‘ThisTree’ Premiere at the  Prototype Festival

‘ThisTree’ is happening NOW at the Prototype Festival
at HERE arts in New York City, January 6-12, 2019
directed by Ellie Heyman

ThisTree, Culture Mart, 2017 Photo by Paula Court

ThisTree….Dappled late-afternoon light bathes a clearing in the hand crafted forest. Sounds of nature gently reverberate. Radical cellist/singer Leah Coloff emerges, trailing a 25 ft. cape of tattered denim. Tracing the secrets of her family history, Coloff, a cross pollination between Laura Ingalls Wilder and Patti Smith, glides between idyllic childhood memories, unanswered questions and her wild ride through fertility treatments. ThisTree weaves autobiographical storytelling, Regular 8 home movies, and Coloff’s signature blend of blues, rock and non-traditional cello playing, supported by an all-female band, to investigate the vantage point of being the last branch on the family tree.

Produced for PROTOTYPE by HERE, a co-production of Beth Morrison Projects and HERE. Commissioned and developed through the HERE Artist Residency Program and a developmental residency at Bethany Arts Community. It is being supported by HERE’s Fund for Women Artists, generously created by Jennifer Suh Whitfield and Benjamin Whitfield.

Read more about the PROTOTYPE Festivalhttps://nyti.ms/2SC3F7q

HERE Artist Residency Program

 I am delighted and honored to have been chosen to be a part of the HERE Artist Residency Program. I will be developing a multi-media theatrical piece exploring the themes present in my most recent  collection of songs called ThisTree.  ThisTree as a performance piece will sew together song, family stories, animation, home movies and handmade objects to explore identity, memory, legacy and loss,  propelled by the question – “What do we leave behind when our family tree has died?”

 HERE commissions and develops new hybrid works over a 1- to 3-year period. As part of the HERE community of artists and audiences, the 15 resident artists show works-in-progress, develop workshop productions, and mount full–scale productions. Through the residency programs, HERE seeks to not only grow innovative artistic work, but also give artists the awareness and skills—in areas such as audience relations, budgeting, grantwriting, and touring—they need to continue to grow their careers.

 HERE has developed such acclaimed works as Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues; Basil Twist’s Symphonie Fantastique; Basil Twist and Joey Arias’ Arias with a Twist; Hazelle Goodman’s On Edge; Young Jean Lee’s Songs of The Dragons Flying To Heaven; Trey Lyford & Geoff Sobelle’s all wear bowlers; Faye Driscoll’s837 Venice Boulevard; Taylor Mac’s The Lily’s Revenge and original musical and dance works created and directed by HERE Co-Founder and Artistic Director Kristin Marting.

ThisTree available on bandcamp!!

These songs stretch tall like pines dark with sweet prickly needles. Shades of cabaret, horns and old timey stylings create a fearless album about family legacy and finding your place in the world.

recorded by Marc Urselli at East Side Sound
mixed by Bryce Goggin at Trout Studios
mastered by Fred Kevorkian
horn arrangements by Andy Green
featuring Mathias Kunzli on drums
Dan Willis on Tenor sax/clarinet
Kenny Berger on Alto Flute, Baritone Sax
Mike Fahie on Trombone
Sarth Calhoun on bass
Tony Diodore on banjo