Founded in 1998, Mason/Rhynes Productions is known for its mission to provide quality performing arts workshops, residencies, projects and performances designed to challenge, enlighten and entertain diverse populations.

The organization assists independent artists and emerging performing arts groups by creating performance opportunities and providing administrative, artistic and technical theatre support for many national, regional and local DC area groups. Additionally, Mason/Rhynes is a presenting partner for the 2009 VelocityDC Dance Festival.

VelocityDC recently spoke with Gesel Mason, Co-founder and Artistic Director of Mason/Rhynes Productions and Gesel Mason Performance Projects as well as co-host of VelocityDC Late Night, to get her insight on Mason/Rhynes’ Late Night series and the issue of pushing artistic boundaries.

Editorial Note: Our interview took place prior to the VelocityDC Late Night premiere on October 3rd, 2009.

vDC: Give us some insight into the artistic philosophy behind Mason/Rhynes’ Late Night series.

We created the Late Night series because we wanted artists to have an opportunity to let their hair down, experiment, and have a good time. Often as an artist, you have to be very aware of the family friendly crowd and we just wanted to give artists an opportunity to not have to worry about that – to go as far as they wanted in any direction they wanted in order to push artistic boundaries. So you know, sometimes it can get a little raunchy, risqué, or exciting but it’s just a lot more fun and that’s what we are going for. We really want people to have a good time.

vDC: It seems like the Late Night performances take a lot more interactive approach where audiences can interact with the performers directly as opposed to just watching. How does this work?

Yeah. You don’t have to sit with your hands in your lap and watch. We like to think of it as a cabaret. There are a lot of different acts and it’s shorter – you’re not going to see long, evening length works that you are going to see elsewhere. The audience can laugh, comment, and at the Late Night at Joy of Motion in Dupont Circle we also serve drinks and light refreshments. It just loosens everyone up for the show.

It’s our goal to replicate that at VelocityDC. It’s a big stage and a big audience, but you still want to give people that sense of a cabaret. That is, the artists are really interacting with the audience and breaking the fourth wall even though people may not be coming out off the stage itself. It’s more unexpected, fun, and laid back.

At the same time, though, we are still looking at artists pushing the boundaries of high-quality work. It’s about trying to go deeply into an idea which might mean that there is a cuss word or nudity but it gives permission to both the audience and the artist to go where they need to go in terms of expressing themselves.

vDC: From an artist’s perspective, what’s it like to do a Late Night? Is the preparation different?

I would say so. I’ve performed in several of them and there is a running gag that I always make a cameo appearance during Late Night. Like somehow I show up when someone needs an extra, like an extra dancer or whatever, and I’ve been making appearances in that way! So it’s kind of funny.

There’s a spirit of camaraderie amongst the artists involved. Some of it is that you take a little bit of the pressure off; it’s not as precious. But one of the things that you take away (and we encourage artists to do) is to really push boundaries. We had a group for one of our Late Nights that performed a twisted take on Alice in Wonderland and we kept pushing them because we felt that they weren’t going far enough. You know, if you’re going to go there, then go there.

I think we really don’t get to flex those muscles often enough as artists; we don’t give ourselves permission to be irreverent, unexpected, or really risky and I think that influences an artist ultimately in their work. How do you prepare a work or performance when you think, “Oh, I can’t do that”? There are can be these pre-existing boundaries of what you can or can’t do in terms of what’s acceptable and it can be very limiting.

vDC: What would you like newcomers to know who are interested in attending Late Night?

You basically do Late Night because you want to do Late Night. It actually doesn’t make a lot of money because it’s a small venue; we’re talking about 70 seats. There is just a small honorarium that artists get to participate, so as an artist you have to love it and have to want to participate.

It’s the same with audiences. Audiences come to Late Night because sometimes you don’t get to see artists in a raw state; it’s all polished and perfect. [At Late Night], you might be seeing someone who’s trying out a work in progress and you’ll be able to talk with them afterwards because after the Late Night performance, there’s always a party. It’s like a dance party – we turn on the music, have a few more drinks, and have a good time.

I feel like when people come to Late Night they always say, “I want to put something on at Late Night. I want to think about my work slightly differently and take a different approach than the one I’ve taken before.” That sort of feeling is something that our audience appreciates. It’s not going to be perfect and shiny. It gives you permission to see artists in a bit of a raw state, in a bit of a developmental state, or when they are really pushing it. For the artists, I feel like it’s of value because it helps you flex your creative muscles.

For the audiences, it gives you permission to relax and not to have to “get it”. The feeling of Late Night lets you let your hair down so you don’t feel the same sort of pressure either, in terms of watching a performance. And some people prefer this to regular performances, in the sense that they feel closer to the artist and their ideas. So, I think both artists and audiences go because they want to go. You are going to get something that you’re not going to get anywhere else and this is something that we are looking to bring to the larger stage of the Harmon Center.

Gesel Mason co-hosted a sold out performance of VelocityDC Late Night with Peter DiMuro at Sidney Harman Hall on October 3rd, 2009.

Photo Credit: Paul Emerson

If you missed VelocityDC Late Night (or attended and want to see more),  check out Mason/Rhynes’ Halloween Late Night on October 31st, 2009 at Joy of Motion – Dupont Circle.

Featuring performances by Boris Willis, Komplex, Elizabeth Johnson, Reggie Glass, Contradiction Dance, Silk Road Dance Company, and Micia Mosely, what better way is there to spend Halloween in DC?

Seating for this exclusive event is limited to 80 tickets. Don’t miss out on seeing DC’s best cutting edge performances – Get your tickets NOW!