qstaffPRESENTS:

THEATER GROTTESCO

CONSIDER THIS  

Albuquerque,  N.M.— qstaff is presenting Theater Grottesco’s CONSIDER THIS…, Tuesday and Wednesday, September 3-4 at 7:30pm.

CONSIDER THIS is a 60 minute romp through the pre-history of American theater, from Greek Tragedy to Commedia dell’Arte, Clown, Buffoon, masks and more. Enjoy the irreverence of one of America’s most creative theatrical ensembles while they share the philosophy and the many theatrical styles that make up their fantastically imaginative original plays.

Theater Grottesco is an anomaly in American theater. The Grottesco artists create their own plays collectively. The choice of Realism, generic comedy or musicals, is replaced with a broad range of historical theatrical styles or combinations of styles – distinctly ‘unrealistic’- and most often pushing the artists into unknown territory. Instead of intellectual arguments and emotion conveyed through a script, the company uses imagery, movement, stillness and silence to move audiences. The artists prefer to ask questions rather than provide answers. And instead of 3-6 weeks of rehearsals, the company spends years developing a piece. In many ways, Theater Grottesco is closer to dance, music and the fine arts then it is to conventional theater. 

Founded in 1983 in Paris, France, Theater Grottesco creates a new kind of performance that is visual, explosive and full of surprise. This highly trained ensemble of artists rekindles interest in live performance by juxtaposing classical theatrical styles with a daring, poetic research of culture and imagination, taking audiences to the brink of emotional wonder and soulful reflection. 

Grottesco has created 15 full-length original plays and over 40 shorter works ranging in style from Tragic Buffonery to Performance Poetry, Expressionistic Melodrama and Gesture Based Dance. The company has received 15 NEA Professional Theatre Awards, and national grants from the Rockefeller MAP Fund, MetLife, Doris Duke, Andrew Mellon, Theater Communications Group ,The Network of Ensemble Theaters and a prestigious 2017 National Theatre Project Award. Grottesco moved to the United States in 1985, basing out of New York and Detroit before settling in Santa Fe in 1996. Theater Grottesco toured nationally for 15 years performing in 8 countries, 30 states, most major U.S. cities and dozens of smaller communities. It performed Off-Broadway in 1999 with a production that will be permanently archived in the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. 

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE: 

Tuesday, September 3, 7:30pm

Wednesday, September 4, 7:30 pm

Tickets are $15 general admission,  $10 for students and seniors

TICKETS: http://www.theatergrottesco.org/shows, or call 505-474-8400

Consider This….is funded in part by New Mexico Arts: a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, and by the City of Santa Fe Arts Commission and the 1% Lodger’s Tax. 

INTERVIEWS AND ADDITIONAL IMAGES AVAILABLE ON REQUEST www.theatergrottesco.org