Emma Jaster

Thanks to a graduate fellowship from my alma mater I have been able to take my theatre studies further afield, deepening my understanding across cultures. Having discovered physical theater to be my particular passion, my hope was to see other styles which are based on movement rather than text. I decided I wanted to really reach beyond what I already knew, diving into techniques and backgrounds that would seem utterly different but perhaps help me to find an essence shared by all. I should not have been surprised that the first place I found myself was a center for the study of Kuttiyattam- the world’s oldest theatre form still living today (pictured above). The center called Natanakairali is located in Kerala, India and run by internationally acclaimed actor, director, and leading Kuttiyattam scholar Mr. Gopal Venu. I was honored to be accepted as his student and began training right away. With my life revolving completely around the center I decided it would also be a very worthwhile investment to take up classes with Venu’s wife, Nirmala Paniker a renowned scholar, dancer, and teacher of Mohiniyattam- the classical dance of Kerala known for it’s grace and curving movements which are used with hand gestures to depict stories.Though most students focus in only one of the 2 fields, I found that the 2 classes complemented each other wonderfully. The girls pictured below are my young classmates preparing to go onstage for a Mohiniyattam performance.

I also traveled into villages in the Himalayas where I danced with the children and into the desert of Rajasthan where I met gypsies and folk artists and learned a bit about their local string puppetry.

For more detailed accounts of the trip, you can visit my India travel blog

I will tell you here though that what I learned was more than I could have ever expected. The technique was not only a physical challenge and cultural key, but it opened my eyes to a new discipline- the discipline of energy, the precise awakening of the intangible world through the specified control of energy. The philosophy of the work was as fascinating as the work itself- they are after all one and the same. I believe the philosophies will be just as useful now to my own work as the physical language I acquired.

As yet untitled, I just finished the shoot of a short film created by my friend Nathan Austin. A story of a girl and her father after the mother’s death. It is currently in post-production but we are hoping to have it ready to send to festivals in the fall. These are some stills from the footage and a couple of production shots of the very small cast and crew.

After graduating from Amherst College I returned to work for a semester in the costume and scene shops designing costumes, managing props and helping with all construction. I designed for two major productions while I was there. The first was The Pillowman and the second was Performance Project, a performance put together every year by the advanced choreography/composition class. Turns out, with my background in dance, designing for dance was perfect for me. With seven different pieces each requiring distinct designs to be completed in two weeks, it was certainly a challenge but I very much enjoyed the work. Here are some photos of the different pieces taken by the shop manager Bob Colby during the performance.

My first assignment working at Amherst College after graduation was to design costumes for a production of The Pillowman. I was given relatively free reign on the design and really had a blast putting it together. It is the story of a story-teller in a police-run dictatorship (and lots more). Our production had puppets play the children’s parts and the 3 sets of parents in the stories were portrayed in mask by the actors playing the police. One of the biggest challenges was working with the quick changes that resulted from this casting while producing distinct looks for the different characters. Thanks in large part to our competent backstage dressers, I think we did manage to pull it off… so to speak.

This piece was created by Happenstance Theater (the company created by my father Mark Jaster and his wife Sabrina Mandell) for the first DC Fringe Festival. The role of the puppeteer was originated by Lindsay Abromaitis-Smith (a fascinating artist and puppeteer whose work is worth following). When they re-mounted the show for the Peabody Essex Museum I was happy to fill the role of the puppeteer (and various other character apparitions). It was a rare opportunity in somewhat unconventional puppet work to make images dance. One of my favorite challenges was choreographing and executing a courtship between an umbrella and a teacup. Having grown up learning from my father on stage, it was a true pleasure to be working with him again. To find out more about the production, check out Prufbox at the Happenstance Theater website.

My Senior Honors Thesis for completion of the Theater and Dance major at Amherst College. I started brainstorming ideas in June of 2006 with no idea what the show would be, only that I had to make one. As I worked through the fall I developed a duet with a ghost puppet which eventually became the center of the piece and the key to the story which turned out to be one of love and loss. As it was the first time I conceived, choreographed, designed, directed and performed an entire show, there are lots of things I have learned now to do differently. But I had a couple of excellent performers to work with and a patient and supportive production team from the college who worked with me to build everything from the dreamed-up dresser of drawers to the costume-coordinated pillow-cases. I was also lucky enough to get The Mimetiks, my brother’s duo to compose and record original music for the piece. Ultimately the whole production was a very fulfilling process. The responses I got from audience members after the show telling me their stories and opening their hearts reminded me of exactly why I do this work. The video of the performance is far from ideal, but it does give an idea.

A video dance piece I created in college with the awesome Tim Hahn.  It still ranks as one of my favorite projects.

A modern translation by Constance Congdon produced in the Kirby Theater at Amherst College.

Eliante was a delight to play, someday I’d love to do it in french.

Created by design professor Suzanne Dougan. Rochelle was a challenging role ranging in age from 24 to 60, she was harsh and manipulative but strongly believed she knew best. A rich character with lots to chew on and a wonderful cast of Amherst students and professional alumni.