We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Catherine Glynn. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Catherine below.
Catherine, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
My life has been filled with meaningful projects, and one thing I value is staying Present. So, let me tell you about my upcoming project with Audacious Raw Theater!
Having envisioned A.R.T. as a bridge organization, this eighth season will feature a unique partnership with Lanesboro Arts again.
Since 2023, we have been working with the overarching theme of Common Ground. Under this umbrella, we are taking on stories and performances that, at first glance, may seem polarizing: Land Stewardship & Climate Change, Parenthood & Reproductive Rights, and The Second Amendment & the rise in gun violence.
As ARTists, we actively seek to cultivate and create stories from a wide range and diverse people. We want all sides to be reflected, so instead of focusing solely on what divides us, we will strive to uncover the collective values that unite us.
To that end, this year, we are creating a devised work based on the poem “There is a Field” by the Persian poet Rumi:
Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right doing,
There is a field. I’ll meet you there.
When the soul lies down in that grass,
The world is too full to talk about.
Ideas, language, even the phrase each other
Doesn’t make any sense.*
For this performance, we are also partnering with UpLift Physical Theatre to take our work to a heightened level of poetic movement! And we will perform outdoors in Gateway Park in Lanesboro, Minnesota, with the Root River as our backdrop.
I’ve received a generous grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board to research the topic, hold creative community workshops to discuss the subject matter, and teach community members about the devising process. I couldn’t be more thrilled!
*Translated from Persian by Coleman Barks and John Moyne, from The Essential Rumi, published by HarperCollins.
Copyright © 1995 by Coleman Barks.
Catherine, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
After years of classical acting training (I hold two advanced degrees in theater from UT Austin and the University of Delaware), teaching (I taught at UT Austin in Theater and Dance for five years), and three decades’ worth of theatrical exploration (repertory work, Shakespeare Festivals, Fringe Festivals, and solo shows), I now fully identify as a devised theater-maker.
Over the past ten years, I’ve delved more deeply into devised work, which I define as original performances built from the ground up through conversations, writing, movement exploration, and improvisatory theater techniques bearing the fingerprints of all who contribute. It’s personal, universal, and it’s distinctly contemporary. My work with innovative theatre-makers like Robert Wilson, Adrian Hall, Anne Bogart, Tadashi Suzuki, the Rude Mechs, Collaboraction Theatre, Tectonic Theatre’s Moments work, and dance workshops with Nina Martin and Sushi Studio impacted me profoundly. Each one of those experiences taught me the power of using topical and often personal material. They taught me to be bold. And that devised work stimulates and heightens curiosity around the creative process itself, which in turn helps bridge the ever-widening gaps occurring in society.
In 2016, I founded A.R.T. (Audacious Raw Theater). Since 2017, I have served as a producer, director, and performer. For one week each year, I bring individuals and create new ensembles to recreate and create in the untapped beauty of Southeastern Minnesota. In just seven days, seven performers generate seven or more original works, which we perform for live audiences at the end of the week. I encourage the mostly urban-based cast members to find harmony between experiencing solitude in Nature and collaborating with new people. A.R.T. ensemble members explore the river and the trails daily. We play together with our community members. We take time to create on our own and within specific rehearsal gatherings. We make provocative, original contemporary work that challenges and captivates the artistically underserved rural and often economically depleted audiences of the area.
Each cast of A.R.T. consists of brave, diverse artists from around the world (actors, musicians, singers, mimes, dancers, videographers, lighting, sound, set and costume designers, stage managers, photographers, writers, spoken word artists, improvisers, and rappers). With them, I’ve developed what I call the soul-o/ensemble experience. I focus on strengthening and honing each participant’s solo voice while fostering group creation. It’s a process that feels like being a doula, helping to birth new work into the world.
I am incredibly grateful to do what I do!
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
In 2014, I resigned from a company that wasn’t aligned with my values; while it was a painful decision, it was necessary. I didn’t have an action plan in place when it happened. Resilience and instinct kicked in on several levels. First, I took the time to heal. I gave myself time to mourn and process my story of what occurred. Next, I listened to my creative impulses and used those to help heal and get back into the game. I committed to performing a solo show, rounded up a team (director, stage manager, and marketing), and got busy. Someone once told me, “Action is the antidote to anxiety.” And that was certainly the case in 2014.
I believe resistance comes from balancing inaction (time to process, grieve, and step back from activity) then…listening and following up on my impulses. It’s a formula that has worked for me time and time again. In this particular instance, not only did two solo shows come to fruition, but from that chaos, I founded and began A.R.T. (Audacious Raw Theater.)
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
Artists and creatives need to be paid living wages. What we do isn’t a hobby; it’s our livelihood, and it’s essential to realize what life would be like without us. There would be no art, museums, graffiti, literature, film, dance, rap, poetry, TV, or podcasts…the list goes on and on. Artists reflect culture, and paying people for their time and talent is the minimum we can do to honor artists of all forms.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://rawdacious.art/
- Instagram: rawdacious_theater
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rawdacioustheater
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherineglynn/
- Youtube: @catherineglynn2852
Image Credits
Michael Seiler, Tyler Anderson, Catherine Glynn