The Wooster Group's latest production, Nayatt School Redux, is a posthumous tribute to the company's founder and monologist Spalding Gray. The show, which premiered in 1978, was one of Gray's early autobiographical pieces, but its themes and style have evolved over time. For this reimagining, LeCompte has taken the original material and combined it with elements from other art forms, creating a unique blend of high and low culture.
This fusion is at the heart of the Wooster Group's style, which combines disparate elements to create something new and unexpected. This approach can be discombobulating, but also entertaining. As Scott Shepherd notes, "The high and low combination has a double benefit. It takes the high thing down off its pedestal and you can appreciate an earthier humanity that's encoded in there."
Valk adds that the company's technique is like frottage, where artists create new works by rubbing pencil marks from rough surfaces. LeCompte compares herself to this process, rubbing her hands together to demonstrate how she combines texts and performers into something new.
The result can be hilarious as well as thought-provoking. In Nayatt School Redux, Gertrude Stein's writing is juxtaposed with a 1960s girl gang from a B-movie, creating an unexpected mix of high culture and low art.
Getting these combinations to work requires discipline and precision. Even in performances that leave audiences bewildered, there is admiration for the technical skill and athleticism of the actors and technicians.
Overall, Nayatt School Redux is a testament to the Wooster Group's innovative spirit and their ability to create something new and exciting from unexpected sources. As LeCompte says with a broad smile, "It's fun when it's high/low."
This fusion is at the heart of the Wooster Group's style, which combines disparate elements to create something new and unexpected. This approach can be discombobulating, but also entertaining. As Scott Shepherd notes, "The high and low combination has a double benefit. It takes the high thing down off its pedestal and you can appreciate an earthier humanity that's encoded in there."
Valk adds that the company's technique is like frottage, where artists create new works by rubbing pencil marks from rough surfaces. LeCompte compares herself to this process, rubbing her hands together to demonstrate how she combines texts and performers into something new.
The result can be hilarious as well as thought-provoking. In Nayatt School Redux, Gertrude Stein's writing is juxtaposed with a 1960s girl gang from a B-movie, creating an unexpected mix of high culture and low art.
Getting these combinations to work requires discipline and precision. Even in performances that leave audiences bewildered, there is admiration for the technical skill and athleticism of the actors and technicians.
Overall, Nayatt School Redux is a testament to the Wooster Group's innovative spirit and their ability to create something new and exciting from unexpected sources. As LeCompte says with a broad smile, "It's fun when it's high/low."
! They're all about fusion like making hip hop and ballet cool together...it's kinda trippy but in a good way 
. Like, who would've thought combining Gertrude Stein with a 60s girl gang? genius or crazy? 
either way, I'm here for it 
I mean, have you seen this latest production by The Wooster Group? It's like they took all these different art forms and mashed them together - high culture, low culture, music, dance... it's wild! 
Gertrude Stein's writing alongside a 60s girl gang from a B-movie is just genius. I love how they're not afraid to take risks and push boundaries. It's like they're playing with different languages and styles all at once 
. The fact that they can make it work is a testament to their creativity and skill. And let's be real, it's just plain entertaining 
it's like, yeah let's not just stick to one thing, but let's blend it all together and see what we get!