Preview: Attack Theatre Finds the Extraordinary in the Everyday with ‘Once in a While’
onStage Pittsburgh - As Attack Theatre’s 30th anniversary season unfolds, the company turns toward memory, chance, and the fleeting moments that shape experience. The result is Once in a While, a world-premiere dance work set to the music of the Grateful Dead — a production that blends theatrical invention, immersive sound, and the communal spirit long associated with the band’s legacy.
Rather than framing the Grateful Dead’s catalog as a nostalgic backdrop, co-artistic directors Michele de la Reza and Peter Kope approach the music as an environment — something lived inside rather than simply heard. The work, they suggest, is rooted in those small yet transformative events that resist easy description: a hand held, a trip taken, a feeling discovered. Moments that surface unexpectedly, then disappear.
For Attack Theatre, known for integrating bold physicality with theatrical staging, the production becomes a playground of structures and sensations. Scaffolding, swings, ramps, and a custom-built “box that rains” shape a landscape that shifts between intimacy and spectacle. The design elements do not simply decorate the choreography; they create the conditions for it.
“We continue our spirit of fearlessness and creativity,” de la Reza explains. “You’ll be immersed in a sonic experience of live Grateful Dead recordings, crowd sounds from shows, psychedelic mayhem, and more.”
Sound, in this context, functions as both memory and architecture. Live recordings — with their imperfections, textures, and audience responses — evoke the sense of being inside an event rather than observing it from a distance. The piece invites viewers to experience the Dead’s music not as fixed compositions, but as living artifacts shaped by time and perception.
Kope describes the work as both introspective and communal. “This show turns inward to look outward,” he reflects. “Each person feels, hears, and sees the music from their perspective. Attack Theatre has always drawn inspiration from our environment and the people who are ‘in the room’ creating together. For us, that’s the spirit of the Dead — making community and sharing together.”
That emphasis on sonic history and collective experience led the company to a central collaborator: the Owsley Stanley Foundation. Owsley “Bear” Stanley, the Grateful Dead’s pioneering sound engineer and the architect of the legendary Wall of Sound, remains a towering figure in live music innovation. His influence, however, extends beyond engineering into aesthetics, listening culture, and even dance.
Through the collaboration, Hawk, executive producer of the Owsley Stanley Foundation, serves as creative advisor, contributing historical insight and rare audio materials. A pre-show Listening Session — offered for one performance only — will provide audiences access to selections from Bear’s Sonic Journals, including unreleased recordings that illuminate Stanley’s approach to capturing live sound.
“At OSF, we believe the music of the Grateful Dead is timeless,” Hawk notes. “Dance was very important to Owsley. He was trained in ballet and valued the discipline throughout his life. Given his lifelong interest in dance and our mission to preserve his legacy, we are delighted to collaborate with Attack Theatre on this unique project.”
The production also draws on a network of local and artistic partners, including Thunderbird Music Hall and Café, New Amsterdam, and a creative team spanning sound, lighting, and costume design. Stewart Blackwood’s sound design and Forrest Trimble’s lighting contribute to the work’s immersive atmosphere, while Bunny Brand’s costumes ground the performers within its shifting visual world.
Onstage, Attack Theatre’s ensemble — Isabella Bergamin, Miranda Braseth, Anya Epstein, Jax RF McAtee, Olivia Nellis, and Will VanSlander — navigates a choreography that oscillates between athletic precision and spontaneous energy. The movement language mirrors the unpredictability of live music itself: structured yet fluid, disciplined yet searching.
With only 90 seats available per performance, Once in a While favors proximity over scale. The intimacy is intentional. Rather than presenting dance as distant spectacle, Attack Theatre positions audiences within the sensory field of the work — where sound, movement, and environment converge.
In a season marked by reflection and celebration, the production feels aligned with the company’s long-standing artistic identity: adventurous, collaborative, and resistant to convention. It is a work less concerned with retelling than with evoking — less about narrative than about recognition.
Once in a While runs February 27 through March 7, 2026, with select performances featuring special events, including a post-show live set and the Owsley Stanley Foundation Listening Session.
TICKETS AND DETAILS:
Performances are February 27 – March 7, 2026 at Attack Theatre Studios in Lawrenceville. Tickets and further details at www.attacktheatre.com/once-in-a-while.