John Bailey, JoAnn Sellars, Maida Withers, Brook Andrews

(1975) September 13 – 14 (Sat/Sun) check dates, Washington Project for the Arts and Holly Rood Cemetery – newspaper date)  WHITE MANSIONS (Date to be determined – WPA archive?)
The first performance took place at the newly renovated Washington Project for the Arts space on 1227 G Street NW,  Washington, DC in 1975.  Dancers assisting in cleaning out the pigeon dung in the 3rd floor space, discovered a long piece of white silk fabric that inspired the characters and historic view of the deep SOUTH that are now gone – end of Gone with the Wind perspective.  For White Mansions, each MWDCCo dancer developed a character:  Maida Withers was the death figure; Brook Andrews, Rhett Butler; John Bailey, Tom Sawyer; Betty Tittsworth, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof; JoAnn Sellars, a fussy Southern Belle.

1975 –Saturday and Sunday  dates TBD (6:00 pm)
A 60 minute site specific performance at dusk in the historic Holy Rood Cemetery located in upper Georgetown in Washington, DC.  Holy Rood is one of the oldest cemeteries (1832) in Washington, DC.  White Mansions was choreographed and performed for two evenings by Brook Andrews, John Bailey, JoAnn Sellars, Betty Tittsworth, Maida Withers, founding dancers for Maida Withers and the Dance Construction Company.  Ten community and university dancers and young children all dressed in white, appeared to be occupants, of sorts, in the cemetery.  The cemetery was their home.

For the Saturday performance hundreds of yards of white stretch fabric had been installed through the trees and around the tombstones in the cemetery.  The stretch fabric was provided by an elementary school recycling center in New London, Connecticut where Maida and JoAnn had been in a residency with Artists-in-the-Schools National Dance Program.  Sadly, the fabric was removed from it’s installation and removed or stolen from the cemetery overnight and unavailable for the Sunday performance consequently.  A local radio station kindly broadcast a request for the return of the stretch fabric while inviting the DC audience to attend the unusual performance in the beautiful, peaceful, Holy Rood Cemetery.

The long white piece of silk found at the WPA site served as a connector throughout the piece, White Mansions, as it became a wedding veil, a table for celebration, a wrap for death, other.  Several children and adult performers were in the cemetery carrying flowers and playing in white clothes engaged as if they lived there, suggesting the continuity of life after death.   Music: Marimba (keyboard) was performed live in the cemetery.  (Musician unknown at this time). Church Bells in the neighborhood, playing, were a spontaneous, delightful, addition to our performances.

The cast, dancers, departed the cemetery in a gold Rolls Royce leaving the audience in the cemetery in the dark…perhaps confronting his/her view of death. The Rolls Royce was driven by the beloved Charles Stinson (Charles The First, celebrated DC salon).

The Washington Post covered the story in two full pages with large full page, stunning photo, of Betty Tittsworth, the bride. This overt recognition was important introducing the greater public to Maida and the Company’s interest in “site specific work” as well as “interactive stage performances.”
Betty Tittsworth and Brook Andrews
Betty Tittsworth (promotional photo for press)
Betty Tittsworth and Brook Andrews
John Bailey, JoAnn Sellars, Maida Withers

Cathy Borteck, group adults and children residing in the cemetery!

Video was shot, regrettably, on a reel to reel 1/2″ tape that had been used previously, which accounts for intrusive/excessive lines on the video from the reused tape.