while our blood's still young — Lindsey Barlag Thornton

while our blood’s still young

a devised duet by
Amanda Dunne Acevedo and Lindsey Barlag Thornton
with guest referee McKenzie Gerber

developed at:
SWARM Artist Residency, WI
July, 2016
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American Theatre Company, Chicago
CORE Residency
October 3, 2016

performed at:
At Unity Lutheran Church GYM, Chicago
October 15, 16, & 18, 2016

remounts:
THAWALLS: Links Hall & Threewalls city-wide arts celebration at Navy Pier
March 9, 2017
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Pennsylvania State University Arts & Design Research Incubator (ADRI)
October 23, 2017
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University of Texas at Austin
Department of Theatre & Dance
L. Theo Bellmont Hall
February 23 & 24, 2019

video footage shot by Ji Yang

3 minute 30 second compilation from a 90 minute live performance

This high energy, messy romp explores exhaustion as it relates to contemporary experience. You might laugh, you might feel sad, you'll definitely see us sweat. You can come early or not. We'll be listening to some high-energy tunes, getting exhausted, and setting up!

What People Are Saying

"Amanda Dunne Acevedo and Lindsey Barlag Thornton are absolutely in it to win it [...] the two use the concept of exhaustion as a jumping-off point for personal vignettes, endurance challenges, comedy bits, and absurdist snippets. Genesis isn't kidding when it calls the project a "messy romp"—by the end, the floor is littered with confetti and spaghetti, and both a mattress and a Slip'N Slide have been pressed into service."

— Dan Jakes, Chicago Reader

"It’s visceral. It’s disorienting. It’s also entertaining. And let me articulate this: the whole piece is remarkably fun. It gleefully celebrates the pain and limits of bodies. […]Within the scope of the whole world, our exhaustions feel incredibly small. And this gets to a central rift at the center of the work — the word “exhaustion” is not especially particular. It encompasses absolute depletion, mild frustration, weariness, lethargy, complete and total burnout. And so the piece pushes its way around these many exhaustions and feels out what connects them all."

— Corey Smith, Performance Response Journal Chicago

“while our blood's still young is one of the most inventive, thought-provoking, and genuine performance experiences I've had in a long time. The expert way Genesis moves between real-time exhaustion and layered story-telling that evokes laughter, empathy, and even a tear or two, is impressive to watch. The years of their artistic collaboration and deep friendship inform the work from beginning to end. They’ve developed a powerful presence that emerges directly from a sustained commitment to craft and to each other. Our students are still talking about the performance and the devising workshop. Their most repeated comment on the workshop was 'more, we want more.' I hope we're able to bring Genesis back soon. “