WHSAD’s partnership with Park Avenue Armory is one of its longest running, with benefits consisting of annual artist residencies, internship opportunities in the Youth Corps program, networking that often leads to post-high school employment, and attendance at Armory performances and exhibitions. For this year’s sophomores, they have had two chances to visit the Armory with the latest being witnessing Anne Imhoff’s latest work, “Doom: House of Hope”. The work is immersive, thought-provoking, and emotional as it explores various aspects of the American adolescent experience, based loosely on Shakespeare’s tragedy, Romeo and Juliet. In the following narratives, Alison Sanchez (AS), Kyanna Mardenbrough (KM), and Bella Pierre (BP) share their thoughts about what they witnessed and what they took away from the spectacle.
Please describe some emotions you felt while watching Doom and provide specific examples from the performance that created these feelings.
There were many emotions I felt while watching “Doom”; however three emotions that remained very consistent throughout my viewing were those of confusion, anticipation, and excitement. My feelings of confusion stemmed from the fact that throughout the performance there were multiple things going on at once. At the beginning we were all in one place watching the same thing, but once we were allowed into the space and given the freedom to walk around and explore the space ourselves, it became more confusing and difficult to completely catch every moment, especially with so many different acts and small moments happening all around, which all connected and related to the performance in some way. One example of these smaller acts that I stuck out to me had been one of the actors getting a tattoo done. I remember everyone running to see what was going on as it had been one of the newer scenes at the moment. Eventually, everyone began to leave and move onto the next thing not really paying mind to much of the older scenes; however I lingered back and continued to watch as the actor continued to act out getting a tattoo. With everyone gone, it felt like a much more intimate and private moment in a way. It felt like I was watching something only for me despite there being so many people in the room. I personally really enjoyed being able to see and interact with different actors instead of being stuck in one moment in one place with everyone else. Being able to move around made the experience feel more authentic to me and what I felt stuck out to me. The various acts occurring at the same time also gave me a feeling of anticipation and excitement. I remember seeing the prom set and the stage; I knew from the moment I walked into the set that that was something I would be looking forward to seeing. The prom set felt very vibrant and made me feel a sense of community and excitement. It felt like a party in which everyone was invited. The performance itself was also amazing. I enjoyed the loud music, and the others around me did too, which could be seen through their attempts to dance despite the crowd. I also really enjoyed seeing the actors dance and create a mosh pit, disturbing the others around them, and in a way including the audience in the act.
-AS
Some emotions I felt watching Doom were empathy, solidarity, and hope. I personally think that the purpose of the performance creating these feelings is to have a strong resonance with the American experience as they traverse their individual and societal paths. It emphasizes the duality of love and conflict by incorporating characters and passages from this drama, which resonates with the performance’s larger themes of separation and unification. Romeo and Juliet, who are portrayed in this as young lovers who convey a sense of youthful optimism and hope, are an example of this. Their will to be together in spite of the animosity between their families represents the stubbornness and ambitions of young people.
-KM
Walking into “Doom”, I was unsure of what exactly to expect. From the short previews and little clips I saw, I thought there would be fixed stages with specific performances that we get to walk around between. However, the performance was extremely interactive and intimate, allowing for the audience to experience the performances only steps away from the performer. “Doom” also let the audience flow through the space with main performances and other smaller ones spread throughout the space, which I greatly appreciated because it let you go towards what drew your attention.
-BP
What do you think the point of Doom is? Please explain using examples from the performance.
At the start of the performance, I believed that it had something to do with high school students facing something or having to overcome something. At first that “something” felt like something apocalyptic. I had created this story of a group of students being pushed into a world or country where they are left to fend for themselves, with only each other for a sense of support and in the process finding love within each other despite everything else around them falling apart, love representing hope in a world full of doom. Overall I felt that the point of “Doom” was to show how love, especially those of the younger generation, is being affected by the changing world, one that seems to be against them and wants to push them into a box. This is an idea that I feel is strongly supported through the performance’s retelling of Romeo and Juliet, a love story that ends in tragedy. One scene that had also really pushed this idea to me had been the scene where the performers all walk in a circle canting the words, “we hope, we are doomed” or “we hope we are doomed” depending on the way you wish to see it. As the performers walked in a circle chanting these words, the two lovers could be seen on top of the car holding hands, almost in a way representing them and their love being surrounded by a world full of chaos.
-AS
The performance, in my opinion, explores themes of unity and division while analyzing the unstable balance that exists in today’s society between behavior, rebellion, and apathy. I think the purpose of the performance is to create a feeling of community by using common experiences while looking ahead towards prospective futures in order to find a fresh kind of hope. An example of this is how dance performances symbolize the difficulties and hardships of modern society. The interactions between the dancers represent the clash between activism and passivity.
-KM
I believe that the point of “Doom” was to simulate adolescent life, from high school through your mid-20s. “Doom” had different representations of key moments within the performances, some examples are Prom, Falling in love/Relationships, Sex, Losing yourself as well as Finding yourself. While it was hard to tell exactly what was going on, “Doom” also had the concept of confusion and uncertainty, which is extremely common in youth life.
-BP
Doom’s creator, Anne Imhof, says that part of her vision for the production is to portray American youth culture. Do you agree that the performance represented American youth culture? Please explain.
In a way yes, I felt that it really centered around much more dark aspects of the American youth culture, and how technology and social media play a big part in the personal identity and oftentimes a person’s sense of belonging and being. I feel that this is something very important in today’s society, especially with the increase in technology and social media today. I feel like this performance served as a reminder that despite the many negative things that surround us as teens, we still have the power to do something and that there is hope in such negative times and moments.
-AS
I agree that the performance represented American youth culture. America is well-known for its diversity. “Doom: House of Hope” combines a number of forms of art, including song, rap, dance, spoken performance, and choreography. This collaborative approach creates a performance that is inclusive and representative of all artistic expressions, reflecting the diversity and cultural richness of America. With the diversity being being represented in the young dancers as well.
-KM
Absolutely. I believe the best way to explain life as a teen is through uncomfortable & uncertain expressions. This time within our life is where we find out the most things about ourselves and what we want in our lives. Imhof brought up more than just key moments within our lives but also the political & social aspects that greatly influence our outlook on life. Including topics like Trans Rights & our political state in America, she did an amazing job at representing not only the confusion we might feel when hearing about current events, but highlighting how some of us take initiative to bring change even as young adults.
-BP
The full title of the performance is “Doom: House of Hope.” Did you walk away from the performance with a sense of hope? Why or why not?
I walked away with a sense hope. The performance was filled with feelings of urgency and hopelessness, with countless acts centering around the negative things happening around them and yet despite this there was still various moments of expressions of love and friendship. The love story of Romeo and Juliet was told backwards, rather than ending in death, it had ended in their very first encounter. Ending with their first encounter felt like a sign of hope. Rather than accidentally leading and destroying themselves in the name of love, they were saving each other in a world full of doom and hate.
-AS
I did walk with a sense of hope. The multiple people playing characters as well as the immersive and diverse character of the performance, along with the evocative atmosphere, intend for self-awareness thinking, and eventually, hope. The performance tries to promote a sense of community and resilience in the face of tragedy as they often integrate with the crowd and are perpetually in motion
-KM
I wouldn’t say “Hope” exactly, but I walked a way with a sense of security & purpose. When the performances ended and all the performers had walked into the “light” to me it felt like Imhof wanted to tell the audience that no matter the life we live we all end up in the same place. While that might sound pessimistic, I felt as though it was a push for youth to live the life you want & live it with no regrets.
-BP
Feel free to add anything else you think that may not fit in with your responses to the questions/prompt.
I think that the show has a good representation on what America looks like today. The show examines social themes that are very pertinent to modern-day America. A lot of Americans relate with issues like practice, unity, neglect, and division, especially in a time of social and political conflict. The performance’s focus on these subjects which symbolize the continuous challenges and goals of American culture.
-KM
Overall “Doom: House of Hope” is something that I would recommend all teens experience, whether or not they feel sure with how they want to live their lives. The performances allowed for a lot of growth and change to happen, even changing some of my perspectives & outlooks on my life. I’m glad to have gone on this trip and hope to see more like this in the future.
-BP