The World Premiere of Made to Dance in Burning Buildings was produced by Shaking the Tree Theatre in Portland, Oregon where Anya was the Playwright-in-Residence for the 2018-2019 season. The play opened in February 2019 and ran for 5 weeks.
Directed by Jamie M. Rea and choreographed by Jeff George (Drammy Award for Best Choreography).
Starring: Amber Bates, Jeff George, Ian McBride, Malik Delgado, Minion Minnieweather, Nicole Accuradi, Shani Harris-Bagwell, Tonea Lolin, Emily Hogan, and Anya Pearson.
Bennett Campbell ferguson, Willamette Week:
“Pearson's creation exists in a completely different galaxy than most theatrical works….Pearson herself is a survivor of rape, and there are times when Made to Dance in Burning Buildings seems to be saying, "See me. Understand what I experienced," which is what makes the play feel so personal and revelatory. It is a story for survivors, but it is also a story for perpetrators who have never confronted the consequences of their actions and bystanders who have looked the other way for too long.”
“Made to Dance in Burning Buildings deserves to be seen. By letting words and movements flow together in a sometimes surreal surge of feeling, Pearson, Rea and the cast and crew don't give in to the allure of easy answers and instead have created a potent and primal work of art about how Ava rejects her attackers' hold on her. That's what makes the production not only a powerful lament, but a brave, epic and steadfast tale of rebirth.”
Ben Waterhouse, Oregonian
“The dancers are the most captivating element of Pearson’s blend of poetry, theater and movement. As Ava, Amber Bates performs alternately playful and mournful pas de deux with choreographer Jeff George (First Love). Malik Delgado, Minon Minnieweather and Ian McBride stomp out menacing group moves as Ava’s abusers. They attack her, then refuse to leave, haunting the charred house of her self, leering from the corners as she struggles to recover…The use of an unspeaking dancer as the main character stands out as Pearson’s most promising innovation in performance, thanks in large part to Bates’ captivating presence….It’s a dance that refuses to be diminished by fear.”