ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Nature Theater of Oklahoma: radical theater from garbage to ballet

other · 2026-05-04

The off-off Broadway company Nature Theater of Oklahoma, directed by Pavol Liska and Kelly Copper, performed "Persuit of Happiness" at Triennale Milano on May 8-9, 2018, as part of the Fog festival. The piece, a western about the search for happiness, was created with Slovenian collective EnKnapGroup and features a Mexican bartender, cowboys, and a trip to Baghdad. In an interview, Liska and Copper discussed their radical methods: for "No Dice," a four-hour marathon, actors recited text from recorded phone calls via earpieces while directors gave real-time hand signals. "Life and Times" was an eight-episode epic based on actress Kristin Worral's life story. The duo had quit theater for five years, making experimental films inspired by Jack Smith and Andy Warhol, before returning with a version of Chekhov's "The Seagull" rehearsed on a bench in their apartment with a rubber chicken. They emphasize working with limitations and avoiding fiction. Their next project is a ballet in Düsseldorf, Germany, where they often find more audience than in New York.

Key facts

  • Nature Theater of Oklahoma performed at Triennale Milano on May 8-9, 2018
  • The show 'Persuit of Happiness' was created with EnKnapGroup
  • Directors Pavol Liska and Kelly Copper use radical methods like real-time direction via hand signals
  • 'No Dice' featured actors reciting text from recorded phone calls
  • 'Life and Times' was based on actress Kristin Worral's life story
  • The duo quit theater for five years to make experimental films
  • They returned with a version of Chekhov's 'The Seagull' rehearsed on a bench with a rubber chicken
  • Next project is a ballet in Düsseldorf

Entities

Artists

  • Pavol Liska
  • Kelly Copper
  • Kristin Worral
  • Jack Smith
  • Andy Warhol
  • Francesco Michele Laterza

Institutions

  • Nature Theater of Oklahoma
  • Triennale Milano
  • EnKnapGroup
  • Fog festival
  • Artribune

Locations

  • Milano
  • Italy
  • New York
  • United States
  • Austria
  • Germany
  • Slovenia
  • Düsseldorf
  • Baghdad
  • Iraq

Sources