The Movement Theatre Company has launched the gallery for 1MOVE: DES19NED BY..., a virtual project featuring 16 new video works. The designer-driven project, co-curated by Tony-winning costume and scenic designer Clint Ramos and lighting designer Cha See (whose own piece is featured in the gallery), awarded 15 early-career artists $500 commissions.
Announced in May, 1MOVE: DES19NED BY... is part of TMTC's pre-existing 1MOVE, a program created to give artists an opportunity to respond, in an online space, to current issues. While some of the short pieces in the gallery respond to the COVID-19 pandemic in one way or another, such as lighting designer Reza Behjat's aptly-named The Six Feet, others, like scenic designer and visual artist Wenzheng (Wen) Zhang's BLM2020, is against the backdrop of the current global Black Lives Matter movement.
You can view all of the works by visiting TheMovementTheatreCompany.org. The Movement will hold a digital Meet the Designers event on June 16 at 4 PM ET, hosted by Ramos, which will feature all 15 designers. To RSVP, click here.
The gallery also features Body of Water by co-curator See; Closure by Stefania Bulbarella; Diary of a Quarantined Costume Designer by Dina El-Aziz; Back to Basics by Edurne Fernandez; “Amerindios” Our Heritage by María Feuereisen; Footsteps by Megumi Katayama; Cu-ta-ne-ous by Ntokozo Fuzunina Kunene; nowhere by Chen-Wei Liao; A Glow of Life by Omar Madkour; Impulso by Rodrigo Muñoz; March, April and May by Yee Eun Nam; and The Adventures of Little Chef Hat by Riw Rakkulchon.
READ: How The Movement Theatre Company Went From Grassroots Troupe to Off-Broadway Force
A second round of commissions, co-curated by Paul Tazewell, Dede Ayite and Stacey Derosier, will be announced later this summer.
The Movement Theatre Company is led by David Mendizábal, Deadria Harrington, Eric Lockley, Taylor Reynolds, and Ryan Dobrin. The company launched 1MOVE in 2017 with INFINITE: In a “Trump America,” which featured musician Corey Wallace, actor-singer Janelle McDermoth, and writer-performer Yadira De La Riva. Support for the program is made possible by the artEquity Artist + Activist Community Fund. To support the initiative, click here.
