Since 2017, we have been building Ghosts of Hell Creek, a mesmerizing dance-theater performance for mainstage theaters. This work brings to life an epic 500-million-year story of humanity's ancestral origins, culminating in the apocalyptic events of the Chicxulub asteroid impact and ensuing mass extinction of the dinosaurs. The story is told from the perspective of Acheroraptor, the last elegantly feathered raptor dinosaur, and Purgatorius, our ancient primate ancestor who miraculously survived and thrived on the first fruit as the world was born anew.
The premiere of the international touring production of Ghosts of Hell Creek will show at the Indonesian Institute for the Arts Surakarta Large Theater on September 25, 2024.
Stayed tuned for ticketing details.
If you would like to support the performance, and get VIP access to see the work at a distance, please visit our non-profit fundraising campaign here: https://givebutter.com/prehistoricbody2024
66 million years ago, a massive asteroid struck the Earth with the force of a billion atomic bombs.
66 million years ago, a massive asteroid struck the Earth with the force of a billion atomic bombs. The ensuing apocalyptic extinction, which ended the 150+ million-year reign of the dinosaurs, is captured by the fossils of Montana’s Hell Creek Formation. Acheroraptor, the last of the fierce feathered raptor dinosaurs, prowled the Hell Creek flood-jungles before her total annihilation in the fires of mass extinction. We then discover a miracle, for in Hell Creek, just after the asteroid, our earliest primate ancestor Purgatorius rose from the ashes and thrived on the first fruit as the world was born anew.
Ghosts of Hell Creek is our exploration of humanity’s deep-time ancestry at the time of the apocalyptic asteroid impact and a eulogy for the last dinosaurs at a time of planetary crisis. The stage performance is an evening-length performance for proscenium theaters, crafted like a mesmerizing diorama with an immersive clay-textured set installation inspired by the landscape from which the fossils are excavated. Dancers wear full-body clay makeup with iconic prosthetic elements, activated by a lavish ever-changing lighting design and a bassy soundtrack with undulating soundscapes & experimental gamelan percussion. Our international touring version of the show is under development, keep posted for updates!
In 2023, Prehistoric Body Theater proudly announces the completion of Ghosts of Hell Creek: primitive streak, a 30-minute film adaptation of the stage performance, crafted to bring the audience in closer to the work.
Prehistoric Body Theater: Bringing Paleontology Narratives to Global Contemporary Performance Audiences
Published in Oxford University Press “Integrative and Comparative Biology Journal” 2018, in a special section on “Science Through Story: Engaging Broad Audiences.”
The Oxford University Press Integrative and Comparative Biology (ICB) Journal, a leading publication for the biological sciences, released their first ever volume on art-science collaboration in fall 2018. This edition features an article by artistic director Ari Rudenko on the concepts, mission, and history behind Prehistoric Body Theater.
This article is oriented towards the science community, framing GHOSTS of HELL CREEK as an innovative form of global public outreach for paleontology. The invitation to publish was based on a talk Ari Rudenko gave at the 2018 Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology Conference (SICB) in San Francisco, USA, as part of a special symposium called “Science Through Narrative: Engaging Broad Audiences.” Ari presented alongside Hollywood companies such as Industrial Light and Magic, Pixar, and Dreamworks, discussing how art can bring scientific ideas and collaborations to the mainstream.