Portrait of the artist as a dead man

From The Catamounts, The Estate Sale is an intriguing peek into one man’s life through the things he left behind

The Estate Sale — presented by The Catamounts in collaboration with Brad Ramsey — offers an exceptional experience for theatergoers interested in immersive theatrical performances. Written and directed by Josh Hartwell, it is currently being staged at the People’s Building of Aurora on East Colfax and is exactly what the name implies – an estate sale of the property belonging to the deceased, Gregory Loomis, a painter and visual artist. As with any estate sale, everything is available for purchase at the conclusion of the run, including his artwork.

A small group of around 10 people is greeted at precisely the appointed hour by the sales agent. At the performance I attended, the sales agent was a robust woman with glowing silver and white hair. There was no further introduction or indication of who she might be, other than the agent for the Loomis sale. It is my understanding that there will be different agents at different performances. From the outset, the agent made it perfectly clear that she knew very little about Gregory Loomis or the treasures to be found beyond the entrance to the space.

For the next hour, we are ushered from room to room of the home belonging to Gregory Loomis, thus beginning our introduction to his life. Each room is appointed appropriately from the library to the kitchen to the bedroom. The library is complete with a piano and portrait of a young Loomis along with an easy chair and plenty of books. In the sitting room, we are offered a moment to reflect upon our discoveries, aided by a beverage of our choice.  We then moved into the gallery of Loomis’s artwork and finally, we hit the kitchen and bedroom.

One stop worth mentioning is Loomis’s workshop and creative den. His artwork was both fascinating and at times slightly shocking. Along with abstract paintings, Loomis created dioramas using discarded sardine cans as the frame. He also found multiple uses for discarded baby doll heads and had hundreds of them tucked away for future use. Loomis seemed particularly fond of bejeweling objects for a pop of color and increased visualization. Again, there were lots of clues into the life of Loomis found beneath the surface of the workshop including a canceled check for supplies from Georgia O’Keefe, the artist.

But it is important to realize that much of the information to be gleaned about Loomis is beneath the surface. Small notes are tucked everywhere as if they were torn pages from a diary, and handwritten letters from various people — including his mother — are scattered about, providing additional clues as to who Loomis was. As the hour progressed, the group that I was with began to compare notes about the life of Loomis, sharing tidbits of information discovered at each stop.

Immersive theatre may be an acquired taste for some people. After all, it calls upon the dedication of the audience members to participate in the presumptive reality that is being created by the collaborators. For true success, audience members must be willing to roll up their sleeves and dig deep into what is being presented. The Estate Sale fits the bill as an intriguing behind-the-scenes look at an estate sale, and more importantly the life of Gregory Loomis.

Listen to the audio version of this review