At its East Side home on Fillmore Avenue, Torn Space Theater has earned a reputation for creating innovative performances. "The Encounter: Buffalo"reflects that approach as it heads into its final weekend at the Adam Mickiewicz Dramatic Circle. The productions features mainly non-professional performers.
"We work very hard with trying to cast people who might not identify as actors," explained Artistic Director Dan Shanahan,
"We think it has much more vitality, It has an interesting way to kind of reach out to the community and get them be part of an artistic practice that they might not normally be wanting to be part of."
That approach works for choreographer and director Kimberly Bartosik. She spent her early career performing for Merce Cunningham. Now she's earned a reputation for her creations of live, physical performance.
"I'm really interested in the communication of body," Bartosik explained. "We're really working with ideas."
During her time as an artist-in-residence at Torn Space Theater, Bartosik has grown to appreciate the surrounding community.
"I feel like the people who live in Buffalo are so committed to Buffalo," Bartosik said.
"There's a whole culture here that I haven't really experienced that many of the places in the United States."
