Bury the Dead
There was an interesting Global Anti-War Theatrical Event called Bury The Dead (www.burythedead.ca) on Sept. 19 that we missed in NYC, but that may continue, a la the Lysistrata Project. Below is an email from Donovan King, that I found interesting to share with the likes of NY Infringers. . .
Also, if anyone has any photos, documents or thoughts you'd like to share about the Infringement Festival past or future, please let me know. There is also the opportunity to INFRINGE AGAIN at anytime of the year.
Donovan's email below:
Hey Bury The Deaders!
Congratulations and thanks to all who participated! It is a pleasure to see theatre spread virally, and this 2nd international readings project (after the Lysistrata Project) will hopefully spawn many more. I would like to address Subversive Theater's Kurt's message below regarding the possibilities of expanding the theatre activism movement.
I couldn't agree more with Kurt that the more we inter-connect theatre activism across the globe, the better. I also agree that the dramatic alliance should not only be anti-war, but anti-oppression in general. it could target racism, imperialism, patriarchy, environmental destruction, and any other forms of oppression that are seriously screwing up our planet and dividing the human race. Ideally we need an organization that could link up all sorts of political theatres, critical artists, and culture jammers, who could then collaborate on larger and more sustained global theatre actions. One attempt we are currently making is the infringement movement:
http://infringementfestival.com/
We hope that these festivals will increase awareness about critical theatre and performance, all the while democratizing the arts and reclaiming culture. They also serve as a springboard for meeting and connecting with other critical artsits, and potentially can act as organizations that collaborate with others on global theatre actions.
There is also THAW (thawaction.org), where I sit on the Steering Committee representing international companies. It is true that THAW is mostly active in NYC and other anti-war hot spots (eg: Washington demo), but the organization is hopeful that other THAW chapters will form in other places. Generally THAW in NYC facilitates street theatre, stages a monthy showcase (Freedom Follies) of anti-war performances, and links up various anti-war theatre organizations across the globe, while promoting their projects.
In any case, I cannot say what the best model would be for Kurt's proposition, but I do encourage as much discourse as possible on the topic. What would happen if we built a global theatre movement that could theatrically respond in various ways, large and small, to various oppressions that exist? How might it be structured? How could we ensure its growth? What types of projects might we aspire towards? What strategies would we use? There are a lot of new theatrical and activist developments, and as the world rapidly globalizes, the theatre appears to be re-inventing itself. This is the topic of a thesis I recently wrote (http://www.optative.net/ebook.html), if anyone is interested.
One thing we did in Montreal was deploy dead soldiers to the US Consulate as a culture-jamming element of the reading. They demanded to speak with the Consul General, asking for answers as to why over 30,000 people have by now been killed in this invasion for oil. See(http://www.optative.net/burythedead.html). Pics & Vids will be up soon. I imagine the idea potentially spreading. Imagine if hundreds of the "dead" appeared at US Army Recruiting Stations? Or the White House? What if they stayed and kept vigil? It is just an idea, inspired by the play, but if it catches on it could hopefully put a major dent in the attitude that war is a necessary thing. My main point is that the more ideas out there and the more people involved in a global network of the nature Kurt proposes, the more likely it is that we will see the results of our theatre activism grow exponentially.Anyways, get in touch if you'd like to discuss any of these ideas. Thanks again to the organizers & players! It is great to read so many reports and ideas!
Donovan King, Artistic Facilitator
Optative Theatrical Laboratories (http://www.optative.net/)
"Art is not a mirror to reflect reality, but a hammer with which to shape it." - Bertolt Brecht
Also, if anyone has any photos, documents or thoughts you'd like to share about the Infringement Festival past or future, please let me know. There is also the opportunity to INFRINGE AGAIN at anytime of the year.
Donovan's email below:
Hey Bury The Deaders!
Congratulations and thanks to all who participated! It is a pleasure to see theatre spread virally, and this 2nd international readings project (after the Lysistrata Project) will hopefully spawn many more. I would like to address Subversive Theater's Kurt's message below regarding the possibilities of expanding the theatre activism movement.
I couldn't agree more with Kurt that the more we inter-connect theatre activism across the globe, the better. I also agree that the dramatic alliance should not only be anti-war, but anti-oppression in general. it could target racism, imperialism, patriarchy, environmental destruction, and any other forms of oppression that are seriously screwing up our planet and dividing the human race. Ideally we need an organization that could link up all sorts of political theatres, critical artists, and culture jammers, who could then collaborate on larger and more sustained global theatre actions. One attempt we are currently making is the infringement movement:
http://infringementfestival.com/
We hope that these festivals will increase awareness about critical theatre and performance, all the while democratizing the arts and reclaiming culture. They also serve as a springboard for meeting and connecting with other critical artsits, and potentially can act as organizations that collaborate with others on global theatre actions.
There is also THAW (thawaction.org), where I sit on the Steering Committee representing international companies. It is true that THAW is mostly active in NYC and other anti-war hot spots (eg: Washington demo), but the organization is hopeful that other THAW chapters will form in other places. Generally THAW in NYC facilitates street theatre, stages a monthy showcase (Freedom Follies) of anti-war performances, and links up various anti-war theatre organizations across the globe, while promoting their projects.
In any case, I cannot say what the best model would be for Kurt's proposition, but I do encourage as much discourse as possible on the topic. What would happen if we built a global theatre movement that could theatrically respond in various ways, large and small, to various oppressions that exist? How might it be structured? How could we ensure its growth? What types of projects might we aspire towards? What strategies would we use? There are a lot of new theatrical and activist developments, and as the world rapidly globalizes, the theatre appears to be re-inventing itself. This is the topic of a thesis I recently wrote (http://www.optative.net/ebook.html), if anyone is interested.
One thing we did in Montreal was deploy dead soldiers to the US Consulate as a culture-jamming element of the reading. They demanded to speak with the Consul General, asking for answers as to why over 30,000 people have by now been killed in this invasion for oil. See(http://www.optative.net/burythedead.html). Pics & Vids will be up soon. I imagine the idea potentially spreading. Imagine if hundreds of the "dead" appeared at US Army Recruiting Stations? Or the White House? What if they stayed and kept vigil? It is just an idea, inspired by the play, but if it catches on it could hopefully put a major dent in the attitude that war is a necessary thing. My main point is that the more ideas out there and the more people involved in a global network of the nature Kurt proposes, the more likely it is that we will see the results of our theatre activism grow exponentially.Anyways, get in touch if you'd like to discuss any of these ideas. Thanks again to the organizers & players! It is great to read so many reports and ideas!
Donovan King, Artistic Facilitator
Optative Theatrical Laboratories (http://www.optative.net/)
"Art is not a mirror to reflect reality, but a hammer with which to shape it." - Bertolt Brecht
posted by Brian@IFnewyork at 10:15 AM
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