Honestly, this really is just a bunch of actors reading classical plays out loud in a bar. You might ask why. First off, it's a lot of fun. We get to blow off some steam, try crazy stuff with well-known, dogeared plays, and push the limits of our craft in an atmosphere that's completely forgiving, but still a technical challenge.
Being actors, we do of course like making spectacles of ourselves for the sake of it. But we think there's something in it for audiences too. This kind of work, what Peter Brooke calls the Rough Theatre, makes a great gateway drug for people who think they don't like live theatre. You get that idea in ninth grade that all theatre is staid, boring, and incomprehensible, when the reality is that even these old texts can be visceral and even that ugly word, accessible. We've had enough complete strangers rediscover the live theatre or rediscover Shakespeare at these things, that we think that'd be worth it even if we weren't having a blast doing it.
So, come on down, grab a pint, take care of your bartender, and sass the king. We promise you'll be home by 10.
