we are all failing them




Staged song cycle

The border between ambition and hard luck is a blind spot. We Are All Failing Them is a song cycle, performed live with film and objects, that engages in a sideways view of the curious and spectacular tragedy of the Donner Party. Drawing upon the languages of recital, film and staged séance, this evening-length entertainment asks: what gets left behind along the trail to the Promised Land?

The world premiere at the Northwest Film Forum of this collaborative work by composer Robin Holcomb, filmmaker Britta Johnson and theatre artist Curtis Taylor featured performances by Robin Holcomb (piano, voice), Peggy Lee (cello), Danny Barnes (voice, banjo) and Susie Kozawa (sound effects).
Support provided by 4Culture and The MAP Fund, a program of Creative Capital.
Major support for Live at the Film Forum 2012-13 provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, ArtsFund, 4Culture, the Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, the Seattle Foundation, ArtsWA and The Stranger.
© Robin Holcomb, Curtis Taylor, Britta Johnson 2013