Arcana Collective is an experimental theater troupe based in Phoenix, Arizona, founded by director, playwright and actor Ernesto Moncada.
Biography
The troupe’s performance aesthetic and themes are inspired by the Panic Movement (Mouvement panique) created by the artists Alejandro Jodorowsky, Fernando Arrabal and Roland Topor in Paris, France in the early 1960’s, a chaotic-yet-organic response to elitist surrealism, aiming for cathartic emotional release and subconscious awareness with emphasis on sensory-shock through imagery/action and sound. They believed in the power of theater’s ephemeral nature. “Theater’s only remains, after its’ physical manifestation on a stage”, Jodorowsky describes in his Theatrical Manifestos, “is the one that imprints in human beings, and it will be evident through a psychological change”.
Every Arcana Collective piece is created by combining specific narratives with different “ideologies-as-tools”, such as Numerology, Color Theory, the Marseilles Tarot (as taught by Jodorowsky) and Symbolism (both ancient and postmodern), to present humanistic psychodramas that can be humoristic, tragic, and poignant or all three combined.
As such, the Arcana Collective features a constantly evolving cast of diverse performers experienced in a variety of artistic endeavors, from poetry and spoken word to contemporary dance, belly-dance and burlesque, supported by graphic design and painting, as well as improvised and formal acting. Because of this, every show offers a different perspective on its specific exploration, even when revisiting the same script.
Since October 2008, the ensemble participates in several performance festivals like The Poe Show, 7 Minutes in Heaven, Phoenix Annual Parade of the Arts and Phoenix Fringe Festival, among others, and performs in theaters and galleries around the downtown Phoenix area, like Space 55, The Trunk Space and Alwun House. Sometimes you find them at random spots along the monthly First Friday Art Walk.
On the eve of their 3rd year anniversary, the company begins its first monthly late night show at Space 55 (every Second Saturday), “Arcana Cabaret”, presenting a two-act performance, framing a different set of guests each night. As described in Space 55’s website, the show will “take audiences on experimental theatrical journeys”.
Description
The Arcana Collective takes his name from the term Arcane, meaning “mysterious or specialized knowledge, language, or information accessible or possessed only by the initiate —usually used in plural.” Its main goal being to craft unique theatrical experimental journeys aimed to entice a positive transformation in the audience’s psyche.
The troupe’s performances inspired by the Panic Movement created by Alejandro Jodorowsky, Fernando Arrabal and Roland Topor in Paris, France in the early 1960’s. Mouvement Panique was a chaotic-yet-organic response to elitist surrealism, aiming for cathartic emotional release and subconscious awareness with emphasis on sensory-shock through imagery/action and sound. They believed in the power of theater’s ephemeral nature. “Theater’s only remains, after its’ physical embodiment on a stage,” Jodorowsky describes in his Theatrical Manifestos, “is the one that imprints in human beings, and it will be evident through a psychological change.”
Every Arcana Collective piece is created by combining specific narratives with different “ideologies-as-tools,” such as Numerology, Color Theory, the Marseilles Tarot (as taught by Jodorowsky) and Symbolism (both ancient and postmodern), to present humanistic psychodramas that can be humorous, tragic, and poignant or all three combined.
As such, the Arcana Collective features a constantly evolving cast of diverse performers experienced in a variety of artistic endeavors, from poetry and spoken word to contemporary dance, belly-dance and burlesque, supported by graphic design and painting, as well as improvised and formal acting. Because of this, every show offers a different perspective on its specific exploration, even when revisiting the same script.
