TALKING CIRCLE at Oakland Theater Project

"We are thrilled to partner with Risa Jaroslow and the extraordinary dancers in Talking Circle,” said OTP Co-Artistic Director Michael Moran. “Talking Circle is a prime example of how our mission to use exquisite theatrical experiences to inspire compassion and forge emotional bonds across difference transcends traditional notions of theater. The dance piece is strikingly beautiful and includes various levels of dancing ‘expertise’ and yet all participants are an equal part of the whole. We can’t wait to share this aesthetically arresting and moving piece with our larger community.”

After an incredible two-week premiere earlier this year, Talking Circle will be reprised at Oakland Theater Project in January 2023. With a multi-generational cast and music by Bay Area vocalist / composer Amy X Neuburg, Talking Circle explores the relationship between individual and collective and asks: what will we risk for freedom?

Talking Circle is Risa Jaroslow’s fourth evening-length work since moving to the Bay Area from New York in 2013, and imagines a turning point in the life of a small community. “There are many circles inside Talking Circle,” said Jaroslow. “In a circle people can see each other. In this work, seeing and acknowledging one another’s differences while holding each other and remaining in community, is its heart and soul.”

For these performances, dancers Anna Greenberg, Phoenicia Pettyjohn, Cauveri Suresh, and Erin Yen are joined by Pamela Wu Kochiyama and Sharon Dalke of The Elders Project at Oakland's Destiny Arts Center. Additional members of the creative team include lighting designers Allen Willner and Stephanie Anne Johnson, and costume designer Callie Floor.