One annoyance of TBA this year has been that cute little old-timey announcement board in the hallway where the night’s show schedule is posted. At least three times now, I’ve shown up for a show that’s listed in the program and online as starting at 10:30 pm, only to find that damn board telling me […]
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Lagartijas Tiradas al Sol, Asalto al Agua Transparente: Simple and Relatable Foreign History
One mark of a promising theater company, to me, is the ability to do a lot with a little. Tackling a centuries-long, war-addled saga in a foreign language with a cast of two and a set comprised mostly of produce boxes? Yeah, I’d say that counts. Juan Leduc All right, I’m sorry to say it, […]
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Minuature Dramas at the Works
Pat Moran Last night’s Works two-part program Miniature Dramas actually started on time, an event I was so unprepared for that I unfortunately missed the first few minutes of Laure Heit’s charming set. Our photographer described it, aptly, as a resembling a live-action indie comic—hunched over her tiny world of paper cutouts, Heit told clever […]
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Ten Tiny Dances: Photos
We wrote about Ten Tiny Dances yesterday; over on the TBA blog, we’ve got some photos to go with the words. Pat Moran Yep, this is a dude dressed as Spider-Man dumping water on his head, what the fuck did you think happened at TBA? More right over here.
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Ten Tiny Dances: Photos
We wrote about Ten Tiny Dances yesterday—here are some pictures to go along with the words. Pat Moran Leita Kaldr’s chilly, introspective solo piece. Pat Moran Wired for sound, I think Renee Sills is technically a cyborg. Pat Moran Yep, this is a dude dressed as Spider-Man dumping water on his head, what the fuck […]
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Kota Yamazaki/Fluid Hug-Hug: In Praise of Shadows
Last night was the first and last performance of Fluid Hug-Hug’s Glowing. If you missed it, my apologies in advance: It would be a lot better to see the dance—it’s so much about the subtleties in seeing—than to read whatever recap I will muster about it. Check this out, at least: The majority of the […]
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Life Coaching, Heart of Darkness, and a Tiny Baby Goat
While the rest of you were all distracted with banal little events like MFNW and the (apparently awesome) Rose City Comic Con, your high-minded Mercury arts team has been steadfastly plugging away on our coverage of TBA, the city’s annual showcase of world-class performance art. Here’s what we’ve got: Amateur Life Coach Andrew Dickson spent […]
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Miriam: Confusion and Conversation
Chelsea Petrakis/PICA This is one of those TBA performances that will make you irritated and possessive with your time. Confusion, frustration, and disorientation: you’re apt to feel all of those. But that’s the point. Last night was the second and final run of the piece Miriam. I saw it Friday, and I’m still trying to […]
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Ten More Tiny Dances
They call it everyone’s favorite. Saturday night confirmed that: the Works was packed last night for Ten Tiny Dances (now in its tenth anniversary). If you could endure the long and annoying wait for the show to start, you’ll agree, it will probably be a standout of this year’s TBA—amazing in how a small platform […]
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Life Coach: The Math Problem
photo by Lord Blakely, via The idea behind Andrew Dickson’s latest TBA offering—following his performances about how to be an eBay PowerSeller and how to sell out—is, on the surface, pretty gimmicky: Dickson acts as a life coach for someone. Participation is free for both the audience and the pre-selected coachees; in a setup that […]
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Christeene: A Butt-Lickin’ Good Time
Pat Moran I’d never heard of self-described “drag terrorist” Christeene before TBA this year, and I wasn’t sure what to make of the videos I’d seen online, but last night’s performance was oddly uplifting. “Oddly” because, well, the show did in fact feature lead singer Christeene (the nom de drag of performer Paul Soileu) licking […]
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TBA: A Butt-Lickin’ Good Time
I’d never heard of self-described “drag terrorist” Christeene before TBA this year, and I wasn’t sure what to make of the videos I’d seen online, but last night’s performance was oddly uplifting. “Oddly” because, well, the show did in fact feature lead singer Christeene (the nom de drag of performer Paul Soileu) licking what I […]