The King Without A Kingdom Oct 22-25 Video: Lightningwood Pictures

We've challenged the Grottesco Ensemble to bring new short solo pieces to you on top of the regular look at excerpts from past shows. Today we have a piece by Susie Perkins. Hallelujah written by Leonard Cohen Performed by Susie Perkins Video filmed by Stacy George

“Isolation has a way of peeling away a person’s social filter. Which, at it’s most basic, is the buffoon. It’s an uninhibited creature of impulse and honesty, no matter the consequences. In this piece, I was just enjoying life without reigns, while making fun of some of my creature comforts.” -Koppany Pusztai

Four Robins Written and performed by Susan Skeele

We’ve had our noses to the grindstone trying to figure out the technology for streaming performances. In the meantime, please enjoy this short one person, safely shot, topical performance. #Commedia Dell’arte was the Western World’s most popular theatrical form from the 16th- 18th centuries. It started in Italy but spread throughout Europe. Shakespeare and Moliere revered the Commedia form, borrowed and stole what they could. The style likely began in the farmer’s markets where the competition was fierce. The farmers hired actors to draw attention. The actors were outdoors, they had to play big. They began using masks and developed a play that was way over the top—slapstick. And the people came.We imagine the actors got so good at it, that one day, one of them said: ‘we don’t need these stinking farmers anymore, let’s go be actors.’ They formed troupes. Each actor played the same character his whole life. Each troupe had a cross section of Italian society at the time. So they could go into any town, listen to the local gossip for a few days and then tell the story back to the townspeople. Of course, they’d get run out of town but they’d just go on to the next town. #TheaterGrottesco has spent the last 37 years working with classical styles, synthesizing the theatrical rules and architecture, and the spirit of the style to make it modern. Artistic Director, John Flax, has been playing this modern Commedia character, Jim, for probably 30 years. He is a contemporary archetypal expert. Commedia Dell’arte was a populist #theatrical style, a radical proposition in those times. It was designed to make the people laugh at those in power. #theater #theatre #devised theater #commedia Dell’arte