Karen Sherman Soft Good Analysis

Arriving first and leaving last, theater technicians disappear behind the scenes to fabricate performances on stage with sets, props and costumes, and other technical aspects. In Soft Goods, Karen Sherman breaks down the fourth wall to illuminate the unseen work of technicians and their interactions with dancers. The minimal amount of people on stage brings the audience into an intimate setting. Each member acts out a choreographed version of their everyday role -dancers as dancers and technicians as technicians. Unlike any other dance performance, Sherman presented Soft Goods as a production with physical labor and verbal communication that occurs backstage.

In addition, the dancers mostly never danced to their maximum potential. During their

Sherman used theatrical illusion making the stage seem as if it was turned 180 degrees, placing the audience backstage. Lighting enhanced this aspect with lights only shining behind the screen, removing light previously shining in front of the screen. With dancers on stage and technicians to the side with props, everyone performed their everyday job. A single man, acting as the director, stood alone to the side with his arms crossed, observing his work on stage. At one moment, a dancer scurries off stage to a technician for a clearly seen costume change from trash bag to trash bag. This costume directly mimics dancer warm-up outfits to produce and trap in heat, allowing the body to sweat. The music intensified the atmosphere throughout the set, getting louder and faster. The black screen did not cover the top of the stage, allowing props to pass over from one side to another. Dancers began to toss a pile of items over the top of the screen. A flurry of tissues flew over- a possible metaphor for the Sherman’s tears cried over the death of her friends. This sequence added to the overall feeling of viewing choreographed chaos behind the