Why Missing Bridgman/Packer This Weekend Would Be a BIG Mistake

Here's part of what I wrote after seeing Bridgman/Packer the first time in 2008:

You should go if you like at least three of the following:

Watching water ripples in a stream.
Magicians doing really amazing tricks.
Shadow leaves dancing on your sunlit white walls.
MC Escher.
A cello dancing with a human voice.
Surprises.
Precision.
Optical Illusions.
Hand drumming.

Wait. There is no rippling stream in the show. I'm just trying to give you a sense of this show without giving anything away.

If you took this list literally, maybe you shouldn't go see it. Or, if you can't stand stuff that is NOT:

Linear.
Predictable.
Melodic.
Clear and straightforward.

I didn't want to spoil it by giving more details.  What they do is AMAZING!!  Going in without knowing anything about them, other than you should go, is the best way to do it.

Out North just keeps selecting stuff they think is good even if it is on the edge or financially iffy. 

I got this comment from Australia this morning on a 2009 post about Out North's production of Man in the Attic:

"This play won the Patrick White Award, one of Australia's major playwriting awards. Good on you for staging it when not one company in Australia bothered to do so! Congrats"

We have this tiny little theater that does cutting edge local productions and also brings the most interesting and challenging Outside artists to Anchorage where you can get intimate with them.  The theater is so small all the seats are in what would be the $100 and up section in bigger venues Outside.  Not everything works perfectly, but still, you are there with the artists as they push the limits of art.  You can talk to them afterward and ask questions and answer their questions. 

But this Friday and Saturday, they've got an act that doesn't fit in that tiny space.  In fact, last time Bridgman & Packer were here, they performed at the Alaska Dance Theater, where I got to see them and become a fanatic fan. 

This year (this Friday and Saturday to be specific) they will be in the Discovery Theater.  So there will be room for a lot of folks. 

Do you live in or near Anchorage?  Then you should be there too. And bring the kids.  Unless you are bedridden or out of town, you have no excuse for not going to see Bridgman & Packer.  You don't like dance?  Trust me, this is way more than dance.  This is magic. 

Do I sound enthusiastic?  Are you suspicious of my motives?  Am I getting paid to write this?  Actually, after I did a short breathless plug attached to a post on another Out North performance, Scott Schofield, Out North's Executive Director asked me to invite all my friends and offered me a free ticket even.  But that would compromise my blogger ethics so I won't take it.  But, I'm thinking I should offer that ticket to one of my readers.  OK, I'll think about  some sort of contest here - and you can give suggestions.  I'll check with Scott and see if the offer is still open. 

So what are my motives?  This is two humans (plus their helpers) showing what incredible things humans can do if they stretch their minds, train their bodies, and break the rules. I just want everyone to know this is happening in town so they don't miss it.  I also want Out North to make some money on this so they'll keep doing this sort of thing. 

When I first saw Bridgman/Packer I wondered whether I was just an Anchorage hick who just didn't get out much, but it turns out people who know about dance think they are pretty amazing too.  Mike Dunham's ADN story lists some of their glowing comments.


So, if you don't trust me or you don't like surprises, check out the ADN story on Bridgman/Packer.  When Dunham and I are both equally breathless, you know something has to be special. 

To get tickets or just to learn more about Bridgman/Packer and see a video, click here.

And here's a link to Bridgman/Packer's website.