During a performance at the Great Wall of China, he recalled, he had a quick coffee break. “I went backstage and saw these young soldiers that had been guarding the venue, all asleep on the floor with their guns cradled beside them.” SLEEP requires surrender, and, like all animals, humans only sleep when they feel safe. “It’s an intimate experience,” says Richter. “I wasn’t expecting this when I wrote it, but it’s the community aspect. All these strangers come together into an unfamiliar space and decide to trust one another and be vulnerable.”
