The Bricolage Theater is
synonymous with “adventurous theater”. It is a
forum were art can be pushed to new limits. In the
show WordPlay, actors,
writers, and just ordinary people, tell their own stories with the injection of
music. This is grown- up storytelling with literally a spin as a DJ
spins real-time soundtracks during the dialogue. I recently saw this show which
was an entertaining yet intimate experience as strangers shared their lives.
Refection
I love to
hear stories (see author lecture, Ruth Reichl- Day 146, and the Rocky Bleier
story- Day 182). A story is a way of communicating but when telling it, you have
to dig a little deeper to remember the event and how you felt at the time.
What you learned about life and yourself makes the
story worth telling.
WordPlay
contained 5 stories worth telling. They ranged in subject matter from a camping
honeymoon in the African Sahara Desert (Stephen Cooper), a love affair in Peru
that turned sour (Kelsey Robinson), to a simple fender bender (Alan Olifson). All were told with “heart” and with comedic punches. They made you laugh and sometimes cry. The stories were better than going to a play because they were a real life window into
the author's life. Each story was crafted with so much honesty!
Even though some stories tackled serious
subjects like an abusive father (Jane Graille), or personal anxiety (Hannah Brizzi), the
authors told their stories with levity oftentimes laughing at themselves, which softened the complexity of the tale. The added
spin, literally the DJ spinning real time tracks during the show, augmented the dialogue and added the pulse throughout the show.
WordPlay is creative adult
story telling that not only entertains but that feels intimate. The intimacy and honesty of sharing true stories among strangers was a
unique theatrical experience. Don’t miss the next WordPlay at the Bricolage Theater on July 27, 28 and November 16,17, 2018. Who knows, maybe I will share my story!
For
tickets go to Bricolagepgh.org.
Other Source
Bricolage http://www.bricolagepgh.org/programs/current-season/