From Press Release
TWO GRADUATES CONFRONT HAYEK, RADICALIZATION, AND THE FOURTH ESTATE IN EXPLOSIVE ONE WOMAN SHOW
“And nobody listened. No one. They really had a chance to listen. And they should have, they really should have. And they only have themselves to blame.”
A bystander witnesses an explosion at a popular nightclub. A pundit has a nervous breakdown during a live show broadcast. An anarchist radicalizes. A child witnesses destruction. A victim suffers. Spiraling through the past, present, and future, [republic] of rhetoric depicts the dark descent into extremism as a response to commercialization and reactionary politics.
This one-woman show, premiering at the 2012 Toronto Fringe Festival, is written and directed by Agnieszka Mlynarz and stars co-creator Kate Maguire. [republic] of rhetoric is a result of over a year long collaboration where sections of the script were written, rehearsed, and work shopped intensely to create five distinct voices. After a two day preview at a local bar in Guelph, on a makeshift stage with three lights, the show has undergone substantial rewrites. In addition to an intense restructuring of the show, the company is producing original media in partnership with Black Fawn Films to contextualize today’s political rhetoric. The show will also include a brand new score performed by Dave Riedstra (Your Neck of the Woods/Lowlands). This is point-blank’s first Fringe Festival experience for all members involved.
Tickets are $10 and can be purchased from the Fringe Box Office by phone (+1 (416) 966-1062), online or at the door [Theatre Passe Muraille Backspace].
For more information about the show visit the website www.republicofrhetoric.com.
SYNOPSIS
In the early hours of the morning, a bystander answers their phone to find out a bomb has detonated moments before in the bathroom stall of a popular nightclub. One year earlier, the reckless behavior of a pundit on a satirical late night talk show fuels the anger of a politically radical young woman who is haunted by violence witnessed ten years earlier as a child. As the past hurls towards the future, the most unsuspecting suffer from a cycle of violence that knows no beginning. [republic] of rhetoric depicts a slow descent into extremism as a response to commercialization and reactionary politics. Moving through time, this 50 minute political drama, thematically demonstrates how one life changing moment is the end result of a domino effect.
COMPANY
point-blank
point-blank was founded in Guelph, ON in 2011. The company is managed by creators Kate Maguire and Agnieszka Mlynarz. [republic] of rhetoric is their first play and they also co-wrote and are further developing a semi-autobiographical piece titled slut*. Both projects have involved collaboration with composer Dave Riedstra, especially [republic] of rhetoric, whose music has been pivotal in the show’s development. The company functions as a means to experiment with the possibilities theatre has to offer and help the artists to find their voices and places in the world of theatre and film.