My Thoughts About the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers Refugia Panel

Hard conversations seem to be happening simultaneously all over Twin Cities arts organizations these days.

Photo courtesy of the Guthrie. 

First it was the controversy over the Walker Art Center's Scaffold piece in the new sculpture garden. Then it was a truly excellent panel hosted by ALMA at Mixed Blood Theatre to discuss the recent production of West Side Story at the Ordway. And last night it was a conversation at the Guthrie Theater regarding their recent production of Refugia, which closes this weekend.

The panel was organized between the Guthrie and the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB) (full disclosure if you don't know already: I'm a member of that group; second disclosure: all opinions included here are solely my own and do not represent the group as a whole). This was the first time TCTB has reached out to try to organize such an event and to my knowledge the first time a reactionary panel has been set up to discuss a Guthrie season performance. I had a few thoughts moving forward about the process and conversation and I didn't want it to end with that single panel, ergo this post.

The panel moderator asked some really interesting questions of the audience during the Q and A session, and I didn't feel like we got the time to fully dive in as deeply as we should have. The most interesting to me was "What do you want to get out of this discussion?" I was glad to see this posed, as I think often when concerns are raised about a piece of art/action/event, it can feel like there is a lot of complaining without proactive solutions or that there isn't a clear end goal in sight. Speaking only for myself, there were two main goals I wanted to see coming from the Refugia panel, and they were:

1. To bring the Guthrie to the table to discuss the creative process. 

This goal was obviously successful with the creation of the panel. I was so glad to see the G be open to having a conversation rather than refusing to address serious concerns many in the community had about the piece (for reference, please check out Laura Van Zandt and Kory Pullam's excellent pieces, linked here and here). From what I saw, the process of creating the panel was relatively smooth and it was prioritized on the Guthrie's end, and that was really good to see. Although the makeup of the panel was lopsided in the end - I would have liked to see more parity in numbers between those who had concerns with the piece and the creators of the work itself - the fact that it happened at all is a win in my book. I hope this won't be the last time the Guthrie or The Moving Company hold such a conversation with the public if/when concerns are raised about future production.

2. To create proactive guidelines and plans to try to have an inclusive, intentionally diverse process for creating new works. 

This is the goal that I'm not sure has been achieved and was the muddiest takeaway (for me) from the Refugia panel conversation. Although the Guthrie and the Moving Company know that there are issues the community has with the piece, the discussion felt to me a little more like a brush off than a really difficult dive into evaluating the creative process. I would have really liked to see a more specific set of changes in play to create a transparent set of guidelines for creating new work and helping people not to be alienated in the process. As an institution that receives public funding (and as the recipient of a large amount of those funds), I do think the Guthrie and Moving Company, respectively, are beholden to try to maximize the use of those dollars in a way that is helpful for all communities moving forward, not just a niche set of patrons. Those conversations may be happening behind closed doors - we don't know! - but I didn't see much explicit address of this publicly in Wednesday's panel, and that was disappointing.

So where do we go from here? These questions - about how public funding is used for the arts, who is prioritized in those choices, how to address concerns once they are raised in an inclusive and respectful way, how to self-evaluate when something is not received as you wanted it to be, how to respect free speech while also being accountable - are all incredibly important, and no matter what I don't think a one hour (or even a 10 hour!) panel conversation could truly address all of those things. Personally, I'd love to participate in some ongoing conversations to proactively talk about how we set up projects (and receive them) from the ground up. Would you be interested in joining me? Please comment and let me know.

Wrestling with the Moving Company's Refugia at the Guthrie

This world premiere play left me with more to think about than usual. 

Photo by Dan Norman

I immediately marked Refugia on my "must-see" list when it was announced last year. I've been following the current migration and refugee crises swallowing the world whole with great interest over the last few years, and I was so excited to finally see a piece from a major theater that would address it head on. The fact that it was being staged by the recently renewed the Moving Company was just icing on the multi-layered cake.

But when I left the theater last Friday after finally seeing Refugia, I found myself with more questions than answers and facing a review that I don't really know how to write.

Photo by Dan Norman

Let's start with what I can absolutely verify: the Moving Company is made up of some spectacularly talented artists, and they act the hell out of their roles here. The set is innovative and evocative, and offered a surprising amount of flexibility for what looked at face value like such a static structure. The costumes are perfectly tailored and beautifully appointed, and each character is exactly represented as you might imagine them off the page. Attention is paid to every tiny detail, down to exquisitely placed props and a live soundtrack (mostly provided by Christina Baldwin) that will make your heart stop.

Photo by Dan Norman

But I think the success of all these small details is what leaves the audience of Refugia in such a confusion, because at the heart of this show aren't really refugees at all, as one might suppose. The play opens and ends with an elderly white man walking in a Rainman-esque trance and babbling about his human family, long life, the vagaries of senior homes, and more, none of which is directly related to the more searing vignettes contained throughout the middle of the play. A dance with a polar bear may be intended to evoke some sort of animistic refugee crisis (climate change??) but left me more confused than content. The first true refugee story, about a young girl left at the Mexican border in Arizona as she is being "processed," has some hilarious caricatures of governmental staff at the border. However, the laughter created by these caricatures cruelly ignores the girl, the abuse she faces by these adults who treat her with such contempt, and never truly atones for itself. I found it extremely uncomfortable to watch while laughter boiled around me, unable to think of anything but a 10 year old girl stuffed in a trash can straight in front of my eyes, as forgotten on stage as her real life counterparts seem to be.

Photo by Dan Norman

That's not to say Refugia is wholly without nuance or benefit. I did appreciate an extended storyline discussing the critical issue of European citizens who are leaving to the Middle East to join Daish, and the effects that that selfish betrayal has on families back home. The pain parents suffer when their children abandon the generations of work they have put in to survive is extraordinary and often overlooked, I think, and that narrative is beautifully displayed through several moving interactions. A group of female Muslim refugees silently and stoically pray while planes fly overhead, and their quiet strength is an inspiring thing to see. And a gorgeous piece about Polish Jews fleeing Russia in the 1950s has some beautiful things to say about the place of art in such painful moments and the benefits of starting completely from scratch.

Photo by Dan Norman

As mentioned before, the cast is incredibly talented and really lights up each sketch. Christina Baldwin anchors the action, of course, with her lovely voice and ability to vanish into her characters. Baldwin is a master actress, and even when the action on stage is unsettling, it's hard to take your eyes off her. Nathan Keepers is hilarious as a wayward librarian at the end of the show, the only truly comedic part of Refugia. Orlando Pabotoy is heartbreaking as a father seeking his corrupted son, and his scenes of loss are some of the most moving of the show. Steven Epp is reminiscent of 1980s Dustin Hoffmann in his meandering monologues, and he really loses himself in his part.

Photo by Dan Norman

So, at the end of the day, should you go see Refugia? I honestly don't know. I can't deny that in it's individual elements, Refugia is a beautifully crafted piece of drama. On the other hand, I have some very strong reservations about the script itself. I may believe that the authors intended this well (and I really do believe it), but somewhere in all the madness the point of the story - of refugees, of those who are suffering, of those who are forgotten and overlooked, of those to whom it is far too easy to turn a cold shoulder - is utterly lost. Some moments are downright uncomfortable, and not in a purposeful way that generates necessary, productive self-reflection. I think (if you dig) there is something good to be found here, and I think this company could develop it further into a truly transcendent piece, but I'm not confident enough in Refugia's current iteration to endorse it wholeheartedly as-is. Do you agree? Disagree? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section. For more information about Refugia, click on this link.