Austinist Theatre Review: UPWAKE III

But let’s not get carried away. Despite the similarities, Tsakos is no Wilson. The clarity of thought, the maturity and confidence in expression that characterizes the work of Wilson, Richard Foreman, and other post-modern giants is only occasionally present here. Her projections, while used with considerable innovation (we’ll get to that in a second), often focus on projecting non-specific text. Something so concrete, so recognizable, so highly connotative as text leads the audience to believe they should be “getting it” (as in, discerning the literal meaning/the message of the action on stage) when, as is often the case in work like this, there’s probably nothing to “get” in the first place. So, even in this highly suggestive, expressionist piece, the audience is stuck in their heads when they should be experiencing the performance with their gut. Of course, the other possibility is that we’re wrong, and there was a very specific message that we were meant to take away from the work. If that was the case, Tsakos should’ve just come out and said it, because we didn’t have the foggiest idea what she could’ve been talking about.

However, the way in which Tsakos’ performance worked with both the projected landscape and the sound design was truly refreshing. Generally, projected image on stage is a train wreck. Artists have been trying to make it work for decades now with (arguably) very little success (other than establishing the fact that yes, it is possible to perform live and project images at the same time…how novel). So little success, in fact, that this already tired practice has become the mark of the “pretend Avant-garde” – you know, the obnoxious hacks out there who make unintelligible drivel, and then hate the world because “nobody gets them”. So what’s the difference here? Tsakos’ used the projections almost like a scene partner – painstakingly timing her impulses to act so that they were in sync with the flashing images. It felt spontaneous, and, through the vessel of her live performance, it felt interactive.

The performance inhabited a highly stylized, futuristic world that was – at its best – sensory overload. Credit here belongs largely to Nathan Rausche (Sound/Video Design) and Lavoisier X-Perience (Original Music). The tone of the piece as communicated through the visual and aural landscape was incredibly clear, and thoroughly consistent. Aided by the Haute Couture Costume Design by Gerry Kelly and Tammy Apóstol, the piece was filled with eye candy, screeching, popping, whiz-band sound effects, and the occasional bad ass beat.

All the facets combined, the show was certainly worth seeing. Moreover, even if you missed Tsakos in this most recent Austin visit, we recommend making note of her name for the future. If she continues to explore the connection between technology and performance as thoughtfully as she has in UPWAKE III, we have the feeling she might just end up in some history books.

Photo credit: Pedro Portal