THE HINTERLANDS

Liza Bielby and Richard Newman have worked as THE HINTERLANDS since 2009. They were joined by Jenna Kirk in 2020. Original artists-in-residence, co-founders, and programmers in Play House since its inception in 2012 as a program of Power House Productions, The Hinterlands engage a pool of collaborators to create playful and surreal theatrical performances and public events seen at the Shanghai Biennale, the Kohler Arts Center, Flynn Center, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, and more. The foundation of our work is a rigorous, daily physical and vocal training practice merging investigation of the self (body, voice, identity) with inquiry into our lineages and passions. Our research-driven multidisciplinary works blur reality and fiction, using humor, repetition, layering of historical reenactment and cultural references, and impeccable timing to create a performance language unique to each piece that lures audiences into unexpected moments and unknown “hinterlands.” From participatory poetic radical archives to scathing psychedelic retellings of the myth of the “Wild Midwest” to a raucous celebration of the local takeout joint, we build works to transform the self and shepherd our wildest collective imaginings into practice. Additionally, we lead ongoing community workshops to share our training practice, collaborate with artists across the globe in person and digitally, and support the work of experimental artists locally and further afield through hosting residencies, showings, and performance events at Play House. thehinterlands.org