Previews: FOOLISH ASSUMPTIONS at George Rowland White Theatre

Veteran dancer-choreographer Beth Corning doesn’t wear her heart on her sleeve; it is reflected in her choreographic works if you look with intent. Not one to spoon-feed or preach to audiences, Corning’s works pose thought-provoking questions, often steeped in metaphor, and are sharp-witted, a touch humorous, a tad poignant, and magnificently beautiful in their visuals and craft. 

Her latest evening-length work, Foolish Assumptions, May 14-23, 2026, at Point Park University’s George Rowland White Theatre, revisits a duet format she used to great effect in 2017’s What's Missing?, with the legendary dancer-choreographer Donald Byrd. The work honed in on the multi-layered complications of perception as a witness to an event. With Foolish Assumptions, Corning revisits the theme of perception, this time as personal perception, while exploring our current global climate of uncertainty and increasingly fraught “jumping-to-judgment” times. 

I recently spoke with Corning about the new work and what audiences can anticipate.

What led you back to the evening-length duet format for Foolish Assumptions?
This will be the fourth production I do with Evan [Fisk]. I don’t usually use younger people [in my The Glue Factory Projects], and I don't usually use the same person four times in a row. Not because I don’t want to, but because I have moved on to another image in my head. I choose the artists I work with based on the project. 

I can't find any words that make me feel I am being clear about what is going on in the world today. Nothing seems sufficient. We are constantly lambasted with it, and it is artistically crippling for me. The outside world that was happening around me crept into my soul. 

Thinking about this new work, I kept returning to the fact that social media is filled with attention-grabbing headlines that don’t really have anything to do with the internal story. Yet we often pass on those headlines as a knee-jerk reaction, driven by outrage and a desire to be noticed. I myself have been guilty of it. I do the work I do, primarily so I don’t feel alone. 

This piece is not necessarily about what we see, but about how we see it, and whether someone is aware of where their assumptions come from. 

Is Evan of The Glue Factory Projects' age (over forty)? 
No sir. He says he is working his way up and is an old soul. I like working with him and have him a part of this work because of his age.

What do you like about him as a performer?
He fulfills my movement vocabulary, as do all the artists I work with, in a very individual way. He is a big boy with a large wingspan and takes up space onstage in a way that I like for some of my works. He is fearless, and his artistic range is broad. 

Having trained with theater director and dramaturge Dominique Serrand in the past, are you now acting as your own dramaturge?
Yes and no. Working with Dominique, I kept expecting to learn something completely new from him. What I realized is that I knew much of what he was asking of me from my past training, but had forgotten it. He wonderfully reminded me of those things. 

What was the creative process like this time?
We had an extended development period for this work, during which I brought in people of different ages to watch rehearsals and give feedback. It was so interesting to see what people saw by gender and age. 

How is the work being manifested onstage?
In it, the audience will see a young guy and an older woman onstage with two chairs, and they are being asked to examine their assumptions about them. While creating the work, I had these good conversations about what I didn’t want in it. I didn’t want anything to be overt or emotionally didactic, but rather an internal manifestation of thoughts and emotions. It's about tempo and space. One section of the piece provokes what people see when the two characters eat something. Was it the way they expected them to eat it? Why did they have that expectation?

You bill it as one of your gentlest works to date. How so?
It’s really subtle and quiet. The work is 50 minutes long, and my objective was to keep it simple and uncluttered. There is a back-and-forth between the characters, like a tennis match. 

What is the atmosphere of the work like?
Black on Black. Black costumes, black floor, and curtains with Iain’s [Court] brilliant lighting design.

What music are you using?
Beethoven, Meredith Monk, and a collage of others.

What do you hope audiences will take away from the work?
I just want them to think, to leave the theater, and want to talk further, to think further about these issues and these questions.

CorningWorks presents Foolish Assumptions, May 14-23, 2026, at Point Park University’s George Rowland White Theatre, 313 Boulevard of the Allies, Pittsburgh, PA. Tickets are $40 general admission, $35 students/seniors, and Pay-What-You-Can at the door on Sunday, May 17. For more information and tickets, visit corningworks.org