Fame or Famine » Miming

Things I Wish I’d Seen #4367: Bread and Puppet Theatre

Fri, 30 Mar 2007 18:39:05 +0000

Guess who was in Madison this week? The Bread and Puppet Theatre. Guess who had to work both nights they were here? Me! Grf.

At least I just got hired to be stage managing the upcoming UW-Madison Dance Department Anniversary Gala (my alma mater). Hopefully some good interviews will come of it.

Meanwhile, a blast from the past: the Bread and Puppet theatre from before I was born:

Tags: bread and puppet theatre, political theatre, activism, Madison, UW-Madison, Dance

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Jerome Murat: Old Tricks for a New Medium

Fri, 15 Dec 2006 14:01:07 +0000

Even at the height of my most technological performing days, with computers and global hookups and heavily effected video, I also would periodically grab my guitar, or my three juggling balls, and hang out on the corner at the Madison Farmer’s Market and busk. Why? To remind myself–and reassure myself–that it’s not about the props, it’s about the performance. To try and remember that I’m coming from a long and venerable tradition of performance that stretches back further than recorded history, to dancers moving in the flames of the fire and wood pounded on skin and the pure joy of catching something you’ve tossed up into the chaotic trajectory of the air.

Which is why I love this video clip, gotten via Shanmonster (who is herself one of my favoritest people I’ve never met). I’d recommend checking out the full-size clip on DailyMotion, but it’s here, too, if you’d rather:

jerome murat
Uploaded by segalier

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Speaking of performers you’ve never heard of…

Fri, 20 Oct 2006 03:11:36 +0000

This Onion cartoon, given to me by a friend, really cracked me up:

Why? You don’t get it? That’s ok, most don’t. But did you like Loony Tunes? Tom & Jerry? How about "A Fish Called Wanda", or Monty Python, or…or…the fact is, the Commedia dell’Arte is the root of all Western comedy. And some Eastern, as well, but not so much.

The Capitano, Scaramouche, was always my favorite–a bombastic warrior full of fake bravado who was full of tales of heroism but always seemed to disappear when the actual foe appears. The Dottore was also a fun one, full of quack remedies and circular logic and a tremendous appetite for sausage.

It’s ok that you don’t know who they are. They do live on, anyway.

Tags: fish called wanda, commedia, comedy

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