|
16-20 February 1982, The Arts Centre Quad and Southern Ballet Theatre
Under the name Scheisse Theatre, the company presented three plays by Dada and Surrealist artists. It was presented at the Southern Ballet Theatre in the Arts Centre.
"They are works originating in 1920s Paris with its post-war decadence, its profusion of experimental artists and its outpouring of anarchistic, anti-establishment statements. The production is the outcome of a Canterbury University holiday project in experimental theatre, run by Mr Peter Falkenberg, a lecturer in the German Department". 
|
ReviewsTristan Tzara invented the nihilistic Dadaist movement, during what could only have been a schizophrenic aberration, in Zurich in 1917. Dadaism is - or was, for it is dead as a dodo now.... bears no relation to life, not even to the lowliest amoeba, and aims only to confuse the spectator and torment him with screaming boredom.... Nearly an hour of this pretentious gibberish is too much to ask any reviewer to sit through and survive.... But since it achieves the author's intention I suppose the play may be said to have succeeded.... After more than an hour of frustration and boredom I grabbed my cap and escaped into the wholesome night air... The Scheisse Theatre Group, a relative newcomer to Christchurch's theatre scene, has grasped the nettle.... Each of the three plays offers different challenges to the audience and together provide a sustained and vivid tapestry.... All three plays were full of innovation - there were ideas everywhere. The use of nudity to sensitise and underscore the intensity of "The Mirror Wardrobe" was courageous and effective. Lighting was adventurous.... The diversity and range of talents made for a demanding yet enervating evening, well worth the risk of experiencing interpretive modern dadaism. ArticlesThree plays by Paris authors
Jocelyn Johnstone, The Star Three Plays by Paris Authors The Press Surrealism due on stage unspecified publication |
