Pointless Theatre at Transformer asks if this is democracy’s last hurrah? – WCP
In this action-packed election year, there seems to be no shortage of political theater, and concerns about the future of the United States are at a boiling point. A multi-faceted project by Pointless Theatre Co. at the Transformer, The last hurrah for democracy?confronts these campaign concerns and the decline of American institutions head-on. Part gallery exhibition, part art workshop, and part performance, the collaborative project will culminate in a participatory parade around Logan Circle on September 7, representing the death and possible salvation of democracy.
Transformer – Managing Director and Artistic Director Victoria Rice approached Pointless Theatre with the idea of addressing ongoing political anxiety with a democracy parade. The theatre group was excited to implement the idea.
Pointless Theatre has long based its performances on puppetry. “The shows we have created blur the lines between: is this a puppet show, is this a dance piece, is this a concert?” says founding member Scott Whalen. The company can now add gallery exhibitions to the list, too, as Transformer’s walls are filled with props, puppets, masks and other ephemera from past Pointless Theater productions. Whalen describes it as “kind of a retrospective of our work to familiarize the community with some of the things we’ve done in the past.”
In the coming weeks, those works will be swapped out as Transformer becomes a studio where plans for the parade are drawn and pinned to the walls and new puppets and posters are created. Transformer artists using the space for their works is nothing new, but it’s unique for the public to not only get such an up-close look but also have a chance to get involved. From noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, the artists will work in the space, and anyone can stop by and contribute—a hands-on approach that reinforces the idea of participation in democracy. Inexperienced artists shouldn’t shy away from getting their hands dirty. “Most of what we’ll be building, we’ll be using very simple techniques and simple materials that anyone can use to sculpt,” Whalen says. Transformer will also host workshops specifically on puppet building and handling, and do some test runs of the procession.
If U.S. democracy is often referred to as the “great American experiment,” then the workshop is something of a mad scientist’s laboratory, where anyone is welcome to shake something up in a test tube. Organizers hope that attendees will not only take some papier-mâché or paint to work on some puppets, but also hang out, chat, and contribute their own ideas and thoughts on the possible demise of democracy. There’s a rough outline for some of the parade narrative so far, but much of the proceedings will be thought out in real time.
“How do we visualize these things that we’re afraid of losing, or that may have already been lost in the current state of democracy?” Whalen asks. “What exactly these images represent is something we’re still finalizing as a creative group in terms of the order.”
So far, the pastiche includes aspects of a political cartoon brought to life, a series of images with an American touch, and influences from the European avant-garde that Pointless has also used in other projects.
So why use puppets as a means of analyzing political issues and democratic debates?
“With puppets you can do things that you can’t do with people,” Whalen explains. “With puppets you can create a tableau. You can say and show things that you couldn’t necessarily do as an actor or speaker.” Puppets and faces of politicians are often used in protests – think of statues of Hugo Chávez or the inflatable rats at union demonstrations. It also brings some much-needed lightness and levity to the conversations that hint at the end of the world.
“If the death of democracy is a potential, what might that look like?” asks Whalen. “How do we bring some kind of hope into this?”
The last hurrah for democracy? runs until September 7th at the Transformer and ends with the parade, which begins at 4 p.m. transformerdc.org. Free.
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