The Pizza Box Project

The Pizza Box Project
a brief description

Another key undertaking in our history is The Pizza Box Project, performed throughout the summer of 2005 as well as being taken to the Abbie Hoffman Died For Our Sins and the Around the Coyote festivals. This project consisted of a series of short dream-like scenes of guerilla theatre performed around Chicago. For about two months, we met regularly to develop, rehearse and perform public actions. In one piece, for example, we scripted four overlapping cell phone conversations to be had on the train. Though it was obvious that the speakers were not talking to each other, their speech would parallel, contradict, or poetically fit together such that an unsuspecting rider might get the sense of an odd synchronicity.. This piece was performed back and forth on the train for approximately 2 hours (each run lasting 10 minutes). By the time we were done for the day, it had become much more effective and intriguing. This was the case throughout the summer. As we inserted a planned performance within the countless variables of the outside world, that performance had to adapt until it would work best. In this way, every performance was also a rehearsal. After spending the summer developing, performing and learning from this work, we had a collection of small pieces to take to the two festivals, each with its own character determined largely by its spatial layout.

The Abbie Hoffman Died For Our Sins Festival all takes place in a 50 seat house over three days of non-stop theatre. We took it upon ourselves to be as constant a presence as possible, performing on the sidewalk outside the theatre, in the lobby, on the stairs, and on the stage between shows. We were able to use much of the material developed over the summer, but also created a number of pieces specifically molded to the spaces available. The interesting aspect of performance here was twofold. The fact that the vast majority of the audience was made up of performers meant that they were far more responsive to us. More significant was the fact that unlike the summer when we performed exclusively for unsuspecting audiences, here we came to be recognized. People would watch us as we approached, waiting to see what we would do. The element of surprise had been lost. In its place was a new kind of relationship to the space and the audience that was interesting and valuable. Though our participation in the festival altered the most basic aspect of this project, it was a tremendous, exhausting, and rewarding experience and much of value was learned.

Around the Coyote was arranged in almost the opposite manner. It took place over many city blocks of venues, galleries, and public spaces. Rather than maintain a constant presence (which given the scope of the festival was not possible) we performed for 6 hour shifts on two days, trying to cover as much ground as we could, crafting performances specifically suited to the many unique spaces at our disposal. Circumstances here thrust experimentation upon us. The first day of performance was an unmitigated disaster. Spaces where we had been told we would be able to perform were closed to us and scheduled events which we planned to be present at did not occur where and when they had been scheduled. Finally, we sat down to strategize, using the often frustrating experiences of the day to make a new plan of attack. Following this, the second day was a great success. We were able to perform almost non-stop for our 6 hour slot, moving seamlessly from one venue to the next. Given the in depth scouting the first day afforded us, each piece was able to live in its location in a very complete manner and because of the scope of the festival, we were able to work incognito as intended. In this six hour period all of the work of the summer, tempered by the trials of the previous day, really came together, yielding many beautiful, intriguing, and delightful pieces of public art.

All in all The Pizza Box Project was illuminating, giving us opportunities to explore the boundaries of what is and isn't theatre as well as playing with and learning from people's expectations of what belongs in a public space. And from time to time, we succeeded in our goal of giving people unexpected moments when life suddenly became art. The lessons gleaned are valuable not only to further the performance of guerilla theatre, but also say a great deal about how performance may be undertaken in a more traditional setting. There is real potential in interacting with spectators in a non-theatrical manner where they are not fully aware of the 'performance' and are therefore unconstrained by their notions of how they are to 'act' at the theatre.