 FOR
THE 2007 bUFFALO iNFRINGEMENT fESTIVAL
THE EXCEPTION AND
THE RULE
by Bertolt Brecht
July 29 - August 5,
2007
"The most colorfully visible and audible face of the
[infringement] festival this year."
Geoff Kelly, ARTVOICE MAGAZINE 8/2/07
click here to read this review
"The sizable audience, it turned out, loved the
hour-long show and followed it... to eight separate locations."
Colin Dabkowski, BUFFALO NEWS 7/31/07
click here to read this
review
"One of the sweet triumphs of the Infringement
Festival... Director Schneiderman has energized a somewhat stiff script into a
multifaceted and compelling work of art."
Willy Rogue Donaldson, NIGHTLIFE MAGAZINE 8/6/07
click here to read
this review
For the third annual Buffalo "infringement"
Festival, Subversive Theatre was thrilled to present a street theatre version
of Bertolt Brecht's one-act masterpiece THE EXCEPTION AND THE RULE --
an elemental tale of exploitation, corruption, and injustice.
This roughly hour-long play shows the journey of one
oppressive "Merchant" and his over-worked "Coolie"
laborer as they trek across the fictitious "Jahi Desert"
somewhere in the Far East.
To enact this play's journey, our totally unconventional rendition
took audiences
on a quite literal journey through the streets, sidewalks, parks, and parking
lots of Allentown. THAT'S RIGHT! With each show our actors would
literally wend their way --
scene by scene -- through the very epicenter of the "infringement"
Festival with audiences following in our wake. Each performance began in Day's Park and ended several blocks
away on the steps of the Karpeles Manuscript Museum at the corner of North Street & Elmwood Avenue.
This experimental endeavor also incorporated mime, mask work, and
live improvisational music from a wildly costumed bohemian marching band.
Bringing together the daring of experimental theatre, the pathos
of interpretive movement, and the energy of an anything-goes marching band -- all bound
together by the radical words of Bertolt Brecht -- our rendition of THE
EXCEPTION AND THE RULE made for a vibrant spectacle and a totally
unprecedented theatrical experience. Enjoying rave reviews from the
press, this project was undoubtedly one of our most truly
"subversive" productions!
Here's the rundown on who did what: Director
. . . . . . . . Kurt Schneiderman*
Stage Manager . Jeanette Schneiderman*
Music Director . . . . . . . . . . Patrick Cain
Costume Designer . . Patricia Armstrong*
Choreographer . . . . . . Monica Karwan*
Graphic Design . . . . . . . Matt Clabeaux*
House Manager . . . . . . Michael Fanelli*
The Coolie . . . . . . Leonard Ziolkowski
The Merchant . . . . . . . . . . Travis Taber
Guide/Ensemble . . . Hasheen DeBerry*
Judge 1/Ensemble . Patricia Armstrong*
Innkeeper/Ensemble . . Anthony Tyrpak
Widow/Ensemble . . . Monica Karwan*
Judge 2/Ensemble . Marshall Maxwell*
Judge 3/Ensemble . . . . Briana Jernigan
Caravan Leader/Ensemble . Kevin Cain*
* = members of the Subversive Theatre Collective
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