by Esther Marie Griego
Daily Lobo
Visual art, theater and a tinge of surrealism will mingle this weekend at the Harwood Theater when object theater takes the stage.
Most people have no idea what object theater is, but Loren Kahn and Isabelle Kessler are working to change this.
The two collaborated to bring "What A Choice," a one-woman object theater piece from the Loren Kahn Puppet and Object Theater, to the Harwood.
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"Traditionally it's a bridge between visual art, theatre and puppetry," Kahn said.
Kahn and Kessler co-wrote "What A Choice" with Kevin Paul, a playwright and student at UNM.
The performance features Kessler as Bernadette Barbotine, who is adrift on an inflatable lifeboat atop saw horses.
Her lighthouse is a glass of water. She is left to ponder whether it is half full or half empty.
Object theater is a relatively new phenomenon that got its start in the 1980s in France, but has since spread throughout Europe and to the United States.
"The idea of object theater is to try a new form of theater, a new form of visual art and a new form of expression," Kessler said.
In object theater, items on stage function differently than they would in a more traditional play.
"It's really about actors being partnered by objects rather than using objects as props," Kahn said. "The objects are very symbolic and people deal with these symbols in different ways."
An example of this kind of symbolism can be found in "What A Choice."
"The glass of water is half full and half empty," Kessler said. "It is a symbol of 'Do I belong to the idiotic optimists or to the boring pessimists?' and what to do with that."
Verging on surrealism, object theater "leaves a lot of space for the audience to interpret," Kahn said. "It's not spelled out. It's kind of like a riddle, and a lot of times there is no right answer."
Kahn founded her puppet theater in 1975. She was introduced to object theater at a puppet festival in Germany in 1994, where she also met Kessler.
"I had this play that I really wanted to make into object theater in the United States," Kahn said. "I asked Isabel if she would come and direct it. That was our first play."
Although their recent productions have been object-theater pieces, Kessler said, "It doesn't mean that we are forgetting the puppets. Our next show will be puppets."
"What A Choice" was funded by a grant from the City of Albuquerque Urban Enhancement Trust Fund for a run of more than 30 public performances in venues throughout the city.
What: "What a Choice"
When: Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Where: The Harwood Theater 1114 Central Ave.
Price: $5
info: 242-6367 www.guildcinema.com
