Somebody sent me an email kinda like this:
I’m gonna teach a class called NOW… planning to talk about fantastic, important, influential, weird stuff that has happened in the theatre in the last 10 years. My goal is to expose these students to much more than they usually get at the university. What do you think are the companies, performers, designers, performances that nobody should get out of the class not knowing
I spit out a list off the top of my head and it is this:
Young Jean Lee
Anne Bogart & SITI Co.
Chuck Mee
Soho Rep.
Nature Theatre of Oklahoma
Sheila Callaghan
Belarus Free Theatre
Cynthia Hopkins
3 Legged-Dog
Anne Kaufman
The Civilians
the Under the Radar festival
Adam Bock
Rude Mechs… and Will Eno (I don’t like him that much, but he’s really relevant.) same for Adam Rapp
People I don’t really dig, but …: Sarah Ruhl, Susan Lori-Parks
And the teaching of Paula Vogel.
So, what did I forget? How did I screw it up?
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Hmmm the people places and things to know that aren’t on your list?
I’d toss in
Will Power and Marc Bamuthi Joseph for the hip hop acumen
Mabou Mines for that Working Class Avant Garde
Rainpan 43 have been neglected sadly- great physical theater
Tricklock in New Mexico if only to see how you can not only make art where you live but how to create a world class international festival as well
In that vein i’d have them follow Scott Walters’ blog
How about the work of Rachel Chaivkin (sp?) with the Team and Three Pianos
Or Diane Paulus’ leadership of ART
Overseas- Dah Theater is pretty important, Tim Crouch in London
Damn, I totally forgot the whole hip-hop theatre movement. I guess you’d have to go with Will & Bamuthi for that.
The Royal Court should be on there.
I don’t know how significant they are in a larger conversation, but Lone Twin did one of my favorite shows ever. And Ten Thousand Things Theatre is a total inspiration.
Of course, I was trying not to make this just a list of my favorite things.
radiohole, witness relocation, elevator repair service, half straddle, ann liv young, our hit parade, the catch series, big dance theater, lisa d’amour, sarah michelson
mike daisy too
oh yeah and taylor mac
and: theater of a two-headed calf
for sure radiohole and ERS. punchdrunk in the UK.
I’m just going to piggyback on Ten Thousand Things, ERS, and Punchdrunk.
And…I think there’s something to be said of the networked theatre collective online…mainly #2amt. But that’s probably casting a wider net (but there’s nothing wrong with that).
I saw Miranda July’s traveling roadshow, and it was one of the most interesting things I have seen in years. I know she is more of a filmaker, but her show was really original and surprising theater.