Seattle WA—  Rehearsals begin this week for 3rd Shift Dance’s collaboration with Pacific Science Center’s Dr. Amber Ismael to address the impact of climate change. The finished work will be presented in March at the Seattle Center. 3rd Shift’s Artistic Director Xaviera Vandermay is using free rehearsal space given through the Cornish Playhouse Arts Incubator Residency to gather audience and participant feedback through open rehearsal tonight and audition tomorrow, January 3 and 4. The final piece will be presented in March.

Every year since 2014, the Cornish Playhouse at the Seattle Center makes available free rehearsal space to generate new work through the Cornish Playhouse Arts Incubator Residency. The emphasis of this residency program is to support artists in the creation of work that is outside the boundaries of their genre, discipline, or comfort zone. The 2019 recipients include a band that is collaborating with cooks to create soup-inspired music, an artist expanding storytelling through passing work among multiple artists, and a new music/visual artwork by Cornish College of the Arts professors Tom Baker (Music) and Robert Campbell (Art).

The Cornish Playhouse at the Seattle Center was built in 1962 as part of the World’s Fair and has been home to two Tony Award-winning regional theater companies. Today it is operated by Cornish College of the Arts, providing performance and exhibition space to more than 30 nonprofit companies in Seattle as well as serving as a venue for Cornish student performances and classes.

The Cornish Playhouse Arts Incubator Residency is open to anyone age 18 and older, including professional and non-professional artists, teachers, ensembles and groups, and students. The Residency is open to both those within the Cornish community and those outside the Cornish community. Projects submitted for consideration are in their early stages. Artists from all disciplines are encouraged to apply. The artists applying must be Washington state residents.

Cornish Playhouse Arts Incubator Residency 2019

Jan. 1-13

Xaviera Vandermay, 3rd Shift Dance, and Dr. Amber Ismael, Pacific Science Center

Dr. Amber Ismael of Pacific Science Center and Artistic Director of 3rd Shift Dance Xaviera Vandermay will work together to delve into the science behind climate change. Dancers will be challenged to rethink how they present and costume themselves to reduce their carbon footprint. Choreography will look to generate phrases that mimic or are inspired from climate change phenomena. A presentation of the final work will be done at the Pacific Science Center’s Climate Change Event in early March 2019. Open rehearsals are planned for January 3 and 4. For more information, see 3rd Shift Dance’s Facebook page:

Jan. 14 – 27

Blake Madden and the band Hotels

Hotels is working on a new album called “Great Soups” about that rare food which translates across all cultures. They will be workshopping songs and performances with the goal of a live soup-based dinner show. More information about their related events can be found on their facebook.

Jan. 28 – Feb. 10

Britt Karhoff

Britt Karhoff will develop a creative conversation through art-making, bringing together a small group of artists, who usually work independently to respond to each other’s unique individual practices. “I will begin by working one day in solo, creating material and notes to pass along to the next artist for the next day. This material may include any mediums in which I work: watercolor, illustration, dance, or writing. The next artist then uses my material as a starting place to develop new material, which then gets passed on to the next artist, and also back to me. This body of studies will branch off and build from each other, and be deeply interconnected. I am particularly excited to work with artists who access multiple mediums inside their own creative practice,” said Karhoff.

Feb. 25 – March 10

Professors Robert Campbell and Tom Baker

Cornish College of the Arts professors Tom Baker (Music) and Robert Campbell (Art) develop into an evening-length performance their collaborative work “Manifold 2.” First presented in a 30-minute version in Fall 2018, this longer version will be comprised of live improvised music and live performed, interactive video projection/installation. The pair plan to use their time at the Cornish Playhouse’s Alhadeff Studio to further research sensors and explore interactivity in greater depth as well as design multiple projections on a set of stretched fabric structures for the final projection-mapped performance.