Virginia Woolf once famously remarked that of all the things the creative artist needs to begin work, "a room of one's own" may be the most critical. Rinde Eckert would surely agree.

Eckert, an innovative and important figure in contemporary performance art, has been using one of UC Davis' finer "rooms" -- the Studio Theatre at Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts -- interacting with students, faculty and staff to develop Horizon, a new project co-commissioned by the center.

The Horizon project is something of a ground-breaking effort, said Brian McCurdy, director of University Cultural Programs at UC Davis.

It is believed to be the first time a group of major university presenting programs has come together to commission a work. In addition, the project offers a glimpse of things to come at Mondavi Center, as McCurdy has plans not only to continue to support and present Eckert's work, but also to enter into similar long-term relationships with "probably five to 10" contemporary artists.

"This space is just unbelievable," said Eckert, taking a break from the workshop sessions midway through his three-week UC Davis residency, which ends today.

"It's a great room, and it frees me immeasurably to work and to imagine."

Eckert, whose work has been described by The New York Times as "the most exciting performance art … since the early days of Laurie Anderson," is in the process of imagining Horizon, a new piece of musical theater based on the life and ideas of theologian Reinhold Niebuhr. Working with four UC Davis graduate students and utilizing a few basic props -- a table, a few planks of wood, cinder blocks and the like -- he has used the Studio Theatre to shape Horizon the way a sculptor might gradually fashion a slab of stone: chipping away at one idea, polishing another, and frequently simply standing back to ponder what he's done.

Over the course of a typical session, the students help construct and move the rudimentary scenery, read lines and try out various staging possibilities as Eckert watches with rapt attention. Based on what he sees, Eckert may rewrite bits of dialogue or cut them altogether, add musical accompaniment, position the characters in different ways, and gradually pull together scenes and sequences.

"I'm trying to discover my piece," said Eckert. "It's useful at the moment, and it stimulates me as a writer, to be able to see the possibilities."

Drawing attention

Eckert's presence on campus -- and the unique opportunity to witness a major artist actively engaged in creating a new work -- has drawn considerable interest from local media. Reporters from the Sacramento Bee, Capitol Public Radio, and KVIE have visited the sessions -- along with a steady stream of Mondavi Center staff busily photographing, videotaping, and documenting Eckert's progress.

"I love it," Eckert said of the attention. "It gives me a sense of enthusiasm. It gives me the sense that people care about the outcome, and I've been in situations where I felt nobody cared or understood. I feel like everybody I deal with here understands that they're involved in the creation of this piece."

Innovative collaboration

When Horizon has its West Coast debut at Mondavi Center next year, UC Davis will indeed have played a critical role in its creation. Together with the University of Maryland and the University of Nebraska, Mondavi Center has co-commissioned the piece, providing $30,000 in direct funding, along with access to the Studio Theatre.

Commissioning new work is an important part of the mission of Mondavi Center, said Brian McCurdy, director of University Cultural Programs at UC Davis. "I think it's probably the most interesting, most exciting, most fun thing that we do," he remarked.

McCurdy said the effort reflects Mondavi Center's aim to reflect the university's three-part mission of education, community engagement and research. "I really see commissioning and presenting new work as our version of research," he said.

These ongoing relationships offer audiences a chance to gain a broader perspective on contemporary arts and participate in the development of artists' careers, McCurdy said.

In the case of Horizon, students have also benefited. Eckert's residency included a week of master class sessions with advanced students in the Department of Theatre and Dance at another fine room: the University's Arena Theater. Katie Rubin, who participated in the master classes and is acting as stage manager during the Horizon workshops, said the experience has been inspiring, as Eckert has managed to provide the students with "tools" they need to pursue their own work.

"It turns out that they're more spiritual tools than practical tools," she said, as Eckert has taught the importance of faith and patience to the artistic process. "And to work consistently," she said. "Rinde's always writing."

Chris Allison, who along with David Beatty and Richard Hess portrayed characters onstage during the workshop sessions, said the experience had been very rewarding, largely because Eckert gives his actors so much leeway in developing their characters. "I've already taken a lot out of this," Allison said. "It broadens my education, because I've learned some history, the background of certain religious ideas, and the performance aspect of how to portray those ideas."

A timeless message

Horizon adapts historical events from the McCarthy era, specifically with Niebuhr's testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee, during which the fearful theologian failed to deliver the anti-witch-hunt homily he believed the country desperately needed. In Horizon, a character based on Niebuhr delivers the appropriate sermon -- and pays the price. The piece also deals with themes drawn from Niebuhr's writings regarding the dual nature of mankind -- the conflict between inevitable human suffering and divine aspirations -- and images from the bleak Nebraska plains where Niebuhr lived.

"Horizon is, in part, about holding the tension of opposites, between what is earth and what is air, what we owe to Caesar and what we owe to our higher selves, to God, if you will," Eckert said.

Eckert, who visited UC Davis in 2001 to perform his acclaimed Ravenshead, and again the following year for And God Created Great Whales, is scheduled to perform his Slow Fire at Mondavi Center in February 2005. He will bring the West Coast debut of Horizon to Mondavi Center in November 2005.