Rob Roth’s
Screen Test
Written by Kristina Weise
Photographed by Linus Gelber
Opposite photo - Theo Kogan |
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Rob Roth is a New York City modern day Renaissance man. Photographer, video artist, director and performer, Roth’s influence on the island of Manhattan can be seen in both his creative solo and collaborative projects.
Screen Test is a hypnotic masterpiece
using video installation and haunting monologue
developed by Rob Roth with music by Theo Kogan with
her band, Theo and The Skyscrapers. It challenges
the audience to define what is real and artificial,
what role fantasy plays in survival and how the
political and media landscapes of fear affect our
current mindset. Screen Test plunges the
viewer into a post-apocalyptic atmosphere full of
doubt, courage, confusion and hallucination. It
blurs the definitive line between reality and illusion,
using breathtaking imagery and serious sound that
leaves the mind open to personal interpretation.
Theo Kogan
Rob Roth’s idea for Screen Test
originally developed after his disappointment of
the 2004 election. Roth and Kogan became friends
in 2001 after Theo had performed at the club where
Roth was producing Click + Drag. It was
the first time the dynamic duo collaborated and
it sparked a friendship that continues to thrive
today.
Shanti Carson
Roth had been experimenting with 'body projections,’
as well as music videos for some time with Kogan,
so he was naturally inclined to ask her and the
band to perform in Screen Test. The first version
of Screen Test was shown in April 2005.
Roth and Kogan received exceptionally positive feedback
and soon after they were asked to grace the main
stage of PS 122 to open the Winter 2006 program
with their art production. Screen Test
ran from November 28th to December 3rd at PS 122
to rave reviews and sold-out shows.
Roth explains, “In the first version, Screen
Test was a work-in-progress and used the music
that Theo and The Skyscrapers were working on at
that time. In the recent version, the open monologue
is the same, but everything else was custom made
for the show. The music, video and end monologue
was created to make the entire performance flow
into a cohesive story.”
Mikeah Jennings and Jeff
Chatterton
Roth is the creator and artistic director of Screen
Test. The concept was developed by Roth, but
the original music was written by Theo and The Skyscrapers
under some direction as to what themes Roth hoped
to convey. The music plays an integral role throughout
the show using melodic mixes that range from enticing
to evocative and takes the audience on an audible
journey of momentous sound.
Coco Koyama
As the production opens, William Butler Yeats’ poem, ‘Before The World Was Made’ is recited and this poem’s message is interwoven in both the physically demanding performances and the duality of the music. Sean Pierce, guitarist, was also the creator of the ambient soundscapes and the sound effects with voiceovers done by both Roth and Pierce. Romy Ashby and Roth wrote the text for the monologues and it is evident that Rob Roth plays a very hands-on role in every step of this haunting and eerily prolific piece.
Roth commented, “I am never satisfied with anything, but I do feel we all accomplished something with this show. I feel it was a strong statement and I think Theo really shined in the best possible way to bring my vision to life and show what a great talent she is.” When asked if Roth could convey one thing about his art he stated, “I do this work to keep from going insane. I hope in the end that this piece moves or inspires people in some way.”
Theo Kogan
No matter how one interprets Screen Test,
it is clear that this performance provokes both
conversation and thought. It makes people question
the importance of the everyday and challenges them
to find “the face they had before the world
was made.”
The beautiful costumes were made by Todd Thomas.
More information on Rob Roth can be found at: http://www.rob-roth.com/index.html
More information on Theo and The Skyscrapers can be found at: www.myspace.com/theo
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