Where Are You? (New York) - 2022
Created & Directed by Sim Yan Ying "YY"
Devised with & Performed by Ao Lan Guo, Brendan Schwartz, Guillermo Contreras, John Titus, Maria Müller, Rosalie Neal & Shannon Helene Barnes
December 2022 as part of Mabou Mines SUITE/Space, NYC
It’s been said that grief changes us irrevocably – that the death of a loved one shakes us up in unexpected and unimaginable ways. Some of us cling to rituals and superstitions. Others replay memories. Still others laugh in the face of its absurdity.
Weaving together personal stories and cultural perspectives, Where Are You? attempts to excavate the universal experience of grief through its unique manifestations. How do we talk openly and honestly about death? How can we be fearless about grieving deeply? And how might we reckon with where we go after death? This devised physical theatre production seeks to bring some light and lightness to stories that are too often kept in the dark.
Production History
Where Are You? was first conceived and staged at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in May 2019. It subsequently had a digital production in October 2020 under the Mabou Mines SUITE/Space program, followed by a Singapore production in February 2021 as part of the Wild Rice Directing Residency.
Collaborators
Creator & Director: Sim Yan Ying "YY"
Devisers & Performers: Ao Lan Guo, Brendan Schwartz, Guillermo Contreras, John Titus, Maria Müller, Rosalie Neal & Shannon Helene Barnes
Script Dramaturg: Cheng Nien Yuan
Scenic & Costume Designer: Johanna Pan
Lighting Designer: Nic Vincent
Sound Designer: Jordan Rose Bernstein
Multimedia Designer: Cinthia Chen
Associate Choreographer & Swing: Carina Goebelbecker
Sound Associate: Ellery Pierce
Fight Choreographer: Ryan Han
Production Stage Manager: Siena Yusi
Assistant Stage Manager: Laurel Ledesma
Crew: Žilvinas Jonušas, Wyatt Moniz, Jorgan & Sami
Production Photographer: Marcus Middleton
Publicity Photographer: Craig Mungavin
Publicity Designer: See Yong Xin
Press
“The smooth, energized staging and flow and the focused performances ensured that my attention almost never wavered… Collaborative efforts inspired by real-life human stories have resulted in wonderful shows before. Think A Chorus Line. It’s a risky technique but it works in Where Are You? thanks to a unified conception and an excellent, multitalented cast.”
— Jon Sobel, Blogcritics
“A moving and entertaining collaborative performance piece […] YY, in collaboration with dramaturg Cheng Nien Yuan’s taut 70-minute treatment is realized by a program of humorous and dramatic scenes, evocative dances and confessional monologues taking place across the world. Each of the vignettes, some of which are interconnected, are staged and choreographed by YY for an optimum of visual and emotional impact. […] Where Are You? (New York) is a resonant, humane and richly theatricalized meditation on its universal subject, dying and its aftermath on the living.”