Building on LRT’s previous works ‘the foul of the air‘ and ‘The Reckoning‘, Ostinato examines the denial that occurs during acts of violence asking : When is it ever possible or even permissible not to notice a tragedy as heinous as that cruise ship incident? When so many fellow cruisers are under the influence, who can tell whether one is merely ‘sleeping it off’ or in mortal danger? Unless it’s deemed newsworthy for a few short cycles in the media, who even cares? And so goes this short, repeated pattern.
Step into the haunting world of Ostinato, an immersive performance that dares to confront society’s chilling indifference to violence. In the depths of darkness, fleeting torchlight reveals a woman’s broken body, her silence punctuated by the unanswered questions: “Why was she there?” and “At her age, she should have known better.”
In this powerful exploration, St. Anne’s Practice uses spoken word, movement, and sound to amplify the experiences of those rendered invisible in our narratives of violence—specifically, the aging, Asian woman, whose suffering is so often overlooked or dismissed. As the piece critiques our narrow definitions of “worthy” victims, it challenges the audience to confront the uncomfortable truths of societal neglect and injustice.
Ostinato is a work in development that shifts the focus from what we see to what we hear. With improvisation intertwined with theatrical conduction, it invites audiences to question how we listen, engage, and process uncomfortable realities. In a world obsessed with sensationalism, this performance reflects on the alarming and growing statistic of women whose lives are lost to male violence each year—an epidemic that shows no sign of slowing.
Join us on this transformative journey through the shadows of indifference, as Ostinato urges a collective reckoning with the stories too often left unheard.
A performance that is “powerful and profound, intense and resonant.”
— Karilyn Brown, CAAP Board Member
Stay tuned for upcoming performances and opportunities to engage with this vital work.
