Although mime theatre stands strong as a single discipline, this art, like all the performing arts, has been the basis for unique blends with many theatrical expressions that have evolved over the last 25 years. In combination with dance, film, opera, music, and theater projects, mime has provided a fundamental vocabulary for physical expression that has enhanced the development of new theatrical concepts. Movement theatre, dance theatre, physical theatre, and often contemporary opera each have utilized the option of suspended movement, gesture depiction, tableau, slow motion, and other language of the body often visible in mime theatre. The evolution of theatrical concept is constantly struggling to find appropriate labels that accurately describe a theatrical form, but in the end the physical theatre is simply one with which the body is the vehicle of communication.

During the 1980’s and 1990’s, Johnson was preoccupied with the experimental procedure of combining mime with film projection, dance, and original music. The stage space was transformed to include rear screen projection, and in essence broadened the possibilities of the performers and the space they occupy on stage. An ambitious and expensive project, Seg way began with positive reviews at the Arizona premiere in 1994 and was stifled by unfortunate reviews in Chicago in1996. The important aspect is not critical acceptance or audience popularity, but the effort to stretch artistic expression, to expand the boundaries of what is possible and to push imagination into a larger arena. For an art or artist to grow, there must be the effort and risk to create something new, to try something that hasn’t been tried, to explore and experiment. The critical success of this effort is irrelevant, although positive reviews and positive evaluations obviously feel better. The education provided by the process is invaluable to engendering growth and perspective.

Seg way is a play about dreams and self, a symbolic journey about the pursuit of dreams and reality as the performers constantly exchange places between the stage space and the film space. A film engineered by Johnson under the guidance of Hollywood filmmaker Michael Rae and producer Suzanne Johnson of Azanne Productions (now Gnosis Ltd) depicted the dream element in the performance. Dancers Melissa Lowe, Jory Hancock, John Sarabia and Sabrina Vasquez collaborated on the premiere in Tucson. Choreographer Wilfredo Rivera provided the dance choreography for the Chicago production, and was recast with Sabrina Vasquez, John Sarabia, Cheryl Mann, and Daniel Burr. All talented artists, the rewrites for the Chicago production reflected the ideas and imagination of the cast and choreographer, a true collaboration. Gary Boggess provided a brilliant sound score for the production, and his composition is available on CD. Phil Stevens added additional sound designs and composition to the production. Lighting design was ingeniously provided by Don Darnutzer, no easy matter where stage and film combine in live performance. Seg way film excerpts have won awards at independent film festivals in the experimental category.

In January 2000, Johnson collaborated with Sabrina Vasquez, Rick Wamer, and Stephen Chipps to create ‘Alice’, a multi disciplinary children’s theatre project based on Alice in Wonderland. Presented by the Cave creek School District at the Desert Foothills Fine Arts Center in Arizona, ‘Alice’ was a production that cast 80 children and people from the community, explored the use of mask, movement, film and dance in a play about self discovery. The keen talent of Stephen Chipps with designing masks and the writing/choreographic skills of the four authors combined to create a work that experimented with new directions in children’s theatre.

Alithea Creations continues to stretch, direct and invent as it continues into the third decade since its inception.