The rest of the KO Fest

Published on June 29, 2007

The KO Festival of Performance opens at Amherst College next week with performances and workshops into August. This year's theme is "Stories of Illness and Healing."

The fest kicks off with Northampton playwright Lenelle Moïse's "Matermorphosis," performed by the Serious Play theater ensemble July 6-9 at 8 p.m. in the college's Holden Theater.

Up next, on Sunday, July 15, at 8 p.m., Ralph Lee's Mettawee River Company brings its giant puppets to the lawn of the Amherst College observatory off Snell Street in a performance of "Peace," a classic Greek play on war, greed and peace.

Sabrina Hamilton, co-founder and coordinator of the festival, said the Ralph Lee show "is great for kids but not just for kids," adding that it is also interpreted for the hearing impaired with American Sign Language.

The fest continues July 20-22 at 8 p.m with "The Mammy Project," a solo performance by Michelle Matlock, with original music and storytelling. The piece explores the influence that the "Mammy" icon has had on contemporary American culture. "It's wicked funny, very strong, shocking and healing," Hamilton said.

Capping the fest, Deb Margolin presents the solo show "O Yes I Will" July 27-29, at 8 p.m. In the piece, Margolin relays a conversation she had under the influence of sodium pentothal, a barbiturate general anesthetic she was given before undergoing surgery for lymphoma.

Hamilton said that Margolin's piece is funny-intense and not "oh woe is me," and gives a sense of what happens "when your mind and body are together but not married. The presence of serious illness brings it to life," Hamilton said.

All performances are held at the Holden Theater at Amherst College. Tickets are $18; $15 students and seniors, available at the Box Office at (413) 542/3750.

In addition to performances, the KO fest also features five-day workshops that attract aspiring writers and performers from across the country. This year's array includes workshops on doing theater with prison inmates; theatrical clowning; unifying the body and mind through breath, sound and text; and solo performance and playwriting.

For more information on KO fest events call (413) 427-6147 or visit www.kofest.com.

- LAUREN MODISETTE