Every January since 1989, the Walker Art Center has encouraged Twin Cities theater and dance fans to be adventurous and get out there when it comes to the performing arts.
Not "out there" as in outside — they're not that crazy. But they are a little nuts, as evidenced by the slate of international works picked each year for the Out There festival, a monthlong series of performances that are intentionally tricky to classify.
"It's really hard to define what this work is: Is it theater? Is it music? Is it dance? Is it hybrid, high-tech performance art?" said Philip Bither, senior curator of performing arts at the museum. "A lot of these artists featured in Out There have national if not international reputations. They are making — to my mind — the theater of our time, and I think it's important for audiences in the Twin Cities to have this window into different approaches of theatrical expression. What we've taken to saying is, 'We go out there, and we want you to come with us.' "
As in previous years, most of the artists being presented in the series, which opens Wednesday and continues through Jan. 28, are Bither's top picks as he flies around the world scouting for genre-crossing performance art. If trends from past Out There festivals hold true, some works will likely be a little weird, others inscrutably esoteric. With that in mind, here's our guide to Bither's picks for 2017.
"Youarenowhere"
The piece: A 60-minute, high-tech drama featuring two performers.
Performances: Jan. 4-7.
The artist: Andrew Schneider, a Wisconsin native now based in New York, is a theater tech Renaissance man who creates and performs original works, builds interactive electronic installations and was formerly a member of the avant-garde Wooster Group.
The McGuire Theater setup: Like a mini football stadium, with the audience seated on the stage and a performance space between two banks of risers. Fewer than 100 people can attend each of the five performances — as opposed to the theater's normal capacity of 385 — and patrons will be asked to relocate during the show. "The tech and the setup is intense," Bither said. "People won't even feel like they are in the McGuire."