| PRODUCTION: Faust: A Masked Telling Dr. Johann Faustus was known as the prince of necromancy, a vagabond, a blabber and a rogue. The name “Faust” runs throughout European mythology, as the man who sold his soul to the devil. A victim of his own intellect, bored with philosophy and the sciences, he trades his soul for the knowledge of black magic. This production explores the infamous legend and examines its different interpretations throughout history, while hinting at its relevance to our world today. This production uses large paper mache puppets and Commedia dell’ Arte style masks that help paint such charismatic characters as The Seven Deadly Sins, Mephistopheles, and The Pope.
If we say that we have no sin, My first love for the Faust story came with its connection to the Middle (Dark) Ages and how the concept of wisdom lay in the knowledge of Divine things. In the Renaissance however, wisdom moved to the study of political and social man. As a writer, director and designer for this production, my attitude and vision changed the more research I did. The script morphed from the classic Faust tragedy to a more Monty Python style black comedy. This may have something to do with my love for humor and mayhem. But whether or not Faust actually was devoured by the devil or if he left this world via an alchemy experiment gone wrong, the age old story runs many parallels with our world today. Why is it acceptable to make deals with God but not with the Devil? Who is your God and who is mine? Is there a Devil? In our world of diversity I believe we forget to look to ourselves for these answers. I hope the “twistful“ end of this production help to articulate this idea further. It is an ode to Gertrude Stein and her version of Faust. |