Weeks after Robert Wilson endured a deluge of rain on his production of UBU, he was celebrated by First Lady Jill Biden and Secretary Clinton at the White House, thus encapsulating the highs and lows of a life dedicated to the arts. Secretary Clinton introduced Wilson as a “true pioneer: he has created some of the most important and memorable works in contemporary theater and opera. With his stunning set designs, his arresting lighting, and his innovative choreography, he helped reinvent a stage where time and space are redrawn, and the experience of narrative is reimagined.” And apparently, he can even manipulate the weather.
An international cast of actors spent a month rehearsing UBU, directed by Robert Wilson, only to be faced with a downpour on the final performance, a fundraiser for Wilson’s Watermill Center. Wilson staged UBU on an outdoor platform in a temporary amphitheater with seating for 500. After several stops and starting to pause for clear skies, the show had to pivot again because of a flooded sound system. Instead of bailing on the show, Wilson narrated it while the actors ran through their paces. Keep in mind the sets and costumes for UBU are made entirely of newspapers. For Robert Wilson, the show must go on. And it did, receiving standing ovations from the remaining soggy audience, many claiming the rain only added to the magical and surreal quality of the production of UBU.
Fast forward a few weeks, and Robert Wilson was honored alongside musician Wynton Marsalis and painter Vija Celmins at The White House for the 34th Annual Praemium Imperiale Global Art Prize, hosted by First Lady Dr. Jill Biden. Former Secretary of State and International Advisor to the Praemium Imperiale Hillary Rodham Clinton presented the prestigious awards to each laureate. In her introductory remarks, Dr. Jill Biden stated, “The artists we honor today invite us to join a conversation with the world, to step beyond the limits of our imagination. It is a conversation that speaks across borders, languages, and centuries as we tilt our heads to see just one more angle, bend our ears to take in just one more note, our hearts and hopes to reach toward each other. And in that moment, we feel the hum of the generations that are past and future”.
Robert Wilson founded The Watermill Center to support artists and thinkers from different cultures and backgrounds. A place where “artists can look to the past, as we create art of our time, and to look to the world community, as we enrich our own.” As a globally recognized Artists Residency program, The Watermill Center has hosted over 1,400 artists from over 90 countries. It continues to be a laboratory for the arts and humanities, providing a global community with the time, space, and freedom to create and inspire.
Robert Wilson’s “Ubu” restaging, inspired by Alfred Jarry’s 1896 classic, “Ubu Roi,” critiques war and totalitarianism. Originally presented at the Es Baluard Museum in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, “Ubu” is a surreal reflection of paradoxical inequalities throughout history and the modern day. The US and international performers at The Watermill Center included Yunseo Choi (Republic of Korea), Bonnie Comley (United States), Evelyn Dugan (United States), Cecilia Xuetong Feng (China, Germany), Marianna Kavallierator (Greece), Casilda Madrazo (Mexico), Katimari Niskala (Finland), Sorin Prodea (Romania, Germany), Anthony Roques (France), Agathe Vidal (France), Sienna Vila Holloway (Spain). UBU will have continued performances throughout Europe, hopefully under clear skies. But if not, somehow, the Robert Wilson show goes on.