The Offending Gesture
7:00pm–8:30pm
Photo by Matt Korahais
The Offending Gesture is a humorous and poetic indictment of American foreign policy in Iraq, told through the true story of Hitler and his dog, Blondie. Wellman takes as his subject a political incident that occurred in 1941 just before Germany invaded the Soviet Union, when Tor Borg, a Finnish businessman infamously taught his own dog Jackie to do the Nazi Party Salute in response to the command, “Heil Hitler.”
Collaborating Artists: Alaina Ferris (Composer); Meghan Finn (Director); Ayo Awosika, Catherine Brookman, Melissa Diaz, Alaina Ferris, Amanda Gregory, Layla Khoshnoudi, Chuja Seo, Julia Sirna-Frest, (Vocalists/Performers), and Mike Beck (Percussionist).
Each performance will run approximately 15 – 20 minutes. Mac Wellman is presented within the 7:00pm – 8:30pm set. Follow by a short discussion, moderated by Eric Shethar.
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Mac Wellman
Mac Wellman, photo by Timothy Keating; Meghan Finn, photo by Evelyn Finn; Alaina Ferris, photo by Matt Korahais Mac Wellman’s recent work includes Muazzez at The Chocolate Factory produced by PS122 in January 2014, 3 2’s; or AFAR at Dixon Place in October 2011, The Difficulty of Crossing a Field (with composer David Lang) at Montclair in the fall of 2006 (and elsewhere more recently), and 1965 UU for performer Paul Lazar, and directed by Stephen Mellor at the Chocolate Factory in the fall of 2008. He has received numerous honors, including NEA, Guggenheim, and Foundation of Contemporary Arts fellowships. In 2003 he received his third Obie, for lifetime Achievement.
In 2006 his third novel, Q’s Q, was published by Green Integer, and in 2008 a volume of stories, A Chronicle of the Madness of Small Worlds, was published by Trip Street Press as well as a new collection of plays The Difficulty of Crossing a Field from Minnesota Press. His books of poetry include Miniature (2002), Strange Elegies (2006), Split the Stick (2012) from Roof Books, and Left Glove (2011), from Solid Objects Press. His novel Linda Perdido won the 2011 FC2 Catherine Doctorow Prize for Innovative Fiction. He is Distinguished Professor of Play Writing at Brooklyn College.
Upcoming: The Offending Gesture, premiering January 6 – 23, 2016 at The Connelly Theater produced by The Tank as part of Flint & Tinder in association with 3-Legged Dog.
