things missing/missed at Obsidian Theater

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Theatre Without a Net

things missing/missed
Obsidian Theater leaps into creating a play… without a script but with two of Houston’s best theatrical minds

HOUSTON, TX — We begin with a question. What are we missing? The invisible things, the things we have forgotten about, the things that have slipped by, the invisible, the ellipsis.

Obsidian Theater is proud to present the world premiere of things missing/missed, an original devised work from theatre artists Philip Hays, Melissa Flower and Justin Locklear. Performances will run May 12-28 at Obsidian Theater, 3522 White Oak, Houston, TX 77007; all shows begin at 8 p.m.

As a devised piece, these three intrepid collaborators will enter the rehearsal process with little more than an idea. A wholly original physical performance will be constructed from the fruits of their discussions, improvisations and explorations. A show without a script, grown by the performers from nothing but a seed.

We launch from the story of a hermit, a real one who renounced all interaction with other people and hid out in North Pond, Maine for 30 years, engendering myths of forest monsters stealing from pantries and sock drawers. Then we play his story against the beloved poem of T.S. Eliot, The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock. From two disparate elements comes the framework in which we will explore the sensations of missing, being missed, being erased. Says collaborator Melissa Flower, “The unique challenge here is uncovering where the themes and raw materials fit together, growing into something new.”

Artists Philip Hays (Classical Theatre Company, Horse Head Theatre Company, Prague Shakespeare Company) and Melissa Flower (Luciole International Theatre, SITI Conservatory, SCOT Company Summer Training) are not known to back down from a challenge, and their work reflects their passion. Last year, Philip conceived, co-wrote and performed The Whale; or, Moby-Dick, a magical, innovative production for which producer Horse Head Theatre Company was granted the Houston Press Mastermind Award. Meanwhile, Melissa Flower created her sarcastic and visceral devised show Hypocrite at Obsidian Theatre. For this new collaboration, Melissa and Philip are teaming up with Dallas artist Justin Locklear (COMPANY CREDITS/TRAINING).

The unique process of devised theatre will allow them to pool their imaginations and courage to imagine entirely new mechanisms. “I have training in commedia dell'arte, a style of physical theatre that is markedly different than that practiced by Melissa,” says Philip Hays. “The process of creating things missing/missed is going to be an exciting challenge, where my roots in narrative and telling linear stories will clash and complement her expertise in postmodern, deconstructed improvisation. The result should be something very special, unlike anything either of us have produced before.”

A hermit that lives in silence for 30 years. Lovers whose stories disappear as soon as they are told and the space inside Prufrock's unknowing. Want to know what's missing? Come see what we found.


Since its inception in 2010, Obsidian Theater (formerly Obsidian Art Space) has provided an affordable space for visual and performing artists’ creative works. Obsidian seeks to provide an environment in which artists’ creativity and imaginations may thrive. Named the Best New Arts Venue of 2011 by the Houston Press, we continue to serve Houston artists and the historic Heights community with our intimate and versatile black box space.


FACT SHEET:
things missing/missed
created and performed by Melissa Flower and Philip Hays
directed and designed by Justin Locklear
May 11—28
Wednesday- Saturday
8 p.m.
Tickets: 15 for Seniors and Students - $20 General Admission - $30 Reserved
Obsidian Theater
3522 White Oak, Houston, TX 77007
Tickets available at:
Website: www.obsidiantheater.org

Collaborators:

Melissa Flower is a director, collaborator, performance artist, and dramaturg. She currently works as the Director of Communications at Luciole International Theatre Company and sits on the board of Wordsmyth Theatre. She served as the Literary Assistant at the Alley Theatre in 2012. Her directing credits include: Cassandra at Mildred’s Umbrella, A Doll’s House at Classical Theatre Company (assistant director), Big Love at Theatre B in Fargo,The Vibrator Play at Stages Repertory Theatre (assistant director), and Hot L Baltimore (assistant director). Her dramaturgical credits include: The Complaint Box and/or Good Times, Dreams Deferred, Hamlet (HSF) and Comedy of Errors (HSF) . Her performance/devising credits include: Here Now at the Martha Graham Studios in New York, Hypocrite at Obsidian Theatre and Untangled. Her performance art credits are John Cages’s Lunch and Dinner, Black Hole, and My Blog with Some Google Searches. Melissa holds a Masters in Dramaturgy from the University of Houston and a Bachelors of Fine Arts from Baylor University. She has trained with the SITI Company for 5 years and last year completed the SITI Conservatory. She has also traveled to Toga, Japan to train with Tadashi Suzuki and the SCOT Company and studied with Double Edge Theatre in Grotowski inspired circus work in Ashfield, MA.

Philip Hays is an actor, director and theatre educator based out of Houston, TX. He is a Company member of Horse Head Theater Company (Houston Press Mastermind Award 2016), for which he conceived, co-wrote and performed the one-man immersive show The Whale; or, Moby-Dick (Best New Play, Houston Press Theater Awards 2016). He is also a company member of the Classical Theatre Company, for whom he has directed acclaimed adaptations of Ubu Roi, Doctor Faustus, and A Christmas Carol, as well as this spring's The Birds. Philip has been an Artistic Associate with the Prague Shakespeare Company, where he performed in over twelve productions, and directed, co-wrote, and performed in both his original commedia dell'arte-meets-Grand Guignol take on John Webster’s The Duchess of Malfi and the new play The Murder of Gonzago, loosely based on Shakespeare's Hamlet. As an actor on Houston stages, he has appeared in numerous roles at Main Street Theater, Classical Theater Company, Stark Naked Theater Company, Houston Shakespeare Festival, and more. Philip is a graduate of the University of Houston School of Theatre and Dance, and has studied commedia dell'arte at the Scuola Internazionale dell'Attore Comico.