MA Lab Works 1 by MA Theatre Lab

Created and performed by Montserrat Cuellar Mestas
Photography by Itzel Picazo
Sound design by Rita Horta

A phantasmagorical journey towards a place of origin: Jalisco, Mexico. Landscapes of a past unknown are reimagined and intertwined with the present: a girl walking back home.

Special thanks to the Grodman Legacy scholarship programme for the promotion of artists from Jalisco.

Created and performed by Oleksandra Barstok

A tomato hanging on a stem. Let's say you pick a tomato from the stem. Now you have the fruit in your hands, and there is a small mark from the stem on it - "the core of the tomato".

Research into the subconscious, dreams, images.

Development of one of the characters for a future performance.
"happiness through survival"

Content warning: loud sound, abstract violence.

Created and performed by Jonah Buksbaum, Emma Yvette Conlon, Will Choy Edelson and Tara Kitson

The world is falling. The stars are leaving, the leaves are working overtime. Lovers cling to each other, families break apart, and humanity searches for meaning. How do we react when we fall? And what do we do on the way down?

Content warnings: themes of aging and death, depiction of physical injury, loud noises.

Created and performed by Olga Fedorishcheva

"How life gets fragmented and put together. Somehow. Somewhat." 

Special thanks to Ian Morgan, Lesley Ewen, Dan Sherer, Gemma Crooks for your invaluable input; to my new cohort for being awesome in every way; Rebecca Nemzer for making this program possible, and life long love and support; to John for your continual support; huge thank you to Ali for lovingly dealing with the Night Fury on a daily basis; Steve for taking care of our jungle family; my dad for everything; and always always my iridescent mom. 

Content warnings: flashing lights, grief, curse words, graphic description of wars.

All factual information used in the show is quoted from Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and OSCE official documents.

Created and performed by Nash Nørgaard

Sacrifices come in many forms. For some, they are large, grand, and oh so romantic. For others, it is the price you pay to be part of a system. To bore smooth the rough edges as to fit in and stay on the treadmill. In this latter example, answer me this, how much are you willing to cut off? And is there really a difference between sacrifice and betrayal?

Content warnings: flashing lights, simulated gun fire, animal cruelty

Created by Marianna Fornari
Performed by Joshua Aiu, Ethan Bareham, Oleksandra Barstok, Jonah Buksbaum, Jack Clark, Emma Yvette Conlon, Marianna Fornari, Georgia Gabrielides, Tara Kitson, Lucy Laverty, Xiaoyao Luo, Sook Kuan Tang

The show explores the themes of connection and the meaning of life, revealed through togetherness and touch.

The protagonists on stage enter the world with curiosity and wonder as they discover the power of sensations, feelings, and events. The possibility of feeling (sensations and emotions) is often taken for granted, and in rediscovering it lies the meaning of life.

As the audience watches the scenes, they are involved, receiving a gentle touch as a gift, a reminder of being alive. Actors and spectators together can share the tenderness of a caress. The theatre is the world to experience. Touch is a hymn to life.

Content warnings: flashing lights, representation of fighting.

Please note: gentle physical touch and physical interaction will occur between the audience members and the performers. Consent to this will be marked by the audience choosing to wear a visible sticker. Consent can be withdrawn at any time by removing the sticker.