Goodie Goodie | REVOLUTION!?

REVOLUTION!?

by Gozan

Wed, Feb 24th '10

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CAMT NEWSLETTER
February 23, 2010
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REVOLUTION!?

Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre will return to NYC February 26 from Prague, where it has been preparing for its next production, "Revolution!?," a theater spectacle that examines revolutions throughout the history of mankind as a backdrop for the extraordinary peaceful 1989 Velvet Revolution in former Czechoslovakia. Theater for the New City, 155 First Ave. (www.theaterforthenewcity.net), will present the work March 4 to 21, 2010.

"Revolution!?," the brainchild of Pavel Dobruský (of Agentural Dell'Arte/Prague) and Vit Horejš, has been brewing over the last 18 months, including script development and a rehearsal period in Brno, Czech Republic last August and its final one-month residency in Prague over the last month. Both Mr. Dobruský and Mr. Horejš are émigrés, and this production reflects their personal experience and mutual interest in the Velvet Revolution and revolution in general. Dobruský and Horejš last collaborated on a Czech marionette version of "Hamlet" which was presented in 2007 on Jane's Carousel in DUMBO, Brooklyn.

"Revolution!?" will be performed in the tradition of Central European medieval street and traveling circus shows, using puppetry, object theater and circus arts. Czech and Czech-American theater artists will collaborate to offer their particular perspectives on the Velvet Revolution of 1989 and an overview of the very notion of revolution. Characters, live and puppets, will include Prometheus, Jan Hus, Jean Paul Marat and the "Cleaning Lady" who repeatedly mops up bodies and rubble. Dobrusky and Horejs will draw script materials from the Titanomachy (when the Olympian gods overthrew the Titans), the Agrarian Revolution (when organized agriculture started and animals were domesticated), the Spartacus Rebellion, the 15th century Hussite movement of peasants in Czech lands, the American, French, Industrial and Russian Revolutions; the Counterculture, the Computer Revolution and the Czech Velvet Revolution.

The ensemble rehearsing in Prague.

The play is written and directed by Pavel Dobruský and Vít Horejš. Set, costumes and lighting are designed by Pavel Dobruský. The performers are Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre members Theresa Linnihan, Ronny Wasserstrom and Vít Horejš, together with three guests from the Czech Republic: stilt walkers/perfomers Adela Jiracková and Sergej Sanza, and dancer Hana Kalousková.

Vit Horejs (co-director), an emigre from Prague, founded Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre in 1990, utilizing century-old Czech puppets which he found in the Jan Hus Church on East 74th Street. Pavel Dobrusky (co-director) was born, raised and educated in Prague. In 1983 he defected to Western Europe and in 1984 he moved to the USA. Now based in New York City, he works all over the United States and in Europe.

Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre appeared for the first time at Theater for the New City last season with "The Very Sad Story of Ethel & Julius, Lovers and Spyes, and about Their Untymelie End while Sitting in a Small Room at the Correctional Facility in Ossining New York." The company is excited to return to TNC, a venue which embraces new work and enables socially-engaged performances like "Revolution!?" to reach receptive audiences at affordable prices. "Revolution!?" will be presented by Theater for the New City as part of "Performing Revolution in Central and Eastern Europe," a performing arts festival marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of communism in Central and Eastern Europe, which is presented by The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts in partnership with key New York City cultural organizations and academic institutions.

Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre is a program of GOH Productions, a NYC based arts services organization. This event has been made possible in part with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts and the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs. Additional support comes from Trust for Mutual Understanding, Bohemian Benevolent and Literary Society, Puppeteers of America, Materials for the Arts and private donors.

WHERE AND WHEN:
March 4-21, 2010
Theater for the New City, 155 First Ave. (at E. 10th Street)
Presented by Theater for the New City with support from Agentura Dell'Arte and GOH Productions.
Thursdays-Saturdays at 8:00 pm, Sundays at 3:00 pm,
$10; Box Office (212) 254-1109; online ticketing available at: www.theaterforthenewcity.net

For more info go to website of Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre

gozan
Posts: 1

review of performance
Reply #1 on : Wed March 17, 2010, 20:36:12

"LONG LIVE THE REVOLUTION"

By Kelly Aliano, Offoff Online

Theater can be many things -- it can be an escapist evening of entertainment, it can speak about important social and political issues, it can raise serious and provocative questions, it can imbue people with a sense of hope. What is rare from a performance piece is that it be all of these things at the same time. Revolution!?, written and directed by Pavel Dobruský and Vít Horejš, is the epitome of the combination of all of these elements. It is at turns funny, poignant, relevant, and an all-around thrill to watch.

The play is a loose collection of scenes that all present different historical instances of political revolution. This idea, though compelling on its own, might not prove a source for great dramatic literature. But when paired with the best of performance aesthetics and techniques, the recipe it engenders is for brilliant and meaningful theater.

The piece opens with humor; a funny rendering of the little man being continually put down by the bigger one. From here, the journey the play takes us on is a fascinating one. The ensemble traces important revolutionary moments -- from Prometheus to Spartacus to the Boston Tea Party and beyond -- through the use of various performance elements. There is almost no text (and of the text that there is, much is not in English), but the stories come across loud and clear. We see these instances come alive through the actors' bodies, through the use of puppets, through song, dance, juggling, stiltwalking, and the like.

The lack of dialogue reminds the viewer about universals. Play this piece in any country, regardless of its mother tongue, and the narratives have the potential to be understood. Nearly every nation has faced a revolutionary struggle, be it a success or a failure, and nearly every human has grappled with the struggle for freedom from some controlling force. Performance is also a universal; we are all capable of being entertained by the same things. No matter our homeland, we all share certain bonds. These bonds can be used to enact great change.

This play depicts the human facing the worst of situations and finding ways to stand up for him or herself. The humans we see before us on stage evoke one level of this experience and the use of generic wooden puppets emphasize another. They are faceless, identityless personas, yet their manipulation on stage makes them seem to be unique individuals. When they are tossed aside or vanquished, the pain is still visceral. Their presence suggests the multitude of unrecognized individuals who fight for good in the world regardless of the long-term consequences.

Despite powerful and disturbing moments, this play also evokes delight and brings a smile to a spectator's face. There are individual visual images that are entirely unforgettable: the floor strewn with bodies that must be revived; a young woman writhing around a desk avoiding questions about the Russian Revolution; the final vision of the performers standing in solidarity, shaking their keys, about to change their nation's history.

Revolution!? leaves an indelible impression on anyone who bears witness to it. It is powerful material rendered in a most enjoyable manner. It shows us how powerful the individual can be when she stands with others. Change can, and does, come if people perform.