Richard Foreman: Deep Trance Behavior in Potatoland (2008)
Video by Lauren Petty and Shaun Irons plus stills and notes
New York Times review (Ben Brantley)
“Deep Trance Behavior in Potatoland and Maria Del Bosco: Performance Charts and Storyboards” in PAJ: A Journal of Performance and Art Vol. 30, No. 3 (Sep., 2008), pp. 106-116 (11 pages)
"Trust Me: Richard Foreman's Invitation to "Deep Trance Behavior" by Neal Swettenham in TDR: The Drama Review, Volume 56, Number 3, Fall 2012 (T215)
Text of the play appears in Plays with Films from Contra Mundum.
Production notes.
from “Deep Trance Behavior in Potatoland and Maria Del Bosco: Performance Charts and Storyboards” in PAJ: A Journal of Performance and Art Vol. 30, No. 3 (Sep., 2008), pp. 106-116 (11 pages)
From filmmakers Lauren Petty and Shaun Irons:
After many years of being fans of Richard Foreman, and both having worked with him in various capacities, Richard commissioned us to make a film document of his 2008 show “Deep Trance Behavior in Potatoland”. He encouraged us to follow our vision and make it our own but warned us that he would most likely hate it! – since he usually hated documentation of his work.
We shot the show over several nights, capturing various angles and filmic details with multiple cameras, and spent a month editing the abundant material before turning in a version to Richard. After about two weeks of silence – he called and simply said “I LOVE IT!”. We were incredibly thrilled that Richard enjoyed the film and that he felt it offered a compelling reflection of his ecstatic, mind bending theater piece.
We remastered the film for His Head Was a Sledgehammer: Richard Foreman in Retrospect at Anthology Film Archives in May 2025. It was a great joy for us to revisit this work – and to once again hear Richard’s familiar, resonant voice echoing throughout the theater.
