The Near Misses — mona kasra

The Near Misses

Digital media/projection design (2019-Present)
Directed by Jennifer Hoyt Tidwell, toured in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, DC, Charlottesville, Louisa, Richmond, Lewisburg

The Near Misses is an experimental electro-pop opera in the form of an all-female band. This highly collaborative multimedia show contains an original song cycle, sound collages, choreography, and video projections centered around true near-death stories. Evoking true accounts of peril and intersecting trauma, the performers embody the survivors’ own interpretations of what is beautiful and innately dysfunctional about humanity and examine the role of personal and collective memory. As we gather around these trauma stories, we see what they share in common: exquisite recollections of beauty, dark humor, courage, gaps in memory, lasting changes in perspective, and reconfigured identities. The survival stories have been gathered from women, mostly from the local Charlottesville community. They are not only personal and specific to their circumstances, but also they are archetypal. Each story captures a range of scenarios and power dynamics, from the personal to the global.

Creative Team: Jennifer Hoyt Tidwell (Director/Lyricist), Paige Naylor (Composer), Mona Kasra (Projection Design), Chip Staples (Lighting & Set Design/Build). Performers: Catherine Monnes, Kara McLane Burke, Katie Schetlick, Paige Naylor.

Past Shows:
January 11, 2020 - Vox Populi w/ Daniel de Jesús - Philadelphia, PA
January 3 & 4, 2020 - Baltimore Theatre Project - Baltimore, MD
January 5, 2020 - DC Arts Center - Washington, DC
November 11, 2019 - Black Iris - Richmond, VA
November 10, 2019 - Dwell w/ Cal Folger Day - Washington, DC
November 8, 2019 - Samek Art Museum - Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA
September 8, 2019 - The Jefferson Theater w/ Richelle Claiborne - Charlottesville, VA
August 25, 2019 - Camp Corduroy Festival w/ Devon Sproule & Diane Cluck - Louisa, VA

Photos by Elizabeth Swider