In Preparation of War
Choreography and Direction by Vicky Virgin in collaboration with dancers
Toby Billowitz, Jane Kotapish, and Beth Leonard
wild project| 195 E 3rd St, New York, NY 10009
Wed April 8 at 9:20pm, Sun April 12 at 3:40pm, Wed April 15 at 6pm & Sun April 19 at 7pm
Bare stage. Five shifting locations. A blue mat, helmets, the suggestion of guns. Nothing extra, just enough to build a world where bodies are trained for impact.
This is dance theatre rooted in sanctioned violence, boxing, ballet, warfare, ritual. A drill master, two warriors, and a ghost from battles past hold the space. The ghost lingers. Watching. Remembering.
There’s very little text. Instead: breath, grunts, bodies hitting the floor. Repetition. Training. Control. The choreography moves between brutal and beautiful, boxing sequences that slip into something almost lyrical, then snap back into command.
It feels like a barracks, a bunker, a place where rules are recited and followed without question.
And that’s the thing that stayed with me:
Who’s leading us into battle?
Because the piece isn’t really about war. It’s about conditioning. About how easily bodies fall in line. About the systems that train us to move, to obey, to prepare without ever asking why.
Click HERE for tickets.
Review by Malini Singh McDonald.
Published by Theatre Beyond Broadway on April 18, 2026. All rights reserved.
