Mission

Hand2Mouth Theatre develops performances over time which incorporate dance, theatre, music, voice, physicality and visual artistry. Through excavation of our shared culture, history, and imagination, Hand2Mouth holds a mirror to contemporary life in order to connect honestly and directly with audiences. The artists of Hand2Mouth create emotionally and conceptually daring original work that embraces the power of the live encounter. Hand2Mouth Theatre creates in an environment of rigorous ensemble exploration and mutual trust, and we aim to achieve a connection with our audience that is both experimental and accessible.

What do we create?

We create live performance that is stripped down to its essence, like punk and the blues. Unvarnished. Our work reflects our experience in America and the world. Strong provocative images, and distinct worlds in time and space. Our performances take the symbols, myths, habits and manners of American life and subvert them.

How do we work?

Each idea for a performance begins as an exploration of something compelling that is developed, clarified and deepened over time. We draw on a shared history in theatre, dance, music, and design – on collective techniques and individual obsessions. We create through group improvisation, solo composition and physically demanding exercise, in a collaborative process. We create according to the demands of the performance. This process has taken us from large-scale outdoor spectacles to explorations of bunraku puppetry; from intimate performances using only body and voice to gleeful attempts to embody pop music and mess up the stage. We expand our palate to best fit each project, and leave behind techniques that no longer suit our purposes. We seek advice and training from people who know more than we do. We collaborate with local artists and with artists across the United States and overseas.

Why do we do this?

We create new performance in order to actively participate in culture. We seek to connect directly with audiences. This requires honesty and vulnerability, from us and from our audience. We provoke questions to get at the core of mysteries. We want to uncover the forgotten, to make the familiar new, to share a collective experience. We want to do this within the trust of a group, to share ownership and go deeper over time together.

Who are we?

Hand2Mouth Theatre was founded in 2000 in Portland, Oregon. The ensemble is Artistic Director Jonathan Walters, Company Members Julie Hammond, Faith Helma and Erin Leddy, and Associate Artists Liz Hayden, Alex Huebsch, Jeb Pearson and Jerry Tischleder. To date, Hand2Mouth has created 14 original performances, and performed throughout the Northwest, San Francisco, Poland, and Mexico.

Select Festival and Tour Performances

2007

On the Boards, Seattle, WA (Repeat After Me)

Time Based Art Festival, Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, Portland, OR (Repeat After Me)

Northwest New Works Festival, On the Boards, Seattle, WA (Repeat After Me - exerpt)

2006

Just Add Water Festival, Portland Center Stage, Portland, OR (After Hours)

2005

Festival Malta, Poznan, Poland (Blue with Stacja Szamocin)

Kalisz Theatre Festival, Kalisz, Poland (Blue with Stacja Szamocin)

Edmonds Community College, Seattle, WA (The Wild Child)

Williamette University, Salem, OR (The Wild Child)

2004

Open Theatre International Festival, Katowice, Poland (Blue with Stacja Szamocin)

Pablo Neruda Centenary Festival, Portland State University, Portland, OR (Slender with Carpetbag Brigade)

PuppetLove! Festival, San Francisco, CA (The Wild Child)

River Theatre, Astoria, OR (Thirst)

2003

River Theatre, Astoria, OR (Posture Queen)

2002

Blue Mountain Community College, Pendelton, OR (Jerusalem)