The Bindings | Theatre Witch

The Bindings – Theatre Witch’s New Performance Art Piece Resonates

The room is dark. A half-dozen, underwear-clad women are stationed around the outer walls of the empty room, unmoving, their backs to me and everyone else entering. But this isn’t what catches my eye as I enter; it’s the writhing, dancing mass of fabric in the center of the room that demands my full attention. Sheer black fabric covering barely perceptible nude women moves and flows, more like a jellyfish than people. bindings

 

Thus, guests are welcomed into The Bindings, the latest performance art piece from Theatre Witch. Theatre Witch was founded and is run by Vanessa Cate, formerly of True Focus Theatre. Theatre Witch has mainly focused on cabaret and burlesque performances of late, but returns to experimental theater with this performance art piece at Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre in North Hollywood. The show clocks in at just over 90 minutes and accommodates around two dozen people who are free to roam the space as they choose.

 

The Bindings abandons all of the entrapments of traditional theater to great success. While several seats are available, guests are encouraged by Cate upon arrival to wander about the performance space, including the backstage area and bathroom, during the show. There are a few general rules: Do not touch the actors unless they invite you to (permission, people), and not to go backstage if the curtain is down. The actors only use gentle guiding touch to move guests around the space; all actor-guest interactions that I saw involved hand motions, with no actual touching. The guidelines for the performance are simple and straightforward, allowing the audience to focus on the performances and the themes presented.

 

The Bindings | Theatre Witch

Performer: Lore Randolph | Photo: Katie J. Stone

 

The Bindings shines a spotlight on the things that hold us down – the barriers we put upon ourselves, as well as societal pressures put upon us. This is presented through incredibly specific examples – including a woman shaving her legs, a scale that is used by almost everyone in the cast, actors being bound by rope and chains, or a woman being turned into a living doll. Cate guides the female/non-binary cast throughout the show, a de facto director, snapping at the actors to move here and there, to disrobe further, and to start one action or another.

 

Cate also directs the audience, encouraging them throughout the show to help move the action along, if they desire. Participants can engage by slapping stickers on actors, or dressing up the living doll. Interestingly enough, Cate is gentler with the audience than with the performers, driving home the point that everyone is bound by commands from authority.

 

Being a white, middle-aged, cis-gendered male, it would appear that this show, aimed toward the femme/non-binary set, would not resonate with me, but that would be incorrect. The Bindings does focus on the trappings of being female in today’s post-modern society, but it’s more than that. Barriers, self-doubt… any physical or mental bindings we carry are a universal problem, applicable to anyone who thinks. The production succeeds not just in resonating with personal issues, but by delving deep into the social archetypes of women, putting participants into their shoes, and making guests identify with their daily struggle.

 

The Bindings | Theatre Witch

Photo: Katie J. Stone

 

The performances are remarkable in their simplicity. Jessica Sabine Smith and Laura Van Yck are bound early on in the show, but still follow direction, diligently moving from space to space. Natalie Hyde offers a moving chair burlesque number with an interesting twist that took my breath away. Katie J. Stone performs an incredible dance piece which shows off how free she has become near the end of the show.

 

Two performers of note stand out: Jonica Patella and Michaela Slezak. Jonica is the living doll and her character arc, while imperceptibly moving, is a masterclass in art. I identified so deeply with the apex of her performance, that I felt more free than I thought possible. Michaela had the single greatest moment I’ve seen in any show, allowing me to identify with women in a way that surprised even me. It’s a simple act drawn out over a long period of time, and as I watched her, the weight of the moment crushed me, tears springing from my eyes.

 

The Bindings isn’t just about letting guests know how tight the bindings and trappings of our lives hold us; Cate is much smarter than that. The show closes with a ritual that allows all of the audience to free themselves from the bindings of their lives. I cannot recommend this show enough. Go, experience, and live through these performers. You may just find that you, too, will release some of the bindings that hold you back in life.

 

The Bindings | Theatre Witch

 

Theatre Witch’s The Bindings runs for two more Sundays; purchase tickets HERE. For more information on upcoming show’s, see Theatre Witch’s Instagram and Facebook page. Check out our Event Guide for more immersive entertainment throughout the year.

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