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Robert Wilson, a director of experimental theater, travels to the Hamptons every year to engage with a group of international artists at The Watermill Center, a performance lab he established in 1992. Along with the numerous installations and performances of performance art that Wilson organized this summer, he also staged his production of Ubu. The amphitheater performance of Ubu was the centerpiece of the Watermill Center’s Annual Gala, but a torrential downpour nearly prevented it from happening.
The cloudburst didn’t stop Robert Wilson and the Ubu troupe from performing. For a shortened version of the performance, Wilson himself served as the narrator as US and international artists entered the stage wearing costumes fashioned entirely of newspaper. In addition to Yunseo Choi (Republic of Korea), Bonnie Comley, Evelyn Dugan, Cecilia Xuetong Feng (China), Marianna Kavallierator (Greece), Casilda Madrazo, Katimari Niskala, Sorin Prodea (Romania), Anthony Roques, Agathe Vidal, and Sienna Vila Holloway (Spain), the ensemble cast of Ubu included actors from
Alfred Jarry’s 1896 masterpiece “Ubu Roi,” which served as the inspiration for Robert Wilson’s “Ubu” restaging, condemns war and authoritarianism. “Ubu” is a surreal reflection of paradoxical inequities across history and the present that was first displayed at the Es Baluard Museum in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. The bizarre setting, which included a 500-seat amphitheater with a set and costumes made of newspapers, almost overshadowed the bizarre play. Wilson had integrated the theater with the surrounding environment by projecting stunning red and blue lighting onto the enormous trees in the 10-acre woodland at The Watermill Center.
The Robert Wilson Watermill Center’s 30+ year relationship with performance and its status as a globally renowned multidisciplinary laboratory for the arts and humanities were both celebrated that evening. Refreshments were given by Aperol and Campari America, Wölffer Estate Vineyard, and PFRANKMD by Dr. Paul Jarrod Frank and Prada.
In his sixty-year career, Robert Wilson has worked in theater, opera, visual arts, and dance. Director, choreographer, actor, painter, sculptor, video artist, and sound designer are just a few of the multi-hyphenate jobs he has held. He was born in Texas, came to New York City to study, and worked in plays at Lincoln Center and Broadway before moving to Europe. His list of accolades and distinctions includes an Olivier Award, two Premio Ubu awards, the Golden Lion of the Venice Biennale, and a Pulitzer Prize candidacy. He has eight Honorary Doctorate degrees and was elected to the German Academy of the Arts as well as the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Germany gave him the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit, while France named him Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters (2003) and Officer of the Legion of Honor.
Credits for the UBU’s production are Robert Wilson is in charge of the direction, set and lighting design; Charles Chemin is co-director; Marcello Lumaca is an associate lighting designer; Stephanie Engeln is an associate set designer; Flavio Pezzotti is an associate set designer; Flavia Ruggeri is in charge of the costumes; Joan Baixas & La Claca are responsible for the puppet design, which is based on original designs by Joan Miró; and A.
Visit WatermillCenter.org for more details about Robert Wilson and The Watermill Center.
