“What are you doing when you put yourself in front of an audience and you’re frustrated?” asked artist Laurel Snyder when I spoke with her before seeing her show solosarehardtomake. “Is that interesting? Can people relate to that? How many ways can I present myself?”
Snyder’s first evening-length solo dance bears multiple viewings, but after seeing it just once, it’s clear that the answers are: “Yes, yes, and very many.”
The high-density show begins right out of the gate, when ushers (who later turn out to be Snyder’s backing band) offer to check audience members’ coats—on a rack in the middle of the stage. Lamps sit on either side of it. “I tried to create this intimate environment that feels like a living room rather than a theater—just because I want to feel more comfortable!” Snyder explained.
