Productions past...
 Cloud CuckoolandPresented at House of Yes, NY 2016 Photo by Michael Blase |  Cloud CuckoolandA work-in-progress performance residency at Dixon Place, NY 2014 |  The Ballad TreeA work-in-progress performance residency at Dixon Place, NY, 2014 |
|---|---|---|
 Sex and TabooCo-Produced with Cassandra Rosebeetle presented at Galapagos Art Space, NY, 2010 |  Winter in the WoodsPresented at The Bushwick Starr, NY, 2010 |  TwitchersCo-Produced with Cassandra Rosebeetle at House of Yes, NY, 2009 Photo by Jeremy Tressler |
 Musée des Femmes - NYCPresented at The Zipper Factory Theater, NY, 2008 |  Sita's Fire - The Pathos WithinPresented at Theater Unlimited, Los Angeles 2006 |  Musée des Femmes - HollywoodPresented at Hollywood's Historic Ivar Theater in 2004 - 2005. |
Photo by Michael Blase
Cloud Cuckooland
Presented at House of Yes, NY 2016
“Cloud Cuckooland” is an original theatrical spectacle inspired by ancient Greek tragedies.
Follow a girl who, upon her death, is offered a chance to become Queen of the Birds! But her Queendom is contingent on leaving her heart behind...a doomed existence the ambiguous birds enjoy to the very end.
A collaboration with playwright, Matthew Freeman.
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The Ballad Tree - currently in development.
“The Ballad Tree” is a production of old English and Scottish folk songs that were carried over to America and preserved in the Appalachian Mountains. We embrace their oral tradition while bringing the stories to 3-dimensional life through puppetry and dance.
Trance-like, emotional states, the ballad puts vitality into the only form of medieval vernacular poetry that has continuously survived.
These photos are from a work-in-progress residency at Dixon Place, NY, 2014.
Winter in the Woods
Presented at Bushwick Starr, NY 2010
In 2010, Djahari approached several superb artists and asked them to dwell on the theme “winter in the woods”. Each artist came back with unique stories, and through a bicoastal collaboration we began to weave together a fairytale.
The woods often represent our inner fears: things that are hidden, forbidden, and terrifying. A journey into the woods can bring wisdom, adventure, and a stronger sense of self. Sometimes we can even find humor in what was once so threatening.
Twitchers
Presented at House of Yes, NY, 2009
Desert Sin tells a story about birds, dreams, and women who take flight. Using innovative puppetry, multi-cultural dance, ornate costumes, aerial work, live music, and wit, “Twitchers” journeys into the unapologetic subconscious, where emotions and instincts display themselves proudly unchecked.
The behavior of birds and their acting out of human struggles has long provided the basis for metaphors, symbolism, mythology, and lessons to be learned. When in doubt, just look up.
Musée des Femmes - NYC
Presented at The Zipper Factory Theater, NY, 2008
An edgier, one-act version of the Los Angeles production. Musée - NYC ran off-Broadway for 8 months in 2008.
A Ringmaster presenting eight different female characters from history and fiction - each performance varied with slight alterations to story and/or characters.
Sita's Fire - The Pathos Within
Presented at Theater Unlimited, Los Angeles 2006
An intimate, black-box performance of Desert Sin vignettes,
with a traditional dance pre-show.
A journey through a woman's pathos told through some of the greatest female villains throughout time.
Musée des Femmes - Los Angeles
Presented at Hollywood's Historic Ivar Theater in 2004 - 2005.
A carnival spectacle retelling the tales of some of the boldest, most intriguing women in history and fiction. With a cast and crew of some 50 people, Desert Sin built a high energy, completely unique show that gave a touching and human twist on fantastic characters.
Cloud Cuckooland - W.I.P.
Presented at Dixon Place, NY 2014
This was a one-night, work in progress production of “Cloud Cuckooland” - a multi-media production about a man renouncing reality and creating a Bird-Utopia in the sky. This Utopia is haunted by the real world in the form of horrific specters.
In collaboration with playwright Matthew Freeman, as well as musicians David Kammerer and Damon Ketron, Dixon Place gave us the opportunity to put our crazy ideas on the stage - dance, song, live music, dialogue, video projections, and puppets! This was a rare look into our process, and a very different draft of what Cloud Cuckooland became in 2016.