Chicago, IL
Field of Flesh
An intimate performance at a chaotic dinner table
FIELD OF FLESH seats a small audience at an overflowing dinner table with a cast of loosely-connected family members. Dinner is about to be served, but between the cognitive decline and Tik Tok brainrot, no one seems to remember why we’re together, who’s cooking, or how we’re all related. Through parodic exchanges with the audience, the performers perforate the boundaries between flesh and food, other and self, care and codependency. Meanwhile old age and death loom large in the corner. Ultimately, Field of Flesh asks whether our culinary culture supports us in moments of crisis, and how we might rid ourselves of an anxious attachment to tradition and nostalgia. This performance was conceived of by Derek Spencer and devised by an ensemble cast with generous support from Leisure. Development was further supported by the OBRAS Foundation. It is Spencer’s Chicago directorial debut. Field of Flesh runs from September 5 - 28, 2024. Performers: Nigel Brown Carmia Imani Mackenzie Jones Katie Mazzini Brian Shaw Elijah Valter Austin Winters Assistant Director: Corin Wiggins Set: Gillian Butcher Costume: Kate Grube Graphics: Jens “Yence” Wagner DEREK SPENCER (derekaspencer.com / @abstract_sentimentalism) is a Chicago- and LA-based director and artist. He makes ensemble works across performance, film, and installation. He is the founding artistic director of Ceaseless Fun, an LA immersive theater ensemble known for They Who Saw the Deep (2018), Everyone Agrees it’s About to Explode (2020), and Why I Want to Fuck Ronald Regan (2017), among other productions. His first film, Personally I Find it Rude to Be Boring, will premiere this September at the Chicago Underground Film Festival. LEISURE (leisure.place / @leisure.chicago) is a space for experimentation in Humboldt Park supporting adventurous projects across disciplines through infrequent, unusual shows.
Audience Role
Audience are seated at a dinner table alongside performers and cast in roles. They will be directly addressed and sometimes touched. Verbal response is welcome but not required. Some audience members may receive some food and drink.
Ages: 16 +