Blockbuster Season
BLOCKBUSTER SEASON
A furious, darkly hilarious critique of media representations of disasters
all photos by Pak Han
CLOSED
Performed September 25-October 18, 2015
8pm
Intersection for the Arts
925 Mission Street, SF
A new show created by Mugwumpin
Co-produced by Intersection for the Arts
Directed by Susannah Martin
Performed by Joe Estlack and Christopher W. White, with Melusina Gomez
The great metropolis of Champlona has been leveled by a volcano. Or was it a massive tornado? A tsunami? Giant lizards from the ocean depths? Anyway. There are speeches to give, riots to quell, rubble to clear. Thank goodness city leaders have the situation in hand, right? Right. And the masses: have they become a mob? Or something more complex, and much more frightening to those in power?
Inspired by speeches and other cliches from Hollywood disaster movies, Blockbuster Season is a furious, hilarious plunge into mass media’s influence on our perceptions of disasters and how people respond to them. The most unfathomable disaster becomes understandable once it's shaped into a clear narrative, but who gets to choose that narrative? Do we need fearless leaders to save us from descending into wild-eyed chaos? Or do catastrophes open the opportunity for mutual aid?
Production team: Katherine Bickford, Daniel Brickman, Natalie Greene, Ashley Holvick, Theodore Hulsker, Devon LaBelle, Mariana Olvera, Ray Oppenheimer, Sean Riley, Soren Shane Santos, Michelle Talgarow, Wolfgang Lancelot Wachalovsky, Sienna Williams
Production sponsors:
Anton Kast, Carole Morrell, Iris Morrell, & Lola Morrell
Gretchen Brosius