Dan Shanahan

With Phase Four of the reopening of the region underway, Torn Space Theater is preparing to present its first in-person production since the start of the pandemic. "Silence" debuts this Friday at Silo City, which has been home to previous site-specific productions from Torn Space. Artistic Director Dan Shanahan says the work reflects "this unprecedented moment we're living in."

Torn Space Theater is adjusting to the COVID-19 pandemic. "We can't have the same large-scale performances that we're used to," said Artistic Director Dan Shanahan. Starting this Friday and running through  May 31, Torn Space presents an online "personal-performance piece" called "Passage." Assembled by sound designer Justin Rowland, the production is intended for solitary listening.

Once again this year, the Response Performance Festival will utilize the space at Silo City for a site-specific production. According to Dan Shanahan, Artistic Director at Torn Space Theater, more elements and venues have been added. Some performances will feature a boat ride along the Buffalo River, and Bridgman/Packer Dance will perform inside the bed of a 17-foot box truck at Canalside and at the Adam Mickiewicz Dramatic Circle.

By using multiple venues on multiple weekends, the Response Performance Festival stands out among the region's busy summer festival season. Torn Space Theater, which produces the event, begins the festival this weekend with "The Gathering" at Silo City.

The Response Performance Festival covers four days, uses three venues and allows access to an historic steamship. The event, which starts Thursday, is the latest ambitious effort from Torn Space Theater.

In this 100th anniversary of the Easter Uprising which ultimately led to the independent Irish Republic of today, there is considerable interest in the great Irish poet, playwright, and political activist William Butler Yeats. THE YEATS PROJECT: TWO PLAYS BY W.B. YEATS combines the dramatic direction of Irish Classical's Vincent O'Neill, Torn Space's visually arresting sets (Dan Shanahan), and movement by Lehrer Dance (Jon Lehrer). It opens tonight at the Andrews Theatre.

After the area lost three theaters to development, it looks as if arts development projects are coming back.  One plan looks to expand a cultural site on Fillmore Avenue while another would convert of a former church on Richmond into a dance center.

Accolades and large crowds accompanied "Motion Picture," the site-specific piece produced for Silo City in 2013 by Torn Space Theater. Producers hope to replicate that success this weekend with "STOREHOUSE."