Take a look ‘In This House’

"In This House" gives new meaning to that rusty term "living history."

This vibrant performance piece by the Judy Dworin Performance Project is built on the legacy of Hempsted House in New London - particularly Joshua Hempsted, who built and owned it; Adam Jackson, who worked as Hempsted's slave; and the Hempsted descendants who became abolitionists.

The show - an amalgamation of dance, song and narration - not only brings the past to life, but it also explores it artistically and places it in a new, up-to-the-moment context.

"In This House" made its New London debut Thursday night at the Garde Arts Center. The standing ovation it earned pretty much said it all.

Afterwards, Dworin told theatergoers that it was an "incredible honor to do this piece in New London, to bring it back to its home."

"In This House" deals with inequality, of course, but also with community and character. Dworin tells the story of the home's inhabitants through the point of view of the 1678 house itself. It's a concept that could feel contrived and clunky. It works, though, for the most part. Particularly effective is the way Dworin uses a series of window panes on wheels to move around the floor and suggest the building's shifting role.

Watching the windows circle Hempsted, Jackson and Jackson's enslaved mother serves as a potent metaphor for how the house and history confined them. Seeing Hempsted and Jackson stride separately though aisles of windows echoes visually how segregated they were, despite living and working side by side. (When Hempstead died, he didn't leave Jackson anything and, in fact, listed him as property.)

Ulimately, "In This House" jumps to later Hempsted generations who fought against slavery. A trio of sisters even opened a school where black and white children were taught together.

The show brings history up to the 1950s, where it showcases the views of people who grew up in the by-then-integrated neighborhood.

"In This House" doesn't end on a note of self-satisified conclusion, though. Instead, Bird says there is still a long way to go and implores the audience to keep moving these issues forward.

Dworin's choreography manifests her themes decisively. A dancer carries a chair on her back as if it were the weight of the world, then climbing its rungs as if it were a ladder to freedom. The repetition of gestures develop a force, especially the movement that implies building a wall.

Providing powerful vocal counterpoint to the dance is Leslie Bird, who performs traditional songs and numbers she wrote specifically for "In This House." The way she uses her husky, evocative voice provides some of the night's most dramatic moments.

"In This House," which premiered in April in Hartford, served as the catalyst for New London programs. Children from Writer's Block Ink staged their spoken-word and dance performances before the Judy Dworin troupe took the stage Thursday.

In the Garde lobby hung art from the Windows Project. Youths from the Kente Cultural Center, ISAAC, Drop-In Learning Center and Writer's Block created works based on what they see from the perspective of their own houses - either looking out or looking in.