Performance Lab

the experimental spirit

Through quick, short theater and dance studies, we isolate and integrate vocal delivery, movement phrasing, staging -- teasing apart the act of performing and the inside experience we are actually having. 

How we do what we do reveals character, and no one can hide, not even a good actor, which is risky but more fun.  

We practice shaping & delivering the message, the movement, the words – add music & visual elements -- with a loose attitude and strong physical presence.

What are the rules of the game?  The frame? 

Performance technique becomes the practice
of noticing what is expressed intuitively (backstage) and making that the art. 

Christopher Rauschenberg is the inside-outside backstage photographer.

 “It’s Been a Busy Week” performance in collaboration with Gregg Bielemeier, Stephanie Schaaf, Dorinda Holler, Elisabeth Tschalaer, Susan Banyas, David Cherry

Part of an exhibition at Marylhurst U, Before, During, After – 4 choreographers

Slide show w. music and lyrics by David Ornette Cherry, Vocals by Neneh Cherry

“The backstage language consists of co-operative decision-making, profanity, elaborate griping, smoking, rough informal dress, sloppy posture, mumbling, shouting, playful kidding, humming, whistling, chewing, nibbling, belching, and flatulence... In saying that performers act in a relatively informal, familiar, relaxed way while backstage and are on their guard when giving a performance, it should not be assumed that the pleasant interpersonal things of life -- courtesy, warmth, generosity, and pleasure in the company of others -- are always reserved for those backstage and that suspiciousness, snobbishness, and a show of authority are reserved for front region activity.”

- Erving Goffman, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life

“My experiences with Susan have been magical, healing, and inspire the muse of creativity. She creates an atmosphere that is inviting and real, where I feel open and encouraged, without concern about performance or product. When I feel alive and connected to something bigger, my story finds its way through me. My soul can reveal itself. This is what her presence and approach foster.”

—Katje Wagner, Holistic Psychotherapist