The mark of brilliance may just be that it stays with you. It affects the way you think about something or, perhaps, the way you look at everything. You contemplate it after you’ve engaged with it. Your future actions and interactions are, in some regard, altered by having experienced it. As it so happens, this is also the mark of revolution. Coincidence? Certainly not in the case of the Revolutions International Theatre Festival.Founded by Tricklock Company back when it was still known as Riverside Ensemble, Revolutions is a truly global gathering. This year, the festival’s 10 th , includes contributors from our home sweet home, as well as Canada, Colombia, Poland and Israel—in other words: theater from four continents. Though every group involved brings something characteristically distinctive to the stage, there are common threads among them. Namely, they demonstrate art as a holistic, sensory and cerebral pursuit of a different truth. The ultimate aim of their artistry is to change the way we understand theater and, in so doing, to change the way we understand the world.Cynics might dismiss this objective as preposterous; you might even conceive of theater as trivial or frivolous—and far from mind- (let alone life- or globe-) altering. But look back, behind you, before you. Art, in all its manifold incarnations, is our voice. It is our inheritance and our endowment, surviving generations, embodying and preserving our progress. It is very often the impetus for palpable and progressive social change—for the realization of a different truth and the creation of a different consciousness.Over the course of 19 days, Revolutions International Theatre Festival offers you the opportunity to share these realizations and take part in this artistic brilliance. So, accept. Engage. Contemplate. And long live the revolution.
The 5 Ws (And An H Or Two)
Who: Performers, designers, technicians, dramatists and directors from four continents What: The 10 th annual Revolutions International Theatre Festival, hosted by Albuquerque’s own Tricklock Company Where: Venues all over Albuquerque When: Jan. 12 through 30 Why: To celebrate the artistic works of a revolutionary global theater community How: For shows at UNM, call 925-5858; at NHCC, call 724-4771; at any other theater, call 315-2704. Go to tricklock.com/revolutions for all kinds of details. How Much: $18 general, $15 students and seniors (per show), unless otherwise noted. Multi-show passports are also available; call 315-2704 or buy on the Tricklock website.
The Underground
Follow the Revolution here at alibi.com. We’ll post reviews, interviews and updates throughout the festival. Check our blog for this special coverage.
A History Of The Revolution
2001: The inaugural Revolutions Festival featuring Gardzienice’s Metamorphoses and Dell’Arte’s Pirates! Riverside Ensemble performs Gunpowder Mouth .2002: The first Revolutions produced under the company’s new name: Tricklock Company! Tricklock Company presents Pieces and Parts .2003: Mariana Sadovska, a featured performer with Gardzienice the first year, returns with a spectacular solo performance. The popular Reptilian Lounge personalities The Paige Sisters are born. Tricklock Company presents Crave and Dandelion Clockwork .2004: AKHE Russian Engineering Theatre presents White Cabin and then inadvertently shuts down the ABQ Sunport due to pyrotechnics in their luggage. Tricklock presents The Glorious and Bloodthirsty Billy the Kid .2005: The City of Albuquerque steps onboard as a Revolutions sponsor. Selections from Revolutions shows perform in the Roundhouse in Santa Fe. Tricklock presents Splinters .2006: Albuquerque’s Tricentennial Revolutions! Paul Provenza performs stand-up in the festival and the Free Speech Comedy Art Series is born. Tricklock presents a fully revised The Glorious and Bloodthirsty Billy the Kid .2007: The first Revolutions produced after Tricklock leaves the theater on Washington and becomes Theatre Company in Residence at UNM. Tricklock presents, along with Futur3 of Germany, City Beats , the first site-specific show created for Revolutions, in the Amy Biehl High School building.2008: The last Free Speech Comedy Art Series held at the Golden West Saloon before its tragic fire. Tricklock presents Black River Falling .2009: The Revolutions Karaoke party is born! The last Revolutions Festival curated by Founding Artistic Director Joe Peracchio. Tricklock presents Knit and Four Days in the Delta , which is recorded and aired on KUNM.2010: The 10 th Anniversary Festival. This Revolutions contains the most multi-city collaborations to date. The first Revolutions Festival curated by Co-Artistic Director Summer Olsson. Tricklock presents, with Teatr Figur Kraków, Nasze Miasto and Catgut Strung Violin .
Late Night Liberation
You’ve probably heard of The Reptilian Lounge, as it began all the way back in 1996 and holds the title of Albuquerque’s longest-running late-night cabaret. If you haven’t, though, let us be the first to tell you: It’s fabulous. We might even say: It’s saucy. You’ll get a little bit of an excellent everything—music, poetry, comedy, dancing, acting. Arrive early for this one; unlike the other performances throughout the festival, The Reptilian Lounge does not accept reservations, and it always sells out quickly. With very good reason.
