Desperate Characters of Mercer County

A performance conceived by Jenna Ann MacGillis at Space4Art live/work loft.

November 2012

  • Written and Directed by Jenna Ann MacGillis
  • Produced by Patrick Stewart
  • Collaborators and Performers: Emily Aust, Matt Dunn, Jenna Ann MacGillis
  • Music composed & arranged by Clint Davis
  • Featuring live Americana House Band lead by Clint Davis
  • Musicians: Batya MacAdam-Somer, Clint Davis, and Meghann Welsh
  • Set Design and Lighting: Kelly Arvizu
  • Puppet theatre, puppets, masks, costumes, vignettes, tableaus, and dioramas by Jenna Ann MacGillis

Desperate Characters of Mercer County, is an experimental performance/installation piece featuring hand sculpted works, puppetry, found objects/antiques, heirloom quilts, choreography and video projection. Interpreting the Wild West through my personal ancestral lineage, specific to a small farming town in Missouri, the piece is performed with the live accompaniment of an Americana House Band. Clint Davis, band leader, lead performer, and composer collaborates closely with myself to select and arrange songs from his Americana archive carefully underscoring the deep emotional and narrative tone of each scene. The musicians, positioned just above the playing space, interprets the story while the visuals below interpret the music.

Click here to read the script

The Desperate Characters of Mercer County is a surreal and abstract endeavor to be sure, but no more surreal than the story of how the show came together.

San diego city beat Oct 24 2012

http://sdcitybeat.com/culture/features/meet-desperate-characters-mercer-county/