By Anita
Dacanay
Still Point
Program Facilitator Maria Vorhis graduated from the University of Iowa in 2012
with a B.A. in Theater Arts. She has accumulated a fascinating and impressive
gumbo of artistic experience as an actor of both stage and screen; also as a
producer, storyteller, writer, and facilitator. Maria is a committed and passionate
artist who values the gift that playmaking can grant to both performers and
audiences: the gift of truly being present in the moment, and enjoying it
fully.
A key
element that has formed her artistic life is her background in Clowning, which
she first encountered in a college class taught by Paola Coletto. Through
exploring Clown and Mask work, Maria found freedom in a physical approach to developing
characters. In essence, the process was one of stripping down rather than
putting on: removing the safety of physical habits to reveal a more raw and
vulnerable self on stage.
This work
informs her approach as a facilitator. Maria frequently uses the word
“innocence” to refer to the state she seeks for herself and her students when
developing work. In an age rife with cynicism, we are all perhaps a bit starved
for innocence. Interestingly, the quality of innocence is one of the many gifts
that adults with developmental disabilities have to share with the larger
community.
When speaking
of her current group of participants at El Valor, Maria recounted a story of
one class member’s blossoming when randomly assigned the role of a cheerleader
in a scene. Formerly silent and reserved, the young woman suddenly lit up like
a light bulb, accessed her inner ham, and started dancing gleefully. Maria
asserts that these unexpected moments of pure joy are exactly the ones she
wants to recreate for audiences.
With
unabashed gusto, it does appear that Maria seems to revel in the unexpected. Immediately
after graduating from college, the young actress found herself completely
uninterested in auditioning for roles.
She developed material while engaged in a group dubbed “Lady Comedy
Circle and Terrorist Society” – and would later turn this writing into her
one-woman show, Are You There, George? The idea of touring living rooms started as a
joke with friends, but became a reality when her close friend and artistic
partner Kaitlyn Busbee directed the piece, and they did indeed take it on an
Iowa living room tour! The play was also performed in a more traditional venue
when it appeared in the Minnesota Fringe Festival, but Maria asserts that it
was better served in the intimate space of private homes. Considering that the
set is a bunk bed, and that the story is about a 12-year-old girl longing for breasts
and a sense of belonging, one can see how this might be true – although the
play’s appearance in that festival did land Maria the title of #1 Newbie of the
Fringe. A 2015 tour of this show is in
the works.
Former Still
Point intern and Facilitator Tory Flack, who also attended the University of
Iowa, introduced Maria to Still Point, and we are very pleased that she did. Clearly,
Maria brings many unique gifts to the table, and we are most fortunate to have
this talented and innovative artist on the Still Point team. We look forward to
witnessing the unexpected moments of delight that she and her participants at
El Valor will discover and share with all of us. For more information on Maria’s
work, please visit her website: http://www.mariavorhis.com/
(Above) Maria as Natalie in her one woman play Are You There, George?
As Petunia in short film: Where Are You?
No comments:
Post a Comment