“katabasis” Premieres at the Getty Villa
By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief
Part immersive concert and part ritual theatre, “katabasis” premieres at the Getty Villa on Thursday, Nov. 8.
The performance, brand new and site specific, features Four Larks, a Los Angeles-based troupe.
“Staged outside for an intimate audience, ‘katabasis’ unfurls across the grounds and gardens of the Getty Villa in a walking procession that is structured as a participatory Orphic mystery rite,” a press release explained.
The performance is a companion piece to the Villa’s exhibition “Underworld: Imagining the Afterlife” and will feature encounters with characters and visual motifs from it.
Audience members will also “commune with ancient belief” and “procure blessings for this life and what lies beyond.”
The Four Larks pieces are inspired by ancient modes and rhythms, but reimagined with world folk and art pop.
“Katabasis” is part of Four Larks’ “Orpheus,” which was developed at the Getty Villa in 2014 as part of the Villa Theater Labs series of works in progress. The production was written by the troupe’s creator/composer Mat Sweeney and creative producer Sebastian Peter-Lazaro, with lyricist Jesse Rasmussen.
The cast will feature 13 inter-disciplinary members, who come from a diverse background of opera, new music, pop and physical theatre.
Performances will take place Nov. 8 through 10 and 15 through 17 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available for $25 and available by calling 310-440-7300.
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