Irish Arts Center presents

Liz Roche Company: Yes and Yes

NEW YORK PREMIERE

MAY 4–6, 2023

Run time: 70 minutes. No intermission.

Creator and Choreographer: Liz Roche 

Dancers: Sarah Cerneaux, Mufutau Yusuf, Grace Cuny, Toon Theunissen 

Music: Ray Harman
Stage and Costume Design: Katie Davenport
Lighting Design: Davison Scandrett
Film/VIsuals: José Miguel Jiménez
Dramaturgy: Wayne Jordan
Production Manager: Lisa Mahony
Costume Supervisor: James McGlynn Seaver

Liz Roche Company
Executive Director: Moyra D'Arcy
Communications Manager: Kate O' Brien
Producing Associate: Emer Mc Mahon

USA Production Stage Manager: Tre Wheeler
Assistant Stage Manager: Sam Shapiro
Technical Director: Michael Harbeck
Head Electrician & Programmer: Trevor Dewey
Wardrobe Head: Kathe Mull

Electricians: Finneas Weeks, Adrian Mellowes, Terysa Malootian, Jon Naranjo, Rohandry Hernandez, Nicole Malancea, Will Keener, Jael Hoyos, Nyel Manley, Gaby Liriano, Lucas Kery

Carpenters: Nicholas Santasier, Jarod Bakum

On Friday, May 5 please join us for a post-show talkback with Liz Roche and Alison Armstrong, Joyce scholar, author of The Joyce of Cooking, and longtime member of the James Joyce Society and W.B. Yeats Society of New York.

Yes and Yes is co-produced by Liz Roche Company and Solas Nua in Washington, D.C., in partnership with Cork Opera House.

Presented with generous support from The Arts Council of Ireland, Culture Ireland, Tourism Ireland and Jody and John Arnhold | Arnhold Foundation.

A Note from the Choreographer

Miranda Driscoll, executive director of Solas Nua contacted me in early 2021, interested in commissioning a new work that would respond to James Joyce’s Ulysses. With 2022 being the 100 year anniversary of the book's first publication, I was interested, and over many months I read Ulysses and discovered this beautiful, frustrating and heart-breaking book that felt like it was written by someone I could never understand and yet it felt like coming home—like strangely connecting with my hometown for the first time. 

Joyce said he "wanted to give a picture of Dublin so complete, that if the city one day suddenly disappeared from the earth it could be reconstructed out of my book”. Having trained and danced overseas for many years, I regret not reading Ulysses earlier in life as I feel the familiarity of the characters and sing-song rhythms of the language would have helped me with my constant homesickness. I see Ulysses as a love letter to Dublin, and to the way in which its inhabitants pass through it in their daily lives. The city is of course hugely different now than how it was in 1904, but somehow 100 years later, I can still recognize and relate to that Dublin in the book, as if I were there, today. 

Moving this from the page into the body was challenging. With a desire to not get caught up in adapting the work for dance but instead to be truly inspired to create something new, the whole collaborative Yes and Yes team, dancers and designers, thought about what the book means now, 100 years on. How does a body in 2023 respond to this epic text? Yes and Yes maps through the changing episodes of the book, acknowledging the ever-evolving writing styles throughout. Streams of consciousness in the text become waterfalls of movement; songs become notations or timings, and numbers become encounters. It all gets very surreal at times, but is rooted in the evolving logic of the book. 

It has been exciting to apply my type of movement sensibility to Joyce's bold texts and watch as Ulysses' dynamic brashness and abandon pushes me out of my usual comfort zone. Supported by Culture Ireland, Yes and Yes had its U.S. premiere in Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia in September 2022, and went on to make its Irish premiere at Project Arts Centre last November. I'm delighted that the show is touring Ireland and abroad this year, beginning at Cork Opera House, who have been a partner in the creation of the work. We take a moment out of that to again bring the work now to the U.S., performing at the Irish Arts Center in New York and then it's back home to finish the tour at Dublin Dance Festival.

—Liz Roche, choreographer/creator of Yes and Yes and artistic director of Liz Roche Company

Who's Who

Liz Roche is the choreographer and artistic director of Liz Roche Company. Since 1999, the company has produced and toured her works performing throughout Ireland and internationally. Her work has been commissioned by the Abbey Theatre, Dublin Dance Festival, Cork Opera House, the National Ballet of China, Scottish Dance Theatre, Solas Nua Washington, D.C., Goethe Institut Irland, Arcane Collective, Croi Glan, DTI, and CoisCeim. Her 2015 work Bastard Amber was the first dance work ever to be commissioned from an Irish choreographer for the Abbey Theatre. She has also choreographed extensively in theatre and opera at the Gate Theatre, the Abbey Theatre, Landmark Productions, Lyric Theatre Belfast, Siren Productions, The Ark, Irish National Opera, Wexford Festival Opera, National Opera of Korea, Rossini Opera Festival, Liceu Barcelona, Opernhaus Zurich, Opera de Nice, and Opera Ireland. In 2020, Liz was elected to Aosdána in recognition of her contribution to the Irish cultural landscape.

Sarah Cerneaux (dancer) started street dancing at the age of seventeen in France. After completing her degree, she moved to Paris and continued her education with teachers such as Corinne Lanselle, Carolyn Carlson, Julyen Hamilton, and Junior Almeida. Since then, she has worked with Abou Lagraa Company (2006- 2014), Christine Bastin, David Drouard Company, Vincent Mantsoé, and Maryse Delente Company. She joined Akram Khan Company in November 2014, and toured with their production of Kaash for two years. She began working with Liz Roche Company in 2014 and performed in Bastard Amber, WRoNGHEADED, Pilgrimage, and I/Thou. Sarah now lives in France where she works with the Amala Dianor Company and Desiré Davids company. She recently started to develop her own work.

Mufutau Yusuf (dancer) is a Nigerian-born Irish dancer who had his introduction to contemporary dance at the age of 16 with Dublin Youth Dance Company, and two years later professionally with the Irish Modern Dance Theatre in the production Fall and Recover, the first of many works with that company. He then subsequently enrolled in a four years undergraduate program at Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance, which he graduated from in 2016. Since graduating, Mufutau has worked as a freelancer with various choreographers while developing his own artistic works. He is currently working as a freelancer between Ireland and Brussels where he works with Belgian choreographer Wim Vandekeybus and Ultima Vez.

Grace Cuny (dancer) is a dance artist from Fort Worth, Texas, currently living in Limerick. She began her training in classical ballet attending summers at the School of American Ballet and performing with the Suzanne Farrell Ballet in Washington, D.C., before receiving her B.F.A. in dance performance at SMU in Dallas. Her dual love for dance and theater led her to devise movement for plays and explore more immersive spaces, collaborating with playwright and director Claire Carson and performing with physical theater group, Prism Movement Co. After moving to New York, Grace worked as a freelance artist, forming relationships with Linked Dance Theatre and avant-pop band Reliant Tom. In 2021 she moved to Limerick to pursue an M.A. in contemporary dance at the Irish World Academy.

Toon Theunissen (dancer) trained as a contemporary dancer at Fontys Dance Academy in the Netherlands. Originally from Belgium, Toon has been part of creative processes with Diego Sinniger de Salas, Antonin Rioche and Andreas Hannes, among others. This past year, he was part of the talent development program of Conny Janssen Danst. During this year-long internship, he performed in works by Fubunation and Conny Janssen. Since graduating in 2022, he has worked with and performed in pieces by Patricia van Deutekom (LAVA Collective). We Are The End Of Me, a co-creation of his and Roisin Harten's was selected to be performed at the Boulevard Festival (NL). In 2023, Toon will collaborate and be part of creative processes of Thomas Noone Dance, Liz Roche Company, and IlDance.

Ray Harman (composer) has worked as a composer for film, television, animation, and theatre for over 20 years. His work has been nominated for, and won several awards including two IFTAs (Irish Film and TV Awards), and best original score for Liam Gavin’s horror, A Dark Song (Monster Fest, Australia). Recently, he scored Emer Reynolds' acclaimed The Farthest documentary, chronicling NASA’s 1977 iconic space probe. His recent TV work includes the acclaimed series Blood, The Young Offenders, Taken Down, Inspector George Gently, and Love/Hate. Ray composed the score for Liz Roche Company’s Bastard Amber, Totems, WRoNGHEADED and the film Näher. He plays guitar with Irish band Something Happens.

Katie Davenport (set and costume designer) is based in Dublin and trained in production design for stage and screen at IADT. She has designed for many major theatre, opera and dance companies in Ireland, including the Abbey, the Gate, Irish National Opera, Landmark, United Fall, Liz Roche Dance Company, Northern Ireland Opera, Theatre Lovett, THISISPOPBABY, and Rough Magic, and has associated at St Ann’s Warehouse (New York) and The Barbican (London). She has also worked in the art department at Ardmore studios, has designed for RTÉ, and won an ICAD for Piranha Bar in 2016. In 2019 she was nominated for an Irish Times Theatre Award and represented Ireland at The Prague Quadrennial, a world exhibition of theatre design, and in Beijing NCPA at Evolving Design for Performance in 2016. Katie is vice chair of the Irish Society of Stage & Screen Designers, and was designer in residence at the Gate Theatre Dublin in 2017. She recently participated in a cross disciplinary group curated by Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) and Project Arts Centre, Studio Interruptions in 2020, and recently contributed work towards a collaborative publication in 2021.

Davison Scandrett (lighting designer) served as director of production for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company from 2008–2012. Notable projects during his tenure include the Legacy World Tour, premieres of Nearly Ninety & Nearly 90^2, revivals of Antic Meet, Roaratorio, Rainforest & Squaregame, the Dia Beacon events, and MCDC's final performances at the Park Avenue Armory. He also oversaw the documentation of production materials for inclusion in Dance Capsules and transfer to the Walker Art Center & New York Public Library. Since leaving MCDC, Davison has created lighting designs for Rashaun Mitchell + Silas Riener [Tesseract (with Charles Atlas), Blue Name, Light Years, Performance, Taste, Interface, Veal, Nox], Pam Tanowitz (New Work for Goldberg Variations, Once with Me, Sequenzas in Quadrilles, The Story Progresses, Broken Story, PASSAGEN, Heaven on One’s Head, The Spectators), Mike Birbiglia (Thank God For Jokes), Neal Brennan (3 Mics), and Paris Opera Ballet (Cunningham's Un jour ou deux). Production management credits include projects with Marina Abramovic, Wendy Whelan, Benjamin Millepied, Ohad Naharin, Kyle Abraham, Jennifer Monson, Brian Brooks, Steve Reich, Toshi Reagon, BalletBoyz, National Ballet of China, Ninagawa Company, Silk Road Ensemble, The Knights, Ensemble Signal, and Lincoln Center Festival. Before joining MCDC, Davison was the head electrician for the World Tour of Rent and the First National Tour of The Drowsy Chaperone, as well as the recipient of a 2007 Bessie Award for his collaboration with Sarah Michelson and Parker Lutz on the visual design of DOGS. He is a graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts.

José Miguel Jimenez (videographer) is an actor, director and filmmaker based in Dublin. A theatre graduate from Universidad de Chile and Trinity College Dublin, he is also a founding member of the artist led initiative DRAFF, an international magazine focused on dance and theatre. He is a founding member of The Company theatre ensemble, acting as director for all their productions between 2009 and 2012, and as DOP on Under the Selfsame Moon written by Brian Bennett. José has developed extensive work as a video designer, collaborating with theatre, dance, and visual artists. These include Hamnet, Shakespeare’s Last Play, and Beckett’s Room with Dead Centre, Salò Redubbed by Dylan Tighe, After by Liv O’Donoghue, and many others.

Wayne Jordan (dramaturg) has spent the last three years working on a master’s degree in devised and object theatre at the Faculty of Alternative Theatre and Puppetry in Prague. He was an associate artist at the Abbey Theatre from 2010 to 2012. Wayne’s work at the Abbey Theatre includes Anna Karenina, The Plough and the Stars, Alice in Funderland, 16 Possible Glimpses, No Romance, Christ Deliver Us!, La Dispute, and Twelfth Night. Recent theatre work includes The Threepenny Opera and Enemy of the People (Gate Theatre). He was artistic director of Randolf SD | The Company and part of Project Catalyst, an initiative of Project Arts Centre. At Project Arts Centre, he has directed Ellamenope Jones, Everybody Loves Sylvia, Fewer Emergencies, The Public, The Drowned World, The Illusion, Eeeugh!topia (Randolf SD | The Company), and Elevator (THISISPOPBABY). Other work includes Celebration (Gate Theatre), La Voix Humaine (Dublin Fringe Festival), and Crave (Samuel Beckett Theatre and Studiobühne, Cologne). He is a graduate of the Samuel Beckett Centre, Trinity College Dublin.

Lisa Mahony (production manager) studied drama and theatre studies at Trinity College Dublin and has worked for more than a decade as a freelance production manager and technician. She also worked for several years at the Project Arts Centre as a venue technician, and was the first head of lighting at The Lir Academy. Companies she has worked as production manager with include Corn Exchange, Teac Damsa, CoisCéim, Field Day, Cahoots NI, Pan Pan, Junk Ensemble, Brokentalkers, and most recently Theatre Lovett and Ceol Connected, many of which she has toured nationally and internationally. Previous engagements with Liz Roche Company include work as production manager on Pilgrimage and I/Thou in 2018 into 2019, and Alternately Terrific and Gentle in 2020. She is delighted to be working with the company once more.

James McGlynn Seaver (costume supervisor) is a costume designer, costume maker and supervisor, currently serving as head of the costume department at the Gate Theatre in Dublin. Having trained as a fashion and textile designer, Seaver started his career in 2010. His work has since been showcased on stage and runway nationally and internationally. Credits include A Women in Progress (Project Art Centre), Alternative Miss Ireland (Olympia), THISISPOPBABY's RIOT world tour, High Heels in Low Places (the Peacock Theatre and Soho Theatre), Country (Mermaid Arts Centre), Tickled Pink House of Burlesque, Queen of Ireland (Panti’s Wardrobe), and Mangina Jones’ Big Christmas Cracker (Project Arts Centre). Seaver also designs and creates the enviable wardrobe of Ireland’s ‘National Treasure’, Panti Bliss, whose dress worn at the now famous ‘Noble Call’ speech at the Abbey Theatre in 2014 currently resides in the National Gallery at Collins Barracks. With a passion for the evolution of fashion through the ages, Seaver reproduces and reconceptualises historic garments for film and private clients, as well as being a bespoke corset maker. Seaver currently works from his fully equipped Dublin-based studio.

About Irish Arts Center

Irish Arts Center, founded in 1972 and based in Hell’s Kitchen, New York City, is a home for artists and audiences of all backgrounds who share a passion or appreciation for the evolving arts and culture of contemporary Ireland and Irish America. We present, develop, and celebrate work from established and emerging artists and cultural practitioners, providing audiences with emotionally and intellectually engaging experiences in an environment of Irish hospitality. Steeped in grassroots traditions, we also provide community education programs and access to the arts for people of all ages and ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds. In a historic partnership of the people of Ireland and New York, Irish Arts Center recently completed construction on a fully-funded $60MM state-of-the-art new facility to support this mission for the 21st century.

See what else is on at Irish Arts Center this historic, grand opening season: irishartscenter.org.

About Liz Roche Company

Established in 1999, Liz Roche Company is one of Ireland’s leading contemporary dance companies. With a reputation for its finely wrought and beautifully crafted choreographic style, the Dublin based company presents the works of choreographer Liz Roche in collaboration with artists, dancers and designers of the highest caliber. An artistically distinctive and ambitious arts organization, the company has produced over twenty original productions, touring throughout Ireland and further afield in the UK, Germany, France, USA, Australia and China, most notably being presented at the Baryshnikov Arts Centre and Judson Memorial Church in New York, the South Bank Centre, London and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.