First Annual Buran Summit Wrap Up

The first annual Buran Summit took place in Albuquerque, New Mexico from January 8-17. After a successful season of performances in New York City, Kansas City and Vilnius, Lithuania we felt it was time to reconvene with old collaborators and new collaborators in an inclusive environment that would prompt new work and discussion.

In August, after the closing of Money Buckets at the Kansas City Fringe Festival, we invited over three dozen artists to commune in Albuquerque for a week to share their work and to begin a dialogue about the art we're making, why and how we're making it and how we might be able to support one another more directly.


Erin Phillips, Adam Burnett, & Erik LaPointe perform a piece devised from the Jam Session led by Jean Goto. Photograph by Joshua Efron.



Meg Saricks, Erin Phillips, Ben Leifer, & Adam Burnett perform a movement piece.


The week was full of workshops, round table discussions, and live performances of new works all over Albuquerque. Jean Goto of The Anthropologists (www.theanthropologists.org) came down from NYC for five days of the summit and led a Jam Session. Eric Avery lead a workshop that incorporated music and rhythm into finding emotion physically in performance. We joined the cast of "The Great Negocio" for a clowning workshop with Laurel Butler and company - where we all came to Confront the Audience. Erin Phillips and Casey Mraz stopped by to have a dialogue about their vision for an Albuquerque New Play development center. And Tricklock Company graciously made us feel at home in the midst of their 10th Annual Revolutions Festival, a magical international theatre festival (what brought me to ABQ in the first place). The summit ended with a performance at Tricklock's infamous Reptilian Lounge where we devised a new short performance piece based on a devising exercise we use in texts and rehearsals - The Buran Interview (see posting below). It was serendipitous that the summit week coincided with Tricklock's festival as we were talking with artists from Poland and Canada and all over the United States almost every night. We were working hard all day but definitely letting it all hang loose at night as we continued to discuss theatre and music and art making and community well into the wee morning hours.


Company devises new material. Brady Blevins looking on bored. Photograph by Joshua Efron.


We also spent a great deal of time developing material for the 2010 Summer Buran premiering at the Kansas City Fringe Festival in July. We looked specifically at personal mythologies and how they might be performed by the self or an other. There were so many vivid images and stories that came into the mix. A few that stick out immediately: Lara Thomas-Deucy's stories of her great-grandma, Brady Blevin's one and a half minute play "The Blevins Family Basement," Val Smith's tender stories of her dziadek, and Meg Sarick's hilarious mythologies about her aunt's posse of friends: crabby, old, drunk theatre patrons. We plan on employing the devising methods in the workshops we will be conducting this summer in Kansas and Missouri (and hopefully some of these stories too!).



We never got all participants in a photo. Three days in, after many people had come and gone, we brought the camera out for the first time. From left to right, (back row) Ben Leifer Adam Burnett, Justin Knudsen, Brady Blevins, Erik LaPointe, Carter Waite, (front row) Hilary Kelman, Val Smith & Meg Saricks. Photograph by Joshua Efron.



We took a trip out to the Mesa one afternoon to view the historic New Mexican sights of La Ria Llamas and General Pinchback Mountain. Pictured: Ben Leifer, Hilary Kelman, Adam Burnett, Erik LaPointe, Justin Knudsen, Brady Blevins, Jean Goto, & Meg Saricks. Photograph by Joshua Efron.


Carter Waite and Joshua Efron both brought in new material to share and discuss. Carter is currently writing a one man show for himself to perform. The topic of this mono-drama is Meriwether Lewis and Carter brought in a handful of pages to be read. What spurred Carter to invest in the research for the work was a general dissatisfaction in our generations lack of interest in seeking out adventure. "This play is about that moment - standing on the edge of the cliff before you jump," he said. Or as Justin Knudsen replied in response to that, “Or what the last day of your old life feels like before you start a completely new adventure."

Joshua brought in a sample from his ambitious project – his own three part version of the Orpheus myth. He first began working on the project as a response to a production he witnessed of Sarah Ruhl's "Eurydice" last spring. The more he has written though the more invested he's become, and he is pointing towards a three play cycle. Joshua intricately led us through some Greek Mythology 101 and his spin on these classical narratives. His breathless attack on discussing his work was admirable. It's so difficult to discuss one's work and it was remarkable to be in a space where everyone was open and willing and ready to respond honestly and generously.

Ben Leifer shared with us a composition he wrote for trumpet, bass, piano and drums using Buran performance methods. This was a mind-blowing session for many of us. Ben stressed the significance of rhythm in everything we do, but especially in performance. For a more detailed description of Ben’s workshop/discussion go copy and paste this into your web finder dealio: http://burantheatre.blogspot.com/2010/01/buran-summit-day-five.html

Or just scroll down and read the Blog entitled "Buran Summit: Day Five."


Erik LaPointe and Brady Blevins in rehearsal for Buran Interviews. Photograph by Joshua Efron.


Eric Avery as Justin Knudsen in "Buran Interviews" at Tricklock’s Reptilian Lounge. Photograph by Richard Malcolm.


Hilary Kelman as Justin Knudsen, Justin Knudsen as a Doctor Who Only Sees Other Doctors – "Buran Interviews." Photograph by Richard Malcolm.


Some quotes from the week:

On Buran workshops: “It’s about keeping body/mind in tune. The freedom to explore without limitations. Taking the felt and sharing it with others.” – Brady Blevins

On Buran methodology: “It is not the developmental process (i.e. devising, improvising to the text, etc) that makes it unique – it is the community itself. It’s an attitude.” – Eric Avery

“Buran equals a positive infection that we want to spread to everyone.” –Joshua Efron

“There is a release of ego and preciousness from the beginning. This is the attitude.” –Erin Phillips

“It has to be personal, this cannot be trained.” –Eric Avery

“We’re all here looking for new teachers in one another.” –Justin Knudsen

“Text is not sacred, but a performance is.” – I kept yelling this.

"[A move towards] structure in direction, not in expression." - Justin

"Crossing that line [between chaos and center] every time we get up to perform." - Jean Goto

"The expression is individual - but the direction, or structure, is the group." - Ben Leifer

""It's not the what. It's the when."- Jean


The phrase that was used over and over, time and time again was “generosity of spirit.” Everyone who came to Albuquerque made an investment – an investment to have the time and the safe space to create with others in a new community.
We received no grant support.
This was all made possible by hosts in the community of Albuquerque and the willingness for folks from all over the nation to stop their lives for a week to retreat, reconvene, rejuvenate, and reinitiate the dialogue.



Justin Knudsen as Justin Knudsen, Brady Blevins as Edward Gordon Craig –"Buran Interviews" at Tricklock’s Reptilian Lounge. Photograph by Richard Malcolm.


Buran in silhouette. From left to right, Brady Blevins, Meg Saricks, Justin Knudsen, Erik LaPointe, Jean Goto, Hilary Kelman, Ben Leifer, and Adam Burnett.


There were so many wonderful ideas shared at our first summit. I can't wait to see who hosts next year and where!

As we plan for our series of workshops and productions in the mid-west this summer we're going to keep a dialogue active on here. Anyone is welcome to join in and respond.


Thank you to the gracious hosts - Eric Avery, Mary Cianflone, Casey Mraz, Erin Phillips, and Julio Romero. You opened your homes. You cooked for us and with us. Everyone ate and drank and played and danced all over your homes and you egged it on. That's pretty great.
Thank you to Tricklock Company for your hospitality and true generosity of spirit. For opening their home, as they do every year, to artists from all over the world.


For everything Buran related – keep in touch with this blog. (For a bunch of
self-proclaimed Luddites, we’re doing our best at keeping up with the technological age.)

-Adam