'Wild Horses' Gallops Outside The Box - 27 East

Arts & Living

Arts & Living / 1348841

'Wild Horses' Gallops Outside The Box

icon 14 Photos

author on Nov 11, 2014

In 2011, Andrea Goldman was immersed in classical theater technique at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in England.

By the time the St. Louis native left one year later, she was on a dramatically alternate path—first in Berlin, to stage her play “Sometimes At Night,” before moving to Manhattan to hone her work in experimental theater.

She had learned to pronounce her vowels at Old Vic. She had learned to work from the outside in. She wanted to honor traditional theater. But she also wanted performance art, movement, dance and poetry.

And she had already found it in The Box Collective—a unique, Manhattan-based theater company that she founded in 2010, alongside Sara Fay George, with a mission dedicated to collaboration, ensemble acting, immersion, experimentation and a certain intimacy both on and off the stage.

If Ms. Goldman’s classical background seems so different from what The Box Collective does, it’s all for the best, she said.

“Experimental plays go back to the past and are very disciplined, despite what people think,” Ms. Goldman explained during a recent interview. “We have a broader perspective by executing both approaches. But there are differences, too. The classical theater features the idea of separation. For example, one person creates the costumes, another the set design, each working in his or her own world.”

According to Ms. Goldman, experimental theater follows an “organic path.” Participants work in the same world, she said, bringing different experiences and ideas that contribute to the play’s evolution. Or, as Ms. Goldman puts it, “The story belongs to the people in the room.”

The most recent story is that of “Wild Horses,” a new play by Ms. Goldman premiering on Tuesday, November 18, at Guild Hall in East Hampton, as part of the John Drew Theater Lab workshop—one-night readings by emerging performing artists with a local tie.

“We all get trapped in our lives by cycles,” said Ms. Goldman, who often escapes from Manhattan to the East End for inspiration. “We go back to when we were a child in a magical world. But when we are 30 years old, we see the cracks in that world. Do we want to go forward, or stay in the past?”

The work-in-progress is an “internal meditation,” the playwright explained, “externalized through the voice of a young poetic soul.” Told to a score by Spanish composer Dani Campos, the minimalist production focuses on the moments, the poetry through the trash, the stories of their seemingly insignificant lives as they unravel.

“This is the story of how I fell in love,” the play begins. “How I died. And how I learned that everything is made of wood.”

Those words are spoken by Julia Watt, one half of the two-actor cast. Starring opposite her is Oliver de Rohan, who runs his own Paperbark Theater Company in England and first met Ms. Goldman at Old Vic. He immediately wanted to work with her, he said during a recent interview, explaining that he always fostered a “love of high-quality storytelling and wanted a chance to expand my own artistic abilities.”

Conversely, Ms. Watt does not have classical training. Instead, she studied at the University of Southern California and performed musical theater in Los Angeles. She ended up acting in the Alabama Shakespeare Festival and later moved to Manhattan in 2007, where she met Ms. Goldman while acting together in a Shakespeare production of “Pericles,” discovering their similar outlook and aesthetic when it came to creating theater—uninterested in literal interpretation. They have been working together ever since.

In rehearsal, Ms. Goldman employs the lessons she learned while studying at the Stella Adler Studio in 2008, for two years, where acting means connection with human emotions, where characters want and need something, and where actors work from the inside out, unlike the Old Vic methods.

Four years ago, Ms. Goldman put all her learning about experimental theater into practice with her first play, “La Cueca,” titled after Chile’s national dance, which premiered in 2010 at Solar Gallery in East Hampton. It tells the story of a couple buried alive in Pinochet’s Chile, with several parallels to “Wild Horses”—a similar idea of entrapment in a girl’s struggle to leave her small, dusty ghost town, told in poetic prose.

“Wild Horses,” however, adds a colloquial style, creating a contradictory sensibility against the music by Mr. Campos. He describes the score as “simple and minimal. The notes travel through the piece like another character, reflecting interior feelings. Every song is underscoring the protagonists’ lives and thoughts as they grow up.”

However we interpret Ms. Goldman’s play, she doesn’t like themes that can be characterized one way or another. “I’m not interested in 1,2, or 3,” she says. “I’m interested in 1½, or 2½.”

Ms. Goldman doesn’t think much of conformity, either. Regardless of whether her experimental theater company is called The Box Collective, she’s certainly not caught in a box of any kind.

The Box Collective will premiere “Wild Horses” on Tuesday, November 18, at 7:30 p.m. at Guild Hall in East Hampton, as part of the John Drew Theater Lab. Admission is free. For more information, call (631) 324-0806, or visit guildhall.org.

You May Also Like:

Leigh Bardugo Comes to Sag Harbor Books for Book Signing, Meet and Greet

Growing up, best-selling author Leigh Bardugo always knew she wanted to be a writer, but ... 11 Jul 2025 by Hope Hamilton

Springs Artist Fitzhugh Karol Debuts Outdoor Sculpture Show at Duck Creek

The Arts Center at Duck Creek will present “Fitzhugh Karol: On the Grounds,” a site-specific ... 8 Jul 2025 by Staff Writer

La Goulue Sur Mer Arrives in Southampton, With a Dash of Chaos and a Side of Style

“Is it true?” said the anxious DM on my Instagram account. “Is La Goulue really ... by Steven Stolman

Art on a Line: Guild Hall’s Clothesline Sale Hangs Tough for 2025

Guild Hall’s beloved Clothesline Art Sale returns on Saturday, July 19, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The annual event, a Hamptons tradition since 1946, transforms the museum’s lawn into a sea of original artwork — hung on clotheslines — and offers visitors the chance to purchase local art at accessible prices. Jackson Pollock once sold a painting at the sale for $250, and past participants have included Lee Krasner, Alfonso Ossorio, Elaine and Willem de Kooning and other art-world icons. The event continues to offer a rare opportunity for the public to view and purchase work by East End ... by Staff Writer

The Climate-Friendly Fitness Routine

“Live simply so that others might simply live” — Mahatma Gandhi The first time I ... by Jenny Noble

Joy Behar Gets the Last Laugh in ‘My First Ex-Husband' at Bay Street Theater, July 14-19

Emmy Award-winning comedian and co-host of “The View,” Joy Behar stars in “My First Ex-Husband,” a bold, funny and heartfelt new play based on true stories from her life. The limited engagement runs July 14 through 19, at Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor. With razor-sharp wit and no filters, “My First Ex-Husband” explores the messy, hilarious truths of love, sex and relationships. Adapted from Behar’s personal experiences, the show is both deeply personal and widely relatable. Behar will appear on stage on July 14, 18 and 19. Also appearing nightly, July 14 through 19, are Veanne Cox, a Tony-nominated ... by Staff Writer

Experience the Rhythms of Brazil With Nilson Matta’s Voyage Quartet

Grammy-nominated bassist Nilson Matta will lead his Brazilian Voyage Quartet at The Church on Friday, July 25, at 6 p.m. The concert is part of Hamptons JazzFest. The group features acclaimed guitarist Chico Pinheiro and offers a rich exploration of samba, bossa nova and modern Brazilian jazz. Matta, a founding member of the renowned Trio da Paz and longtime collaborator with Yo-Yo Ma on the Grammy-winning “Obrigado Brazil” project, is known for blending traditional Brazilian rhythms with contemporary jazz. His lyrical bass playing and deep rhythmic connection have earned him international acclaim. Guitarist Chico Pinheiro, recognized as a leading voice ... by Staff Writer

At the Galleries for July 10, 2025

Montauk The Depot Art Gallery, at the Montauk railroad station at the corner of Flamingo ... by Staff Writer

Round and About for July 10, 2025

Fireworks Shelter Island Fireworks The Shelter Island fireworks will be held on Saturday, July 12, ... by Staff Writer

Curtis Institute of Music Alumni and Faculty To Perform in East Hampton on July 22

Talented alumni and faculty from the world-renowned Curtis Institute of Music will tour the East Coast this summer, with a concert scheduled for Tuesday, July 22, at 7 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church of East Hampton. The event is presented by Music for Montauk. The program features beloved melodies ranging from Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess” to works by Brahms and de Falla. Performers include mezzo-soprano Katie Trigg, violinist Elissa Lee Koljonen, pianist Hanchien Lee, and Curtis Institute President and violist Roberto Díaz. The concert program includes: Manuel de Falla’s “Suite Populaire Espagnole,” performed by Díaz (viola) and Lee (piano); ... by Staff Writer