Download monster - M1 Singapore Fringe Festival

MONSTER
Biographies of Artists
Pappas and Dancers
Based in California and New York, Pappas and Dancers has been presenting challenging choreography since
Spring 2002 at venues such as The Yerba Buena Gardens, ODC Theater, The Cowell Theater, the Contemporary
Jewish Museum, Highways Performance Space, Movement Research at Judson Church, Green Street Studios
and Theater Artaud.
As a company, Pappas and Dancers has become known for a thoughtful, imagistic style whose hallmark is
delicate, self-contained movement worlds and idiosyncratic gestures. Their most recent project Monster
(ongoing since 2006) was deemed "mesmerizing" and "compelling" by The Los Angeles Times. Monster, which
uses fantastical creatures to explore Jewish history and the physical remnants of trauma, is reflective of
Pappas and Dancers' interest in approaching the body as an archive for physical and social histories. Since its
inception in 2006, Monster has been presented nationally and internationally at 18 venues, in 7 cities and 2
countries. Pappas and Dancers has received choreographic residencies at Yaddo, Dragon’s Egg, Hothouse, and
Shotwell Studios, and funding from the Clorox Company Foundation, the Zellerbach Family Foundation, the
Mellon Committee for Research on the Holocaust in American and World Culture, and a commissioning grant
from Saint Joseph Ballet.
Rebecca Pappas
Choreographer
From 1997 to 2001, Rebecca Pappas attended Connecticut College where she studied dance under Dan
Wagoner and Jeremy Nelson. Upon graduation, Pappas moved to Oakland, CA where she began
choreographing under the name Pappas and Dancers. There she created 12 original works and was presented
at venues including The Yerba Buena Gardens, ODC Theater, The Cowell Theater, and Theater Artaud. Her
company also appeared in the Monterey Dance Festival, Westwave/Summerfest, The Underserved at ODC,
The Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, and twice at the Women on the Way Festival. During this time she
developed a style whose hallmark was delicate, self-contained movement worlds and idiosyncratic gesture.
Since moving to Los Angeles in 2006, she has been well-received by critics and audiences alike, and Sara Wolf
of the Los Angeles Times recently referred to her work as “mesmerizing” and “compelling”. Pappas and
Dancers has received support from the Zellerbach Family Foundation, the Clorox Company Foundation,
Mellon Committee for Research on the Holocaust and commissions from Saint Joseph’s Ballet in Santa Ana,
CA as well as residencies at Dragon’s Egg and Yaddo.
Anthony Gatto
Anthony Gatto studied music with Ornette Coleman in New York City, and studied composition with Jacob
Druckman, Lukas Foss, and Martin Bresnick at the Yale School of Music, where he completed his Doctorate of
Musical Arts in 2001. He has received fellowships and awards from the Fulbright Fellowship program, the
Bush, McKnight, and Jerome Foundations, Meet the Composer, the Minnesota State Arts Board, an Aaron
Copland Award, Yaddo residencies, and an ASCAP Grant to Young Composers. He has received commissions
and performances from The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (The Sheltering Sky), the Walker Art
Center (The Making of Americans), the string quartet Ethel and guitarist Mark Stewart (Black Dog/Lucky Dog),
the chamber orchestra Alarm Will Sound (Eat a Peach), the Minneapolis Guitar Quartet (Unbreak My Heart),
The Orchestra Dancing in Your Head (Dance You Monster to My Soft Song!), MATA Festival 2002/guitarist
Michael Nicollela (Because a Pony (for John Lennon)), the Minnesota Orchestra (Summer Hockets), the
Bakken Trio (Falling and Waving), the University of Minnesota Percussion Ensemble (Let It Come Down), Open
Eye Figure Theater (Elijah's Wake), The Dale Warland Singers (Lyke-Wake Dirge). Gatto is the founder and
Artistic Director of The Festival Dancing in Your Head.
Leah Piehl
Leah Piehl began designing costumes in the mid 1990’s as part of a performance collective in San Francisco.
After several years as a hobbyist she decided to leave her career in web design and animation, move to Los
Angeles to attend CalArts, and become a costume designer full-time. Her film career began with a scholarship
from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to work with costume designer Molly Maginnis on
American Dreamz (Hugh Grant, Dennis Quaid, Mandy Moore; Universal Pictures). After graduating from
CalArts, Leah designed a series of short films including Shelly Figg, directed by Caryn Sanchez (AFI Directing
Workshop for Women), The Macabre World of Lavender Williams, directed by Nick Delgado and
produced/mentored by Robert Zemeckis (Christopher Lloyd, Rex Linn), and Cinco de Mayo, directed by Giles
Greenwood. More recently she completed her first feature length film, Buzzkill, directed by Steven
Kampmann (Stealing Home, The Couch Trip). She also recently completed television pilot, Hobos, written and
directed by Emmy wining writer Lee Farber and is currently collaborating on the development of new series
for Comedy Central for actor Thomas Lennon of Reno 911.
Christopher Kuhl
Christopher Kuhl is a lighting and scenic designer based out of Los Angeles, CA and Portland, OR. Currently he
one of the resident assistant designers at Center Theatre Group and was also the resident lighting designer at
REDCAT for the 2005-2007 seasons. His recent work includes Lighting Design for A Guide to an Exhibitionist,
Laundromatinee, Longing in Hong Kong, My Beowulf, Cԏpera receiving a Horton Award nomination (Collage
Dance Theatre); Model Behavior, Monster of Happiness receiving an Ovation Award Nomination (Theatre
Movement Bazaar); Old Times, Moonlight (Lost Studio); Wasteland arrival (Oni Dance); Because They Have No
Words (Lounge Theatre); Dos Pueblos, Project X at the Bumbershoot Festival (Hand 2 Mouth Theatre); Termen
Vox Machina (Filament); The Cherry Orchard (evidence Room). Associate Design for Mycenaean (BAM Next
Wave) and Drums of the Waves of Horikawa (Theatre of a Two Headed Calf). Lighting Director for The
ActorsӠGang National Tour of The Exonerated; Victoria Marks Not about Iraq, and David Rousseve Saudade.
He has also assisted regionally at Hartford Stage, Dallas Theatre Center, Portland Center Stage, the Kirk
Douglas Theatre, South Coast Rep, and the Geffen Playhouse. Chris is originally from New Mexico and a
graduate of Calarts.