Rejoice! Diaspora Dance Theater Artistic Director and Choreographer Oluyinka Akinjiola; photo by Jingzi Zhao

Answers from James Mapes, Interim Festival Director

 

 

THURSDAY
An Iliad
concerning endless political cycles of rage and violence

 

“An Iliad is the best play I’ve ever seen, end of story. Everything about it is amazing – the acting, the music (and Anna’s playing of the cello!), the words that are in the script. Sometimes people say stories are always relevant (this happens a lot with, like, Shakespeare), but An Iliad is a modern play that uses, twists, and celebrates an ancient, intense, and furious text, and earns every bit of the word relevant.”

 

 

FRIDAY
Rejoice! Diaspora Dance Theater
and
Tipping Point: What the Portland Protests Tell Us About the State of America
concerning how this country got here and how we’ve resisted

 

“Rejoice is one of my favorite companies to watch, they’re 100% fun even when they’re talking about the most serious shit. Presenting their survey of black protest and power is a highlight for me, and I’m so excited to share it.”
 

“Tipping Point wrenched out my god damn heart. I can’t think of a more important thing for a Portlander to spend an evening experiencing before Nov. 5th. We’re not just voting in national politics – we’ve got some serious things to think about closer to home.”

 

 

SATURDAY
Election Anti-Party Showcase
concerning what comes next (according to the clowns, weirdos, and artists)

 

“Moment to moment, we’ll all find something incredible, like we’ve stepped into the coolest experimental theater dive bar imaginable. But taken together, all 20 of the pieces, one after another… that’s going to be a unique experience. My hope is that this showcase is like inviting your 20 coolest friends over to give you personalized endorsements for politics (and maybe how to live your life, too).”

 

 

Illustration by Liz Yerby | @lizyerby

The Election
Anti–Party

three days of art, protest, and politics

September 26 – 28, 2024

Photo by Gary Norman

Thursday, Sept 26 – An Iliad
by Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare

Music by Anna Fritz

Performed by Paul Susi and Anna Fritz

A Fig Tree Committee Production

The Fig Tree Committee has been touring An Iliad to correctional facilities around the Pacific Northwest for over five years, alongside rare public performances; so far, over 3,000 people have seen their production, most of whom were incarcerated at the time. Their work knits together audiences on both sides of the prison walls by using one of the world’s oldest stories to examine the cycles of violence, trauma, displacement, and hope for healing that unite us all. The Fig Tree Committee is bringing the Election Anti-Party this heavy dose of perspective just before kicking off a tour to correctional facilities in Wisconsin (swing state!), Vermont, and New Hampshire in October.

A discussion with the artists to follow the performance.

figtreecommittee.org

Friday, Sept 27 – Tipping Point: What the Portland Protests Tell Us About the State of America

with Rejoice! Diaspora Dance Theater

In May 2020, following the death of George Floyd, Portland, Oregon, became the focus of media attention for its protests and demonstrations against systemic racism and police brutality. Tipping Point is a documentary film about the largest recent civil rights protest in U.S. history, and how Portland emerged as its epicenter. Told through the individual stories of Portlanders on the ground, Tipping Point humanizes the struggle while allowing Portland’s story to serve as a mirror for all of America – the past that brought us here and the future we must choose.

Prior to the screening, we’ll be joined by special guests Rejoice! Diaspora Dance Theater, presenting the piece “Uprising”, a continuation of their exploration on black joy, protest, and movement.

A discussion featuring the artists, filmmakers, artist/activist Emily Squires, and civil rights lawyer Ashlee Albies to follow.

tippingpointfilm.com
rejoicediasporadance.com

Carla Rossi (upper right, photo by Tojo Andrianarivo), Thorn Hartspring (lower right, photo by A Bitter Orange Photographer), and the Hand2Mouth Youth Devising Residency (lower left, photo by Jenni GreenMiller)

Saturday, Sept 28 – The Election Anti–Party Showcase

Local performance artists, assemble!

Risk/Reward presents 20 different artists’ thoughts on the 2024 Election. Each piece is made to order, bespoke for this moment, and 2 and 4 minutes in length. In response to RR’s call for submissions, Portland has turned out: expect theater, music, film, pies, dance, rat-based strip-tease, righteous fury, performative sculpture, a gentle and loving examination of what it is to vote by mail, and (most surprising) maybe even a fleeting wisp of hope in the air.

The Election Anti-Party Showcase will feature:

Pepper Pepper
Svetlana Trantastic
Jessica Wallenfels
Rachel Lindsey Routh & Sorrel Ophelia LaLune
Sweta Ravisankar
Thorn Hartspring
Emily June Newton
Dustin Curry
Anthony Hudson / Carla Rossi
Tracy Cameron Francis
Michael O’Neill
Hollynitski and the Extended Voice Ensemble
Éowyn Emerald
Divine
Hand2Mouth Youth Devising Intensive
Meg Denton
Mychelle M.
Zero Feeney / Kid Lich
Andrea Parson
A Sentient Karaoke Machine from the Year 3024