YONDER WINDOW CREATIVE CRUSADE
The Story of Solitude
an exploration and collaboration about solitude from artists around the world.
Yonder Window Theatre Company specializes in devising theatre. The Dream Project is a devised version of Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ that started with each company member creating and performing solo pieces inspired by a prompt from the director.
In Spring 2020, Yonder Window is invited non-company members and patrons to collaborate with us on a new project centered around solitude.
We asked artists “What does the word solitude provoke in you?” Their responses were moving, inspiring, and thoughtful solo pieces. We took those pieces and shared them with the world.
The next step in the Creative Crusade involved putting together groups of artists, most of them complete strangers living far away from one another. These groups created incredible new pieces, inspired by their solo submissions and the newfound creative bond they shared. The result was 7 powerful pieces about solitude.
The culmination of these pieces will be a script entitled The Story of Solitude, penned by our Playwright in Residence Grant MacDermott, and a spectacular staged production.
We present to you, a virtual collection of
Creative Crusade: The Story of Solitude.
A CONVERSATION BETWEEN DOUBT AND SOLITUDE
We begin with a writer and a speaker. Cris Eli Blak and Danyal Diallo are two young artists that live across the globe from one another. Cris resides in the US and Danyal in Australia. These two brilliant young minds came together to create a thought-provoking conversation between Doubt and Solitude, taking inspiration from their original solo submissions.
SOLEDAD
The journey continues with artists in Mexico and Canada. Alejandro Oliva, Isaac Weisselberg, Nicholas Aguilar, Lorea Montemayor, and Valerie Paterson came together during some of the darkest days of the pandemic to create a piece that encompasses pain and fear alongside hope and love.
THE RECKONING
The Reckoning is a powerful song written just for the Creative Crusade by United States musical duo Kristen Long and Will Find (a.k.a. The Minx and the Maestro). When we heard their creation we knew we had to get a movement artist involved. Azucena Acevedo is a Mexico based actor that brought a mesmerizing visual experience to The Reckoning.
25 HOURS
Five women from across the world came together to create a beautiful visual poem. Caroline Burkhart (Connecticut), Magen Huntley (Texas), Florence Sibley (United Kingdom), Theoni Bekiari (California) and Sarah Wagstaff (Oregan) astonished us with their ability to collaborate across time zones. The title, 25 Hours, comes from adding up the time difference between them all.
HAPPY HOUR
Warning: Some content may be disturbing for younger viewers. Get ready for a chaotic ride! Happy Hour is all about the madness that lies within. Yonder Window Company members Elke Van Dyke (United States), Hugo Luna (Mexico), Megan Schadler and Jack Gilliat (France) tapped into the deepest parts of their solo pieces for inspiration in order to create this improvised collaboration.
LOCKDOWN LULLABY (THE I LOVE YOU SONG)
Lockdown Lullaby (The I Love You Song) is a touching music and visual experience that explores the joys and struggles of parenthood, especially during quarantine. Leandra Ramm (California) and Rachael Richman (Vermont) grace us with their lovely singing alongside music composed by Will Fink (Florida) and video design by Valerie Paterson (Canada).
SAUDADE
Saudade was created by and features Colin Heath (Canada), Jonas Kobberdal (Australia) with music by Antonio Millán (Mexico). These artists explored nostalgia and longing in this imaginative and adventurous collaboration. This piece will suck you in with its music, locations, and all around brilliant storytelling.