The play ‘Tightrope’ was written between February and July 1996.
In September 1998 open readings were held in ‘The Muziekdoos’ in Antwerp/Belgium, where a group of performers was gathered.
The play contains 3 parts, and is about artists being brought to trial for their misbehavings and outrageous idea’s throughout the times, featuring Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso and more.
You can listen to the trial of Salvador Dali on the download page.
Tightrope as originally conceived consisted of :
– Act 1 – six contemporary dialogues, with 12 songs
– Act 2 – 12 trials with the songs acting in the artist’s defense
– Act 3 – a concert of 12 tunes
Tightrope was performed live on the Marc and the Wolfman show at the end of dec 1998 on Radio Centraal.
The first try-outs were in ‘The Tsjaplin’ in Deurne(Antwerp) by the end of may 1999, followed by ‘The Cartoons’ in Antwerp at August 5. The only full version of all 3 parts were done in The Tsjaplin, an event which lasted 6 hours and brought back memories of the 60’s…
A 2 hour version of he play was performed at the 1999 New York International Fringe Festival, where some of the original performers mixed with a local NY crew.
Quotes:
| “Ken Post and his travelling band of self proclaimed outcasts want more than anything to find a way to save America from itself and it’s odd brand of artistic oppression.”–David Roberts”The future”, the final section of tightrope is pure passion and pure fun. Pick That Lock is a wonderful song urging all of us to steal the future. Pelican Nights is beautiful.And the finale Baseball & Rock & Roll is an explosion of raw repressed energy which reverberates through the audience like a poet’s prayer. –David Roberts for Theatre Reviews Limited |
TIGHTROPE
“Travelling street performers reunite in New York City,
talk, sing, dance, get arrested, spend the night in jail,
dream about their heroes in a series of trial sequences
and are inspired to invent the future.”
Washington Square Park, NYC
INTRODUCTIONS – THE SONGS:
ARTIE – TIGHTROPE
CHARLIE – MOVE ON
BESSIE & CAMILLE
HENRY & GEORGIA
JACK & ANNIE – DON’T YOU WORRY MAMA
ARTIE & VINNIE
PABLO & SAL – THE TEASE
ISADORA – SNOW WHITE
THE TRIALS:
VINCENT VAN GOGH – RHYTHM VAN GOGH
JACK KEROUAC – HOOP FOR THE LOWLY
ARTHUR RIMBAUD – I’LL NEVER LOVE AGAIN
ANAIS NIN – HOUSE OF SEX
GEORGIA O’KEEFE – GEORGIA
CHARLIE PARKER – SHADES OF BLUE
HENRY MILLER – BLUSHES LIKE AN ANGEL
ISADORA DUNCAN
CAMILLE CLAUDEL – PANDORA’S JUG
BESSIE SMITH – A WOMAN CAN BE LIKE COFFEE
PABLO PICASSO – PICASSO’S MUSKETEERS
SALVADOR DALI – DADA DADDY
THE FUTURE:
SAY A PRAYER FOR NYC
PICK THAT LOCK
ATOMIC BOMB BABIES
PELICAN NIGHTS
BASEBALL & ROCK & ROLL
All songs copyright 1999 by Ken Post (except “A Woman Can Be
Like Coffee,” written by Bonnie Burns, and “Pandora’s Jug”
co-written by Ken Post and Bonnie Burns.)