
Company
Performer Steven Wendt
Co-writers Phil Soltanoff and Steven Wendt
Director Phil Soltanoff
Technical Director Stéphane Chipeaux-Dardé
Producer The Institute of Useless Activity
Coproducer The Bushwick Starr
Delegated producer (outside US) Compagnie 111 - Aurélien Bory
Digital programme image Brian Rogers
With the support of The Jim Henson Foundation. Phil Soltanoff and Steven Wendt received the Jim Henson Award for Innovation and the 2023 Allelu Award from the Jim Henson Foundation in support of the performances at the Barbican in London. Phil Soltanoff is the recipient of the Herb Alpert Award for Theatre 2020.
Related events
Post-show talk (BSL-interpreted)
Thu 15 Feb
Phil Soltanoff and Steven Wendt in conversation, hosted by Joseph Seelig and BSL-interpreted by Samuel Rojas.
Members event: Puppets in Theatre – Bringing New Life to the Stage
Tue 13 Feb
Discover more about the imaginative art of puppetry at this MimeLondon in-conversation event with Basil Twist and Phelim McDermott, facilitated by Cheryl Henson.
Free for Members
About the performance
About the performance
THAT uses light and video technology as abstract puppetry.
THIS investigates hand shadows.
THAT paints with light and imagines the universe.
THIS is about the people in it, their romantic sense of longing, loss and alienation.
THAT uses cameras, projectors and tripods that come to life;
zooming in and out, manoeuvring visual feedback loops, dissolving images together
and apart – creating an abstract video puppetry right in front of our eyes.
THIS tells stories about loss and love. A cowboy sleeps under the stars, a family puts their child to sleep for the night, a crooner serenades his lover, a jazz pianist fantasises while he plays.
THAT is inspired by Basil Twist’s Symphony Fantastique.
THIS brings to life characters inspired by the sculptures of Henri Moore.
A process of discovery
A process of discovery
We are committed to discovering what we don’t yet know about something. To that end, we engage in extended research and development. Each rehearsal starts from a blank page (metaphorically speaking). We investigate something – an object, process or convention – without knowing where we are going or where we will end up. We have the faith and confidence that we will stumble upon something interesting along the way.
We’re swimming in technology in our daily lives. Consequently, we use technology to build our work. We don’t, however, use the technology in the way it was intended. For example, we might attach a homemade contact mic to a tensor lamp. The lamp then transforms from a light source to something musical – and something mysterious.
We are committed to discovering and using what we call the ‘facts’ in the space. We are not trying to hide the truth of any object, process or space. We acknowledge their truth. And by doing so, we explore the honest transformations possible when we create work by juxtaposing the facts as they are.
We avoid slickness by rediscovering the poetry in simple objects.
We are interested in creating new forms by combining and juxtaposing familiar forms.
We believe in what John Cage calls ‘purposeful purposelessness’. Our work does not have to be useful politically or socially – just playful and naive; curious and full of wonder. Useless art is very useful.
Phil Soltanoff and Steven Wendt
Biographies
Phil Soltanoff
Co-writer and Director
This & That was featured at The Chocolate Factory Theatre (Queens) in association with The Bushwick Starr; HERE Arts Center (NYC). Recent projects include Oyster at Roulette Intermedium in Brooklyn; Sanctuary for Independent Media; Skidmore College M-Docs; A Evening with William Shatner Asterisk, featured in the Coil Festival; Fusebox Festival; PuSh Festival; Mass Live Arts and Live Arts Exchange; SITSTANDWALKLIEDOWN on Governors Island (SITELINES) and The Williamstown Theatre Festival; The Soltanoff/Findlay Project, commissioned by the Center Theatre Group; and I/O created in collaboration with sound artist Joe Diebes, which was featured in Festival Novelum at Theatre Garonne. L.A. PARTY, which premiered at PRELUDE09, was featured in UNDER THE RADAR, Fusebox Festival, PS122, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, the Hopkins Center, The Flynn Center, PuSh Festival and Mass Live Arts, among others. Phil Soltanoff has created two works in collaboration with Aurélien Bory and Cie 111: Plan B (2003) and More or Less, Infinity (2005) have performed around the world including at the Le théâtre Garonne in Toulouse, Kampnagel in Hamburg, Eurokaz Festival in Zagreb, Trafo in Budapest, Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne in Lausanne, Centro Cultural de Belém in Lisbon, Pina Bausch’s NRW International Dance Festival in Düsseldorf, Maison de la Danse in Lyon, London International Mime Festival, Théâtre de la Ville in Paris, BITEF-42 in Belgrade and The New Victory Theatre in New York City, among others. To Whom it May Concern, performed in an abandoned office building in NYC, was also featured at BITEF-31 in Belgrade. Co-founder of five myles with Hanne Tierney, he is also the founder of The Institute of Useless Activity. He was nominated for a Molière Award in 2007, a recipient of The Doris Duke Creative Exploration Fund Award and the 2020 Herb Alpert Award in the Arts. www.philsoltanoff.net
Steven Wendt
Creator/Performer
Work includes: This & That at The Chocolate Factory Theater (NYC) and HERE Arts Center (NYC); and Blue Man for the Blue Man Group at Astor Place Theater in New York City 2012-present. Wendt assisted to develop and perform the 2022 Blue Man Group North American tour, and appeared in Under Influence, a film by Sidney Leoni (Belgium). Wendt has been puppeteer on various commercials and web shows for Cartoon Network and Kids W.B. Other projects include contributions to The Soltanoff/Findlay Project at The Center Theater Group in Los Angeles, Ground to Cloud by Christine Marie at REDCAT (Disney Hall Los Angeles), and Growing Up Linda by Marsian De Lellis at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Steven Wendt is a recipient of the Puppeteers of America Jim Henson Innovation Award 2023 and was nominated for a Henry Hewes Notable Effects Award 2023. Steven is a graduate of Walnut Hill School for the Arts and The California Institute of the Arts ’09. www.stevenwendt.com
About Compagnie 111
Compagnie 111
Compagnie 111 was founded in Toulouse in 2000 by Aurélien Bory. The company works with a range of collaborators, developing a physical and visual theatre which is focused on the relation between space, bodies and physics with an important focus on scenography. Its repertoire of fifteen works has been presented worldwide to wide acclaim.
Compagnie 111 – Aurélien Bory is under a funding agreement with the Regional Directorate for Cultural Affairs Occitanie / French Ministry of Culture and Communication, Region Occitanie / Pyrénées – Méditerranée and the City council of Toulouse. It is supported by the French Institute for some of its collaborative projects and tours abroad. cie111.com
MimeLondon
MimeLondon is a new curatorial project created by Helen Lannaghan and Joseph Seelig, directors of London International Mime Festival (LIMF), which ended in 2023 after five decades of award-winning success. MimeLondon will support occasional seasons of contemporary visual theatre, in collaboration with different partner venues.
For its first series in London, which runs from 12 January to 17 February 2024, the Barbican, the National Theatre, Sadler’s Wells and Shoreditch Town Hall are hosting eight productions new to London, the work of four overseas groups, and four UK-based companies co-commissioned by London International Mime Festival in its final year. A series of workshops organised in association with the London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art (LAMDA) and Shoreditch Town Hall is taking place during the same period. mimelondon.com
For the Barbican
Barbican Centre Board
Chair
Tom Sleigh
Deputy Chair
Sir William Russell
Deputy Chair
Tobi Ruth Adebekun
Board Members
Randall Anderson, Munsur Ali, Stephen Bediako OBE, Farmida Bi CBE, Tijs Broeke, Zulum Elumogo, Wendy Mead OBE, Mark Page, Alpa Raja, Jens Riegelsberger, Jane Roscoe, Irem Yerdelen, Despina Tsatsas, Michael Asante MBE
Clerk to the Board
John Cater and Kate Doidge
Barbican Centre Trust
Chair
Farmida Bi CBE
Vice Chair
Robert Glick OBE
Trustees
Tom Bloxham MBE, Stephanie Camu, Tony Chambers, Cas Donald, David Kapur, Ann Kenrick, Kendall Langford, Sir William Russell, Tom Sleigh, Claire Spencer AM, Sian Westerman
Directors
Chief Executive Officer
Claire Spencer
Director of Development
Natasha Harris
Director of People, Inclusion and Culture
Ali Mirza
Head of Finance & Business Administration
Sarah Wall
Acting Director for Buildings and Renewal
Cornell Farrell
Director of Commercial
Jackie Boughton
Senior Executive Assistant to Claire Spencer
Jo Daly
Theatre Department
Head of Theatre and Dance
Toni Racklin
Senior Production Manager
Simon Bourne
Producers
Liz Eddy, Jill Shelley, Fiona Stewart
Assistant Producers
Saxon Mudge, Mali Siloko, Tom Titherington
Production Managers
Jamie Maisey, Lee Tasker
Technical Managers
Steve Daly, Jane Dickerson, Nik Kennedy, Martin Morgan, Stevie Porter
Stage Managers
Lucinda Hamlin, Charlotte Oliver
Technical Supervisors
James Breedon, Charlie Mann, Jamie Massey, Matt Nelson, Adam Parrott, Lawrence Sills, Chris Wilby
Technicians
Kendell Foster, David Kennard, Burcham Johnson, Bart Kuta, Christian Lyons, Josh Massey, Kieran Poynter, Fred Riding, Fede Spada, Matt Turnbull
PA to Head of Theatre
David Green
Production Administrator
Caroline Hall
Production Assistant
Michaela Harcegová
Stage Door
Julian Fox, aLbi Gravener
Creative Collaboration and Learning
Head of Creative Collaboration
Karena Johnson
Producer
Josie Dick
Producer
Lauren Brown
Assistant Producer
Rikky Onefeli
Assistant Producer
Carmen Okome
Marketing Department
Head of Marketing
Jackie Ellis
Deputy Head of Marketing
Ben Jefferies
Senior Marketing Manager
Kyle Bradshaw
Marketing Assistant
Olivia Brissett and Rebecca Moore
Communications Department
Head of Communications
James Tringham
Senior Communications Manager
Ariane Oiticica
Communications Manager
HBL
Communications Assistant
Sumayyah Sheikh
Audience Experience
Deputy Head of Audience Experience & Operations
Sheree Miller
Ticket Sales Managers
Lucy Allen, Oliver Robinson, Ben Skinner, Jane Thomas
Operations Managers
Ben Raynor, Elizabeth Davies-Sadd, Samantha Teatheredge, Hayley Zwolinsk
Operations Manager (Health & Safety)
Mo Reideman
Audience Event & Planning Manager
Freda Pouflis
Venue Managers
Scott Davies, Tabitha Goble, Nicola Lake, Maria Pateli
Assistant Venue Managers
Rhiannon Brennan, Sam Hind, Bronagh Leneghan, Melissa Olcese, Daniel Young
Crew Management
Dave Magwood, Rob Magwood, James Towell
Access and Licensing Manager
Rebecca Oliver
Security Operations Manager
Naqash Sheikh
Audience Experience Coordinator
Ayelen Fananas
With thanks...
The Barbican is London’s creative catalyst for arts, curiosity and enterprise. We spark creative possibilities and transformation for artists, audiences and communities – to inspire, connect, and provoke debate.
We’re committed to making a difference locally, nationally and internationally by showcasing some of the most inspiring and visionary work by artists and communities. We’re not-for-profit. Each year we need to raise 60% of our income through fundraising, ticket sales, and commercial activities. Our supporters play a vital role in keeping our programme accessible to everyone, which includes our work with local schools; development opportunities for emerging creatives; and access to discounted and subsidised tickets.
Barbican supporters enjoy behind the scenes access across the centre and see first-hand what their gift enables through enhanced priority booking, as well as access to tickets for sold-out performances and exclusive events. For more information please visit www.barbican.org.uk/join-support/support-us or [email protected].
With thanks...
Founder and principal funder
The City of London Corporation
Major Supporters
Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (UK Branch)
Kiran Nadar Museum of Art
SHM Foundation
The Terra Foundation for American Art
Leading Supporters
Trevor Fenwick and Jane Hindley
Marcus Margulies
Programme Supporters
Goodman Gallery
Romilly Walton Masters Award
Jack Shainman Gallery
The Rudge Shipley Charitable Trust
Director’s Circle
James and Louise Arnell
Farmida Bi CBE
Jo and Tom Bloxham MBE
Philippe and Stephanie Camu
Cas Donald
Alex and Elena Gerko
Trevor Fenwick and Jane Hindley
Sian and Matthew Westerman
SHM Foundation
Sir Howard Panter and Dame Rosemary Squire
Anonymous (1)
Corporate Supporters
Audible
Bank of America
Bloomberg
BMO
Bolt Burdon Kemp
Campari
Google Arts & Culture
Linklaters LLP
Norton Rose Fulbright
Osborne Clarke
Pinsent Masons
Searchlight Pictures
Sotheby’s
Slaughter and May
Standard Chartered
Taittinger
UBS
Vestiaire Collective
Trusts & Grantmakers
Acción Cultural Española (AC/E)
The African Arts Trust
The Ampersand Foundation
Art Fund
Bagri Foundation
CHK Foundation
Cockayne – Grants for the Arts
Company of Arts Scholars Charitable Trust
Fluxus Art Projects
Institut français du Royaume-Uni
John S Cohen Foundation
Helen Frankenthaler Foundation
High Commission of Canada in The United Kingdom
Korean Cultural Centre UK
Kusuma Trust UK
London Community Foundation
Mactaggart Third Fund
Maria Björnson Memorial Fund
U.S. Embassy London
We also want to thank the Barbican Patrons, members, and the many thousands who made a donation when purchasing tickets.
The Barbican Centre Trust Ltd, registered charity no. 294282