INTERVIEW WITH halley Willcox of Methods of Madness Dance Theater (AZ)
BBD|WT are pleased to be welcoming Methods of Madness Dance Theater to Missoula as they premiere their newest evening-length work on the Westside Theater stage.
We sat down with Director Halley Willcox to learn all there is know about the premiere of Glitter & Doom. From pop songs to props and projection, here's a little inside scoop on what to expect this weekend!
Us: “Glitter & Doom” is such a striking and evocative title. Can you share how this work first began and what ideas or experiences sparked the creation?
Halley Willcox: As an individual, I was thinking about all of the stresses on the world, and within the United States, specifically. I wanted to make a work that addressed those feelings, but not in a way that makes you only feel bad. I was curious about how I could make something that talks about the state of the world today, but does so through metaphor, poetics, and also offers a solution.
I was on a mission to make something that was campy and satirical, but was also serious and a little bit sentimental. I also knew I wanted to approach the work through a sci-fi lens. The dancers and I got a bunch of old sci-fi Pennyback books, and everyone chose excerpts. Some of the language and structures from the show are from those books. A few other structures have been developed around ideas of time travel and my interest in the long jump. We had probably two full rehearsals where we just did long jump explorations that later turned into a portion of the piece.
Us: Are you trying any new ideas with this work?
Halley Willcox: In this project, I am doing a lot of things that are new for me and taking a lot of risks that I haven’t done before. This work was developed in a completely non-linear way. It felt as though each section of the work was a piece of grass that all grew up at the same time — blooming simultaneously, slowly. Because of this, I’ve had to approach the work in a more patchwork style.
Another thing that is different about this work is that there's an 8 to 10-minute film that exists within the piece. We came to a point where we had done all the magic we could do within the stage space, but it still felt like we needed more magic to continue the story — we chose to do that through film. It was interesting to try to stay consistent with ideas, themes, and concepts because we filmed the video over six months ago. Throughout the editing process, I had to ask myself, “How does this film sit in the middle of this bigger idea, and how can I bridge the gap between the live performance and the film to make it one fabric?”
Us: In the show description, it says you blend ambient sounds with pop music throughout the performance — what made you want choose that specific sound range, and how does the use of sound help shape the dancers’ journey?
Halley Willcox: I love to use a pop song! Doesn't everyone love a pop song?!
In this piece, though, we do have a couple of callbacks to Britney Spears. It’s an intentional and subtle way to shed light on Britney's story regarding her potentially losing some of her rights as an individual and then regaining them. Which I feel ties into some of the framework of the words “glitter” and “doom” — there's hope on the other side.
There are also musical tracks by some of my friends who are artists. One of my friends did the sound for most of the film. She's amazing. And then there's a very amazing DJ named Peely who helped do some of the mixing and arrangement for the solo section.
Us: Similar to BBD, you are based in a growing arts community in the West. How does this experience influence Methods of Madness Dance Theater and the art you create?
Halley Willcox: I'm really influenced by my community in Phoenix and inspired by everyone who is doing their own thing. So many people are making individual work, and everybody really shows up for each other. With the nature of a sprawling city, it can be challenging to feel as tight as somewhere like Missoula, but there are pockets of communities. I also really appreciate the amount of socio-political work that comes out of Phoenix. It's really prevalent, and everyone has their own approach.
Us: Is there anything you’d like to add that we haven’t touched on that you’d like to share?
Halley Willcox: This is our premiere of Glitter & Doom! We're super honored to get to do that here in Missoula, and to be doing four shows. We’ve put a lot into it
Coming up, we're looking forward to doing a show at the Scottsdale Performing Arts Center. It's part of a show called Homegrown. And we'll be showing a 35-minute excerpt of this piece there. And then in the summer, we're doing a split bill in New York City with Chris Bell Dances. And then in August, we are doing the full-length, whole shebang with all the bells and whistles at the West Stage at the Herberger Theater Center at the end of August. And that will be a split bill with another local artist in Phoenix, that is not yet been announced.
Glitter & Doom is presented as part of our 2025|2026 season at the Westside Theater, February 27-March 1, 2026. Click to reserve tickets.