By Lookout Staff

May 8, 2016 -- The Post Mortem Movement Theater Company kicked off its summer Residency at the Annenberg Community Beach House this month with public rehearsals of a new on-site work and a public workshop.

Tuesday's workshop challenged participants to "be engaged with the present moment," while the rehearsals that began Saturday provided a glimpse into the creation of the company's new production that will be presented next month.

The Post Mortem Movement Theater Company. Photo courtesy of the Annenberg Beach House.

"Ubuntu," which is a working title, is a newly devised work set in the Marion Davies Guest House Garden that celebrates myths from around the world.

"Choosing stories to honor the cardinal directions and the elements of earth, sky, fire and water, (the company) celebrates stories of adventure, family, comedy and love from Egypt, India, China, Japan, and the ancient Greeks and Aztecs.

The ensemble will perform using puppetry, acrobatics and a variety of dance forms and live music "to create eclectic site-specific performances," event organizers said. The troupe's mission is to "cross social, cultural and language barriers to tell stories of global interest."

Artistic Director Angela Lopez and her team "will be busy writing, rehearsing, and revising" in the Beach House’s public spaces and in the Resident Office at the Marion Davies Guest House, Annenberg officials said.

"The Beach House residency will be an opportunity for Lopez and her company to adapt the troupe’s gothic sensibility to the sunwashed location of Santa Monica Beach" they said.

"Ubuntu," organizers said, is "devised from classical myths from around the world and inspired by the famous South African philosophical concept of 'humanity towards others.'”

The public performances of the new work on July 13-15 and 20-22 will provide a public glimpse of the company’s creative process, organizers said.

Those who missed the first workshop have the chance to participate in "Building Balance Between Body and Mind," an hour-long workshop next Tuesday starting at 6:30 p.m.

Led by Lopez and company member Stephen Beitler, the workshop will "focus on bringing the body and mind into balance through meditative stretching and acroyoga," organizers said.

Instructors will lead participants in poses and forms accessible to beginners, as well as more advanced variations that will "deepen your internal harmony while getting a unique insight into our ensemble process and training," they said.

Founded by Artistic Director Angela Lopez in 2013, Post Mortem has produced Heiner Muller’s "Hamletmachine" and a collaboration with House of Rabbits on the Fringe favorite "Charivari in Voyeurville," among other productions.

The Company will share its work with public rehearsals onsite and weekly blog posts at beachhouseair.blogspot.com. For more information, call Guest Services at 310-458-4904 or visit the Beach House website, annenbergbeachhouse.com.

Seating for the events is limited and free reservations are required. Those who wish to attend should make reservations at annenbergbeachhouse.com/beachculture and arrive at least 15 minutes before the event. Late seating is not guaranteed.

The Annenberg Community Beach House is located on the beach at 415 Pacific Coast Highway in Santa Monica, California. It is north of the Santa Monica Pier and south of Will Rogers State Beach. The Pacific Coast Bike Trail winds along the western edge of the facility.