Rising Stars: Meet Bridgette Loriaux

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bridgette Loriaux. Them and their team share their story with us below:

Bridgette Loriaux began her theatre journey in 1990 at the age of 15; the moment her high school teacher Ms. Kellye Dodd placed Shakespeare’s Complete Works on her desk, gave her first monologue to learn in sign language from Children of a Lesser God, took her to her first Joe Goode contemporary dance concert, and simultaneously introduced her to the world and discipline of modern dance. So, she gently put her ballet shoes away, realized her passion for classical theatre, wanted to immerse herself in the exploration of movement expression, and knew that she wanted nothing else but to be surrounded by creatives and artists for the rest of her life.

She then went on as a dance major at San Jose State University under the direction and mentorship of Gary Masters and Fred Mathews, where she trained in the Limón technique, focused on choreography and began experimenting with movement theatre. After an internship at the Orinda Shakespeare Festival, in the summer of 1996, under the direction of PCPA Artistic Director and Associate Dean, Mark Booher, she went on to be a part of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival for four consecutive seasons from 1997 to 2000. In her off-season, she continued to dance professionally and train with artistic director, David Ho Choy of Dance Kaleidoscope in Indianapolis, training in the Martha Graham technique. In the winter of 2000, she landed in NYC, where she was cast in the Off-Broadway and International touring company De La Guarda. Her work in New York and abroad led her to teach Master Contemporary Dance Classes in Buenos Aires, (where she was also a part of the creative team for Fuerza Bruta), Sao Paulo, Tokyo and London. She then returned to the stage back home in the San Francisco Bay Area where she premiered The Black Eyed by Betty Shamieh playing the role of Tamam at The Magic Theatre, played The Hunter in ‘Peter and the Wolf’ at the Hackney Empire London, and worked as assistant wardrobe crew for the BLUE MAN GROUP in the West End, London.

She participated as an aerial performer for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games and then went on holiday to Cairo, Egypt to visit a dear friend. That holiday evolved into a year of teaching, performing, living, creating, and traveling throughout Egypt. In the fall of 2009, she returned to Dubai to be Head of Show Production for Uneeq Entertainment where she toured through the deserts of the United Arab Emirates and the Gulf featuring international artists and innovating theatrical events for Mercedes-Benz, Samsung, Hermès, and the Royal Families of the Middle East.

National and International Directing credits include SHAKE IT! written by Rohina Malik for THE PARTICIPANTS at TheatreFIRST; COOLEY’S REEL and GERTRUDE written by Madeline Puccioni at City Lights Short Play Festival; BAGYÓ written by Rob Dario at TheatreFIRST; LE PETIT MORT (Movement Theatre Performance and commission) Darb 1718 Contemporary Cultural Center, Cairo, Egypt; BELOVÉD (Movement Theatre Performance) Nova Danca Dance Festival, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Choreographic credits include RED WINGED BLACKBIRD, written by Alyosha Zim & directed by Nancy Carlin; A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM: Globe for All at The Globe Theatre, San Diego, dir. Patricia McGregor; PSYCHOSIS 4.48 & TENDER NAPALM, Anton’s Well Theatre Company dir. Robert Estes; DICK WITTINGTON, New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich, England dir. Jane Karen; BONNIE & CLYDE, Stage1 Theatre Company, dir. Buddy Butler; RENT and IN THE HEIGHTSat San Jose State University dir. Buddy Butler; THE TEMPEST, African American Shakespeare Company dir. Nancy Carlin; THE FOURTH MESSENGER, The Ashby Stage, dir. Matt August; ‘HONK!’ Shakespeare Santa Cruz at UCSC dir. Nancy Carlin; OF THE EARTH, Shotgun Players at The Ashby Stage, dir. Jon Tracy and SPRING BREAK The Musical written by Sara Faith Alterman and directed by Jessica Heidt of PIXAR.

Her love affair with dance-making transcends out of the incredible need to cultivate physical theatre that ultimately heightens the experience of storytelling for both the performing artist and the audiences who dare to delve into these unknown, profound, and delicate worlds of the internal landscape.

2 ½ BREATHS began with the desire to try something completely new. To challenge, reveal, and to explore artistically in a way she had never done before, and in the same breath, open that door to the actors who take this play on. The play inspired her to launch Loriaux House of the Arts, a non-profit organization to cultivate and nurture art in Las Vegas and support local artists within her city and throughout the nation.

Currently, she resides as the mom of Teia and Phoenix Bauer, artist, commercial actor, and yoga therapist in Summerlin, Las Vegas, Nevada where she is the co-owner of 20/20 ChiroYoga working with her husband, Dr. Jason Bauer through the fusion and healing of chiropractic and yoga therapy. She continues to direct and choreograph throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, and is currently writing her second play, IMMERSION.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Though I worked extremely hard to get to where I am, I must say that the road has been quite extraordinary. But/And that is because of the incredible human beings, the creatives I have been so influenced and inspired by. I have been the lucky one on this journey through my life’s work. It is because of the people I have met along the way and the relationships I have built that probably bury the adversity that I have encountered along the way. The struggles only make one stronger; more resilient, and maybe the challenges of being an artist become insignificant because you realize that you must rise, push on and continue, relentlessly.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a writer, director, and choreographer originally from the San Francisco Bay Area. I tell stories and explore the human condition through my innovation of movement theatre. My stories are written in poetic form and requires the artists to immerse themselves, which can be physically and mentally demanding. This aspect of my work lends itself to creating theatre experiences not only for the audiences who I wish to engage with, but also for the artists who wish to take on this kind of physical theatre.

No matter how long I’ve danced and choreographed, I am continually affected by the response from the audiences who really internalize my aesthetic and how people are moved by the gestures and images I try to produce on stage. That only exists because of the performer, the actors that I have had the privilege to work and collaborate with. So, I am most proud that the actors, dancers, and musicians that I work with are so committed to the pieces I write and choreograph. They inherently take on the responsibility that I feel I have when molding and crafting a piece of art.

It is extremely important that I provide a space and environment for the actors, dancers, musicians; the artists including the lighting and costume designers, where they feel completely safe, free, and can express themselves uninhibited; without boundaries. So that they can be emotionally available, and raw, reveal their full capacity and potential throughout the creative process, and tap into that magical mystical part of who they are. I trust with my entire being the artists I collaborate with, for it is only then that poignant, profound, original theatre can live and survive.

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
It is really difficult to tell or know where the theatre world is headed. I am hopeful and optimistic. What I do know is that I need to work twice as hard to keep up with film and television. I need to continue to develop intriguing stories. I must continue to have a clear idea of my vision and aesthetic when approaching the work because theatre can be overlooked quite easily. Theatre-making is difficult because for a lot of theatre makers we do not have the funding supporting us the way film and television have, sometimes in the palm of their hand.

I must work to encourage how relevant theatre experiences are for our communities and for our society at large. For theatre not to disappear, we have a responsibility to educate through the stories we tell LIVE ON STAGE.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.twoandahalfbreaths.com
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/dhk3y0ixAxk

Image Credits
Photos 1-2: 2 1/2 BREATHS
Black and White Photo by Levi Walker
2 1/2 BREATHS Poster ‘graphic design’ by Nick Beyeler
The photo of me wet in a harness for De La Guarda by Tara Fallaux.