Theatre Grottesco: avant-garde yet accessible

Theatre Grottesco presents 'Grottesco Shorts' at the Performance Network.

Theatre Grottesco: avant-garde yet accessible

ANNE SHARP

NEWS ARTS WRITER

The Detroit-based Theatre Grottesco will present an evening of “Grottesco Shorts” Thursday through Saturday at the Performance Network.

Founded in France in 1983, Theatre Grottesco has earned international acclaim for its unique performance style, blending elements of musical theater, dance, mime, and puppetry, among other influences.

Though clearly on the cutting edge, Theatre Grottesco prides itself on appealing to a wide audience.

Part of Theatre Grottesco’s accessibility, according to cofounder John Flax, is that each piece they perform is carefully polished and perfected before it’s seen in public. “We experiment,” Flax laughs, “but we feel that what we put on the stage are our successful experiments.”

Each of the 10 performance pieces that make up the show Theatre Grottesco will perform began as a laboratory piece created by the group in workshop, an experiment in trying some new idea or approach to performance.

“When we have a piece that we feel is ready to be shown to the public, it goes into one of these evenings of shorts,” says Flax. “So what you’ll see is the result of two years of experimenting, basically.”

The pieces to be played, each less than 15 minutes long, are an assortment of styles and subjects. “Still Life With A Fern,” for example, is a dance piece choreographed by Whitley Setrakian. “The Dessert,” a puppet play, depicts several pieces of fruit on a table in the process of being eaten. “Chores,” presented in three sections, shows what goes through the mind of a woman going through her normal housekeeping routine.

Sometimes one of Theatre Grottesco’s short laboratory pieces evolves into a full-length work. “The Acceptance,” for instance, is a segment of a longer piece that the group plans to present in its entirety soon. A bouffon piece in the tradition of “Marat/Sade” and Alfred Jarry, it depicts a group of grotesque social outcasts — in this case, some outlandishly bulky bodybuilders who’ve overdosed on steroids — carrying on in a way that mocks our “normal” way of life.

In addition to its stage performances, Theatre Grottesco has been branching out into other media. A video version of its “White Masque” piece is scheduled to be shown on WTVS later this year, and the company is working with filmmaker Chuck Cigerski to produce a video of three other short pieces.

Despite the artistic success Theatre Grottesco has enjoyed in recent years, the group’s well-being has been profoundly affected by Governor John Engler’s recent cuts in state arts funding. Theatre Grottesco is unusual among local nonprofit theater companies in earning over 80% of its own income, but the $13,000 that it’s lost in the state funding freeze “hurts us a lot,” says Flax.

This means layoffs, salary cuts and the group’s first fiscal deficit in its traditionally pay-as-you-go history. Despite deep misgivings, the group has contemplated moving out of state, if it means a better chance of survival.

Fortunately, Theatre Grottesco’s growing reputation as a touring company may help them weather the financial storm. “We’ve been around long enough that we’re getting known, and being invited to ! bigger and bigger venues,” observes Flax. “Good things are happening to us nationally.”

Theatre Grottesco presents 'Grottesco Shorts' at the Performance Network, 408 W. Washington St., Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 2 and 8 p.m. Tickets are $9 general admission, $7 for students and seniors. For more information call 668-0681.