Thursday evening found me at the School of the Arts’ Black
Box Theatre, where I took in two very different performances each designed for
two performers.

The play “Wasteland” — put on here by unMasqued Theatre in a touring production directed Jeffrey
Schmidt — is an intense, claustrophobic drama about two American soldiers
imprisoned by enemy forces while serving in the Vietnam War. Both are named
Joe, and both men are fans of the TV show “Star Trek.” Beyond that, their
differences seem to define them and threaten to divide and alienate one from
the other as they attempt to survive their shared grim reality.

“Wasteland” centers on an unlikely connection rooted in
shared experience, and Susan Felder’s script is fittingly full of heart and
empathy. Actors Drew Feldman and Ty Fanning have a gripping chemistry that is
sustained with remarkable energy throughout the play, and the believability of
their tumultuous bond is what makes the play work.

“Wasteland” is compelling theater, and those looking for a
thoughtful examination of what separates us and what unites us in our common
humanity would do well to take in this play. Additional performances are
scheduled for Friday, September 25, at 9:30 p.m. and Saturday, September 26, at
2 p.m. and 6 p.m. $12. Appropriate for ages 18 and older.

While “Wasteland” focused on the relationship between two
people, the performance “Bach Without Boundaries” honed in on the
relationship between two art forms — music and dance, respectively. Violist
Bridget Kinneary, an Eastman School of Music alumna,
was joined by BIODANCE Artistic Director and University of Rochester professor
Missy Pfohl Smith in a joint interpretation of Johann
Sebastian Bach’s Cello Suite No. 4.

The acoustics of the Black Box Theatre were surprisingly
good, possessing a clear and honest acoustic reflection of the viola’s natural,
rich tone. The performance was not merely about music and dance coexisting, but
about achieving a fresh interaction between the two mediums. Even while playing
her instrument, Kinneary took on an integral role in
the choreography by moving in direct response to Pfohl
Smith, rather than simply stand off to the side and play solitarily. The
interaction between the two performers was not just purely aesthetic, but
highly physical as well. At moments, Kinneary sat
down on Pfohl Smith’s back to play while the dancer
crawled on her hands and knees.

As for Pfohl Smith’s choreography
specifically, there was a looseness, a freedom that frequently evinced itself
in the unencumbered flowing of limbs and a willingness to use the entire
stage.At one point, the choreographer stopped
dancing altogether to admire the music — in and of itself a poignant gesture.
All this pointed to the vitality of Bach’s genius.

Ultimately, the dance did more to outline the overall arc of
the musical phrasing than it did to interpret Kinneary’s
articulation of individual notes. For its part, the violist’s playing was
attentive, limber, and poised in a perpetual legato that was sumptuous without
muddying the phrases.

The next performance of “Bach Without Boundaries” — which
seems to suggest an ongoing collaboration between Kinneary
and Smith — is on Saturday, September 26, at 12 p.m. $3-$8. Appropriate for agest 13 and older.

This article appears in Sep 23-29, 2015.