The In Home performance was a huge success for everyone involved. “The dancers were brilliant,” Artistic Director Pam Kuntz said. Kuntz said this was her first time having a performance in a home and added that she would definitely do it again.
The performance took place in the house of Truc Thon. “I have heard lots of great things about Pam's works through friends. I don't know much about theater but have been to quite a few plays and always enjoyed it. Kuntz and Co. will be a great asset for Bellingham,” Thon said.
Ella Mahler, who was a dancer in the performance, said that performing in a less conventional space can be very exciting. “It provides a more intimate experience for both the audience and the performer. Artistically, we are able to make different choices in such a small space,” Mahler said. She was the dancer in the laundry room and received a very positive response from the audience regarding her talented abilities as a dancer as well as her ability to challenge the audience to really think and connect with the piece. “The audience sees, hears and feels everything - and so does the performer. That can provide a much more raw, and sometimes more powerful, experience,” Mahler said.
Vanessa Wallen, who was another participating dancer, also talked about performing in a home. “It felt more ‘real.’ Less like two dancers performing for an audience and more like two human beings interacting and communicating in a glass house,” Wallen said. She performed an intense piece with another dancer, Ben Estes.
The last piece involved a couple fighting over a television remote. According to Kuntz, many audience members felt that they could really relate to the piece. Ian Bivins and Angela Kiser were the dancers in this piece. “My favorite part of the experience was being able to immediately connect with my audience after I showed my work,” Bivins said. “Often, I don't get the luxury of being able to have a check-in with an audience members.”
Each piece was accompanied by an accordion player, Spencer Thun. He also was very surprised at how different performing in a home was. “Once it began, the relationship between audience and performer retained all of the usual expectations and characteristics that one would typically associate with a proscenium-staged production,” Thun said. “The margins of the piece, however, surprised me the most. I envisioned the guests entering the space quietly and solemnly. I was surprised when the energy from the party in the adjacent room seemed to follow people into the performance space,” Thun said.
Kuntz said that she believes the evening came together well because of the individuals who put in a lot of hard work such as: Ella Mahler, the company's development director, the caterers (who volunteered their time and services), the performers, the energetic and supportive audience members and of course the home owners Truc and Jerry Thon.
