The Content of DADA: The Content is In the Observer

Posted by DCA Theater on November 24, 2008 in July-December 2008 Season, SOIREÉ DADA: SCHMÜCKT DER HALLEN

Written by Don Hall

We opened our show this weekend and it was fantastic.

Friday night, the crowd exceeded the capacity of the venue and, in tandem with the beautiful venue, the large cast that is ever changing, and the burning question of whether or not a show about Christmas through the cloudy lens of neo-DADA nonsense would - you know - work, things turned out excellently.

In terms of the artistic process the theater-blogospherium is constantly nattering about, I almost always wonder if a show I’ve directed will fall flat with a live audience or not. I can only direct what I like and what speaks to me and cross my fingers in hopes that there are other like-minded people who will see the same thing as I do. I am constantly tweaking things in my head and then on stage and at some point I have to stop and just let the goddamn thing breathe it’s own breaths and grow.

After the show, the DCA folks threw us a nice little reception and the requisite post-show banter issued forth.

Many from that opening night audience were pleasantly dazed and it seemed that most stuck around. I’m not much for the after-party scene - I tend to grab a beer and go hide until everyone has left - but I forced myself to speak to a couple of friends before I crawled under the stage.

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The Relentless Taskmaster That is Anti-Art

Posted by DCA Theater on November 20, 2008 in July-December 2008 Season, SOIREÉ DADA: SCHMÜCKT DER HALLEN

Written by Don Hall

The founders of DADA flamed out in only a couple of years after beginning the movement. There was plenty of blame thrown around at the time: infighting for credit, positioning individuals to become THE voice of DADA, a sense of purposelessness when the Great War did not end the world and a return to, at least temporarily, international common sense all had a hand in fracturing that group.

I have another log to throw on that fire.

Perhaps they just got tired.

As we gear up for our sixth soireé in twelve years, one thing among the many personal reactions that shines through is that DADA is hard. I’m not complaining, mind you. I can’t think of anything I find more inspiring or darkly wondrous than the act of furiously trying to communicate ideas through the convoluted prism of nonsense and dissonant imagery, filled with anger and amazement and sarcasm. I loves me some DADA.

No. Not complaining.

But DADA is a real backbreaker to navigate.

The cast of Soireé DADA: Schmuck die Hallen, like the casts of the five soireé‘s before, have bent over backwards to accomplish the artistically impossible and are like watching a strange act of unnatural nature. They injure themselves to create the moments I orchestrate for them. They bruise themselves in the Abandon All Restraint approach to whisper, bang, scream, sing, and fling themselves across the stage like insane ragdolls intent to squeeze out every last drop of creative energy they have.

And then they go to work and live their days and come back at night to do it all over again.

I stand in amazement every time I see it happen.

I would claim that of all performance media, of all theatrical genres, DADA is the most taxing and most difficult. Give me a script that makes sense and the intent is clear. Give me a poem comprised of the “words” sipita, CANK, rumlumlum, and challenge me to make those words communicate my distrust of government officials while wearing clown white and a vaudeville suit and the gauntlet has been thrown. I will likely never solve the problem and will bust my a** trying to for a long time.

There are those who question the very DADA-ness of what we do and to those who think they have a bead on what DADA is I say:

DADA ist wie DADA.
DADA is what DADA does.

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SOIREÉ DADA: SCHMÜCKT DER HALLEN: Post Your Review

Posted by DCA Theater on November 17, 2008 in July-December 2008 Season, SOIREÉ DADA: SCHMÜCKT DER HALLEN

November 21, 2008 — December 21, 2008
Storefront Theater
Presented by WNEP Theater

Bringing DADA sentiment to the holidays, WNEP Theater deconstructs the holiday season only to use creative freedom and the human imagination to rebuild it. In this highly original presentation, the largest Soirée Dada cast ever will continue to confront the audience with irrationality, chance, and humor, offering (and occasionally forcing upon) their guests the opportunity to participate on an active level. There will be a tree and presents, too.