Perpetual
Motion Theatre Company is an experimental theatre ensemble
based in
Minneapolis. We focus on creating theatrical works that combine
physical and movement-based techniques with narrative and
character-driven scripts. Perpetual Motion was originally founded in
2005 by Jess Holman, Derek Miller, Eric Sharp and Mark Sweeney, all
fellow graduates of Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois.
The idea for the new company grew out of discussions of the current
theatre climate, and its two predominant and diverging trends. We were
fascinated by the growing body of "visual theatre," which emphasized
form and movement over dialogue; but we found ourselves frustrated by
its abstract detachment from the human experience, which created
beautiful moments but which often failed to present an actual story. On
the other hand, we had originally been educated in the classic American
realism school of theatre, which could achieve wonderful heights of
story-telling, but which often failed to visually engage the viewer.
Perpetual Motion was created to fuse these two divergent styles
together to make theatre that is innovative and visually interesting,
but which stills utilizes the human warmth of plot and
characterization.
We came together as artists from disparate interests and specialties.
Holman was a director keenly interested in experimental theatre as a
catalyst for social and political commentary. Miller was a multi-genre
writer and a puppeteer who had spent several years on the road
performing for children. Sharp was a gifted actor and movement artist
with a growing interest in the Viewpoints and Lecoq schools of
performance. Sweeney came from the world of musical theatre and brought
with him a talent not only for movement and music but for the art of
arranging an overall stage picture.
Soon after its inception Perpetual Motion added the performance talents
of Erin Appel and Alia Mortensen to their ranks and created their first
show, Common Frequency, which premiered at the 2005 Minnesota Fringe
Festival. The show, created through a series of workshops and
improvisations came together as a collaborative effort, and, with the
departure of Jess Holman, was finalized without the use of a director.
Common Frequency told the stories of three characters who accidentally
tuned into a strange radio signal and, despite being in no other way
connected, came together through their mutual obsession. It was staged
in such a way that all three stories played out at the same time and on
the same set, with the characters unknowingly sharing props, lines and
thoughts, overlapping in each others worlds against a spare set and a
background of original music to create beautiful lines of motion.
Today, the company continues to work in that fashion, creating its
pieces through a collaborative writing and work shopping process. We
are continuing to expand our ideas of theatre, pushing more and more
towards the use of non-traditional and found spaces. Our production,
The Depth of the Ocean, which follows the plight of five survivors of
various ocean disasters is performed live in the water of an indoor
swimming pool. The play is an examination of prejudice, paranoia, and
above all, what fear can make people do.
