Lil' Roy & the Weird Sisters (2004)
Lil' Roy and the Weird Sisters is a dance theater adventure tale. The Weird Sisters, Ruby, Aquamarina, and Brunella, like the Fates of Greek mythology, dance emotional narratives of power, longing and secrets. Originally these dances were a trio of solos titled Suite for Weird Sisters created and performed by Carrie Hanson in 1997. Lil' Roy takes the solos and gives them a larger narrative context. In this expanded work, the sisters meet Lil' Roy, a peculiar, nerdy nine-year old, after a tragic accident at a carnival. Lil' Roy conjures them in his imagination as he battles the forces of crochet, wigs, cotton candy and other evils of the world.
The Seldoms premiered Lil' Roy & the Weird Sisters at Architectural Artifacts in Chicago, September 10-11, 2004. This place is an amazing, cavernous warehouse of architectural pieces, antiques and oddities from around the world that truly inspired the creation of the work. We had a great time raiding Architectural Artifacts' trove of objects for set pieces, including eerie porcelain doll parts that animators Lisa Barcy & David Faccini breathed to life as menacing, battling spirits in their video projections. Thanks to Stuart Grannen and all the staff of Architectural Artifacts for their patience and generous encouragement. Thanks also to Chicago comic book artist, Mitch O'Connell, who created unforgettable poster artwork for Lil' Roy & the Weird Sisters.
Credits
- Choreography by Carrie Hanson
- Story by Doug Stapleton
- Performed By
- Carrie Hanson as Brunella, Aquamarina, Ruby
- Doug Stapleton as Lil' Roy
- Michelle Blakely as Cotton Candy
- Christina Gonzalez-Gillett as Doily
- Jen Grisham as Bingo
- Charlie Cutler as The Voice in Lil' Roy's head
- Costumes by The Seldoms & Lara Miller
- Animation by Lisa Barcy & David Faccini
- Paintings by Anthony Gongora
- Music by Nick Didkovsky
- Props, set pieces and vehicle provided by Architectural Artifacts Inc.
- Production
- Co-Lighting Designers: Margaret Nelson, Josh Weckesser
- Stage Manager: Josh Weckesser
- Rigging: Michael Reed