Natasha Mirny and Tia Shearer Bassett

Dance, Performance, Performance Art, Theatre

We believe in a theater that is engaging, educational, and thought-provoking. We want our audience to feel more alive after they see and participate in the experiences that we create. By taking our show AntiCone on tour to high schools, festivals, performance art schools and other places we are looking into creating the dialog between the artists and the audience. Through this dialog, we are hoping to fulfill the belief of Bertolt Brecht that, in making an audience take stock of the elements in a situation, the theater is serving the purpose of leading its audience to a better understanding of the society and so to learning in what ways that society was capable of change.

About the Artist

We are a theater team founded by stage director and choreographer Natasha Mirny and actor Tia Shearer. Both of us have been in theater for more than 10 years, acting, directing, devising, and running our own theater projects in the US, Russia, and Europe. We both believe in a theater that unites, heals, and inspires people. In the fall of 2017 we wrote, devised, and produced our show "AntiCone" - a contemporary version of the Sophocles' Antigone story told through the language of interactive physical theater, dance, clowning and traffic cones. AntiCone became an official selection of FringeNYC festival in 2018, and was approved for High School audience at the festival. The show addresses such important question for teenagers as creating boundaries and making choices. Production of AntiCone is funded in part by Mongomery County Arts and Humanities Council.

Natasha Mirny and Tia Shearer Bassett website AntiCone by Happy Theater

Artist's Statement

Devised Theater Workshop As a companion to the AntiCone performance, we offer a 90-minute workshop on devised theatre centered around objects and imagery. Students are guided through a series of exploratory events in a safe, supportive and adventurous environment, culminating in theatrical “moments” that tell a story in and of themselves (think Flash Fiction), but could also be the springboard to a fuller piece of physical theater. Happy Theater also has a touring literacy solo shadow show and workshop for elementary schools and families with children from 3 to 7(K and Pre-K) https://happytheater.com/shows/ We offer Arts Integration residencies in schools K-12 (min 1 session and max 10 sessions): Elementary school - we coach public school teacher on how to integrate dance, drama and creative movement into teaching their curriculum for elementary schools. Middle and High school: we offer Theater For Life project, that introduces devised theater as an important team building and leadership training tool. Students learn how to put their ideas to life and work as a team through the process of writing their own script and putting together a performance.

Featured Work

Photos

Production photo from Washington, DC run

Videos

AntiCone

See more information about AntiCone

Inspired by Sophocles’ Antigone, AntiCone is the largely wordless story of an immigrant who is put to work building a wall against her country of origin (and, therefore, her brothers), under the dangerous eye of new leader, Creon, and against the pull of her ancient namesake. Scored by the evocative and visceral original music of Alexander Nikitin, the play combines physical theatre, clowning, and audience interaction, with unique, powerful dances choreographed and performed by Moscow-trained Natasha Mirny as Antigone. Tia Shearer, who has been called one of DC’s “most versatile actors” (BroadwayWorld) and a “straight up chameleon” (DC Theatre Scene), plays the five characters surrounding Antigone, including Creon, her brother, and the Chorus. The team is rounded out by 25 bright orange traffic cones. AntiCone was awarded funding through the Montgomery County government and the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County for its premiere just outside Washington, DC in the fall 2017. It was also an official selection of FringeNYC festival in the fall 2018 and BorderLight International Festival in the summer 2019. The show is 50 minutes long and recommended for ages 13 and up.

Details: 50 minutes run time
Five Spoons

See more information about Five Spoons

FIVE SPOONS is a uniquely interactive, community-building theatre piece for adults and children alike. Created by the “powerful” Maryland-based devising team of Natasha Mirny and Tia Shearer Bassett, the piece combines clowning, object puppetry, meditation, and physical theatre (thru Zoom!) to guide you through an experience based on a Hindu parable of the Powers of Life.

Join these two brilliant kooks as they make silly, beautiful magic (with the help of YOUR brilliance!) from their cozy homes. You are invited to sit around the table with them as, together, you cook up an experience that will leave everyone more connected to the self and to each other, like the best meals do.

Recommended for ages 7 to 117.

Medium: online live zoom performance

Year: 2021

Details: 1 hour long

Booking

Booking Price: $1,001-$2,000

Please contact Natasha Mirny at myhappytheater@gmail.com

We bring our own lights, but appreciate if there are several basic lights at the venue, we need 2 speakers for the sound, but can bring our own. Would prefer black box but not required. We would prefer the dance floor, but this is not a requirement, any floor that is safe for bare feet actors (no dents or splinters) will work. The show was created to be very mobile. The stage needs to be at least 20 feet wide and 16 feet deep. Audience needs easy access to us/cones; i.e, no huge stage lip to deal with.

No travel restrictions. Can travel all over MD.

Letter from Chair of Department of Theatre of Metropolitan School of the Arts
It is my pleasure to write to you in recommendation of the inclusion of Natasha Mirny and Tia Shearer’s “AntiCone” as part of Montgomery County’s Roster of Touring Artists. I contracted Natasha and Tia to perform “AntiCone” for my students at Metropolitan School of the Arts on May 24, 2018, to be followed by a workshop on devised theatre.
I found Natasha and Tia to be professional, respectful, and highly effective in their presentation and teaching. They arrived early to our space to load-in their materials as smoothly as possible. They had been in contact with me in the weeks before to understand our school’s theater as best they could and make the most of their time. They were respectful in asking for what they needed from staff and me, making sure to restore the space to the shape they found it before they left.
My school is a private arts academy whose student body is comprised of aspiring actors, singers, and dancers. These students are well versed in live performance, but “AntiCone” provided them with an entirely new experience. They were blown away by the immersive experience of Natasha and Tia’s work, as well as the fact that they created this show by themselves and produced it from the ground up. Natasha and Tia spoke of their inspirations and experience creating the work in a brief talkback and provided an excellent experience of creation via a 90-minute workshop with my students that Natasha and Tia conducted in a smooth, professional, respectful – and very fun – manner, giving my students a window into a way of creation they would not see otherwise. My students still talk about their time with Natasha and Tia as one of their favorite artistic experiences at MSA.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions using the contact information below. I think this show and these artists are excellent additions to your roster.
mbassett@metropolitanarts.org