SIX BAD ARTHOUSE PLAYS
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Directed by Joshua Drummond Apocalypse Lounge at Meteor Theatre, Hamilton From 4 Oct 2012 to 6 Oct 2012 Reviewed by: Brenda Rae Kidd; |
Like My Status by Arthur Whiteman.
Yogalogues: Some Curious Musings by Amber Crystal.
Don't Touch the Butter by Johan Spunkmeyer.
The Paark by Umlaut Seven.
Native Birds of New Zealand by Mark McMarkson.
A-CORD-dance by Gyna.
Teh Interwebs by Anonymous.
Six Bad Arthouse Plays grew out of the fact that all avant-garde theatre is actually really funny. It's usually unintentionally funny, which makes it considerably funnier. The funniest thing is, of course, is that the audience steadfastly maintains that nothing funny is going on. As soon as someone snorts, the game is up, and the audience spends the rest of the time trying very hard to maintain their po-faces and not collapse in giggles.
Six Bad Arthouse Plays is based on the bold premise that intentionally bad avant-garde theatre is indistinguishable from any other kind of avant-garde theatre. In acknowledging that it is, in fact, bad, it allows the audience to do something they're not usually supposed to do at an avant-garde performance – laugh. Plus, it allows some of Hamilton's most talented writers and directors the chance to be as weird as their imaginations and a hilariously low budget will allow.
Conceptualised and produced by Joshua Drummond, who is in semi-regular paid employment as a kind of village idiot at a number of major media organisations, (including the Waikato Times,) Six Bad Arthouse Plays is seven short plays that takes the proud tradition of avant-garde theatre, drags it out quietly behind the shed and shoots it repeatedly, in a manner that is simultaneously cruel, truthful, amusing and merciful.
Meteor
Thurs 4th, Fri 5th, Sat 6th Oct, 9pm
$10
The cast includes: Joshua Drummond, Louise Blackstock, Benny Marama, Stephanie Christian, Ross MacLeod, Bronwyn Williams, Brendan West, Emma Koretz, Dave Taylor, Mike Taylor, Tim Kapoor, Jono Carter and Clare McDonald