Laila Franklin's BABYBABYBABY

Interested in the human impulse for connection, BABYBABYBABY taps into feelings of budding romance, when falling in love is silly and fast and sexy and devastating, and you are brilliant and stupid and spellbound.

With reference points ranging from early aughts romantic comedies and So You Think You Can Dance duets, to archival footage of live performances by Roberta Flack and Nina Simone, to obstacle course TV game shows and clowning, the work stumbles through shades of silliness, irrationality, passion, and grief, calling into question the role of sincerity, earnesty, and truthfulness in performance, and the power of physical states.

BABYBABYBABY seeks to explore how we contend with trust, impulsivity, and continuity via malleable agreements and disagreements, in its physical acts and in its overarching theme.

It is a work that is interested in companionship and partnership, exploring the ways we give and receive care.

Performers: Michael Figueroa, Laila J. Franklin, Jenna Gross, Andrea Muñiz, Marissa Molinar, Sarah Pacheco, Sasha Peterson, and Marcel Santiago Marcelino, with contributions from Alexander Davis.

Lighting Design: Anne Dresbach

Rehearsal Direction and Stage Direction: Mira Göksel

Dramaturgy: Kate Gow & Eliza Malecki

Rehearsal Assistance: Abby Fuller & Justine Schmaltz

Project Documentation: Cameron Kincheloe

Saturday, April 11, at 7:00 PM (doors 6:30 PM) & Sunday, April 12, at 3:00 PM (doors 2:30 PM). All are welcome.

There will be a rom-com artist reception with libations and platonic speed dating in the library immediately following the performance on April 11.

$15 for Mechanics' Hall Members, $20 for general admission, and $35 for reserved seating. There is a $5 surcharge on the day of the show. No one turned away for lack of funds at the door.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Laila J. Franklin is an independent, multidisciplinary dance artist based in Boston, MA by way of Washington, DC. Featured as one of Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch” (2024), Laila's work is interested in meta-commentary, deconstruction, and bits, approaching themes surrounding the human experience with complexity, nuance, curiosity, and humor.

Her work has been commissioned by Brown University, Salem State University, and Boston Conservatory at Berklee, and shared through Motion State Arts (RI), The Philadelphia Fringe Festival (PA), Public Space One (IA), Loculus Collective’s Sideways Door Festival (MA), Cotuit Dance Festival (MA), School of Contemporary Dance and Thought (MA), and Movement Research at The Judson Church (NY).

Her performance credits include projects with Miguel Gutierrez, Stephanie Miracle, and Melinda Jean Myers. Laila holds an MFA from the University of Iowa, a BFA from The Boston Conservatory, and is a proud alumna of Duke Ellington School of the Arts.

PARKING & TRANSPORTATION

Mechanics’ Hall is located at 519 Congress Street. Our main entrance is between Loquat Shop and the Art Mart. The Greater Portland Metro’s Congress & Casco Street Stop is directly in front of our building, served by routes 1, 7, 8, and 9B.

Parking is available at the Arts District Garage, located on Casco and Brown Street, with a rate of $5 per hour. Metered street parking is available on Congress, Casco, Cumberland, Free Street, and other nearby streets. Free hourly street parking is available between Parris and Alder Street.

ACCESSIBILITY

To enter our building, patrons will need to navigate a single step or use a modular ramp. There is a wheelchair-accessible elevator.

If you have a wheelchair or need accessibility accommodations/questions, please contact us at [email protected] or 207-773-8396.

Funded in part by the New England States Touring program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the six New England state arts agencies.

This work was developed with the support of the Boston Center of the Arts, Boston Dance Alliance, New England Foundation for the Arts, Boston Conservatory at Berklee Alumni Programs, and generous donations from patrons.

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Host or Publisher Mechanics' Hall (Maine)