Don’t let Labor Day fool you. Summer is
not over yet. And to prove it, the Shakespeare Project is presenting
its first annual "Play Outside! Festival of Free Outdoor
Theater" from Sept. 4 through Sept. 26.
The festival headliner is Phillippe Petit, who achieved worldwide
fame for his high wire walk between the World Trade Center towers
30 years ago. Petit will perform his unique brand of street theater
– juggling, sleight of hand and improvisation – as his street
persona, the wild, witty and silent Lippo.
Other performers include the feminist Airmid Theater Company;
the Drilling Company, with its own version of "Two Gentlemen
of Verona"; Circus Amok, with its "Back to School"
show that explores Mayor Bloomberg’s educational reforms; Messenger
Theater Company’s first foray into children’s theater, "The
Adventures of Baba Yaga: Little Girl Stew"; A Pack of Idiots
presenting Christopher Durang’s classic "The Actor’s Nightmare,"
and his lesser known "Medea"; and American Theatre
of Harlem’s "Hal the Wit," an ensemble of teaching
artists who will introduce children and adults to interactive
stories of triumph and survival.
Scott Cargle is director of the Shakespeare Project, a company
that tours the city with one play each summer. This year’s festival
came out of his company’s desire to "take the summer off
and not actually produce anything and work on projects of our
own," Cargle told GO Brooklyn.
In the past the company has produced "Romeo and Juliet"
(their inaugural show), "Othello," and "Venus
and Adonis," one of Shakespeare’s long poems. One objective
of their program is reaching out to lower- and middle-income
communities.
"We still believe in reaching out to these communities,"
said Cargle, "but we thought we’d do other people’s shows
this year."
There was also a practical side to the decision.
"Many people don’t have money to rent a theater, but it
only costs $25 to get a park permit for four shows," he
explained.
One of Cargle’s favorite venues is Sunset Park, because it is
so heavily used.
"There are lots of people in the park and you always get
huge crowds. Most of the people are Mexican immigrants who don’t
speak English. When they don’t understand, they ask their children
to explain," he said. "Many of these people have never
been to the theater before. It’s not a tradition in small towns
in Mexico."
Cargle said that once he put out the word a host of companies
responded.
"I tried to find a real diverse and eclectic group of artists,"
he said. "I wanted visual companies that used puppets, movement
and masks. We don’t use amplification, so it’s important to keep
the performances visually interesting."
The program includes shows for both children and adults.
Messenger Theatre Company’s "The Adventures of Baba Yaga:
Little Girl Stew" is a contemporary retelling of a Russian
folktale about an old lady who flies around in a mortar and pestle
and lives in a house that walks around on chicken legs.
"Swetnam the Woman-Hater" will be presented by Airmid
Theatre Company, which was founded by Tricia McDermott in 2000
to produce classic work by women playwrights and also to provide
work to women playwrights, designers and directors.
"Theater is about social change," McDermott told GO
Brooklyn. "For women to survive economically they have to
have a place to work."
But Airmid Theater Company is also all about women’s perspective.
"’Swetnam the Woman-Hater’ is a proto-feminist play,"
said McDermott. "We feel it was written by a group of women
because of inconsistencies in the writing. It’s a Jacobean-style
comedy based on a true story."
First produced in 1619, at the Red Bull Theatre in London, the
play was written as a response to master swordsman Joseph Swetnam’s
pamphlet, "The arraignment of lewde, idle, forward and unconstant
Women." It is about a pair of star-crossed lovers, a possessive
king, an Amazon queen, and the place of women in society and
the legal system.
"We chose this play because of its physicality. We thought
it could stand up to an outdoor setting," said McDermott.
"There are disguises, sword-fighting and lots of comedy."
Circus Amok, as its name suggests, is for children of all ages.
But it also has its serious side.
"It’s political. It has queer sensibility. It’s hopeful.
It’s exuberant," said director Jennifer Miller, also known
as the Bearded Lady. Circus Amok combines traditional acts such
as acrobatics, stilt-walking and juggling with entertainment
not necessarily associated with the big top – big puppets, dance,
storytelling.
This year, the company, which rehearses in Park Slope and Bushwick,
has switched its usual schedule of free summer outdoor performances
from June to September to be under the umbrella of the Shakespeare
Project’s festival. But Miller assures her public that the circus
will keep the same political flavor it has maintained for 15
years (10 of those years outdoors).
"We will be talking about education. We will be talking
about the election and we will be talking about the war,"
she said.
But for the child in all of us there will still be rope-walking,
stilt-dancing, a mini-trampoline, a six-piece brass band and
juggling. Only, in Circus Amok style, the juggling will be performed
in drag by a group called The Liberty Sisters.
The Shakespeare Project’s "Play
Outside! Festival of Free Outdoor Theater" runs Sept. 4
through Sept. 26. Artists or companies that will perform in Brooklyn’s
parks include: Phillippe Petit, Airmid Theater Company, Drilling
Company, Circus Amok, Messenger Theater Company, A Pack of Idiots
and American Theatre of Harlem. For a complete schedule of Brooklyn
performance dates, times and locations, call (212) 479-7800 or
visit www.playoutside.org.
