Adramelech's Monologue

In 2008, I created two-channel projections for the Los Angeles premiere of Valere Novarina's "Adramelech's Monologue". The play, written by France's foremost experimental playwright and directed by my son Joshua, presents a one-man tour-de-force performance by Hilario Saavedra. Synchronized with the performance and fed from two computers, the projections are controlled through Max/Jitter patches.

For a segment of the play's performance given at Bootleg Speakeasy in Los Angeles, CA 2008, please click on this link: Adramelech Segment

For a slideshow of these projections, please click on this link: Adramelech Slideshow.

ADRAMELECH'S MONLOGUE PRESS RELEASE:

French playwright Valère Novarina succeeds in creating a modern day masterpiece, part Book of Genesis, part children’s rhyme, and wholly original. In Adramelech’s Monologue a King, who has never uttered a word since the dawn of time, speaks. Using a soaring poetic language Adramelech tells the story of his and his friend’s origins, their adventures, and their singular view of humanity; while engaging in a heated discussion with his creator and with those who wish to silence his newfound voice.

Valère Novarina was born in 1947 in Switzerland. He began writing poetry and plays as a child, then studied philosophy, philology and theatre history at the Sorbonne in Paris. He premiered his first play, L’Atelier Volant, a work of “utopian theater,” in 1974. In it, a great number of characters enter and exit the stage, but hardly respond to one another. The set was not practicable (theater lingo for “useable”), and the action erratic: As in all Novarina’s works, the drama lay entirely in language itself. In his next work, Le Babil des classes dangereuses (“Babble of the Dangerous Classes”), 297 characters wage a “battle of languages” that comes down to the two most fiercely articulate characters - Mouth and Ear - endeavoring to silence 295 others (“The babble of the dangerous classes has to stop!”). Novarina places the actor at the center of his theatre works and the whole drama in his mouth: “The actor,” the writer says, “does not walk into the theatre, the actor moves forward with the theatre between his teeth.” Novarina, a very occasional actor, often directs his own work; in the 1980’s, he began to concentrate more on painting and has since presented his artwork in several exhibitions.

Guy Bennett is the author of five collections of poetry, most recently Without Weight of Light (NeO-Pepper Press, 2006). His poems have been featured in magazines and anthologies in Brazil, Canada, France, Italy, Mexico, Morocco, and the US. Other recent publications include (with Béatrice Mousli) Beyond The Iconic: Contemporary Photographs of Paris, 1970–2003 (Angel City Press, 2008), and (with Brendan Hennessey) a translation of Adriano Spatola’s Toward Total Poetry (Seismicity Editions, 2008). Guy Bennett has also translated works by Nicole Brossard, Jean-Michel Espitallier, Mohamed Khaïr-Eddine, Mostafa Nissabouri, Jacques Roubaud, and Giovanna Sandri. He lives in Los Angeles, teaches at Otis College of Art and Design, and is the publisher of Seeing Eye Books, and co-editor of Otis Books / Seismicity Editions.

Taking on the role of Adramelech is Hilario Saavedra who studied at CalArts, where he received his master's degree in acting in 2004. Under the guidance of Valère Novarina and of Andre Marcon (the French actor who originated the role), Saavedra first performed Adramelech's Monologue in Chicago as part of the Playing French Festival in 2004. He then reprised it for the New York City's Act French Festival in 2005, and subseqently, at the University of Iowa. Recently, he was invited to perform Adramelech's Monologue at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in March where he reunited with Novarina. Saavedra made his international debut in 2006 with Michel Vinaver's 11 September 2001, directed by Robert Canterella at the Centre national dramatique of Dijon, France; this production also played at the Theatre de la Colline in Paris. Hilario Saavedra's recent credits include Peach Blossom Fan, and directed by Chen Shi-Zheng at the REDCAT. Saavedra will return to Paris as part of Robert Canteralla's new project, Storytellers, in 2009.

Directing Adramelech’s Monologue. Is fifty-one state’s Artistic Director, Josh Moyse. Mr. Moyse is a Los Angeles based Director who has worked in Film, Theater, and Opera. Many of the projects directed by Mr. Moyse are works that he personally adapted or created for performance. In highly competitive fields, his work has been selected by juries to be performed at the LAByrinth Theater Company, the New York International Fringe Festival, the American Living Room Series at HERE, and the Lincoln Center Theater Director’s Lab. Most recently Mr. Moyse’s original play The Circular Schoolhouse was presented at the Roy and Edna Disney/California Arts Theater in downtown Los Angeles.

Producer Danny Fresh is a professional theatre, performance, and special events producer and director. His many credits in the Los Angeles area include work with Boston Court, Ford Amphitheatre, 24th Street Theater, REDCAT, Sacred Fools, and the Greenway Court Theatre. Danny Fresh serves as Producing Director for Ensemble Studio Theatre – LA. Los Angeles producing credits include the West Coast premiere of Jen Maisel's The Last Seder; premiere of Norman's Ark, directed by Peter Schneider at the Ford Amphitheatre; with the Center for New Theater: Peach Blossom Fan directed by Chen Shi-Zheng at the REDCAT and King Lear directed by Travis Preston at the Brewery (and the Frictions Festival in Dijon, France); the West Coast premiere of Sheila Callahagn's Kate Crackernuts, directed by Jessica Kubzansky.

fifty-one states is a multi-cultural company of actors, writers, and directors. Its goals are to create new work out of old pieces, to develop new plays for new audiences, and to maintain our sense of humor. Upon creating fifty-one works of Art the company plans to disband.

Bootleg Theater is a space for art: a place where Los Angeles artists of all disciplines can come together and create new, exciting theatrical events. In their 10,000/SF, 1930’s warehouse, located in the Rampart District, they have been producing theater since 2000. Bootleg is committed to producing brave, boundary-pushing, artistically outstanding, and highly collaborative new work; work that is exciting to people of all ages and ethnicities and serves as a reflection of the City we all call home.

CALENDAR LISTING/INFORMATION

Suggested Listing: French playwright Valère Novarina creates a modern day masterpiece, part Book of Genesis, part children’s rhyme, and wholly original. In Adramelech’s Monologue a King, who has never uttered a word since the dawn of time, speaks. Using a soaring poetic language Adramelech tells the story of his and his friend’s origins, their adventures, and their singular view of humanity; while engaging in a heated discussion with his creator and with those who wish to silence his newfound voice.

WHAT: Adramelech’s Monologue,

By Valère Novarina

Translated by Guy Bennett

WHO: Danny Fresh, fifty-one states, Bootleg

WHEN: Tuesdays and Wednesdays,

September 30^th – November 5^th

8:30pm

WHERE: Bootleg Speakeasy

2220 Beverly Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 900057

PARKING: Due to a City Sewer Reconstruction plan, we no longer have street parking on Beverly Blvd. There is free parking available to Bootleg customers behind the Praise Christian Fellowship Church across the street from Bootleg at 2235 Beverly Blvd. Turn North on Roselake Ave. off of Beverly and the parking lot entrance will be on your left.