Thursday, February 11, 2010
Attack Theatre is ready to strike in several popular art spaces
Post Gazette: "Michelle de la Reza and Peter Kope learned long ago that people don't have to come to the dance. They could take the dance to them, hence the name Attack Theatre. In the '90s they were two of the instigators that formed the East End Event, where residents literally opened up their homes to site-specific work. Visitors could find a cornfield in a living room or a brand new mural in a hallway."
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5 comments:
This seems like a great theater/dance company. It has two great qualities that are very important in performing. One is that by doing these shows in odd places and private homes, they are making their art accessible to many people who might not have seen them otherwise. The second is that this is an interactive theater piece. Theater is moving towards working as an experience, both for the performers and their audience. The exchange between the viewers and the dancers is essential to making a new, interesting piece of performance art.
While I have never seen any of their work, I have read a lot about Attack Theater. They are doing some very interesting work. They not only bring theater to places and people who would not ordinarily see it, but they are bringing it into life. As theater, like all art, is a comment on life, it should remain a part of our daily activities and experiences. Also, by making their work interactive, the company is making art more relevant and interesting to the audience. If it is not relevant, no one will care.
As a result of the important changes they are making to how theater is perceived, attach theater is creating a management challenge for themselves. As the article points out, it is going to be very interesting dealing with a new venue and environment every night, particularly with the improv. I think the idea of a "green room truck" is a very good one. It seems like they are looking to the traveling circus model with the various box trucks and trailers.
Attack, like Quantum, makes wonderful use of the spaces they work in. Although its great that they are "bringing the art to you" I think its more interesting on how they transform the spaces they are working in. The challenges they present themselves with logistically and management wise strengthens the versatility of the group, while at the same time creating a unique networking system that is their own.
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