OUR ENDEAVORS REVEALS THE MYSTERY OF EXISTENCE IN DAINTY SHAPES AND HAIRY APES, OR THE GREEN PILL
March 31 - April 18, 2004
DALLAS - Our Endeavors Theater Collective (OETC) invites you into the strange and exotic world of Polish avant-garde playwright Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz and his flamboyantly-theatrical play Dainty Shapes and Hairy Apes, or The Green Pill. This revolutionary and mysterious comedy involves sex, philosophy, and the pursuit of a higher state of being. Directed by OETC Artistic Director Scott Osborne and translated by Daniel Gerould, the Southwest Premiere of Dainty Shapes and Hairy Apes, or The Green Pill runs March 31 through April 18, 2004 in the Heldt/Hall Theater at The McKinney Avenue Contemporary, located at 3120 McKinney Avenue, Dallas. A Pay-What-You-Can Preview Performance is Wednesday March 31st and Press Opening Night is Thursday April 1st, with performances every Wednesday through Saturday at 8:00pm, and Sunday matinees at 2:00pm (no performance on Easter, April 11). Ticket prices are Pay-What-You-Can on Wednesdays, $12 on Thursdays, $18 on Fridays, $24 on Saturdays, and $8 on Sundays.
Written in 1922, and subtitled "A Comedy with Corpses in Two Acts and Three Scenes," Dainty Shapes and Hairy Apes, or The Green Pill centers on a battle waged between a savage pair of former lovers (the diabolical Pandeus and the demonic Sophia) for the soul of the play’s hero (the anguished and innocent Tarquinius). Characterized by its mocking and irreverent humor, it is written in a grotesque and caricaturish style built upon parody and irony. Dainty Shapes and Hairy Apes, or The Green Pill could best be described as "metaphysical-burlesque" or "supercabaret."
Told on the scale of a modern myth or cautionary tale, Witkiewicz’s nightmare-comic-fantasy demonstrates the risks of conformity and heralds the danger of sacrificing one’s own unique identity to the mob. More than eighty years after it was written, the play holds particular weight in today’s uncertain future. As American citizens are increasingly faced with ongoing mass hysteria resulting in the gradual erosion of our precious civil liberties, Dainty Shapes and Hairy Apes, or The Green Pill stands as a prophetic masterpiece that foreshadows revolution, societal collapse and the onslaught of totalitarian rule.
Known for his razor-sharp wit and outrageously extravagant scenes, Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz, also known as "Witkacy," wrote over 30 plays between 1918 and his death in 1939. Born in Warsaw in 1885, Witkiewicz was a radical critic of bourgeois society in the early 1900s and developed what is known as the Theory of Pure Form in art and theater. His style has been described as "metaphysical buffoonery" ..."presenting the sadness, boredom and despair of modern civilization with a spasmodic laugh". Witkiewicz, a Renaissance man of the avant-garde, was also a painter, photographer, aesthetician, novelist, art critic, and philosopher. Some have credited him with founding the Theatre of the Absurd long before the more well-known absurdist playwrights Ionesco, Genet and Beckett came onto the scene. The influence and historical significance of his prolific body of work is evidenced by the recently renewed enthusiasm of modern scholars and audiences alike.
"Our Endeavors continues to fulfill a unique purpose within the culture of Dallas by always keeping an eye towards innovation," says Director Scott Osborne. "In the past, we have pioneered new approaches to transcendent works by visionary artists such as Richard Foreman, Gertrude Stein, and now, S.I. Witkiewicz. Our audiences leave the comfort of their homes in search of escape and excitement. They come to the theater to be astounded, horrified and amused. They come for nothing less than to behold The Mystery of Existence. This time, as always, we shall not disappoint."
Dainty Shapes and Hairy Apes, or The Green Pill is a macabre, whimsical, and comedic melodrama that lends itself to innovative theatrical elements such as puppetry, stylized movement, and exotic visual spectacle. Acclaimed scenic designer and SMU Professor of Design Russell Parkman heads up the production team that includes OETC ensemble members Patrick Johnson (costume design), John Flores (sound design), and David Goodwin (puppetry). Award-winning choreographer Gary Minyard coordinates movement and fight sequences while OE favorite Tristan Decker returns to design lighting.
The formidable cast features twelve players, forty Mandelbaums, and seven puppeteers. Performers include Matthew Hutchens (as Tarquinius), Jeffrey Schmidt (Pandeus), and Lydia Mackay (Sophia). Also featured are Kristin Colaneri, Shane Hurst, Brad McEntire, Frank Mendez, Barry Nash, Gary Payne, and Meredith Rendell.
For more information about this production or to request an interview with the director or actors, please contact Patti Kirkpatrick at (214) 327-4001 or ourendeavors@hotmail.com. Additional information about OETC can be found at www.ourendeavors.com.
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