Sick of writing epics for six?
If I were anywhere near the Hampstead Theatre on Friday, I'd attend Monster Day Out. Since the Jubilee line doesn't stop on my continent, I'll try to be content to stay home and read about a new movement in British theater: Monsterism.
Monsterism is largely about being, well, large. Writer David Eldridge makes a good case in the Guardian for new (large) plays to be put on equal footing with plays of the long-dead. When the pertinent question is, "Why would anyone write stage plays now? If you can write dialogue and you can hit a deadline, you can write TV," the counter-argument is, "Dramatists should stop fooling around in little black boxes and think big."
Ooh, this article intrigues. A monsterist work shares many of Handcart's ideals. As a reminder of our ideals, I quote from Scott's initial blog entry:
Our company is about two things where theater is concerned:
1. Imaginative staging
2. Rich use of the written/spoken word
Beside the obvious factor of live performance, we believe these two elements are what make theater distinct as an art form, and that without them it risks being made irrelevant by film and TV.
At the end of the Guardian article, read Monsterism's Manifesto, their campaign to ensure non-irrelevance for the theater in our TV-dominated era. We at Handcart don't share all their goals, but we like "large concepts," "meaning implied by action," and more. Go monsterists!
Posted by Kevin Ashworth at June 28, 2005 9:22 AM
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