This month, the Northside transforms into a zero-gravity landscape of queer imagination. From April 16–17, the New Hazlett Theater premieres GRAPPLING, a theatrical dance journey through space and time created by Erin Elise Kouwe.
A Cosmic Vision
GRAPPLING (Germinated Recall in Assessment of Personal Productivity and/or Lassitude in Null Gravity) isn’t just a dance performance; it’s a “queer, zero-gravity world” that blends family history and pop culture. The story follows a researcher (played by Kouwe) who uploads her own family history into human subjects to see if they can become more “productive” versions of herself.
Audiences will go on a vivid artistic journey as these astronauts travel through space, with memories and motion blending together. At the heart of the piece is an 11-foot silver staircase that allows performers to move smoothly through the choreography.
For Kouwe, an Assistant Professor of Dance at Slippery Rock University who has previously taught on “Bodies, Movement, and Queer Meaning,” this piece is a deeply personal exploration of how we spend our time, our love, and our labor.
“It’s for anybody who has ever grappled with something personal,” Kouwe says. “It’s definitely for both theater audiences and dance audiences, but it’s also just fun and full of imagination.”
Collaborative Brilliance
To bring this interstellar vision to life, Kouwe teamed up with director and versatile Pittsburgh artist Treasure Treasure. Fresh off her satirical musical Agnus Teaches Acting, Treasure brings her signature flair for narrative and theatricality to the director’s chair.
“In GRAPPLING, Erin takes audiences on a deeply personal journey through family history that somehow also becomes a romp through outer space,” says Artistic Producer Melissa Cardello-Linton. “What excites me most is her ability to weave movement, narrative, and theatricality together in ways that feel seamless and entirely fresh.”
Performance Details
The production features a stellar cast including Lindsay Fisher, Kaylin Horgan, Sarah Zielinski, Ken Sprowls, and Andrea Oakes. The creative team includes Teena Marie Custer, Natalie Rose Mabry, Scott Andrew, Kristi Good, and Andrew Ostrowski.
GRAPPLING has three showings only:
- Thursday, April 16 at 7:30 PM
- Friday, April 17 at 10:00 AM (Pay-What-You-Can Matinee) & 7:30 PM.
Individual tickets range from $25–$35 and are available on the New Hazlett website.
