I Am Trying To Hear Myself / Vandam Goodbar

Written and choreographed by Jack Ferver

Performed by Reid Bartelme, Jack Ferver, Tony Orrico, and Chad Tolson

Costumes by Jack Ferver

Music by Jason Akira Somma and Thunderheist

I Am Trying To Hear Myself premiered in April 2008 at The New Museum.

In July of 2009 it was paired with Vandam Goodbar at PS 122.

Jack Ferver presents an evening of desire and humiliation, combining two of his most hilarious and erotic works. I Am Trying To Hear Myself is a tense meditation on the elusive quality of romance and the disappointment of viewing one’s current life through the idealization of one’s past. Vandam Goodbar focuses on the humorous, disturbing, and violent experiences that occur during a turbulent search for a connection. Together these pieces create a cathartic performance made up of accelerated dancing, singing and screaming, harsh repetitive movements, and even a bit of blood.

“Restless, visceral, and often painful… sympathetic as it is bitingly corrosive.”

- The New York Times

Originally commissioned in 2008 from The New Museum as part of The New Museum Presents, curated by Travis Chamberlain. Commissioned in 2009 as part of the Underground Zero Festival at PS 122.