About Vox Animae
Vox Animae is Latin for voice of the soul. It is envisioned as expressionistic, unconventional theatre of dance, drama, music, voice, song, lighting, costume, and set. It does not attempt to create real life events and circumstances as subject matter. Rather, it is intended to call attention to aspects of our humanity to be viewed, felt, and critically assessed.
Vox Animae replaces the linear narrative with a collage of humankind in crisis expressed as physical theatre. As an audience member, you step into the work as it is in progress. Similarly, the piece continues as you leave, bringing the realization that humanity, our very soul, has the element of perpetuity. The structure of the work resists closure and easy comprehension, as characters from scenes are carried forward as chorus, and to the audience, and act as catalyst to new action and interpretation. At times, the characters are juxtaposed into brief scenes and circumstances as well as into the audience area. You, the audience member, are both viewer and participant and are therefore drawn to your own comprehension of your own behaviour, your own life, and to the potential for change.
In Vox Animae, the characters are simplified because the concern is with socio-political and spiritual relationships and not with the personalities or psychology of the characters’ individualistic inner life. The characters in Vox Animae represent types of behaviour and attitudes more than they do individuals. Music, text, dance, voice, set design, costume, and lighting are implemented as elements of the subject matter.
The work changes place and time, and alternates some scenes in dialogue and others in action, gesture, song, or light. Time and space merge cultures and periods. The idea is to create a sense of bodies and sounds appearing and disappearing merging past, present, and future in a type of perpetual embodiment of motion.Vox Animae suggests that we pay closer attention and be more articulate in taking positive action. The embodiment of attitudes and behaviour puts the focus on society and human nature, and arouses a critical perspective in you, the viewer.
Vox Animae is created with the view to encourage us to reflect upon the state of our humanity and humankind’s will to survive and emerge. Vox Animae is not about one culture but all of us as people. The heart and soul of the piece is not about our differences but our commonalities, which defy the boundaries of time, geography, race, creed, and culture. Its focus is not on different cultures coming together but on our humanity coming together as we struggle, unite, collide, abuse, confess, reconcile, support, and confuse. Vox Animae offers reflection on our state of being, and projects a broadening and deepening of a better understanding of “us”.
The intimate human states of sweat, tears, anguish, and euphoric laughter are palpable by their proximity. Consequently, we are thrust into that proximity so that we feel the sensations related to the fact that from absolute lunacy to wild savagery, from the extremes of despair, isolation, and anarchy somehow, someway, the very soul of humankind is even greater – and from ashes, life continues eternally.
In Vox Animae, the characters are simplified because the concern is with socio-political and spiritual relationships and not with the personalities or psychology of the characters’ individualistic inner life. The characters in Vox Animae represent types of behaviour and attitudes more than they do individuals. Music, text, dance, voice, set design, costume, and lighting are implemented as elements of the subject matter.
The work changes place and time, and alternates some scenes in dialogue and others in action, gesture, song, or light. Time and space merge cultures and periods. The idea is to create a sense of bodies and sounds appearing and disappearing merging past, present, and future in a type of perpetual embodiment of motion.Vox Animae suggests that we pay closer attention and be more articulate in taking positive action. The embodiment of attitudes and behaviour puts the focus on society and human nature, and arouses a critical perspective in you, the viewer.
Vox Animae is created with the view to encourage us to reflect upon the state of our humanity and humankind’s will to survive and emerge. Vox Animae is not about one culture but all of us as people. The heart and soul of the piece is not about our differences but our commonalities, which defy the boundaries of time, geography, race, creed, and culture. Its focus is not on different cultures coming together but on our humanity coming together as we struggle, unite, collide, abuse, confess, reconcile, support, and confuse. Vox Animae offers reflection on our state of being, and projects a broadening and deepening of a better understanding of “us”.
The intimate human states of sweat, tears, anguish, and euphoric laughter are palpable by their proximity. Consequently, we are thrust into that proximity so that we feel the sensations related to the fact that from absolute lunacy to wild savagery, from the extremes of despair, isolation, and anarchy somehow, someway, the very soul of humankind is even greater – and from ashes, life continues eternally.