Nature Theater of Oklahoma

In 2009, the Nature Theater of Oklahoma – an unclassifiable company not from Oklahoma but New York – embarked on an epic Proustian project: to recount the life of a member of the troupe in ten episodes. Based on six-teen hours of telephone interviews with Kristin Worrall, Life and Times begins with four shows and a detour via a book, before episodes 7 and 8 switch mediums and become films.

In episode 8, Kelly Copper and Pavol Liska abandon black and white for the colours of CinemaScope. Shot entirely on location during a residency at Bard College in upstate New York, the film is inspired by the vast landscapes painted by the Hudson River School, an art movement that was founded in the locality. Kristin Worrall entered adulthood there, a moment that coincided with the attacks of 11 September 2001. Loss and the desire to find her place in the world permeate this luminous film, sung and set to music by Daniel Gower.

Nature Theater of Oklahoma is a New York-based company directed by Kelly Copper and Pavol Liska. Founded in 2003, it is known for its daring projects, “impossible challenges” that play with the codes of performance and take many different forms. The audience plays an essential role, especially as participants. Its repertoire includes Pursuit of Happiness (2016), No President (2018), the Life and Times series and the film Die Kinder der Toten, based on the novel of the same name by Elfriede Jelinek.