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Tree of Life: Origins and Evolution was part of the Creative Campus Innovations, a national program developed by the Association of Performing Arts and chiefly funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. The University of Kansas was one of only eight institutions to receive a grant in the nationwide program. This was just one of the events in an ambitious project that seeks to integrate works focused on creativity from across academic departments. The project has included lectures, exhibitions, installations, receptions, performances and student projects generated by collaborations in Architecture, Dance, Design, Film, Music, Physics and Theater departments ( just to name a few); and featured a sponsored two-year residency program with Grammy winning composer and violinist, David Balakrishnan of the Turtle Island String Quartet. Associate Director of the Lied Center, Karen Lane Christilles was the Creative Campus Project Director for the project.

Tree of Life, presented at the Lied Center at KU last Saturday night, was directed by John Staniunas. Musicians from the KU Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Scott Weiss, occupied the orchestra pit and the Turtle Island String Quartet was seated stage left in colorful patterned attire. A long bridge about the height of a man spanned the stages' entire width, while a giant projection screen above that served as a background. The performance included an acting ensemble of 11 and a dance company of 17. A single almost undetectable sheer stage curtain was hung, gathered at the half, and drawn to stage right as a gentle reminder of the theater setting. Tree of Life was comprised of three parts and presented with no intermission. 

The performance began with darkness. "Why are we here? Where did we come from? Where are we going? Paper or plastic? Did God create us? Did we create God?" were the first in a series of questions projected on the background screen and spoken by an offstage narrator. Part one, "The Cultural Tree: Tree of Spirituality, Myth and Stories," began with actors entering in body suits and masks speaking the ongoing series of questions projected on the background screen. The actors' neutral body suits, designed by Delores Ringer, conveyed just that--the body. What began with one question and one voice soon gathered into a cacophony of overlapping questions and simultaneous dialogue that progressed until the actors were singing the words "the song" on a single pitch. 

 The musicians of the wind ensemble and the Turtle Island Quartet began the music on that same pitch, but in different ranges. Running melodies began to overcast the constant unison pitch. Dancers entered the stage each wearing unique costumes that were reminiscent of indigenous peoples, including patterns relating to Native American traditional dress, kente cloth and aboriginal designs. The music, rooted in 20th century American style, was colored with flickers of ragtime and Dixieland. The violin played double stops on the up beats, licks borrowed from its cousin the fiddle, and gave the impression of bluegrass and folk music.

Patrick Suzeau, co-choreographer with Muriel Cohan, danced a solo accompanied by solo violin that developed into the full ensemble, and mimicked the shapes of trees - standing tall or withering down. The background screen displayed images, designed by Matt Jacobson, of trees, landscapes and hung cloth floating in the breeze. There was a sudden stop in the music and a return to the unison pitches from the beginning. The solo violin of David Balakrishnan played a cadenza with improvised passages. The music in the wind ensemble developed into a sound that began to incorporate elements of jazz and had the voicing of big band music.

In part two, "The Scientific Tree: Tree of Life, Technology and Science," there was a set change. Two curved quarter-circular ramps were rolled on stage by the performers and set into place against the center of the long bridge. Designed by Mark Reaney, the screen depicted the rolling ocean, while images of Charles Darwin floated by. A dolphin jumped in the seascape on the background. The music and dancers returned and the narrator continued with the text, a tone poem by Dennis Christilles. The actors in body suits returned to the stage this time speaking in unison "ommm," like chanting monks; and then changed into white lab coats.  The music contained an eighth-note, quarter-note pattern, or short-long pattern, in the bass instruments that energized the pace. And melodic motives begin to include glissando and melisma, sliding and scooping sounds like those found in blues. The dancers and actors were barefoot and scooted their feet on stage adding an arrhythmic pattern to the music. 

Next, the actors removed their lab coats and became dogs, monkeys and other animals. Gears and scientific instruments were depicted on the backdrop with the dolphin and seascape.  More gears filled the background, the music stopped and the dancers scurried out in spirals.

Part three, "The Intertwined Tree: Tree of Respect, Life and Hope," began with narrator and images of windmills, cityscapes, factories and a camp fire. The dancers performed routines in which a solo dancer was joined by another to make a duo and then joined again to make a trio and so on in a great use of circles, spirals and small groups.

With twinges of American folk music traditions and jazz, the music erupted into full-on swing. It was clear the composer's intention was to develop the music reflective of how American music historically evolved. The actors returned to the stage, mimicking modern day jobs and activities. On the background screen it began to rain, and then appeared the image of a tree. The music built to a climax. As this happened the swing rhythm morphed into a more modern pop feel, with traces of rhythm and blues.

A white tree trunk shaped prop was rolled to center stage. Performers attached long, white limbs and two sheer curtains suggestive of a tree canopy were lowered. The projected image of the tree fell across the tree trunk, limbs and the canopy curtains giving a 3-dimensional appearance. The music continued until all stage performers were in place for the closing bow and the performance ended without flourish.

Although there were a few mishaps with some of the props and the projection in the background, with a performance of this scale not everything can go perfectly. It was a thoroughly post-modern production, filled with both literal and metaphorical statements. Although Tree of Life presented a framework of ideas, it did not tell a story. Instead, the general theme was evolution with images and scenes suggestive of humanity and the conditions of our reality. It posed essential questions about our connection to our world and the consequences of our interactions. Tree of Life was a conceptual, multi-media, postmodern production of operatic proportions and a crowning conclusion to an important cooperative venture.

REVIEW:
Tree of Life:  Origins and Evolution
Featuring the Turtle Island String Quartet
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Lied Center of Kansas
www.lied.edu

Two bur oak trees were planted at the Lied Center of Kansas at the beginning of the Creative Campus initiative to commemorate the project and symbolize a commitment to nurturing a creative and collaborative environment. To learn more about all the events, visit the Creative Campus website. http://www.lied.ku.edu/creative/index.shtml 

To learn more about the Turtle Island String Quartet visit www.turtleislandquartet.com

By Scott Easterday

New Classical Contributor, VIDs Department Director

Scott Easterday is a musician and singer/songwriter. He writes reviews and performs interviews for KCMetropolis in New Classical and explores new directions in the performing arts.