A silent retreat brings out the profound and absurd
A minimalist work of experimental theater, Small Mouth Sounds casts the audience as voyeurs in an entertaining adventure that gradually turns more serious. Set at a rustic retreat, the dramedy, presented by the UC Davis Department of Theatre and Dance, opens Feb. 27 in the Wyatt Pavilion Theatre.
Catch 'Small Mouth Sounds' this winter:
Performances are Feb. 27 and 28, and March 1, 6 and 7 at 7 p.m.; and March 1 and 8 at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $15 for adults; $12 for faculty and staff tickets; $5 for students and seniors. Tickets may be purchased at the UC Davis Ticket Office, located on the north side of Aggie Stadium, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, by phone 530-752-2471 during the same hours, or online at arts.ucdavis.edu/theatre-and-dance.
Content warning: Adult language, themes and situations.
Directed by Peter J. Kuo, winter quarter Granada Artist-in-Residence, the play is set amid the overwhelming quiet of a haven in the woods, where six runaways from city life embark on a silent retreat. As these strangers confront internal demons both profound and absurd, their vows of silence collide with the achingly human need to connect.
Filled with awkward and insightful humor, Small Mouth Sounds is a unique and compassionate play that asks how we address life’s biggest questions when words fail us. The New York Times called the play “as funny as it is, uh, quietly moving.”
“I’m thrilled to engage with this opportunity as the Granada Artist-in-Residence to take the lessons that Small Mouth Sounds offers and apply it directly to artistic practice,” said Kuo. “What does it mean to be examining a more holistic approach to creating character, exploring relationships, and honoring boundaries, and also allows for us to grow and learn in unexpected ways? I’m excited to work with the students in this opportunity to investigate this play as well as their acting process.”
A theatre director, producer, writer and educator, Kuo focuses on raising the visibility of marginalized communities. He is the director of the conservatory at American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.), San Francisco, where he has remounted the annual production of A Christmas Carol, and — for their M.F.A. program — and directed The Pliant Girls, Medea, and a live video theater production of Madhuri Shekar's In Love and Warcraft during the pandemic. Kuo is a co-founder of Artists at Play, an Asian American theatre collective that produces Los Angeles premieres of works for Asian Americans.
Collaborating with Kuo, the production’s creative team includes undergraduate students Alexi Cruz (scenic design), Annie Durant (costume design), and EJ Agata (lighting design) as well as Professor Ethan Hollinger (sound design and faculty mentor).
The Department of Theatre and Dance is part of the College of Letters and Science at UC Davis. For information about other department productions, visit theatredance.ucdavis.edu.
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