Ian W. Hill & Berit Johnson have been making theatre as partners in life and work for ten years - Ian in front as director and actor; Berit, who only wants anonymity, behind-the-scenes. 7 years ago, they decided to marry. In order for it to have meaning for them, they chose to make their marriage a piece of theatre. So for this personal show, a personal press release, adapted from an email response from a member of the press, who asked us, "Is this wedding valid and legal?" The response from Ian at Gemini CollisionWorks:
Yes, Gemini CollisionWorks' The Wedding of Berit Johnson & Ian W. Hill: A Theatre Study by Ian W. Hill & Berit Johnson contains the ACTUAL legally binding elements that will marry Berit and myself. Noted author/playwright/performer Trav S.D. has graciously got himself registered with the state of New York to act as our officiant, and there will be a wedding party of friends from the Indie Theatre community, going back to our early days producing theatre at NADA on Ludlow Street. The company will be costumed by Karen Flood, best known for her wonderful creations for Inverse Theater, who has also worked with us before.The performance itself - mostly a monologue for Ian W. Hill as "himself" with pointed interjections from Berit Johnson, as well as several standard Gemini CollisionWorks dance-movement numbers, a recreation of "the proposal," a photo history of the couple's childhoods, and helpful marriage ceremony hints from the wedding party - will concern itself with what constitutes for this theatrical couple a "valid" marriage, especially between two people who have considered themselves married for 10 years, and for whom the creation of any piece of theatre is a FAR more important ceremony than a normal wedding, as well as an attempt for me to create a work that is not only personal - ALL my plays are personal - but uses actual autobiographical materials of my life, which for me is usually distasteful, unseemly, fetishistic, and self-indulgent. I'm still trying to work this out.Videos