Critical Mass Performance Group

CRITICAL MASS PERFORMANCE GROUP
 Nancy Keystone, Founder/Artistic Director
 
 Named "BEST THEATER COMPANY" by LA WEEKLY in 2013
 
 MISSION 
 Critical Mass Performance Group is committed to long-term collaborative development of new works, reinterpretations and adaptations of classic texts, and the use of alternative performance spaces. We strive for a melding of the physical, the intuitive and the intellectual that is politically charged, historically aware, and theatrically inventive. We seek to extend the boundaries of traditional theatre forms through a visceral and poetic meeting of idea, text, movement, image, and music. Our approach values the group intelligence on a par with the individual, each artist bringing his/her unique abilities and experiences, for a rich stew of creativity and skills. We work for as long as it takes to finish a piece, and we perform the piece at various stages of development, at different sites in the community.
 
 COMPANY AND CREATIVE PROCESS
 Critical Mass Performance Group was born in 1985 through a student production at UCLA. The company retains a flexible structure, works on a project-by-project basis, and maintains a dynamic advisory committee. Critical Mass Performance Group is a member of the Network of Ensemble Theatres.
 
 Because we work over long periods of time, we produce very infrequently. We have participated in USC’s Visions and Voices Series at Bovard Auditorium (2008), Mark Taper Forum’s First Step/Next Step series (2004) Edgefest /L.A. History Project @ the Autry Museum (2002), ASK Common Ground Festival (1998, 2002), The Getty Center performance series (1999), among other venues and events. 
 
 PROJECTS
 
 • ALCESTIS adapted, directed, scenic design by Nancy Keystone 
 
 Developed at Getty Villa Theatre Lab, Malibu, CA. 2012, and premiered at The Theatre @ Boston Court, 2013.
 Our adaptation of the ancient story of a wife who sacrifices herself to save her husband's life, takes as its inspiration, Euripides' play, other versions of the myth found in stories, poems, operas, as well as meditations on death, sacrifice, resurrection, and the addiction to life.
 
 Named one of 2013's "10 Best Plays" by the LA Weekly, and "2013 Theatre Highlights" by LA Stage Times. Won "Best Adaptation" award from LA Weekly, LA Drama Critics Circle, and Arts In LA, and was nominated for 5 other awards (direction, sound design, original score, production design, choreography).
 
 
 • APOLLO [PART 1]: LEBENSRAUM, [PART 2]: GRAVITY, [PART 3]: LIBERATION the trilogy premiered at Portland Center Stage in 2009, the culmination of a multi-year development process. Parts 1&2 premiered at Center Theatre Group's Kirk Douglas Theatre in June 2005. These plays investigate the complex post-WWII relationship of Nazi rocket scientists an the U.S. space program, and the intersection of that with the Civil Rights Movement. The production won “Drammy” award for excellence in scenic design, Garland Awards for Playwriting, Sound Design, Lighting Design; Backstage West Critics’ Picks: Best Production, Directing, Ensemble, Scenic Design, Video Design; “Top Ten Plays of 2005,” LA Alternative Press; “Pick of the Week,” L.A. Weekly. It was part of the U.S. Exhibition at the 2011 Prague Quadrennial for Performance Design and Space, and is featured in THE CREATIVE SPIRIT by Stephanie Arnold (McGraw-Hill, 2011).
 
 • BREAD: An Exploration of the Staff of Life created by Nancy Keystone (2011) 
 Commission from Cornerstone Theater Company for their Creative Seeds Festival, performed at Temple Beth Israel of Highland Park and Eagle Rock, Los Angeles.
 
 An interactive performance salon with readings, music, dialogue, inspirations, kneading, fresh bread. 
 
 • POSE a Happening by Allen Kaprow/reinvented by CMPG (2008) Collaboration with LA’s Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) as part of “Allen Kaprow—Art as Life.” 
 Over a period of 10 hours on a single day, a chair is carried through the city of Los Angeles along the length of Sunset Blvd to the Pacific Ocean (22 miles). Here and there a sitter sits down and is photographed. The photos are left on the spot as the chair moves on. 
 
 • ANTIGONE (2000-2001): A new adaptation of the Greek myth by Nancy Keystone, developed in collaboration with The Actors' Gang, performed as a work-in-progress at the El Centro Space in October. Premiered at Portland Center Stage.
 
 • THE AKHMATOVA PROJECT(1997-2000): A new, movement-based theatre piece by Nancy Keystone, inspired by the life and writing of Russian poet, Anna Akhmatova. World Premiere at the Actors' Gang Theatre, Los Angeles (2000). Named one of the "10 Best" Productions for 2000, by Los Angeles Times, nominated for 4 LA Weekly awards (Best Production, Director, Ensemble, Choreography), winning the choreography award. It was performed as a work-in-progress at ASK Theater Projects’ Common Ground Festival, The Getty Center, Lankershim Arts Center, Children of the Night.
 
 • SUN SONG (1991) and STORIES OF THE SUN (1990): These trans-cultural, multi-media outdoor festival events were developed and produced in collaboration with members of the Santa Barbara community as part of the Santa Barbara Summer Solstice Festival. The projects each included over 100 performers, utilized 3 performance areas, simultaneously, by actors, musicians, dancers, and puppeteers. Spoken and sung in English and Spanish, 
 with ASL interpretation.
 
 • MEASURE FOR MEASURE by William Shakespeare (1990-1991): developed through 7 months of workshops with actors and musicians. Toured Santa Barbara, Ojai, and Los Angeles, CA. Named one of the "10 Best" Productions for 1991, by L.A. Reader. 
 
 • THE ROVER by Aphra Behn (1989-1990): Originally commissioned by The Fund For Santa Barbara (philanthropic organization), and performed in a private home, the piece was later remounted in an abandoned locker room at the Hollywood Recreation Center in Los Angeles. 
 
 • DR. FAUSTUS by Christopher Marlowe (1987): Adapted through workshops with actors and musicians and performed at Joseppi’s Bar in Santa Barbara, the site-specific work made use of all the nooks and crannies of that venue, and initiated a new audience in the theatre experience.
 
 • BAAL by Bertolt Brecht (1985): Developed and produced as an independent student project at UCLA, and performed in a basement room. The production and the ensemble were the genesis of Critical Mass Performance Group.