Details
Testimonium responds to the American poet Charles Reznikoff's unfinished masterwork Testimony, a collection of courtroom testimonies translated into poetry. Reznikoff imagined an alternate history of the United States which included voices usually omitted from the history books. The performance re-imagines these poems as fragmented texts infused with biography and philosophy. The company explain that they were drawn to Reznikoff's 'merciless voice and resolutely American imagery' and have aimed to reveal the porous borders between performance and thought. The performance alternates between Stephen Fiehn's inventive movement sequences, Bryan Saner's recitation of the text, and original songs performed live by Chicago band Joan of Arc, an extremely loud live post-rock band with hints of Sonic Youth - the company have stated "Earplugs provided".