Snow

Live performance at the Detroit Institute of Arts
Live performance at the Detroit Institute of Arts

John Glover, composer, live-electronics

Jordan Morley, puppeteer, visual design, performer

Phyllis Chen, performer

Snow is a new multimedia performance piece by composer John Glover and choreographer/puppeteer Jordan Morley combining the virtuosity of ever-inventive toy pianist Phyllis Chen, the artistry of dancers Dylan Crossman, Mistral Hay, Amber Sloan, Janie Taylor, Melissa Toogood, and the imaginations of instrument-builder Ranjit Bhatnagar and mask-maker Nina Barlow A re-working of the fairy tale The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Anderson, Snow places Chen amongst live electronics and film, puppets and set pieces that transform into musical instruments for an evening filled with unexpected sights and sounds.

Just as Anderson’s fairy tale begins with a prologue describing a shattered mirror and then splinters into individual episodes, Snow is broken into musical/theatrical fragments of varying sizes. The audience follows Phyllis, both performer and story-teller, as she delves into the mysterious world of the Snow Queen. Centered around the young Gerda and her journey to rescue her brother Kai from the frozen north, the tale is filled with goblins, enchanted gardens, magic mirrors, talking ravens and countless other curiosities. Exploring the pleasures and pain of growing up, as well as the transformative power of youthful imagination, Snow gives the creative team the opportunity to push their art forms to the limit, giving audiences a fantastical evening of music, movement , and theater.

Snow was supported by New Music USA and developed in residency at The Invisible Dog (Brooklyn.)