Powerful "Forms of Fire" Premieres at RCI as Staged Reading
- RCI USA
- 3 days ago
- 12 min read
Step inside the circuitry of a multimedia theater experience created by Andrei Codrescu, Lynnea Villanova, and Micah Ariel James
About the Event
"Forms of Fire", created by Andrei Codrescu, Lynnea Villanova, and Micah Ariel James, and directed and choreographed by Clove Galilee, is a powerful, multimedia theater experience that intertwines the lives of three people—a scientist, a music teacher, and a dancer—each grappling with the long shadows of personal and collective trauma. Through a fusion of scientific exploration and artistic expression, the play delves into the fragile human psyche, asking how and whether we can truly rewire our minds to overcome the past. Set against the backdrop of experimental neuromodulation, the characters’ journeys are mirrored in kinetic sculptures that evolve as metaphors for their fractured identities and disparate quests for healing. With a chorus of dancers embodying their internal struggles, "Forms of Fire" offers a poignant meditation on memory, resilience, and the transformative power of connection.
This staged reading offers a first glimpse into the evolving piece, with immersive and staging elements prototyped in real time. The audience is not only witness but participant in the experiment.
Co-Authors: Andrei Codrescu, Lynnea Villanova, Micah Ariel James
Dramaturg: Micah Ariel James
Director/Choreographer: Clove Galilee (Mabou Mines)
Music: Melvin Gibbs
Installation Art: Jingjing Lin
Scientific Advisors: Boris Gutkin
Lighting Design: Cat Tate Starmer
Sculptors: Rosa Elling: Lute Breuer
Sound Design: Dean Parker
CAST
Amanda - Meghann Reynolds
Edgar & Diego - Jack Pappas
Irene - Shauna Pinkett
Mila - Christianna Nelson
Sasha - Finley Rosser
Zeb - Felice Rosser
The Chorus - Nicola Bosco-Alvarez
Narration - Liz Colarte & Andrei Codrescu
Seating is limited; RSVP required to reserve your place.
This performance is presented by the Romanian Cultural Institute with additional support from TRICKSADDLE, The Rogovy Foundation, Mabou Mines, and Bowery Arts & Sciences Ltd. With additional support from LA MAMA.
Meet the Creative Team
Author ANDREI CODRESCU is a prolific novelist, essayist, poet, filmmaker, playwright, and public intellectual. He is the MacCurdy Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Louisiana State University. The author of over fifty books, Codrescu founded and published the acclaimed literary magazine "Exquisite Corpse" (1983 to 2016), which launched and supported the careers of numerous authors. As a senior commentator on NPR’s "All Things Considered" for over 30 years, his unique voice helped shape the program’s cultural discourse. His documentary film "Road Scholar" earned him a Peabody Award, and he has reported as a journalist for NPR, PBS, and ABC. Additionally, he wrote long-running columns for The Baltimore Sun and several other prominent newspapers and magazines. Honored by the Carnegie Foundation with a Heritage Award, Codrescu’s literary achievements include two Pushcart Prizes, the Ovid Prize, and a New York Times bestseller. He was long-listed for the National Book Award in Poetry (2013), and his work has garnered praise from literary and cultural icons such as Lawrence Ferlinghetti and William Burroughs. A frequent literary award jurist, he’s served on numerous panels, including for the National Book Award, the MacArthur Fellowship and PEN America. The New York Times Book Review has called Codrescu "One of our most talented and magical writers," who "manages to be brilliant and insightful, tough and seductive about American culture." Among his more than fifty published books are four novels, three with Simon & Schuster and one with Algonquin. His recent works include three book-length philosophical essays published by Princeton University Press and several poetry books in English and Romanian. Born in Sibiu, Romania and long associated with his amour, New Orleans, Codrescu currently lives in Brooklyn, NY.
LYNNEA VILLANOVA is an interdisciplinary artist, physician, musician and creative director whose work bridges the technical precision of science with the emotional resonance of art. With over 30 years of experience as a board-certified family medicine physician and specialist in Chinese herbal medicine, acupuncture, Ayurveda, and integrative medicine, she leverages her clinical expertise to explore the complexities of the human mind and body, particularly in the realms of neuroscience, pain management, and Eastern healing modalities. With early lab experience performing whole-cell patch clamping in the lab of Werner Loewenstein PhD (discovered the gap junction), and later success in single-channel recording that earned her an invitation to join James Schwartz MD PhD’s lab, she maintained her interest in basic neuroscience, even as she declined the offer and shifted toward clinical medicine. Dr Villanova’s unique approach integrates scientific inquiry with creative expression, particularly in addressing complex neurological and immune disorders through refined acupuncture techniques. She has applied these insights to conditions such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and post-stroke paralysis, drawing parallels between these interventions and modern, energy-based neuromodulatory approaches like transcranial magnetic, ultrasonic and electrical stimulation. Her poetic works, which explore themes of time, memory, and sensory perception, have been published in "Maintenant: A Journal of Contemporary Dada Writing and Art". She’s been a semiprofessional bassist, recording artist and composer for over three decades, collaborating musically with a range of artists. As a co-founder and creative director of Aureola LLC and Curvilinear Productions, she develops interdisciplinary projects blending neuroscience, music, theater, and visual art. She conceived and co-wrote the poetry for the large-scale video installation "Projection Booth", featured at the 2024 BrainMind Summit; it serves as a companion to "Forms of Fire".
MICAH ARIEL JAMES is a playwright ("How We Bury the War Dead", "Four Stories", "The Honey War", "Hattie Mae's Jook Joint: A New Musical"), dramaturg, film maker and producer ("The Little Festival of Iowa Legends", "Nature of the Dream"). Her work has been developed and produced in collaboration with organizations such as the University of Alabama, the University of Iowa, Darwin Turner Action Theatre, the Des Moines Playhouse, Harrison Arts Center, Two Steps to the Left Productions, and Wittenberg University. As a teaching artist, arts consultant, and community engagement specialist, Micah develops, supports and facilitates programming that fosters inclusive, welcoming communities. She also mentors and guides artists in discovering innovative approaches to creating meaningful public engagement. Micah has served as a project advisor for NEFA’s National Theatre Project, on the planning committee for two Association of Performing Arts Professionals conferences, and as a grant panelist for various state, regional and national arts organizations – including the National Endowment for the Arts, the Iowa Arts Council, and Creative Sonoma. Micah holds an MFA in Theatre Arts (Playwriting) from the University of Iowa and a BA in Playwriting from Columbia College Chicago.
CLOVE GALILEE is a choreographer, director, and multidisciplinary generative artist working across theater, dance, and installation. Raised in New York’s downtown avant-garde by her parents, Mabou Mines co-founders Ruth Maleczech and Lee Breuer, she is now a Senior Artistic Associate with Mabou Mines and the co-founder/artistic director of TRICKSADDLE and the Center for New Work. Galilee creates ensemble-driven, process-centered work that unites choreography, direction, and design as forms of embodied inquiry and civic practice. Her acclaimed productions include "Imagining the Imaginary Invalid" (La MaMa, 2016), an elegiac reimagining of Molière created with her mother during her final years, and "WICKETS" (3LD, 2009), a feminist remix of María Irene Fornés’ "Fefu and Her Friends" staged on a 1970s transatlantic airplane. She has choreographed "Red Beads" (Skirball Center), "The Dead" (New York Theatre Ballet), and "Choephorae" (Patras Festival, Greece), and co-created "Trick Saddle" (PS 122), a subversive deconstruction of cowboy mythologies. Her current work, "Forms of Fire" (2024–present), is an immersive collaboration exploring neuroplasticity, healing, and transformation, developed with Trick Saddle and Aureola LLC. As a performer, Galilee has appeared in works by Mabou Mines, the Foundry Theater, HERE, the Public Theater, and JoAnne Akalaitis. Her film and voiceover credits include "Dead End Kids", "Contemplating Emily", and national campaigns such as NIVEA. Her awards and residencies include the Princess Grace Award for Theater, TCG New Generations Fellowship, NYSCA Theater and Media Commissions, and residencies at Mabou Mines Suite/Space, HERE’s HARP Program, Bard College, and UC Santa Cruz.
Grammy-nominated composer, producer, bassist, and interdisciplinary artist, MELVIN GIBBS is recognized for his expansive work across jazz, punk, experimental electronic, hip-hop, Afrodiasporic traditions, and sound design. He has appeared on nearly 200 recordings and collaborated with figures such as Sonny Sharrock, John Zorn, David Byrne, Caetano Veloso, Femi Kuti, DJ Logic, and dead prez. Gibbs is a founding member of the critically acclaimed collective Harriet Tubman, whose albums "Araminta" and "The Terror End of Beauty" were named among the “Best Jazz” works by The New York Times and NPR. His wide-ranging career includes tenure with the Rollins Band (Grammy nomination; Woodstock ’94), the downtown no-wave group Defunkt, the trio Power Tools with Bill Frisell and Ronald Shannon Jackson, and experimental ensembles such as Elevated Entity, God Particle with cosmologist Stephon Alexander, Body Meπa, and Melvin Gibbs Magnum. As a solo artist, Gibbs has released 4 + 1 equals 5 for May 25 (2021) and Anamibia Sessions Vol. 1: The Wave (2022). He has composed for films by Arthur Jafa ("Dreams Are Colder Than Death"), and created sound for interdisciplinary works with Stan Douglas and Matthew Barney. His scholarship includes a forthcoming book, "The Science of Black Music" (Basic Books, 2026). Honored by the JazzTimes Critics Poll for Electric Bass (2019) and a MAP Grant recipient with Harriet Tubman, Gibbs continues to expand the possibilities of sound. He is a founding member of the Black Rock Coalition, remains active in community-based projects at ISSUE Project Room and Weeksville Heritage Center and has forthcoming nonfiction book.
JINGJING LIN is a multimedia conceptual artist who frequently employs experimental narrative techniques to present a possible future infused with absurd imaginings and humor, juxtaposing contradictory facets to refract and challenge unresolved historical issues. In this realm, she contemplates and delves into the essence of personal politics, absence, gender, death, philosophy, dynamics of power, and trauma. Her works serve not only as invitations to meditative introspection but also as interventions into how we exist and love in our present lives, how we find meaning related to our own experiences. Through her multidisciplinary practice, she utilizes objects, language, imagery, and drama to inquire into our roles and responsibilities as interdependent beings within our shared environment and the impact of media on contemporary culture. She delves deep into the complexities of technological neocolonialism, exploring the possibilities of constructing the future from challenging realities within a "non-place" global context. Her artwork spans installation, video, sound, animation, light, performance, sculpture, painting, drawing, coding, mixed media, and photography.
CAT TATE STARMER is a lighting designer and interdisciplinary artist whose work spans theater, dance, opera, and installation. Known for her painterly use of color and sculptural approach to light, she has created designs for stages ranging from experimental downtown venues to international festivals. Her practice emphasizes the emotional and architectural power of light as both medium and storytelling force, shaping atmosphere, rhythm, and spatial perception. Starmer has collaborated with an array of innovative companies and artists across contemporary performance, creating designs that blur boundaries between theater, visual art, and live music. Her credits include productions for La MaMa, Mabou Mines, The Public Theater, and numerous independent ensembles, where her ability to fuse technology with intuition has been recognized as integral to immersive and process-driven work. She is currently contributing to "Forms of Fire", an interdisciplinary theater work integrating neuroscience, dance, projection, and music. Starmer’s role focuses on sculpting the visual field through dynamic lighting environments that mirror the play’s exploration of neuroplasticity and transformation, making light itself a participant in the unfolding narrative. Her awards and residencies include support from New York State Council on the Arts and collaborations with leading experimental spaces across New York and internationally. With a background in both visual arts and performance, Starmer continues to evolve lighting as a medium of embodied inquiry, civic practice, and poetic expression.
BORIS GUTKIN, PhD (consultant) is a computational neuroscientist and Director of Research at CNRS/the Pasteur Institute, affiliated with the École Normale Supérieure (ENS) in Paris. His work focuses on the mathematical and theoretical modeling of brain circuit dynamics, neuromodulation, decision-making, and motivated behavior. Gutkin’s research bridges experimental and theoretical neuroscience to illuminate how intrinsic cellular properties, synaptic interactions, and large-scale circuit dynamics contribute to cognition, mental health, and adaptive behavior. Gutkin earned his PhD in neuroscience and has since pursued interdisciplinary research involving electrophysiology, dynamical systems, and computational modeling. His contributions include the study of spike‐generation mechanisms, variability in neuron thresholds, and the modulatory roles of neuromodulators on circuit function. He has published extensively in mathematical and computational neuroscience, with high citation impact. At the Pasteur Institute, Gutkin is engaged in projects including neural coding and brain machine interfaces, particularly in restoring speech function for patients with severe speech disorders. His work is characterized by integrating modeling, theory, and empirical data to explore how neural systems compute, adapt, and malfunction.
LUTE BREUER (sculpture, puppetry) is a stage designer, sculptor, and puppetry artist whose work spans theater, installation, and experimental performance. He creates imaginative objects and environments that blur the line between sculpture and stagecraft, often merging tactile materiality with a sense of the fantastical. Breuer’s puppetry and sculptural designs have been featured in collaborative productions with leading avant-garde ensembles, where his ability to fuse movement, light, and object theater expands narrative possibilities. His contributions range from intimate puppet works to large-scale stage environments, with a particular emphasis on handmade forms, material experimentation, and the interplay of performer and object. He has collaborated with Trick Saddle and Mabou Mines–affiliated artists on new performance works, bringing a sculptural sensibility to immersive and process driven productions. Breuer is currently contributing to the artistic and sculptural design of "Forms of Fire", an interdisciplinary performance exploring neuroplasticity and healing through movement, projection, and interactive environments. His work helps shape the piece’s visual and material language, developing synapse-like sculptural forms and interactive objects that link the scientific and poetic dimensions of the production.
DEAN PARKER (sound design) is a sound designer and mixer whose career bridges experimental performance, music, and film. Known for his meticulous ear and inventive use of spatial sound, Parker has collaborated widely across theater, dance, and cinema, bringing an atmospheric depth that transforms both narrative and environment. In film, he is best known for his long-standing collaboration with composer Carter Burwell, contributing to the sound design and mixing of numerous Coen brothers' films. His work in this context reflects his ability to sculpt sonic worlds that balance precision with imagination, enhancing the emotional and textural resonance of storytelling. In performance, Parker has worked with directors, choreographers, and interdisciplinary artists to craft immersive soundscapes that act as active dramaturgical elements. His approach integrates field recordings, digital manipulation, and live mixing to create environments where sound is not just accompaniment but a central presence. He is currently serving as sound designer for "Forms of Fire", an interdisciplinary performance integrating neuroscience, music, and immersive theater. Parker’s design for the piece draws from both cinematic and experimental vocabularies, weaving together live sound, recorded textures, and responsive systems to mirror the production’s themes of rupture, neuroplasticity, and transformation. Across stage and screen, Parker’s reputation as a “sound designer extraordinaire” rests on his ability to translate story, image, and movement into richly textured sonic landscapes. His work continues to expand the expressive possibilities of sound in contemporary performance and film.
Meet the Cast
MEGHANN REYNOLDS (Amanda) is a New York–based artist whose work spans performance, film, and visual storytelling. With a background in collaborative and experimental art, she explores themes of intimacy, transformation, and the unseen. Meghann brings a thoughtful and intuitive presence to each project, contributing both creatively and conceptually. Her practice reflects a deep commitment to process, authenticity, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
JACK PAPPAS (Edgar & Diego) is an accomplished actor and theater artist known for his dynamic stage presence and thoughtful character work. With a background in classical and contemporary performance, he has appeared in numerous regional and Off-Broadway productions. Jack brings a grounded, emotionally rich approach to his roles, and is especially recognized for his work in ensemble-driven theater. His artistic practice reflects a strong commitment to storytelling, collaboration, and the transformative power of live performance.
SHAUNA PINKETT (Irene) is an actress, screenwriter, and producer based in New York, originally from Cincinnati, Ohio. She is known for her appearances in TV series such as FBI (CBS) and Manifest (Netflix), as well as for her involvement in independent film projects like Remains (SXSW) and Intimate Semaphores (Brooklyn Film Festival). She co-wrote and produced the short film Forefathers and has a strong background in theater, comedy, and improvisation. With a versatile career spanning television, film, and the Off-Broadway stage, Shauna Pinkett stands out for her multifaceted creative engagement and authentic artistic presence.
CHRISTIANNA NELSON (Mila) is an American actress and producer, a graduate of the Yale School of Drama and Harvard University. With a solid career in theater, she has performed in numerous prominent Off-Broadway and regional productions, including The Last Will, Ugly Lies the Bone, and Red Velvet. She has worked with prestigious theater companies and was nominated for a Berkshire Theatre Award. Nelson is especially recognized for her classical theater roles, particularly in Shakespearean plays.
FINLEY ROSSER (Sasha) is an emerging multidisciplinary artist whose work explores themes of identity, memory, and transformation. Based in New York, she creates at the intersection of visual art, performance, and music. As part of an artistic duo with Felice Rosser, Finley brings a fresh and experimental perspective to collaborative projects. Her creative voice is marked by emotional depth and a distinctive aesthetic rooted in personal storytelling.
FELICE ROSSER (Zeb) is a musician, singer, songwriter, and bassist originally from Detroit and now based in New York. Founder of the band FaithNYC, she is known for blending punk, funk, reggae, and jazz influences. In addition to her music career, she has acted in independent films and theatrical productions. She is also a writer, with short stories published in Bomb Magazine. Rosser is celebrated for her powerful voice and eclectic musical influences. She is currently collaborating in an artistic duo with Finley Rosser, an emerging artist.
NICOLA BOSCO-ALVAREZ (The Chorus) is a multidisciplinary artist and storyteller whose work spans theater, film, and community-based performance. Rooted in themes of identity, heritage, and collective memory, her creative practice blends direction, writing, and collaboration. Nicola is known for crafting intimate, socially engaged narratives that center underrepresented voices. With a deep commitment to cultural dialogue and artistic experimentation, she continues to build work that resonates across disciplines and communities.
LIZ COLARTE (Narration) is a performer and visual artist whose work bridges movement, image, and storytelling. Based in New York, she brings a rich, intuitive energy to both solo and collaborative projects across theater, film, and performance art. Her creative practice explores the intersection of body, memory, and cultural identity, often blending visual aesthetics with physical expression. Liz is recognized for her evocative presence and her commitment to exploring new artistic languages.
