Instructions for a Habitat Inventory
Instructions for a Habitat Inventory is an interactive experience currently available through the Cincinnati Fringe Festival 2021. Learn more with the links below.
About the Show
Audience and Press Response
Artist Profiles
Audience FAQ
About the show
June 4-21, 2021
Available online
Get tickets here
IMPORTANT NOTE: There is no set performance time for Instructions for a Habitat Inventory. After you purchase a ticket, you will receive an email with instructions on how to enjoy the experience on your own schedule— see the FAQ for more info.
This work was originally developed for the Minnesota Fringe Festival in August 2020.
Your habitat is the place where you are. In these places, we face two converging pressures: the way our worlds have shrunk as we've all sheltered in place, and the way that we are currently being called to more closely examine issues of equity in our neighborhoods and communities. This interactive experience invites you to explore the place you inhabit and consider your relationship to that place. Using a smartphone app, audio performance, and five locations of your own choosing, Instructions for a Habitat Inventory will guide you through a reflection on where you are and what that means to you.
Instructions for a Habitat Inventory is a personal journey you can experience by yourself or with a friend. After purchasing a ticket, download the Playable Artworks app to begin.
What audiences are saying
“It was an interesting way to look at and think about my home. It also made me think about where my personal history intersects with larger history.” Playtest audience member
“I came to some insights today that I otherwise wouldn’t have come to.” - Playtest audience member
“It's a great time to be mindful about the environment you're in. Meditative reflection isn't something I do often and this guided me though it in a way that will stick with me. It was enjoyable, enlightening, and relaxing.” - Playtest audience member
“Pandemic has been a place where I felt incredibly stuck, and I’ve felt like I don’t quite know what to do with myself. Especially as an extrovert, all I want to do is break out. That feeling can be really paralyzing. But just doing this gave me a sense of intentionality and exciting ways to take action that I have not felt for a long time in the middle of a pandemic. That is beyond worth the time and price that you could spend on it.” - Playtest audience member
“Delightful and fun and interesting.” - Playtest audience member
artist profiles
Erin Nicole Farsté (Performer) is eager to be working again amid the current health crisis, and she couldn't be happier that it is with Playable Artworks! You may have heard her before in Second Skin as Celia. Have a safe and joyous journey through your habitat!
Maxine Ford (Performer) is a vocalist, actress, and theatre educator from Greenville, NC. After graduating from Spelman College in 2019, she became an actor-educator at CLIMB Theatre in Minnesota, where she has toured all over the Mid-West performing educational theater. She is currently creating online classes, through CLIMB, that focus on social-emotional learning. When she is not performing, Maxine enjoys creating new dishes in the kitchen, and cruising through her neighborhood on her bike, Blue Breeze.
Margo Gray (Director) is pleased to be bringing Playable Artworks' interactive style back to the Fringe Festival in a virtual format. Margo is a Minnesota-based director and experience creator who holds an MFA from Carnegie Mellon University, and has won the Forecast Early-Career Research and Development Grant and is an MRAC Next Step Fund award recipient. Margo is passionate about interactive experiences that engage the world around us and promote the growth of empathy. Learn more at margogray.com.
Jei Herald-Zamora (Performer). Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe descended (Wolf Clan, Ma’iingan) and Spirit Lake Sioux Nation enrolled (Bdewékhaŋthuŋwaŋ k’a Waȟpékhute.) Born in Minneapolis but raised in Wisconsin, Jei originally pursued musical theatre through college in 2008 until they decided to focus on Ojibwemowin revitalisation. He returned to the stage with New Native Theatre in 2016, along with various projects thereafter. Their favourite role is George Gibbs in 'Our Town' with Turtle Theatre Collective. He still works as an Ojibwe Language teacher, but is also a published writer and aspiring playwright, as well as proud dad to a ten-year-old California king snake.
Chasya Hill (Performer) is a Liberian-American actress and vocalist who is originally from Birmingham, Alabama. She received a BA in Theatre Arts from Carleton College. Her past theatre credits include: Wild Conspiracy (Saber MN), Sandbox Theatre (Bone Mother), The Next Stage Theater (Vampire Masquerade), and Lookingglass Theatre Company (Independent People). Chasya is also the newest member of the Sounds of Blackness musical ensemble. She continues to explore her passion for abstract movement, physical comedy, singing in other languages and innovative reimaginings of traditional stories. She is fascinated by the power of consciously inclusive, visually rich, acoustically thoughtful, highly physical styles of storytelling to appeal to diverse contemporary audiences.
Suzie Juul (Performer) is a Twin Cities based actress appearing in shows at Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, Old Log Theatre, The Ordway, Park Square, Mu Theatre, and more! She has done voiceover work for a cartoon show with Whirl at Augsburg Fortress, as well as The voice for a Hello Kitty toy! She hopes Instructions for a Habitat inventory bring you joy!
Natavia Lewis (Performer) is a native Twin Cities actor who loves her city and the opportunities it presents. She has experience in acting, improve, stage combat and musical theatre. She is always excited about new projects and exploring different ways to tell stories on stage. In the past couple of years, she has been fortunate enough to be cast in multiple devised shows, with theatres such as Umbrella Collective and Pangea World Theatre, each with varying topics and themes. Natavia studied theatre at Minnesota State University, Mankato. She has also done extensive work with children in theatre. She toured for a season with CLIMB Theatre and has been a Teaching Artist with the Children's Theatre Company since 2017.
Kaz Loren (Performer) originally moved to Minnesota after completing a tour in the US Navy. Last year was his debut in the Twin Cities Theater Community. Kaz is excited to work with Playable Artworks on a project full of introspective mindfulness, that seeks to challenge the norms of our habitats. Recently this year, Kaz performed with Fearless Comedy Productions in "Fearless Five: Dreams" at The Historic Mounds Theatre. Since COVID-19, Kaz enjoys developing his creativity in his home studio. When he is not in the studio, he seeks inspiration from nature hikes, friends, and family. Keep a lookout on what's new with Kaz Loren via social media.
DeRante Parker (Performer) has worked professionally for 12 years. He has done a few traditional roles in Milwaukee, Chicago, and Los Angeles, and some film projects in California, but the bulk of his work has been with Catharsis Productions; a Chicago based company that uses art and humor to educate on social justice issues. DeRante has been an actor/educator with this company for 11 years, specifically educating people on sexual assault prevention at colleges, universities, and army installations. For him, using acting as the means to fight against harmful behaviors, has been immensely rewarding. In 2010, DeRante moved to North Hollywood, CA and has been exploring his habitat with great delight for many years.
Dana Lee Thompson (Performer), originally from Kansas City, MO, earned her BFA in Theatre Performance at Missouri State University. She relocated to St. Paul in 2009. Some of Dana’s local acting credits include: Jungle Theatre: REDWOOD; History Theatre: Gloria: A Life; Lyric Arts Main Stage: A Raisin in the Sun; Frank Theatre: CITIZEN; Little Lifeboats: Sing To Me Now; Underdog Theatre: Baltimore is Burning; Mixed Blood: Barbecue; Artistry: Doubt; Wonderlust Productions: Six Characters in Search of an Author; Girl Friday: The Skin of our Teeth, and The Matchmaker; Nimbus Theatre: Redemption, Perilous Night, and Nacirema – Stories of Color; 20% Theatre: FEMMES, If We Were Birds, and The Naked I – Recognize/d; Gadfly Theatre: Speech and Debate, QUEER, and Vile Affections; CLIMB Theatre: (Touring Rep of 14 shows).
Audience FAQ
Not sure if an interactive experience is for you? Wondering what to bring on your journey? Visit our Audience FAQ for answers to these and many other questions.
