Anthony Black at UNder the Radar

In January, I had the honour of bringing my one-man show to the Under The Radar festival, presented by the Public Theatre, and curated by Mark Russell. We spent two weeks there and saw roughly half of the 20 shows the festival had to offer.

Here is how the festival describes itself on its facebook page:

UNDER THE RADAR is a look at new theater on shuffle mode - examples from around the world and the U.S. that spotlight artists ranging from emerging talents to masters in the field. The festival is a wild mix of works by ensembles, solo artists, writers, and creators. UNDER THE RADAR will offer a crash course in theater that is exciting, independent, and experimental, created by some of the most dynamic artists working today.

I think this description is apt. The program is certainly diverse in artistic form, intent, and execution. I mostly appreciated this diversity. I saw a staging of a song cycle comprised of verbatim text; the reinterpretation by Anne Bogart of a Martha Graham choreography, performed by a mixture of dancers and actors; a solo puppet and ventriloquism performance depicting the most violent and perverse acts I've ever seen represented, with the performer foaming at the mouth; a spoken-word performance trying to solve once-and-for-all the problem of racism in America; a Polish interpretation of a Brecht play with young attractive performers in their underwear (who periodically foam at the mouth); a hand puppet re-enactment of the Apollo 11 moon landing; a marionette re-telling of a Faustian American tale; a dramaturgical mash-up of Chekhov; and neuro-science, and a play about a guy doing short performances for small audiences in his basement apartment.

Artistic trends were not that evident (a testament to the diversity of programming). Sure, there was a fair bit of puppetry, and, yes, foaming at the mouth. But the festival really didn't hone in one area of practice.

There was however, a trend in many of the American Shows in the program, what I began referring to as "Americans talking to Americans about what it is to be American." As a foreigner, and particularly as a Canadian, I was amazed by this obsession with national identity. It seemed so... well, foreign. But also, so earnest, so confident in its importance and potential, so lacking in irony. I don't pass any judgement on this; rather, I just want to note how different it was from my Canadian sensibility and area of artistic interest.

I do want to reflect a little further on a show from France that has stuck with me more than anything else in the program.

L'Effet de Serge is the piece about a man, Serge, who on Sunday evenings, puts on Notes for a very small audience, a very short, awkward, and only modestly impressive show involving lightly hacked electronics and generally set to music. For example, Serge drives a remote control car covered by a paper bag with a flashing light on top, around the room for about one minute for the benefit of a female friend. Her response is kind, if a bit baffled, as she musters the line, "I liked the light".

The line is typically spare. There is not a lot of text, and the text that there is is very banal. As serge welcomes his guests, he asks, "Would you like something to drink? I have wine, or some juice, or water." We're never really told who these people are to our protagonist, or what they get out of the event. We don't know whether they like the performances, or merely feel badly for Serge, whose existence seems so lonely. The climax of the show involves Serge's largest audience (roughly 8 people) watching a display of battery-operated pyrotechnics deployed from two soup cans. After a technical glitch, and an interruption from the pizza delivery man, the pyrotechnic effect is executed, momentarily wowing Serge's guests, after which they have a bit of pizza and wine while chit chatting inaudibly to each other.

All of a sudden we see a community form around a piece of performance. One is left to wonder what is more important to them? The performance or the community? And what is more important to Serge?

And I am left to wonder why I loved the show so much, and why I can't stop thinking about it. I think it's because it put into focus the reality of we do in the theatre. We put on little shows that may dazzle momentarily, or not - shows that are awkwardly beautiful, in their limited way. These are seen by small numbers of people (relative to other media), and they serve as an excuse for people to eat and drink a bit together while giving them something to chit chat about, before returning to their other lives. L'Effet de Serge was  both unimportant and essential. Depressing and very comforting. Quotidian and sublime. For me it put the festival (and my own work) in perspective. It held up a mirror to nature. With so many shows trying so hard to be important and meaningful, L'Effet de Serge became so by showing the seemingly unimportant and meaningless. It was very humbling and very comforting. I've been thinking about every day since I saw it.

Anthony Black is artistic co-director of Halifax's 2b theatre company

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