BONNIE & CLYDE Immersive Dance Theater Will Come to MATCH Houston
Annie Arnoult leads the ODP ensemble in a 1930s-set multimedia production at MATCH
Open Dance Project will present Bonnie & Clyde, an immersive dance theater performance devised by the ODP ensemble under the choreographic direction of Annie Arnoult. Ten ticketed performances will run at the Midtown Arts & Theater Center Houston (MATCH) beginning April 30, 2026.
Situated in the 1930s through original music, costume, lighting, and immersive set design, this work looks inward at the emotional experience of two young criminals from Texas in the midst of the Great Depression. Through compelling choreography, the couple's sensationalized drama is peeled back to reveal the human experience of love, desperation, and violence, using history and disrupted narrative to ask critical questions about today's world.
The performance engages audience members in an intimate, multisensory experience that places them in the direct center of Bonnie & Clyde's story. Audience members can grab a slice of pie and a Coke from Bonnie at Marco's Cafe, eavesdrop as Clyde flirts with guests and plays his own rendition of Jimmy Rodgers “Sleep Baby Sleep” at a house party, and read over Bonnie's shoulder as she writes the poem “Suicide Sal” during her time in Kaufman County Jail.
“The collagist three-dimensional set by Ryan McGettigan, projection design by Bryan Ealey, and soundscape by Edgar Guajardo each draw from the archival photos, journal entries, letters, government documents, and environmental recordings that inspired the movement and text.” said Arnoult. “It is designed to be actively explored by the audience, who moves in and among the performers in a format that directly confronts conventional divisions between artist and audience.”
Los Angeles-based Hunter Perrin and New Mexico-based Garreth Broesche composed the original live score that includes new arrangements of old tunes beloved by Barrow and Parker like “Deep Ellum Blues” and Jimmie Rodgers' “Sleep Baby Sleep.” The score highlights the duo's fascination with showmanship while rooting the story in the context of 1930s popular media that glamorized the myth of Bonnie & Clyde and consequently overshadowed the reality of bungled robberies and failed relationships.
The show benefits from the extensive local and national design experience of accomplished artists specializing in interdisciplinary collaboration and innovative use of movement, space, and form - Ryan McGettigan (set designer), Tiffany Schrepferman (lighting designer), Bryan Ealey (projection designer), Lauren Davis (scenic artist), Ashley Horn (Costume Designer), and Edgar Guajardo (sound design) under the guidance of production manager Christina Maley. Bonnie & Clyde is the final of three encore immersive productions by this collaborative team in celebration of ODP's 10th Anniversary Season.
Important Note: Bonnie & Clyde is an intimate hour long immersive production with only 40 tickets per show. There is no traditional audience seating. The audience is mobile through the entire performance. The performance is wheelchair accessible. The production features mature content, gun violence, gunshots, sirens, references to sexual violence, strobe lights, and is recommended for ages 13 and up.
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