The Denver Post: "As many theater companies retrench into the economic safety of familiar seasonal fare, Curious Theatre ventures forth into the thrill of the unknown.
While more than 30 area companies are readying safe, holiday-themed plays, Curious on Saturday opens 'Ameriville,' a form-bending, socially conscious new fusion of spoken-word poetry, hip-hop, jazz, comedy and politics.
'When theater loses the pulse of what its community really needs, that's when I think it has failed,' said Chay Yew, who is directing this piece written and performed by the nationally regarded Bronx-based ensemble Universes."
6 comments:
I'm sure the title of this article meant to suggest that the theater company was changing the vocabulary of american theater by dragging it into the 21st century but I found the language of this article particularly interesting. More interesting than how the company described their mission was how they were described as an oddity by the writer. Yew is right about keeping stories in tune with the modern audience. I'm surprised this warranted such shock from the writer.
This article brought up a very valid point that I agree with strongly. They describe it best with the example of A Christmas Carol. It is true that A Christmas Carol will sell out in every city that it plays in, but sometimes theaters fail to realize that would like to see other things. There are different type of theatre goers like there are different types of movie goers. They like to see a variety of things and theaters these days are failing a wide variety of them.
although i think its great that many theatres put on shows appropriate to the holiday season, its really refreshing to see that some theatres are pushing the envelope and believe that they should choose more meaningful productions than fluffy christmas musicals, etc. i completely agree with chay yew when he says "When theater loses the pulse of what its community really needs, that's when I think it has failed," and a politically/ socially conscious show like "ameriville" sounds like a great way to break up the monotony of cheesy christmas musicals
I really like that this company is showing something other than your typical holiday shows. Not that a Christmas Carol is bad, but you can only see that so many times before you get bored with it. I also think it's interesting that they are using so much spoken word and attempting to make it interesting for audiences, because I am definitely one of those people who wouldn't be able to stand that for a long time.
The theater company and group discussed in this article are doing two very interesting and important things. First, they are using theater as it is meant to be used as a tool for dialogue and discussion. A good show should create a dialectic with its audience, asking them questions and changing depending on their answers. It is OK for a show to make people angry, in fact, sometimes is means that it is a success. On the other side, not every show that makes you angry is a bad one, it shows that the performance is making you think. Secondly, the group is using a form that is uncommon in modern theater, modern music and popular culture influence. The show is using different ways of communicating in order to be more effective and reflective of the American culture today. I am really excited to see where this will head and if it will draw other groups and theaters along with it.
These concepts of breakout theatre troupes that are doing something outside the norm have been around for ages. Everyone wants to be different and fresh and new. I think its great that they are trying for something new, but if so many people are pursuing that as well, doesn't that make it the norm to try to be different? And I agree that many people are interested in the ways that theatre can be new and fresh, but these people seem to feel pretty snobby about it.
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