the Imaginists

Spin Off (2018 & 2019) spins us back to an Imaginists’ alternate universe in which the average American theater family navigates the ups-and-downs of a world gone wacky, weekly. Weekly episodes culminating in an eight hour “binge watch”. Photo by Bob Stender, Tibadabo Photography.

A Shifting Reef (2017/2018), Part one of a trilogy that occurs in the same comic book world. A group of women eco-warriors operating 20,000 leagues under the sea, separated from their sister fleet. Work in process showings 2017.

Magic Circle Cycle (2016/17/18) Collaboration with musician / composer Kalei Yamanoha. Dec. 2016 & Feb. 2017 at Imaginists and Z Space in San Francisco in April 2018.

REAL, 2016 - 6 actors, 20 characters and 30 years of failed immigration reform spin us on 1 wild ride through the absurd world of REAL where realtors are foxes and K9s are cops and a good fairy named Liberty wishes for Pinocchio to become a real boy but JUSTICE, the fairy's pet snail, moves very, very slowly. Inspired by C. Collodi's Pinocchio. Investigating D.A.C.A. (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and the D.R.E.A.M. Act (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors). Performed in Spanish and English. Community partners: Comite VIDA, North Bay Organizing Project, Padilla Partners and SRJC Undocumented Student Union.

The 16th (2016) A small, well meaning, scrappy organization, the Agency Agency, straddles funders, foundations, and consultants in order to engage the middle quadrants of a future city. Struggling to find testimonials so they can report to the Department of Measurement, the small organization crosses into the 16th, a mythical place that even the locals fear. The 16th is a Borgesian noir and meta- theatrical satire that examines the extent to which an organization will go to get funding and who tells whose stories. As one Q3 inhabitant puts it - "Diversity can get dangerous." Performed in Spanish and English. April 2016. Z Space residency October 2016.

La Carpa Americana 2015, a satirical look at the politics of cultural identity and immigration, focusing on one family’s experiences and staged in the style of the traditional Mexican carpa or “tent show”. Composed of five “acts”, each illuminating a different aspect of immigration policies and realities, the carpas employs physical comedy, music, satire and politics into a surreal variety show that touches on the most pressing issues of our times. Performed in Spanish and English. In collaboration with SSU Dept. of Chicano and Latino Studies. Performed at the Green Center Nov. 17, 2015.

Stories for Children 2015, Three original short pieces inspired by the life and work of Russian absurdist short story writer Daniil Kharms. Puppets, animated landscapes, and live actors bring three small intricately crafted worlds to life. Sept. & Oct. 2015

SitCalm with the Imaginists, 2015, The Imaginists jump into the bright bottomless pit of situation comedy finding freedom within the form. Inside this safe and familiar world we find the courage to deconstruct. We sacrifice ourselves, and comic timing, as we savagely scrutinize our society's pathological refusal to talk about what's really going on. Watch your favorite characters get mixed up again and again in some of the silliest situations, goofiest gags, and most hilarious high-jinks this side of Santa Rosa Avenue. Come back again and again to see all four hilarious episodes. Photo by: Timmy Lodhi

CRUMBS, a Cinderella story 2014 & 2015, Upstairs, a landlady who controls everything; downstairs, a household of creatures who work day and night. Far away in a castle, a Prince has a radical idea: invite everyone to the ball. Original work inspired by Grimm’s Cinderella and One Eye, Two Eyes, Three Eyes. Photo by: Jaycob Bellochio

Calaveras del Monton, 2014, Join the Imaginists for an evening of traditional Calaveras. Calaveras are imaginary "obituaries" told by the dead to the living. Sometimes satirical, sometimes haunting or whimsical, these vignettes told in verse, song, spoken word, or soliloquy illuminate our present. This year we welcome The Politician, The Gardener, The Black Sheep, and The Dirt among others. Performed in Spanish and English.

Warcircus, after Euripides’ Trojan Women, 2014, From out of the past come the archetypal women of Troy: Helen, the beauty, Cassandra, the truth-teller, Hecuba, the matriarch, Andromache, the rock, Polyxena, the ghost, and the Women of the Chorus, the time-travelers. Come one come all. Tonight and every night. Alive Alive Alive. Positively Alive. Step right up, Ladies and Gentlemen. The women of Troy and their Amazing Traveling Side Show Extravaganza, WARCIRCUS! Photo by Jaycob Bellochio. Performed at ACT Costume Shop and the Imaginists.

Guest House for Travelers in the Beautiful, 2014, Tribute to the poets Danhil Kharnms and Alexander Vvedensky, inspired by Pussy Riot. We created a walk-through performance/installation of many caves each holding a vision that ended in a small fortune-telling spectacle with the Sibyl of Cumae. Photo by Jaycob Bellochio.

The Party, 2013 & 2014, The Party is a ritual re-enactment of The Story, told annually on the longest night of the year. Seven characters/actors recreate The Story as they have done for years, they are: The Uninvited Guest, The Soldier, The Widower, The Motherless Child, The Seer, The Servant, and The Host. Who owns the story? There is a fight for meaning. The Party takes place on, under, and around a table; we play musical chairs and snow falls, but inevitably, the arc is impossible to resist.

How a Mountain Was Made, by Greg Sarris, 2013, An original adaptation based on Sarris' How A Mountain Was Made.

The Last Garden, 2013, Community-based collaboration with Imaginists, LandPaths and Roseland residents. Performed at the Bayer Farm Harvest Festival.

Left After Not, 2013, Original performance based on Farid ud-Din Attar’s The Conference of the Birds.