Last year, I had the great opportunity to attend an open rehearsal for A Serious Banquet, an interactive theater piece written by Jessie Bear and directed by Erin Mee. The piece takes the audience back to 1908 to a dinner party Pablo Picasso threw for Henri Rousseau. Gertrude Stein wrote about the party, which had a guest list including Georges Braques, Alice B. Toklas, and Guillaume Apollinaire.
However, this is no mere historical reconstruction. Paintings come to life, sculptures dance, and ringing phones recite surrealist poetry. As promised, there really is a banquet, with food and wine served, and a delicious and artistic dessert at the end.
All of the actors committed thoroughly to their roles. I had the good fortune to sit near M. Rousseau, and the experience was fantastic.
Everyone should see this show when the full production opens this summer. Before that can happen, though, they need to raise some money. To do that, they've started a Kickstarter campaign. Here's the link:
A Serious Banquet
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/322723735/a-serious-banquet
I think you can see the top of my head in one scene of the video. Take a look, and if you want to make a pledge, I'm sure they'd appreciate it.
