PERFORMING ARTS
...there was a girl
Where Silence Speaks - October 24th, 2024
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In Lauren Warhol Caldwell’s “…there was a Girl,” three performers wove a delicate, immersive experience that unfolded like a quiet storm. Through lyrical storytelling and movement, they brought to life a universal conflict—felt but rarely spoken.
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Gregg Jones portrayed the antagonist, Warhol Caldwell led the journey, and Ani Collier expressed the protagonist through movement and interpretive dance. Together, they carried the audience along the thin edge between humor and tragedy, navigating a world where something lingered just beneath the surface. What happened between them was only part of the story.
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The rest was left for the audience to uncover.
ANTI-GONE – It's me
A one-woman theatrical production - OCTOBER 11, 2024
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Anti-GONE - It’s Me is a joint work of dancer and choreographer Galina Borisova and Gina Sherbanescu (Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Bucharest. Together they explored the ancient model of Antigone – the woman who stands up to authority in the name of family and her personal inviolable values.
The performance examined the main antagonism of ancient Greek tragedy, namely the personal vs. the political, through its own point of view.
Idea, choreography and performance: Galina Borissova
Dramaturgy: Gina Serbanescu
Music: Teodor Stoyanov
Consultant: Elisaveta Grueva
room for improvement II
Second Rendition - AUGUST 22, 2024
A performance experience featuring Ani Collier, Tom Miller, Lauren Warhol Caldwell, Rose Deiorio, Mattia Imponenti, Terry Ford, and an art installation by Gregg Jones.
The Black C Artists took a seat in the psychologist's chair, exploring their well-being through a multi-sensory, immersive performance.
The characters kept telling themselves, "We’ll figure things out together—and if not, there's always room for improvement."
JACK AND JILL II
A Caldwell Miller Headtrip - AUGUST 15, 2024
This staged multimedia reading presented two characters who live together, but are each alone—immersed in their computers doom-scrolling, gaming, and worst of all, shopping!
As computer addicts, they lose sight of each other while contending with PayPal scams, A.I., mis & disinformation to such a turn that reality itself begins to unwind. Are these characters two people who have lost each other's love, or are they an episodic reality show designed to entertain a mass audience? You decide.
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
A work in process - JUNE 5, 2024
A work in process with Ani Collier, Tom Miller, Warhol Caldwell, Rose Deiorio, Mattia Imponenti, and Terry Ford. The artists at Black C Art sat on chairs in a psychologist's office and tried to improve their wellbeing. Some art and music always help. In the mix, you could hear a short Shakespearean monologue, excerpts from Benjamin Britten's Third Suite for Cello, a contemporary conversation, and a little bit of dancing...
A lot of creativity was unleashed on short notice and in short format.
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WHY THIS?...
A 48-Hour Residency and VIP Performance - FEB 4, 2024
Artist-in-Residence TZVETA KASSABOVA (Bulgaria) with Ani Collier explore and interact with mysterious entities who pass from human to plastic form. Love, fear, cooperation, empathy, compassion, obsession, frustration, & salvation are explored in movement and music. Is any of it real? Does any of it matter? Tzveta Kassabova Tzveta Kassabova is a Bulgarian-born choreographer, costume designer and installation artist, named one of the '25 to watch' in 2012 by Dance Magazine. At different times she has been a gymnast, physicist, and meteorologist.
"To me, the clarity and detail of the visual environment serves as an invitation for the audience, emphasizing the images and feelings that the dance evokes."
from empty ...to empty
An Experience at Black C Art - SAT NOV 11
Artist-in-Residence Galina Borissova (Bulgaria) explores a scenic environment polluted with seemingly infinite plastic bottles and bags of detritus. With the help of other participants (Sara Morsey, Gregg Jones, Ani Collier, and a sonic tapestry performed live by Tom Miller, will anything help turn things around, or does futility reign?
Galina Borissova is a dancer and choreographer whose work has strong theatrical aspect. Her premieres have been presented in Bulgaria, Netherlands, Germany, France, Poland, Estonia, Sweden, Czech Republic and USA.
White Rabbit Red Rabbit - 2023
* No rehearsal * No director * A different actor each performance
... and a script waiting in a sealed envelope on stage, internationally acclaimed White Rabbit, Red Rabbit, by Iranian writer Nassim Soleimanpour, is an audacious theatrical experiment and a potent reminder of the transgressive and transformative power of theatre.
HARVEY WARD is an American politician and the mayor of Gainesville, Florida. Ward has lived in Gainesville his whole life and occupied the position of city commissioner from 2017 to 2023. Gainesville, Florida, U.S.
GOSIA SOBALA, the Polish girl from Warsaw, has always been full of life and energy. Many residents here will know Gosia from her musical performances with her husband, musician Ali.
SHAMROCK MCSHANE (born Timothy John McShane, September 18, 1951 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American writer, actor, and educator.
Journal Entry
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"What whispers to you in the dark night of your soul …"
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Performance art piece exploring the soul searching messages found in a secret journal.
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Conceived by Lauren Warhol Caldwell and Ani Collier.
Performed by Ani Collier and Sara Morsey.
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Art by Liliana Dvorianova.
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What lies in the journal?
Who is that woman who ends up with the secrets written upon the pages?
What finally leads to a reconciliation of the content of the journal?
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This story includes text, music, poetry and a lot of movement.
Antarctica Part 2.
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Spring Season 2021 was fully sold out and we are grateful for your participation, attendance, questions, and comments.
The next season is going to be exciting and we are already playing with some ideas! As a gift to you, we would like to invite you to our workshops.
Those events are FREE of charge but RSVP is required.
A new version of "Antarctica/ The Experience" and "Glacial Waste/ The Exhibit" is to be created next year. Tzveta Kassabova and Ani Collier are already experimenting with movement/sound/video and we will be posting updates online.
And YES, we need more empty plastic water bottles!
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Please stay tuned and spread the word about this contemporary visual and performing arts venue.
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In Search of...
/create your own story/
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A short movement investigation by Ani Collier and Tzveta Kassabova will be presented to a limited audience of eight at Black C Art Gallery.
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Two Bulgarians, one from frozen Michigan, the other from sweltering Florida, both accomplished movement artists collaborated to create an exquisite performance.
Tzveta Kassabova, named one of '25 to watch' by Dance Magazine was recently back in Gainesville on a short residency to explore live performance possibilities with fellow dancer/choreographer Ani Collier.
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"In search of..." provides an intriguing blank page for the viewer to interpret and and project the meaning of their desire.
Antarctica... The Experience
Conceived and directed by Ani Collier.
Music and music collage by Danail Vidinsky
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Come witness the beauty and the vastness of the blue, hear the sounds of water and melting icebergs.
Emerge yourself into this multimedia experience of the beauty of Antarctica and the dangers of plastic waste. Up close hear the power of a thundering glacier.
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This original movement piece was created by Ani Collier in collaboration with Dance Alive National Ballet principal dancers Andy Valladon and Ashley Brooke Lunn.
"...THERE WAS A GIRL,"
Conceived, written, and directed by Lauren Warhol Caldwell.
Three performers explore the repercussions due to narcissistic trauma. It is written in a lyrical narrative filled with humor and an unexpected turn of events.
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The story concentrates on the conflict between one woman and one man. However, the tragic essence is certainly not limited to just a man and a woman; this story happens between all sexes and in all categories of life. Featured in this performance is Ani Collier as the girl. Ani supports the story with entertaining and haunting movements. She carries us through the thread of the story as the character of the girl faces the possible tragic circumstances of such an encounter.
THE STRONGER
June - December 2020
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Two Performers.
Two Audience members.
A Social-distanced event.
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This 30-minute rendition of THE STRONGER is loosely based on August Strindberg's play of the same name.
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Director Lauren Warhol Caldwell and performers Ani Collier and Sara Morsey take audiences through a fascinating journey of friendship and betrayal.
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Short Q and A at the end of each performance.
Covid safety protocols in place.
Mylar Voyage
February 28, 2020 at 7 p.m.
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Zornitsa Stoyanova, Bulgarian artist, comes straight to Black C Art Gallery after presenting a project at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Zornitsa joins Black C Art creatives in creating a piece entitled “Mylar Voyage” to be shown during the February Art Walk.
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Audience participation encouraged through the silver forest in the back and inside the gigantic mylar balloon on the floor. Bring your kids!
Who's On The Other
Side Of The Footlights?
You!
ENCORE Performance! January 23, 2020 at 7 p.m.
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They are Back for an encore storytelling evening!
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In December, Black C Art gathered a group of Gainesville residents to write and perform their own stories.These original pieces were magnificent and the evening was touching, provocative, funny and informative.
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"...it was a masterpiece experience right here in my hometown, a gift I will remember. You've given me new skills and a framework to practice and find my voice...".
Kim Tesch-Vaught
THE STRONGER
More dates added: November 20, 21, 2019 at 7 p.m.
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Mrs. X and Ms. Y. They find one another in a cafe on Christmas Eve. What do they have in common? What are their differences? Who has what to say? And more importantly, at the end of their encounter, which one is the stronger?
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Inspired by August Strindberg’s THE STRONGER.
Additional dialogue from "Mistress of Many Moons" by
Sylvia Brownrigg and Lauren Warhol Caldwell.
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Directed by Lauren Warhol Caldwell
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Featuring Sara Morsey and Ani Collier
OEDIPUS REDUX "WHICH MAN IS IN MY BED?"
October 23, 24, 2019 at 7 p.m.
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Our wonderful Lauren Warhol Caldwell is back with yet another original piece. She is joined by the guitarist Chuck Martin, who will be accenting the story with underscore, plinks, zaps and strums which will culminate into an orchestration of this Greek tragedy.
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Oedipus Rex, written by Sophocles, morphs into an altered title in Warhol Caldwell's and Chuck Martin's roguish interpretation entitled: Oedipus Redux OR "Which Man is That in My Bed?"
This faux Greek mash up with text and guitar is just a way to tickle your fancy as to what will be next on the agenda at the gallery.
White Rabbit Red Rabbit
September 11, 12, 13, 2019 at 7 p.m.
A play by Nassim Soleimanpour / Iran
FROM THE PRODUCERS: "No rehearsals. No director. No set.
A different actor reads the script cold for the first time at each performance.
“I was born on Azar 19th, 1360 in Tehran. That’s Tehran, December 10th, 1981 in Christian years…”
Forbidden to leave his country, playwright Nassim Soleimanpour distilled the experience of an entire generation in a wild, utterly original play. WHITE RABBIT RED RABBIT is a work about contemporary Iran and of Nassim’s generation. A generation born amidst the hardship of the Iran-Iraq war. A generation of computer-literate, well-informed young people who have never known an Iran other than the Islamic Republic."
Monday - Friday 10 AM - 3 PM
201 SE 2nd Place, Suite 111
Gainesville, FL 32601
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