Re: RATAHonduras

["Dave" <freest@mcs.net>]

Dear John Bentz:  If we can be of assistance to you and your company when 
you come to Chicago, please let me know.  I am David Schein, the exec.
Director of Free Street Programs in Chitown.  We create original work with
teens and youth and employ lots of teenagers as writer/performers.  We know
and like Carlos Morton and are tuned in to the circle of his old compadres
in Chicago, poet Carlos Cumpián, Corlos Cortez, and others.  Give an EBUZZ.
Please.  Regards, David Schein

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>From: john Bentz <bentzsj@juno.com>
>To: rat-list@whirl-i-gig.com
>Subject: RE: RATAHonduras
>Date: Fri, Jul 7, 2000, 10:45 AM
>

> Dear Rats-
>
> Ending week two here in coastal Honduras.  Have adjusted to quinine, fried
> bananas, heat, dirt roads, incredible poverty, ants on everything and
> generous people.
> Am working with a resident company called Teatro la Fragua which has 10
> actors on salary. That is to say they actually show up for work every
> morning at 8 am and we work until 5. And this is 50 weeks a year.  What a
> luxury!   We even have a repetoire of productions.  Only here and at the
> Met.  Since the company is now 20 years old they all speak the same language
> and share a similar vision for the theater in Honduras.
> Our building is an old officer}s club of a now abandoned banana camp. Wooden
> everything, good lights at least now, great sound, open screen sides for the
> breeze and even dressing rooms.  It is a real home for the actors and a
> space NY rats would sell parts of their tails for.
> As the goal of the theater here is to create a national culture where there
> has not been one before, we work on all fronts.  The plays, often about
> Honduras history, folktales, we do school presentations in schools that have
> never seen a play or met an actor.  We have an ongoing world film festival
> each weekend, a radio progam of classical music, we work in the churches, we
> have a ballet school here for children and then of course the tours into the
> country and out of the country.
> We are spendingthe next few months getting up for a tour of CHicago,
> St.Louis, Milwaukee, Austin, and Dallas. We are touring a play by california
> playwright Carlos Morton called Romero of the Americas as the first
> installation of a proposed three part cycle of plays by different authors
> about the history of Central America.  Good play and a great production.
> Now just to get the subtitles working and visas passports for everyone.
>
> Jack Bentz
>
>
> ------Original Message------
> From: "Bottom's Dream" <bottomsdream@linkline.com>
> To: rat-list@whirl-i-gig.com
> Sent: July 7, 2000 3:34:06 AM GMT
> Subject: RAT 50 words
>
>
>
>
> ----------
> From Erik Ehn's article:
>
> RAT CONFERENCE IS 
> "A decentralized international assembly of performing arts organizations
> sharing work and ways of working, as peers." 
> A rhythmically occurring disgrace (not a collective, not a consortium - a
> disgrace). 
> A scam. 
> The self created (requisite) enemy of our own ideals. 
> Love of neighbor expressed in acts of corporal mercy (where love includes
> fury). 
>
>