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Past News from Stacey's performance art work:

August 2002 brought Stacey to a role in Beckett's Last Dance, which played at the 2002 San Francisco Fringe Festival. The play was a mix of text, dance and movement from four of Samuel Beckett's Plays, with Stacey playing Vladimir, the entirely movement based-bit inspired by Waiting for Godot. The play was directed by English actor/director Jon Whittle.

"I'm so proud of this piece. I keep telling my friends, this show is the sort of thing I would love to come and see. The Waiting for Godot bit is only 1/3 of the show, so I really enjoyed watching the other 2/3's in the last weeks of rehearsal. There are some things I never tire of seeing and the last 15 minutes of the show is that for me. Maia is an actress who plays Hamm (from Endgame) and "B" (from Rough for Theatre 1). She is a visually impaired actress playing two visually impaired characters. It's the most fascinating thing in the world to watch. But then I'm a magnet for movement and the way she navigates physically intrigues me to no end. There is a piece in the last section where Maia does these beautiful, whipping pirouettes across the stage (she's been dancing for 20 years). And every time I see this, I want to cry because she is blind, but she's so fearless and free in that moment. As for me, I have a very strong physical vocabulary to begin with. This play has been a challenge for me because Jon has demanded my precise articulation. You wouldn't believe how difficult it is to respond physically with only your hand, or your head and no other part of your body. To try and isolate and be extremely specific. But I like the challenge and I've had a really good time playing Vladimir. Additionally, I'll never look at mimes or clowns the same ever again. I have a whole new respect for physical storytelling."

In Day 2 of the Daily Starr, the official Fringe Festival publication:

" ...praises of Beckett's Last Dance were sung by audience members throughout the party, generating a huge buzz and setting it well on its way to being one of the Festival's hot tickets."

Audience reviews from the official Fringe website, www.sffringe.org:

"Excellent. You do not have to be a fan of dance or movement to be completely swept away into the world of this show. There is humor, sadness and truly stunning moments of human endurance. The cast are incredible artists and very generous with their bodies, juxtaposing beautiful grace with jarring eruptions. It is rare that a show can so captivate and disturb simultaneously. A must see."

"This piece captures the essence of Beckett through, what I think is, visual poetry. Culling images and metaphors from Beckett's four plays, Beckett's Last Dance creates a world resonant with nostalgia for the past viewed from the relentless routine of today; the mirroring of Estragon and Vladimir refracting each other's vulnerabilities; the precarious and proud struggles of the disabled; the poignance of dancing Nell and Nagg, free at last from their confining boxes. Whittle understands the potential of economy. He powerfully uses silence and stillness to explore the negative spaces in Beckett without ever losing the sparkling wit, so central in these plays. Certainly the best rendition of Waiting for Godot I have seen, this piece will also make you wonder if Beckett's speech simply winds around you like so much of Krapp's tape. What does Beckett, stripped of the tedium of his speech look like? Go see Beckett's Last Dance!"

"One of Beckett's major themes is immobility, so it was interesting to see movement pieces based upon his works. Very good ideas, excellent imagination. ... the dancers were exceptional and make the show worth seeing."