A Quarreling Pair

“A richly textured and layered theatrical adventure” – The New York Times

How do we human beings live together? How do we co-exist with others who may be close to us, yet so very different from ourselves? How do we live with those not only in our own household, but in our neighborhood, our city, our country and our ever-fracturing planet?

In A Quarreling Pair, Bill T. Jones explores the dualities between any two people and the struggle to co-habitate and to live together against all odds.

The work is in part inspired by A Quarreling Pair, by playwright and mnovelist Jane Bowles.  The play, written for two puppets, is an absurdist meditation on the relationship of two middle-aged sisters, Harriet and Rhoda, who sit in separate rooms and quarrel endlessly about trivial tasks, the futility of life, and their inextricable bond. Bill T. Jones chose this work as inspiration because “This short but powerful play has been on my mind for nearly 20 years as I have ruminated on the idea of partnering, onstage and off.”

To Mr. Jones the play also suggests the world of entertainment, with its strange poetry and curious songs. A Quarreling Pair  is an opportunity to go deeper into what makes each of us performers.

“We want to clown, sing, dance. We want to explore the spirit of vaudeville, even as we keep our eye firmly on the serious dance aesthetic that has shaped the Company.” -Bill T. Jones