Ahead of Inside Giovanni’s Room coming to Northern Stage in March, we went behind the scenes with Choreographer and Artistic Director Marcus Jarrell Willis to find out more about the creative process.
What inspired Inside Giovanni’s Room?
I’ve always been a huge fan of James Baldwin’s writing, both through his novels and essays, but also his activism and how he represented himself through his own individual humanity.
And I think that that ties into my artistic vision for the company. I want to create and present dance works that represent and reflect our humanity. While the novel was published in 1956, the very topic and narrative of this work is still very relevant today in the 21st century. I think that people can relate to it regardless of age, background or where they come from, because it speaks to an overarching theme of humanity.
What was the process of developing the concept for this year’s production, and how did you collaborate with the creative team to refine it?
I wanted to create a large-scale dance production that is focused on a narrative based creation, but I also wanted to be creative in how that would be developed.
What is fascinating about this particular novel is the way that Baldwin wrote it. While it is a fictional narrative, it possesses a level of abstraction that allows the reader to retain it in so many ways, making it so that every time you read it, you get something else from it.
When I chose the creative team to work on this production, it was very clear at the start that we were all on the same page of wanting to not only tell the story but also unpack the ideas and themes of the novel in a collaborative way, through process. This collective team of incredible artists has fueled the cohesive experience since day one. I haven’t created this work, cover to cover, as the novel is written, it is an adaptation. My goal was to pull out what I felt were the most significant themes I wanted to research, understand and convey.
How do the key themes of Inside Giovanni’s Room connect to the audience’s role, and in what ways can different audiences shape the performance?
I think the key themes of Inside Giovanni’s Room connect to the audience, because it reflects them. And while the story itself follows one man’s journey and is focused directly on the story of a love triangle he is experiencing and trying to navigate, the overarching theme is a person trying to understand and embrace himself.
I hope this production will prompt questions for the audiences that open their minds to a process of connecting and embracing themselves and their very existence, therefore giving the opportunity to realise that who they are, coming from any walk of life, is important to this world. We all have our own experiences, and different ways in which we choose to live and love, but it all belongs, and it all holds space.
Reflections
I don’t think that I would have wanted to take this journey, building this creation, at this time in my career with any other group of dancers than those currently of Phoenix Dance Theatre.
The dancers have informed so much of the process. They have given themselves to the work, but they’ve also been very open and willing to unlock parts of themselves that otherwise would sometimes feel exposing and vulnerable, because they feel connected to the work. And that is the culture of the company and studio I have been working on building at Phoenix Dance Theatre. This direction allows us to take on the important works like James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room. And for this, I’m extremely grateful. Without them, this production wouldn’t be happening. So, I want to give a shout to the dancers for their commitment to the process and care of the work, and to the creative team and staff for all coming on board with us through this journey.
Thank you for YOU!
Take a trip to 1950’s Paris with this mesmerising full-length dance production which captures the true essence of Baldwin’s timeless writing.
