modest stipend for the May 31st performance via grant funding. I can promise at the  bare minimum a fruitful and generative rehearsal process, snacks, and documentation to be used for your own reels down the line. I have a background in photography, production, videography, editing, writing, and the ever-dreaded "admin" - I'm also very very game to figure out skill/time trades if that is appealing to a performer as well!

About me: I’m a multidisciplinary artist working across directing, performance, video, and language. My work off recent history seeks to continue as the question: Who taught you how to move? Recent projects include The Choice Part, a 35-min piece of devised dance theater where 6 performers between the ages of 11-30 play-acted as unsupervised pre-teen girls in a dance studio. A guttural mash-up of Dance Moms x Lord of The flies. 

Interested? Reach out to me at sachachavega@gmail.com. Please share with me what drew you to this project and what you’re hoping to get out of this experience. If you have examples of your past work I would love to see them! Additionally, please complete this writing prompt: 1) What is a boundary in your genre of making that you’re interested in pushing or questioning? 2) If resources were not a question, how would you go about experimenting/testing this boundary? 3) You did it! The public loves it! How do you carry yourself knowing your risks paid off?

References I’m inspired by when developing this work: Gossip Girl FanFic Novella, Tess Dworman’s Carl Soprano, Carolyn Lazard: Long Take, I’m Not There, Madeline Hollander’s Review and Everything, Everywhere, All At Once.