Walkabout Theater Company presents the world premiere of “Impossible Cities: A Utopian Experiment,” a multi-disciplinary presentation exploring the concept of Utopia through original performance works, visual art and live music.  At “Impossible Cities,” five theater artists will premiere original performances depicting real-life Utopian visionaries (including Mormon founder Joseph Smith, architect and Arcosanti community creator Paolo Soleri, and the Amana Society of Iowa) through performance art, physical theater, monologue and cooking demonstration.  A vegetable puppet show, a sales pitch and a feverish dance all figure into a series of meditative and comical glimpses of perfect worlds as seen through the eyes of dreamers, schemers and mystics. The diversity of approaches suggests the myriad ways humans have crafted a vision of a perfect world. These colorful stories illuminate the human capacity to dream as well as the real-world consequences of attempting Utopia.  The event will last approximately 100 minutes, with 70 minutes of theater followed by a half hour of live music in gallery space filled with Utopian artwork. 

Simultaneously, Peter Jones Gallery will exhibit specially commissioned works for the “Impossible Cities” event, each offering a contemporary artist’s vision of Utopia.  A diverse group of artists from Canada, the Netherlands, and various regions of the U.S. will present original art depicting Utopia from many points of view - from cynical to hopeful, historical to futuristic.  Works will include travel brochures to fictional islands, unrealistic photographs of contemporary America, and a video work by New York artist Elizabeth Riley.