National Theater of the United States of America has arrived and is loading up their show Chautauqua! as the opener of this year’s Out There festival of new performance works. In celebration, and honoring the spirit of NTUSA productions and MN state fairs, Summit has provided beer for the very first beer garden inside the McGuire theater.
Arrive early to the theater (doors at 7:15 pm) with your performance ticket and enjoy more than just a night at the theater. There is more to Out There every year! For more festival perks, check out the activities on the Walker calendar.
Thanks Summit!
See you there!
We’ve been going to the Out There series since its inception and this has to be one of the worst performances that’s been staged as part of it. Amateurish and boring. We endured 1/2 hour before leaving. It’s a good thing that so many locals were involved in the production so their friends could fill the McGuire and the free beer must have helped too.
Comment by Dave — January 10, 2009 @ 10:56 am
I attend enough performance art to have an educated opinion and it was absolutely horrible. I attended the Soap Factory’s 24hr performance art festival for longer then anyone in the city who was not a volunteer or artist. My thanks to Dave for speaking up because for some reason I thought no one else would bother. I was wondering why the audience was packed with geriatrics, and why the last time I was at The Walker for performance art ((The Builder Association) whom was previously so bad they had to preface the introduction to show with an apology for their last one)) it was called cutting edge but couldn’t have been for anyone under 65, and whose sole message was a condescending and patronizing reminder to be nice to people when we have video phones. I left after 40 minutes of constant slide show and history lesson read off of note cards. I thought it was a joke that was going to bust! I think whom ever is running the performance at The Walker must getting a little up there in years, and should be probably corralled over to The Guthrie for the spoon feeding. I mean are people wondering why Claude Wampler, the only real cutting edge performance artist The Walker has had in the last couple years (and I admit The Gobsquad were good if not kitsch and sophomoric, and Hey Girl! was amazing) took it upon themselves to insult Minneapolis audiences in Q&A? The bottom line is The Walker needs to stop slapping cutting edge and the future of performance art on anything they want and Wake Up.
Comment by Zell — January 11, 2009 @ 12:45 pm
I love this message board as a forum of emotional release following the often tense experience of processing a live art experience. I enjoy being \reactive\ and I have great investment in my responses (positive AND negative). I feel differently than the two gentleman above, but I appreciate their standard.
I found the show a bit cautious on opening night… But I did enjoy it a lot. There was a lot of take delight in, including the intellectual discourse at the heart of the genre they were commenting on. Many of the lectures wore out their welcome and induced sleep (I love performance, but I will nod off in a dark room on a week day evening). I liked the TB Walker lecture, but the map expert was a bit over wrought. But this was forgivable due to the joy they took in their message and James Stanley’s heartfelt performance at the center of the piece (I love piece that close with a group sing). A great dance sequence was a nice closer.
However, four days later, I feel little shortchanged and I wonder if a more immediate experience (and lest restful experience) could have been provided another company… (a local, West Bank based company perhaps?)
Comment by Scotty Reynolds — January 12, 2009 @ 2:08 am
I found the show quite enjoyable if sometimes a bit drawn out – maybe you can attribute this (the enjoyment) to me being a member of the aforementioned geriatrics. We attended the opening night and this being a commissioned work I was left wondering whether the piece had ever been tried with a life audience – I doubt it, too many kinks were still there.
Enjoyable? Yes. Out there? No way, not even for the provincial Minnesota audience mentioned above.
Comment by John Minn — January 12, 2009 @ 8:40 pm
Sorry. I was just so mad.. that it slipped. I know theaters have bad years but it just seems like they’re getting suckered, rubbing elbows, or something. Last year they brought in several international performance artists. I don’t know why – maybe this year all the best shows are from this country or maybe they just want more money.
Comment by Zell — January 12, 2009 @ 8:55 pm
Well kiddo, have you seen any of the other performances? You seem awfully quiet after all this emotion.
Last night’s performance by Tim Crouch was out there, at least the first part in the gallery – the second part, in the auditorium was too predictable. (I can’t find a place to comment on that show specifically, there is no blog for it out there). Now the reception afterwards, that reminded me a bit of one of those office birthday parties, in a conference room – guys, keep it “out there”, in the bar, we need a bit more of an edge.
My date suggested that this more conservative, risk managed style of “Out There” could be entirely intentional, along the lines of Philip’s new hairdo – performance art brought to you by your trusted accountant for all you trusted accountants.
Off the wall of
John Minn
Comment by John Minn — January 23, 2009 @ 3:45 pm
Lol. I love it! Now I’m kiddo/ I answered all the posts to me already. That got it out for me. I admit I did want to see Crouch’s England, and I almost went but going on how bad the 1st one was I skipped it. Somehow I felt $25 for an hour performance was a better than for two one if I was risking it being that bad, and when it’s at The Walker and it’s bad it’s so much more frustrating than a movie because you wonder, “Is this it? I mean all those art grants! All those performance artists! And this is supposedly the best there is? From America? From the WHOLE WORLD?” One is reminded of all the fake independent movies that decorate Hollywood Video that can only be the product of execs somewhere doing cocaine and shaking hands when meanwhile there are tons and tons of actual independent MOVIES that get made and never released there or even on Netflix. I don’t think it’s intentional or fueled by cocaine as much as I think it’s the citadel of art. These people want to dictate our programming. I remember when I FINALLY saw the British Film and Television Advertising Awards and all I could think is, “These are NOT the best commercials. These were probably all made by the same hippy!” 90% of them were either an advertisement against child abuse, for amnesty international, or some other, and I’ll admit. worthwhile cause, but I was insulted. How is that for emotional?
Comment by Zell — February 1, 2009 @ 12:47 pm
Watch more backstage footage from Chautauqua!
http://blip.tv/file/1657749/
Comment by Michele Steinwald — February 28, 2009 @ 6:05 pm