For anyone planning to be in downtown Redmond Sunday afternoon — especially near Downtown Park — be on the lookout for mice on the loose.
But there will be no need to call an exterminator because these particular mice will be Sweetheart Mice from the world of “Professor Pomme’s Pomp and Pastry Paradoxicals,” a free, live theatrical performance presented by Lucia Neare’s Theatrical Wonders.
Sunday’s show will be at 4 p.m. in and around Downtown Park at 16101 Redmond Way in Redmond. It is the second in a series of three performances at the park produced by the Seattle-based theater company. The first “Professor Pomme” show was in July and the conclusion will be Sept. 22 at 6 p.m. Next month’s show will also be at Downtown Park and is free to the public as well.
Lucia Neare founded the company that bears her name and is also Theatrical Wonders’ artistic director and lead artist. Without revealing anything specific about the upcoming shows, she described “Professor Pomme” as “a whole lot of nonsense” and said she and her team are looking forward to making magic in Redmond — hopefully with help from Redmond residents since the performances will have an interactive element to them.
“I just want to invite everyone to come play with us,” Neare said.
She said there are so many brilliant minds in Redmond and her hope with “Professor Pomme” is that “all of that brilliance happening in offices, in businesses and hopefully in homes is brought to public space.”
Theatrical Wonders specializes in site-specific live performances and previous shows include “Lullaby Moon,” a yearlong series of performances from 2008-09 that took place in various Seattle parks and public spaces about every 28 days to celebrate the new moon.
Julia Beers, a performer with Theatrical Wonders, said the site-specific performances they produce are different from traditional stage theater in various ways because there’s a “greater degree of unpredictability in terms of audience, weather, surroundings — you name it.” She added that with Theatrical Wonders, there is also no “fourth wall” so shows include the audience as well.
“The pro and con is that anything can happen, but in a company full of seasoned performers, it usually works out and often in remarkable ways,” Beers said.
Before coming up with a show, Neare spends a lot of time on location gathering as much information as she can. She said she uses her site visits to see what it needs for the performance and what changes — if any — have to be made to meet these needs.
“When I’m in a site, my real, first intent is to really listen to the site,” Neare said at a workshop she gave at Anderson Park in Redmond last Friday.
In coming up with “Professor Pomme,” which Theatrical Wonders’ website describes as “an alchemical confection of apple lore and homespun delights,” Neare said she spent a lot of time driving and walking around downtown Redmond. She said one thing that struck her was that there were so many key areas within the neighborhood — the historical downtown, City Hall and Redmond Town Center — but she kept wondering where the center was. During her visits, Neare asked herself if the new Downtown Park was the center.
City of Redmond arts administrator Joshua Heim said having performances such as “Professor Pomme” is to get people to answer “yes” to Neare’s question.
“This public space is intended to be a signature urban park, the community’s central gathering space and a catalyst for economic development,” he said. “How does that (space) look? And who better to ask that question than Sweetheart Mice and Bakers.”
Heim said the city teamed up with Neare through SITE-SPECIFIC, a program through King County’s cultural services agency, 4Culture.
According to its website, SITE-SPECIFIC presents new art in new ways throughout the county. Through a network of local arts agencies, nonprofits, businesses and local governments, the program partners in commissioning and presenting site-specific art such as performances, installations and events in direct response to a place.
