The Big Funk...

Past Production - February 2002
by John Patrick Shanley
Directed by Mace Archer

A quote from the playwright:

"A man in our society is not left alone. Not in the cities. Not in the woods. WE must have commerce with our fellows, and that commerce is difficult and uneasy. I don not understand how to live in this society. I don't get it. Each person has an enormous effect. Call it environmental  impact if you like. Where my foot falls, I leave a mark, whether I want to or not. We are linked together, each to each. You can't breathe without taking a breath from somebody else. You can't smile without changing the landscape. And so I ask the question: Why is theatre so ineffectual, unnew, not exciting, fussy, not connected to the thrilling recognition possible in dreams?"

"It's a question of spirit. My ungainly spirit thrashes around inside of me, Making me feel lumpy and sick. My spirit is this moment dissatisfied with the outward life I inhabit. Why does my outward life not reflect the enormity of the miracle of existence? Why are my eyes blinded with always new scales, my years stopped with thick chunks of fresh wax, why are my fingers callused again? I don't ask these questions lightly. I beat on the stone door of my tomb. Why does my spirit sometimes retreat into a deathly closet? Perhaps it is not my spirit leading the way at such times, but my body, longing to tie down in marble gloom and rot away."

"Theatre is a safe place to do the unsafe things that need to be done. When it's not a safe place, it's abusive to actors and audiences alike. When its safety is used to protect cowards masquerading as heroes, it's a boring travesty. An actor who is truly heroic reveals the divine that passes through him, that aspect of himself that he does not own and cannot control. The control and the artistry of the heroic actor are in service to his soul."

"We live in an era of enormous cynicism. Do not be fooled.
Don't act for money. You'll start to feel dead and bitter.
Don't act for glory. You'll start to feel dead, fat and fearful.
We live in an era of enormous cynicism. Do not be fooled."

"You can't avoid all the pitfalls. There are lies you must tell. But experience the lie. See it as something dead and unconnected you clutch. And let it go."

"Act from the depth of your feeling imagination. Act for celebration, for search, for grieving, for worship, to express that desolate sensation of wandering through the howling wilderness. Don't worry about Art. Do these things and it will be Art." 

Cast:

Jill:  Toni Banks
Fifi:  Tiffany Hoffman
Omar:  Mace Archer
Austin:  Zak Kreiter
Gregory:  David Overturf

Production & Design:

Director:  Mace Archer
Lights:  Wade Humphries
Set:  Max Peterson, Nick Capetanakis, Lysa Fox, and the cast.

Show Dates & Times:

February 1, 2002 - 8:00 (Friday)
February 2, 2002 - 8:00 (Saturday)

February 10, 2002 - 2:00 (Sunday)

February 15, 2002 - 8:00 (Friday)
February 16, 2002 - 8:00 (Saturday)

Show Location:

Venture Theatre, (The Garage), 1410 Central Ave. Billings, MT