“ Human connections are deeply nurtured in the field of
shared story. ”
Jean Houston
PROJECT BACKGROUND
As the first theatre company to be granted a performing arts residency at the San Diego International Airport, Blindspot Collective presented Connecting Flights, a series of site-specific performances developed for and inspired by the San Diego International Airport. The Performing Arts Residency Program was the first of its kind in the country, and provides local arts organizations a platform to experiment with form and connect with new audiences. Connecting Flights featured monthly performances showcasing Blindspot Collective’s innovative process and unique style, including new plays, spoken word, verbatim theatre, large-scale puppetry, and an original podplay, a play designed to be experienced entirely through recorded audio.
Developed in 2019, Connecting Flights performed over the course of several months in varying locations of the San Diego Airport. Blake McCarty and Catherine Hanna Schrock oversaw the project while also participating as artists. They collaborated directly with a devising ensemble that included Shellina Hefner, Wilfred Paloma, Lilia Porter, and Sofia Zaragoza to develop interactive pop-up performances designed to foster connections between travelers and San Diego community members.
PERFORMANCES
SPARKLE
Written by: Dairrick Hodges & Catherine Hanna Schrock
Location: Terminal 2 Food Court
Sparkle is inspired by Hodges’ relationship with his mother and his memories of her. Amplified singing in celebration of a mother's love could be heard from every inch of the food court as he tells the story of the last time they were together, and the way music influenced their relationship.
Performed by: Sydney Joyner and Dairrick Hodges
WELCOME HOME
Written by Gill Sotu
This short play is inspired by Gill's own military service and the challenges that long separations place on couples and families. In a strikingly funny love comedy, two characters find and lose love and maybe find it again - while narrated by a performer connecting straight with the audience.
Featuring: Jaeonnie Davis-Crawford and Zack King
through eyes of wonder
Created by: Erika Malone
Working in direct collaboration with students at the Monarch School, Erika created 3 short pieces inspired by her students and the wonder inherent in traveling to a new place. The students performed a flash mob, a percussion created by the dancers, and a score that included voices and perspectives of the students themselves. Through Eyes of Wonder encouraged audiences to reflect on their own future and the world around them.
Featuring: students from the Monarch School
verbatim play
Created by: Sofia Zaragoza and Shellina Hefner
Based entirely on interviews with real airport staff, this recorded audio piece was accompanied by performers in silent movement. The piece highlights the humanity of airport employees who often go unnoticed or unappreciated. Including TSA agents and others, employees expressed their love for their job, as well as the frustrations of working in a busy travel environment.
Featuring: Sofia Zaragoza, Ihmani King, and Bernardo Mazon Daher
Time travels
Written by: Herbert Siguenza
Location: Terminal 2 Gates
Time Travels tells a tale of gentrification, resistance, and heart based on the history of San Diego, California. With three performers and local artwork, audiences at departing gates were invited to learn the intricate history of some of the landmarks in the city.
Featuring:
sea rhythm puppets
Created by: Laura Sheppard and Lilia Porter
Location: Terminal 2 Fountain
Set to a soothing soundscape of underwater life, created by Melanie Chen Cole, Blindspot Collective ensemble members performed movement based puppetry including a turtle, a jellyfish, seahorses, and a giant whale!
Featuring: Andrew Walters, Ihmani King, Sofia Zaragoza, Blake McCarty, Wilfred Paloma, Catherine Hanna Schrock, Shellina Hefner, and Russell Clements
play!
Created and led by: Catherine Hanna Schrock
Play! was developed in partnership with an ensemble of young women ages 13 - 19. The ensemble greeted travelers with positive messages and flowers and songs, performing "random acts of kindness". They also interacted with travelers in playback theatre, a form of theatre in which the audience member shares a story and the performers improvise a scene based on the audience's lived experience.
Featuring: Girl Scouts of San Diego and Sofia Zaragoza
independent pop-ups
Along with written performances, project devisers also held several pop-up events, including a photo booth (led by Lilia Porter), a dance party and vocal performance (led by Shellina Hefner and Wilfred Paloma), and intricate soundscapes of San Diego life (created by Melanie Chen Cole).
Performers also gave out flowers and greeted guests as they moved through the airport as well as giving out paper airplanes with notes from local San Diegans.
PRESS
“As the 12 minute performance ends in the middle of the airport bustle you see the connections made with all ages in an airport food court.
'It really touched me because he wanted his voice to be perfect at the end of the day so he could sing for her,' said 12-year-old Cuau Samaniego."