THE BAUHAUS PROJECT II

 

Jack Goldwait, Katarina Joy Lopez, Sang Kim,
Chloe Madriaga and John C. Sweet
Photo by Francisco Hermosillo III

The unusual business of a World Premiere with what may essentially be at least three plays all bound together is a challenge that  Director Martha Demson has taken to heart and mostly..  even though the extreme pedantry of what we learn from the play is a bit sticky, I got a lot.  I want to recommend both productions.  This second one is a lot more fun. For the plays to make sense, please see them in order. 

That said, the set up in the first iteration  has a couple of jokes that are apologized for in the second play.  But, the fun stuff and the information is really on page II.

Richard Hoover's magnificent set echos the essence of the Bauhaus theme. Straight lines with beautiful projections by Gabby Griego on slick moving panels examine  the linear ideas that Walter Gropius introduced. For a time Gropius and Bauhaus were a major influence in architecture and other art forms  around the world.

To call the script out for so much information is a little unfair, as the idea was for modern day art students to portray a host of real characters from the early days of Bauhaus as it struggled from one location to another, ending up in Berlin where . as Nazi Germany took power, it faded.

In the first iteration we   are introduced to the kids, taking cell  phone photos and attempting  in modern day.. to tell the complicated story of Bauhaus.

Demson's direction would have been helpful to old analog me had the students, portraying the actual characters had name tags to help us better understand who was who. Agitprop that Brecht would have championed?  In the first evening.. Duc, the Asian guy.. speaks in pidgin English. Just offensive and difficult to understand.   The other kids at the playwright's insistence adopt different accents that are marginal at best and depending on the actors' skills may or may not work. Had someone said.. "Hey, we're not actors, let's just let the audience know  who we are with costumes and Name Tags and let the history tell its own story.." 

Jah Volt!

It's yeoman's work. We experience the trials and tribulations of what Gropius and Klee and Kandinsky and others went through, touching .. eventually, heavily on "The Jewish Question" antisemetism  as Hitler came to power, twiich led to the eventual demise of the Bauhaus in Berlin  

I'd have bought the whole presentation more easily sans accents and occasional moments of the kids going up and recovering... 

The actors play so many parts,  I had a hard time keeping track. But!! one rather creative scene between two characters at the same time is played by either Katarina Joy Lopez or

Chloe Madriaga.  I'm guessing Katerina. It went well.

Entering any theatre, we are tasked to abandon disbelief.  Even with being unsure who's who.. this second presentation is truly  informative.    The first act is interminable, but we stick it out and wind up in Berlin where the gesso hits the fan. I'll let you figure out who's who bur hope you'll book both shows in order and get back to me. It's an vital lesson regards the importance of art in our world today.

 

Cast:

Jack Goldwait, 

Sang Kim, 

Katarina Joy Lopez, 

Chloe Madriaga, 

Crew (please forgive the odd parsing.. copy and paste is a bubbaboo.

Scenic Design Costume Design Lighting Design
Richard Hoover Michael Mullen Gavin Wyrick
Original Composition Prop Masters Assistant Lighting Designer
Tim Labor Barbara Bragg & Richard Hoover Grace Berry
Bruce Dickinson & Ina Shumaker
Assistant Director Projection Designer Graphic Designer
Sarah Zuk Gabrieal Griego Simon Grendene
Intimacy Director PR Representative Social Media Coordinator
Cate Caplin Lucy Pollak Grace Soens
Production Stage Manager John Dimitri

The Bauhaus Project II

by Tom Jacobson

Directed by Martha Demson

WHEN:
Previews: July 12, July 13, July 14
Performances: July 19 through August 25
• Fridays at 8 p.m.  Part 1 (Bauhaus Weimar): July 12 (preview), July 19 (opening night), July 26, Aug. 2, Aug. 9, Aug. 16, Aug. 23
• Saturdays at 4 p.m.: Part 1 (Bauhaus Weimar): July 13 (preview), July 20, July 27, Aug. 3, Aug. 10, Aug. 17, Aug. 24
• Saturdays at 8 p.m.: Part 2 (Bauhaus Dessau & Bauhaus Berlin): July 13 (preview), July 20 (opening night), July 27, Aug. 3, Aug. 10, Aug. 17, Aug. 24
• Sundays at 4 p.m.: Part 2 (Bauhaus Dessau & Bauhaus Berlin) July 14 (preview), July 21, July 28, Aug. 4, Aug. 11, Aug. 18, Aug. 25
* Audience members can choose to view the entire Bauhaus Project over the course of two evenings (any Friday and any Saturday at 8 p.m.); two matinees (any Saturday and any Sunday at 4 p.m.); or on a single Saturday, at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. (The history is sequential, so it is not advised to view the parts out of order.)

WHERE:
Atwater Village Theatre
3269 Casitas Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90039
• FREE parking in the ATX (Atwater Crossing) lot one block south of the theater.

TICKETS:
• Part 1 and Part 2 (combination ticket): $50
• Part 1 or Part 2 (individual ticket): $35
• Students receive $5 off either price
• Previews: Pay What You Can

HOW:
www.openfist.org
(323) 882-6912