1968
Open Dance Project, Houston & Chicago , 2023
Director and Choreographer, Annie Arnoult
Scenic Design, Ryan McGettigan
Lighting and Projection Design, Tiffany Schrepferman
Costume Design, Ashley Horn

"Invited to keep moving throughout the show, watchful participants (audience doesn’t seem quite the right word in this case) are given time to acclimate within the black box multimedia set. Meanwhile, the dancers engage in a nod to the avant-garde dance collective Judson Dance Theater, chanting numbers 1 – 9 – 6 – 8 as they reposition their bodies. There’s a pile of knobbed television sets and a wooden podium opposite a boxing ring. Construction scaffolding towers above a jumble of overturned red benches. The metal-rod sculpture of a horse reminiscent of Logan’s memorial in Grant Park occupies one corner and the whole scene is punctuated with political signs and protest placards. High on the wall hangs a banner that reads, “Hello Democrats. Welcome to Chicago.”

Most of the observers and crew are accustomed to viewing the 1960s in grayscale or sepia. Set designer Ryan McGettigan, lighting and projection designer Tiffany Schrepferman, costume designer Ashley Horn, sound designer Bryan Ealey and props master Lauren Davis have worked to expertly bring 1968 to life in full color. Campaign buttons and newspapers are placed directly into the hands of audience members to read or take with them. Details are given attention right down to the exact shade of police-helmet blue." - The Dance Dish