OtB’s Sound Technician Julian Martlew has been working with El Gallo's string octet since Sunday and had offered more insight into the music. Describing it as full-on classical with postmodern techniques (such as bow scrapes and playing rhythm on the instruments), Julian said the original composition splits the musicians into 2 quartets who have 2 different sets of music.

The Mexico City-based Teatro de Ciertos Habitantes has been seen across 5 continents at some of the most prestigious festivals and venues, including everything from Germany’s Hebbel am Ufer (also known as the home of OtB alums Rimini Protokoll) to the Lincoln Center in NYC.

Press reviews are starting to roll in. Watch this post for more updates throughout the weekend!

"Vivarium Studio Proves Small is Beautiful…and Fun" - The SunBreak

I try not to categorize artwork by nationality, but there is something, well, particularly french about L'Effet de Serge. Whether intentional or accidental, I felt an intellectual alignment with French philosophers such as de Certeau who examined the daily. It a play that is charmingly uncomfortable, hilariously underplayed, and quite possibly making fun of itself even as it takes itself too seriously. Serge's armchair performances sent me home to pull Bachelard's Poetics of Space off my book shelf.

I'm a lucky girl. I'm not an actress (though like most people, I have fantasies of being "discovered") and I haven't been behind the scenes on a theatrical production in years either. But I guess the powers-that-be thought I'd have the skills to eat pizza, drink wine and chat with beautiful french artists on stage. Um, sure, why not?

Did you see L'Effet de Serge? Leave us a comment with your thoughts!

We're prepping Serge's apartment on OtB's Mainstage Theater right now, so here's a little info on Vivarium Studio to help prep you for the performance this weekend:

Here's what's been said about L'Effet de Serge in other cities so far:

"...one of the most poignant theatrical works I've witnessed. Though there's almost nothing in it that Aristotle and his ilk would recognize as a play, L'Effet de Serge somehow communicates the essence of theater itself." - Village Voice

With director Philippe Quesne and performer Gaetan Vourc'h
Sat | Apr 16 | noon @ OtB

Here are the reviews from over the weekend. It's not too late to catch the show - there are still some tickets available for tonight!

"In On the Boards solo show, Charles Smith explores levels of misunderstanding" - Tom Keogh, Seattle Times