Some of the performers coming to Phantom Theater in Warren for its 2023 summer season were children when they first performed there and have gone on to succeed in their discipline; some discovered their inner world of creativity after being encouraged by artistic director Tracy Martin; while others from farther afield were introduced to Phantom by friends or relatives living in The Valley. What they all have in common is the sense of “homecoming” performers find when they arrive, even if for the first time. It has to do with a thriving and enthusiastic board of fifteen, and the sense of community that is offered to artists and theater attendees alike. It has to do with landscape, and the appeal of being nurtured by Nature. It has to do with artistic freedom.
This first segment of a two-part series providing a synopsis of this season’s shows at Phantom Theater focuses on dance and theatrical performances.
DANCE
A Vermont modern dance troupe, LUNCH, is comprised of dancers/choreographers Isadora Snapp, Anna Martone, Millie Heckler, Hanna Satterlee, and Mary Jo Cahilly-Bretzin, who perform their own work in a presentation called “Cycles.” Using film and live music, they address through movement such questions as, “where does your consciousness live in your body,” and “when is it time to come home?” Their show runs July 28 at 8 p.m., July 29 at 6 p.m., and July 29 at 8 p.m.
Two new works of movement, object, and sound debut on the Phantom stage on August 19 and 20 at 8 p.m. MC DeBelina and Michael Bodel have combined their talent to create “Uncertain Winds/Nothing from Nothing.” Debelina teaches at the Montpelier School of Contemporary Dance, and incorporates dance into all aspects of her life, from working with children to teaching patients who have Parkinson’s Disease. Bodel is a ubiquitous figure in the New England dance world, acting as communications director for the Dartmouth Hopkins Center and choregraphing dance performances for various companies.
Hannah Satterlee started performing at Phantom Theater as a teenager and has since acquired a reputation for outstanding choreography. She is the artistic director and producer of ANIMAL Dance, which is presenting “Tender Hearts” at Phantom August 25-26. The work has been an ongoing process, starting with Satterlee interviewing people around the world about their hobbies, accidents, pain and transformation, and other topics, and afterward creating a multimedia event to share the outcome of these conversations. She has four Vermont-based dance artists performing with her.
THEATER
Phantom Theater’s theatrical roots extend in a broad expanse and this year is no different.
Beginning July 12, Vermont playwright Denise Casey takes viewers on a journey from her upbringing in the Green Mountain State to the peaks of The Himalayas. Her one-woman show, “Playing the Game,” explores her lifelong search for belonging – from taking cover in a monastery to skip out of rehab, to time traveling through her seventh-grade science classroom. Part memoir, part meditation, part make-believe, “Playing the Game” is unshaking in its exploration of possibility, imagination, and courage.
On July 15 and 16 local playwright Keryn Nightingale returns to Phantom to perform her newest play, “What’s His Name.” A spiritual successor to her 2022 play “On the Road with an Oxymoron,” Nightingale’s newest feature showcases a familiar cast of characters in this creative memoir. While “What’s His Name” was crafted with multiple artists in mind, this particular show is dedicated to the life and works of Edward Gorey.
The following weekend Phantom welcomes Audre Budrys and Kestutis Nakas, performers from New York City making their Phantom Theater debuts. This double feature begins with “Revenge of the Dummy,” which tells the story of an over-the-hill ventriloquist as he struggles to free himself from dummy domination. The second performance is “Book Talk,” which bares the inner world of a recently fired librarian as she comes to the crossroads of her life. Will she stick to her old ways or transform? “Revenge of the Dummy” and “Book Talk” will be presented at Phantom Theater July 21 and 22.
The final theatrical production at Phantom is “Time Stands Still,” directed by Joanne Greenberg. This hit Broadway play, written by Pulitzer-prize winner Donald Margulies, tells the story of a photojournalist returning to her home in Brooklyn after covering the war in Iraq. She is caught off guard by her husband’s desire for family, and the simple domestic life pursued by her editor and his much younger girlfriend. “Time Stands Still” opens at Phantom August 10 and runs for three nights.
Tickets for all of Phantom Theater’s summer performances are available in advance at www.PhantomTheater.org.
