Brontez Purnell is an acclaimed writer (100 Boyfriends published by MCDxFSG Originals) and dancer (Brontez Purnell Dance Company) whose writing rises from movement and whose dancing is often steeped in language. His latest dance solo Invisible Trial–choreographed by Larry Arrington and dramaturgy by Jeremy O. Harris–is loosely based on the Sylvia Plath short Story Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams The protagonist, a receptionist at a mental health clinic, acts as a sort of medium for the living as he secretly records the dreams, fears, and anxieties of those he comes into contact with. His boss is the God of Anxiety himself who is keeping tabs on the protagonist snooping. The piece attempts to name those fears and fantasies around patriarchal inheritance, shadow work being done against us, and the burning question: are we ever the sole agents of our own fate?
Content Warning
This performance contains nudity, strobe lights, and images that may be disturbing to some viewers.
