Wishhounds and Theatre Labyrinth were two fin de siècle performance groups coalescing around the artistic vision and practice of Raymond Bobgan and Holly Holsinger. The two groups, designating different artistic phases and personnel, collectively produced 11 original works of theatre from 1995 through 2002. Based in Cleveland, Ohio, their productions toured to New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Philadelphia, and to international festivals in Canada, Denmark, and Brazil.
Bobgan and Holsinger, circa 1994
Core collaborators: Raymond Bobgan (TL/W 1995-2002), Holly Holsinger (TL/W 1995-2002), Brad Krumholz (TL 1995-96), Brett Keyser (TL/W 1996-2002), Tracy Broyles (W 2000-02), and Rebecca Spencer (W 2000-02)
Associate collaborators: Jaime Bouvier, Mike Geither, Patricia Harusame Leebove, Karin Randoja, and Lisa Wolford Wylam
Performers engaged in individual productions: Diego Aramburo, Lisa Black, Ted Enoch, Kevin Ferst, Denis Griesmer, Kishiko Hasegawa, Catherine Ho, Michael Jantz, Tannis Kowalchuk, Amy Kristina, Kristie Lang, Mariah Sage Leeds, Ana Paula Mendes Gomez, Jeff Morrison, Elizabeth Rucker, Sophia Skiles, Jane Wells, and Chi-wang Yang
The Warbling Carousel (in rehearsal, 1996)
From the original Theatre Labyrinth website:
Theatre Labyrinth is an ensemble of theatre artists who create original performance works through a collaborative process involving daily physical-vocal training, and exploration of actors’ personal sources: dream life, imagination, and memory.
Working with sincerity, simplicity, and precision, Theatre Labyrinth invites audiences to partake in a feast for the eye, ear, body, mind, and spirit. Through the basic elements of movement, story, and song, Theatre Labyrinth transforms the scenic and plastic arts into a seamless experience, drawing contemporary audiences into a direct relationship with the play and the performers.
Stories are composed from modern and ancient sources to engage audiences in a visceral encounter with age-old questions which retain significance in contemporary life. At the heart of Theatre Labyrinth lies a dedication to go beneath the surface, to get under appearances, to find the hidden doors of theatre art, to unlock them with the actors’ secret keys, and to draw the spectator inside.
The Mission
Theatre Labyrinth is committed to a process of long-term collaboration creating original performances of the highest caliber which awaken the senses, stir the spirit, and enrich the mind.
Through presenting these works, Theatre Labyrinth seeks:
- To move artists and audiences toward deeper encounters with questions that face humankind
- To encourage, through exchange and dialogue, the integration of art and life in a search for true community
- To act as a catalyst for growth of the inner life of the individual
- To contribute to the rebirth of theatre art as a vital force in the modern cultural landscape
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