Theater: "Coup de Foudre" Based on "The Blood of a Poet" by Jean Cocteau

Saturday, October 9, 2010

In a theatrical reinterpretation of Cocteau's filmic masterpiece, three generations of groundbreaking African American artists connect through a je ne sais quoi of French culture.

Paul Miller a.k.a. DJ Spooky that Subliminal Kid performs his own original music score, mixing live instruments and studio recordings with the Telos Ensemble, while Corey Baker, artistic codirector of Ballet Noir and current Fela! star, converts the extreme physicality of the lead film character into choreographic moments. Emmy award-winning Melvin Van Peebles, "the godfather of independent film and modern black cinema," simultaneously reads Cocteau poems.

"Coup de Foudre" explores the ambiguous relationship between modern compositional strategies, based on sampling and digital media, and the experience of tying cinematic history to contemporary times.

A post-performance discussion with the artists follows moderated by Christoph Cox, professor of philosophy, Hampshire College.