Ryan Johnson’s “ZAZ” will be performed at The Wex on September 4 at 7 p.m. Credit: Courtesy of Becca Marcela Oviatt
The Wexner Center for the Arts is bringing live performances, film screenings, art workshops and more to the Ohio State community at a higher caliber this fall.
“First Thursday,” as the Wex has named it, is a new series this fall beginning September 4. On the first Thursday of every month, the center will host a multitude of events for free or at an affordable price, said Emily Haidet, curator of academic and public programs at the Wex.
“‘First Thursdays’ are an initiative by the Wex to invite folks from across campus and our communities into the Wexner Center for the Arts to experience all we have to offer,” Haidet said. “There are going to be multiple events that are either free or low cost. On the first Thursday of each month, we have lineups of events that include artist talks, film screenings, performances, but also opportunities for folks to get something at our Heirloom Café at a discounted rate, check out our current exhibitions and also learn some new skills in our art making workshop.”
Haidet said the goal of the new series is to give the community an easy opportunity to see the different events that the Wex hosts.
“We were really trying to think about ways to more consistently engage with our communities,” Haidet said. “We thought, if we can provide a little bit of consistency and dependability for our communities, like, ‘Okay, we always know there’s going to be something to do at the Wex the first Thursday of the month,’ regardless of what it is, it’ll be an interesting, cool, fun time and an opportunity to gather your community, bring your friends and have a social moment.”
September’s “First Thursday” will consist of an author talk with Jim Daichendt, a campus community studio at Heirloom Café, a drop-in gallery exhibit, a film screening of “Sabbath Queen” and a percussive dance performance called “ZAZ” from the dance company “SOLE Defined,” according to the Wex’s website.
“ZAZ” is “an immersive sensory performance that shifts traditional viewing practices beyond just sight and sound. The performers embody the oral histories and recorded experiences of survivors of Hurricane Katrina,” according to its page on the Wex’s website.
“‘ZAZ’ is a fictional place about real people who experienced something real, Hurricane Katrina,” Ryan Johnson, playwright and director of “ZAZ,” said. “I have goose bumps thinking about what ‘ZAZ’ is, because it’s so many things. It’s a performative archive, so it’s holding these oral stories, these histories of people who experienced Hurricane Katrina firsthand. Some of them will actually be coming to Columbus to see the show, which is exciting.”
Johnson said he was inspired to create “ZAZ” after he took a break from touring as a dancer to work in New Orleans for a summer.
“I wanted to better understand the world in a different way,” Johnson said. “I think when you’re young and you’re in entertainment, you start to see the world very differently. So, moving to New Orleans and becoming a bus boy and street performing to make ends meet for a summer was probably one of the most impactful moments.”
Johnson said he met someone while working a restaurant job that summer that made him want to share the stories of the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
“[My friend] was like, ‘Dude, why don’t you write a show? Nobody’s paying attention [to the aftermath of the hurricane].’ I just fell in love with [New Orleans]. When I didn’t know where home was, I knew that when I went to New Orleans, there was a group of people that were going to care for me in a way that I needed to be cared for. So, this is just hopefully my way of honoring them.”
Jodeci Millhouse, associate director and performer in the show, said the story not only explores the stories of those who experienced Hurricane Katrina, but it also dives into Johnson’s personal relationship with New Orleans.
“It’s where we get to see Ryan [Johnson] explore what New Orleans means to him as an artist, and how the culture affected Ryan, which is also a big part of the show,” Millhouse said. “It is about Hurricane Katrina and how it affected the people and the culture there. But a big part of it is also Ryan [Johnson] narrating how New Orleans affected him as an artist and a person, so I think that’s important too.”
As far as what the show entails, Johnson said the show combines the five senses to really immerse the audience into the performance.
“It is the intersection of movement and technology and using these physical practices with technologies to create an almost 4D experience,” Johnson said. “You know, what do you feel? What do you see? What do you taste? What do you hear? It’s how that creates an atmosphere for you to go on a journey for 70 minutes.”
Millhouse said the show provides an experience that has never been done before.
“People can expect to learn a lot, to feel a lot,” Millhouse said. “When you come, it’s really a roller coaster. I think Ryan’s idea of it being this immersive experience is the biggest thing that people can expect, like you’re gonna be in it, from the way that the seating is in the space to the way that you experience the art and the story. I think it’s unprecedented. There’s no kind of percussive dance, at least that is like this, with a meaningful message and storytelling as well.”
For people planning to see the show, Johnson said he hopes viewers are reminded by the show to have empathy and look at the bigger picture.
“I really just hope that people remember what humanity is and understand and remember what it means to care about something larger than themselves, because we are all trying to figure it out,” Johnson said. “The people of New Orleans are still navigating the psychological, financial and emotional effects of Hurricane Katrina and the government’s poor response to it.”
Johnson said he’s excited to premiere his work to the public.
“I’m over the moon,” Johnson said. “I’m ready for people to see it and I’m ready for the world to see my creative approach to dance in theater and the fusion of dance theater and technology.”
Millhouse said she’s looking forward to people experiencing the show, down to its smallest details.
“I think this has been living in Ryan’s mind for a long time and we’ve had different iterations, but it’s never been alive like this before,” Millhouse said. “So, I think I’m really excited for people to really experience every tiny detail that so much thought has gone into. It’s going to be really fulfilling.”
Along with the “First Thursday” performance at 7 p.m., “ZAZ” will also be performed on September 5 at 7 p.m. and September 7 at 3 p.m. at the Wex. Tickets for the “ZAZ” performances can be purchased for $12 on their event page. For more information on the other events, as well as to reserve and purchase tickets, visit the Wex’s website.
