Experience Theater Different in the City Different
Grottesco Productions
Theater Grottesco was founded in 1983 in Paris, France, by John Flax and Didier Maucort, former members of Minneapolis’ Theatre de la Jeune Lune and graduates of France’s Ecole Jacques Lecoq. Joined shortly thereafter by Elizabeth Wiseman, another Lecoq graduate, the company has worked with an evolving ensemble with a tremendous range of theatrical expertise.
Together they have created 18 full-length plays and over 50 shorter pieces, performed in 8 countries, 31 states, most major U.S. cities and hundreds of smaller communities
THE MOMENT OF YES! is a theatrical event about communication, creating common culture, the many propositions we receive each day, and the humor and humanity of the journey. How might two women and two men, devoid of any shared culture, negotiate the creation of society? Theater Grottesco’s poetic answer is an original devised work utilizing dance, theater, music, and twists on ancient theatrical styles woven together into a unique physical performance; relishing complicity and tracing the cracks along the way that reveal our flaws and ultimately, our shared humanity.
DIFFERENT is a structured improvisation. The company has been working for a year on ensemble, the foundation of Greek Chorus and Tragedy. They will recount an adaption of the story of Joan of Arc but without memorized text or choreography. Who tells each step of the story, how the details are added, and how the powerful Grottesco physicality weaves it into something that might be considered a musical composition is something that will be different every night and can only be experienced live.
This is a bold form of theatrical storytelling that most have never seen before. Longtime collaborator, Patrick Mehaffy, has delivered an adaptation of the Joan of Arc story with surprising twists and redemption. The ensemble has twisted it further.
Strange and unexpected connections to our lives and times leap from the stage in daring bursts, as the Grottesco performers fly without the net of memorized text and rehearsed choreography.
Originally entitled THE OTHER, set to open in mid-March, this is a companion piece to 2019’s DIFFERENT. Both are improvisations where fearless performers fly without a net held aloft by an invisible structure of physical and vocal ‘prompts’ along with stories they know but have not memorized.
THE OTHER celebrated a family of Buffoons summoned to entertain the King’s Court. Since COVID hit, our medieval buffoons are now contemporary pandemic isolators who have spent a little too much time alone. Each buffoon has filmed themselves in the safety of their own home. Together, they share a fairy tale about the son of a wealthy landlord who dreams of becoming King.
CONSIDER THIS... is a 60 minute romp through the pre-history of Western theater, from Greek Tragedy to Commedia dell’Arte, Clown, Buffoon, masks and more – theatrical styles rediscovered and developed by the celebrated Jacques Lecoq in Paris. Grottesco takes over where Lecoq leaves off, showcasing modern styles in the continuous development of the oldest art form on the planet.
PIE is a layman’s exploration of what happens when you don't know what to do next, inspired by the Carl Sagan quote, "If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe..." and the Kate Tempest poem Brand New Ancients, "Yes, the gods are on the park bench, the gods are on the bus, / The gods are all here, the gods are in us."
Grottesco’s take on these two brilliant fragments is a deeply relevant and moving journey across the universe, down the Grand Canyon and into a world of questions about societal pressures, identity, hopelessness, greed, and the toxic muddy trickle at the end of a once raging river. Grottesco uses its broad stylistic palette to create surprise and wonder as it holds up a mirror to the current state of the planet and its people while sneaking up on life’s great questions.
Created by the company and performed in a farcical, slapstick style, The Richest Deadman Alive! is the story of an average middle-class couple that accidentally discovers the road to riches. This hilarious, timely, and fast-paced comedy pokes fun at the universal human foible of Greed, and the extent to which people will exploit each other for cash.
In Action at a Distance, the actors take various roles in six different short ‘plays’ as they ‘pivot’ from one play to the next mid stream, and at different times from one another. Each actor must imagine the actions and speech of the imaginary characters with whom their own character is interacting in whichever play they happen to be in at the time. Simultaneously, each actor must NOT show awareness of those actors who are NOT in the same play as they are in at the moment, and who are likewise pivoting from one play to the next. Sometimes, actors are in the same play at the same time; most of the time they are not.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE LISA FAY AND JEFF GLASSMAN DUO
THE TRANSLATOR
The Translator begins with lecturer John Flax and his Spanish-language translator, Gonzalo Carreño. A comedic lecture-performance ensues, taking audiences on a journey through theatrical styles, pointing out that new styles emerge in response to the social and political climates of their time. Soon the once obedient translator, inspired by the flexibility and power of theater, goes rogue transforming the lecture-performance into a moving and humorous conversation about current issues for Latin American immigrants in New Mexico. The Translator calls for theater to resume its role as a mirror of contemporary culture and a continuously evolving creative art form.
Grottesco’s 12th Night deconstructs Shakespeare’s famous romantic comedy, slicing scenes and subplots, constructing new ones and transforming this beloved piece into a social comedy and then into a comic tragedy – a nation house adrift on a sea of decadence.
A dark clowning is the foundational style. Emotions are heightened with gestural dance, often times telling the truth on a text or character too frightened to face it. Shakespeare has the Duke pining with his head and heart, the love of the lower classes rocks the scenery.
Storm is an elaborate structured improvisational collaboration with Out of Context, a conduction orchestra. The project is a journey into the social paradigm that prevents the world (particularly the United States) from taking environmental action. Rather than shouting answers, Storm offers a glimpse of the chaos once experienced locally but now experienced globally. The production, created 10 years ago, includes a dozen musicians, 4 projectors, 15 writers and 2 actors portraying 6 characters.
SHORTS 5
Using a remarkable range of theatrical styles, SHORTS 5 is the theatrical equivalent of a collection of short stories or arias. It allows this award-winning company to work larger than normal, exploring characters and styles in a tremendously exciting format. This is the 5th collection of short works the company has presented since its founding in Paris 40 years ago.
This latest version of new works is anchored by two pieces: a deeper exploration into the physical Greek Chorus Grottesco introduced in 2019’s DIFFERENT. Susan Skeele leads this piece, creating a modern adaptation of the chorus and using original haiku poetry, contributed by audience members, to explore the place between life and death. The other anchor piece is the third chapter of Grottesco’s buffoon fairy tale, The King Without a Kingdom. Additional pieces are created by Danielle Reddick, John Flax and Koppany Pusztai.
In Grottesco’s world of physical theatre, ensemble is where the actors create moving imagery, like a dynamic painting. They come to know their fellow performers so well that the audience can witness the artistic equivalent of basketball’s no-look pass, an antidote for the age of individualism, and a reminder of the magical possibilities of working together and of live theatre.