an original experimental performance embracing the lush Louisiana Atchafalaya River Basin Swamp.
Liquid Land was made possible in part by a grant from the
See: www.nojhf.org
Liquid Land was composed by resident artists Amy Woodruff and Edward French. This project was a multi-leveled portrait of the natural landscape of the Basin, a stunning geographic treasure that is known for its vast forested wetlands.
The focus for the piece was to challenge the commonly-held perception that Louisiana's flooded woodlands are rotting wastelands, and in turn the performance encouraged audiences to see the Atchafalaya as the vital, abundant ecosystem that it is. Liquid Land was a non-linear performance piece that used poetry, words, and images from the impressions the Atchafalaya made on the artists during a series of research trips.
The project's foundation was an abstract story of mythic proportions, which told the tale of a brother (resident artist Matthew Dobbins) and sister (Woodruff) and their conflicts, as they faced their past, present, and future. Central to the performance was humankind's denial of and detachment from their habitat, and the reconnection that can occur to a breathtaking wilderness such as the Atchafalaya.
The structure of the performance consisted of intense scenes which depicted the interaction that the siblings encounter with both the Atchafalaya and with one another. These scenes were linked together with wordless interludes that the actors created, which in turn were overlaid with a soundscape of Atchafalaya sounds (night creatures, rain showers, etc.), combined with recorded narrative of ecological data that related directly to the Basin.
The minimalist sceneography consisted primarily of green and blue lighting, simple props, a small green wooden platform, and approximately 20 yards of fabric. The enormous swath of fabric, which was of the brown, green, and blue hues of the basin swamp, was curled into a large spiral which dominated the actors' playing space.
Creative work on Liquid Land began in September 2001, and culminated with an hour-long performance of the work seven months later. Mainstage performances were at 8pm Fridays and Saturdays, April 12-13 and 19-20, and at 3pm Sundays, April 14 and 21, 2001, at The Pickery of New Orleans, Louisiana. Tickets were free, and donations were accepted at the door.
The twenty-minute preview version of Liquid Land debuted at the 9th annual DramaRama Festival at 10pm, Saturday, January 19, 2002, in the Bank One Theatre of the Contemporary Arts Center of New Orleans (900 Camp Street).
Liquid Land earned Theatre Louisiane one of four Featured Artist slots in the festival. DramaRama 9 took place from 6:30 pm to Midnight. There were over twenty different artists and groups performing at spaces throughout the CAC. Info on future DramaRamas can be found at www.dramarama.org.
Woodruff one of her four grant-funded research trips to the Atchafalaya River Basin Swamp, for the original project Liquid Land, 2002
Above: "Your image doesn't cross my eyes, your thoughts aren't in my mind in years, brother."
Pictured: Amy Woodruff and Matthew Dobbins in "Liquid Land."
Below: "I can't -- I can't just let you live out here."
All photographic images used on this website are the property of Theatre Louisiane and may not be used without consent.
Liquid Land is a commissioned work that is property of Theatre Louisiane, Inc., copyright 2001.