Report -Red Dough

Red Dough
by Made In Da Shade,

Theater Brakke Grond, Amsterdam, 13-11-1999

"But men are so imprunt that they take up a diet, as it tastes good to start with, they do not realize it is poisonous", Machiavelli. (no not Tupac)

"Life ain’t nothing but bitches and money", Niggaz With Attitude.

Another play about all that money and power bizz. This time from the Made In Da Shade crew, so you know it has to be explosive. From the same crew that brought you the slamming ‘Booyaka! Booyaka!’ and ‘V.O.O.D.O.’ (Vent Om Of De Opera). At the time you had the chance to check out Rapido (Rapido is still touring) and were able to go to ‘Bijlmer Soul’, both plays were about the same subject. And now there is Red Dough. So what is new? Where Rapido uses a classical Shakespeare story in a new jacket, Red Dough has brand new clothes and instruments. The crew likes to experiment with new media technology. ‘Booyaka! Booyaka!’ and ‘V.O.O.D.O.’ featured live turntablism and in ‘V.O.O.D.O.’ video techniques were introduced. With a big screen hanging from the ceiling, some televisions scattered on stage and two turntables as the center of the decoration.

Maarten van Hinte, the artistic leader and writer, wrote the scenario of OJ Othello and won the ‘Fringe First Award’ for "outstanding new writing", back in 1998. Made In Da Shade wants to bring theater which youth from the street can identify with. Dusting of that old-boring-not-of-my-world-theater image. And they want to experiment with new forms of theater and new media. In ‘Red Dough’ the video screen (±2x2 meters) stands in the center of the stage, being the only decoration. To represent the MTV-culture we’re living in. At the front of the stage there are two mics, nothing else. The whole play is made around dialog and what is shown on the video screen.

It all could be very interesting. In ‘V.O.O.D.O’ they showed video can be used to empower what is said and done by the actors. This time it is decorating, by showing a collage of videoshots taken from ‘MTV Music Awards’ and Chris Rock. But they've kinda missed their goal this time. In ‘Red Dough’ the videoscreen takes a full role. It’s being a player in the act by its own. The moments there is an interaction between an actor and the video shown, it’s great. But where it’s telling a part of the story in its own, it’s like watching television. When Brainpower drops in with the band ‘.nuClarity’ you feel like just watching MTV. Sadly the man and the band did not perform live. The great thing about theater is that it’s live, instead of seeing Marjorie Boston and Cris Vinken on video having a freaking good time in the whirlpool I would have preferred to see them live taking a dip in a pool on stage. Using video as a full cast member and not only to spotlight the words and deeds of the actors, takes away too much attention from the actors who are all great players. The fun part is what the actors do live. To see their emotions and moves, to see the tories and fatoes. And the massive beatbox set of Jeffery Spalburg.

Among ‘Booyaka! Booyaka!’, ‘V.O.O.D.O.’ and ‘Red Dough’. ‘Red Dough’ is the less powerful one. Bad timing, it has the same subject as ‘Bijlmer Soul’ and ‘Rapido’. Not so strong dialogs and too much focus on the video.

"Zal ik je naaien?", "Ja!" ("Shall I screw you ? Yes!") Is the last line of the play. To some just an ordinary wack line to end the play. For me, that line covers the whole load and is also the start of the whole story. And it has more dimensions displayed in this play.

AQ

Made In Da Shade
Phone: 0031-(0)20-6823523
Fax: 0031-(0)20-6823529
e-mail: shade@xs4all.nl



		Red Dough by Made In Da Shade, Theater Brakke Grond, Amsterdam, 13-11-1999 "But men are so imprunt that they take up a diet, as it tastes good to start with, they do not realize it is poisonous", Machiavelli. (no not Tupac) "Life ain’t nothing but bitches and money", Niggaz With Attitude. Another play about all that money and power bizz. This time from the Made In Da Shade crew, so you know it has to be explosive. From the same crew that brought you the slamming ‘Booyaka! Booyaka!’ and ‘V.O.O.D.O.’ (Vent Om Of De Opera). At the time you had the chance to check out Rapido (Rapido is still touring) and were able to go to ‘Bijlmer Soul’, both plays were about the same subject. And now there is Red Dough. So what is new? Where Rapido uses a classical Shakespeare story in a new jacket, Red Dough has brand new clothes and instruments. The crew likes to experiment with new media technology. ‘Booyaka! Booyaka!’ and ‘V.O.O.D.O.’ featured live turntablism and in ‘V.O.O.D.O.’ video techniques were introduced. With a big screen hanging from the ceiling, some televisions scattered on stage and two turntables as the center of the decoration. Maarten van Hinte, the artistic leader and writer, wrote the scenario of OJ Othello and won the ‘Fringe First Award’ for "outstanding new writing", back in 1998. Made In Da Shade wants to bring theater which youth from the street can identify with. Dusting of that old-boring-not-of-my-world-theater image. And they want to experiment with new forms of theater and new media. In ‘Red Dough’ the video screen (±2x2 meters) stands in the center of the stage, being the only decoration. To represent the MTV-culture we’re living in. At the front of the stage there are two mics, nothing else. The whole play is made around dialog and what is shown on the video screen. It all could be very interesting. In ‘V.O.O.D.O’ they showed video can be used to empower what is said and done by the actors. This time it is decorating, by showing a collage of videoshots taken from ‘MTV Music Awards’ and Chris Rock. But they've kinda missed their goal this time. In ‘Red Dough’ the videoscreen takes a full role. It’s being a player in the act by its own. The moments there is an interaction between an actor and the video shown, it’s great. But where it’s telling a part of the story in its own, it’s like watching television. When Brainpower drops in with the band ‘.nuClarity’ you feel like just watching MTV. Sadly the man and the band did not perform live. The great thing about theater is that it’s live, instead of seeing Marjorie Boston and Cris Vinken on video having a freaking good time in the whirlpool I would have preferred to see them live taking a dip in a pool on stage. Using video as a full cast member and not only to spotlight the words and deeds of the actors, takes away too much attention from the actors who are all great players. The fun part is what the actors do live. To see their emotions and moves, to see the tories and fatoes. And the massive beatbox set of Jeffery Spalburg. Among ‘Booyaka! Booyaka!’, ‘V.O.O.D.O.’ and ‘Red Dough’. ‘Red Dough’ is the less powerful one. Bad timing, it has the same subject as ‘Bijlmer Soul’ and ‘Rapido’. Not so strong dialogs and too much focus on the video. "Zal ik je naaien?", "Ja!" ("Shall I screw you ? Yes!") Is the last line of the play. To some just an ordinary wack line to end the play. For me, that line covers the whole load and is also the start of the whole story. And it has more dimensions displayed in this play. AQ Made In Da Shade Phone: 0031-(0)20-6823523 Fax: 0031-(0)20-6823529 e-mail: shade@xs4all.nl © 1999 ART12/VanderHoek Publishing. All rights reserved.