Sō Percussion: “A Gun Show” on the BAM Next Wave Festival

Sō Percussion with Emily Johnson
Directed by Ain Gordon

Part of 2016 Next Wave Festival

Sō Percussion (Where (we) Live, 2012 Next Wave) gives the Second Amendment a soundtrack in this affecting foray into America’s fraught relationship with guns. Taking mallets to disassembled sniper rifles and assorted drums, the musicians serve as Greek chorus, commenting instrumentally on sung and spoken texts drawn from the nightmares and nostalgia of armed experiences. Three-time Obie-winning director Ain Gordon and choreographer and performer Emily Johnson give depth to this probing work in which anger meets inalienable rights, dark memories resurface, and a contested weapon sings a bittersweet song.