John Russell talks to Max Steele about his solo show, Encourager, that will play The Club @ La MaMa on Saturday, September 28th at 10pm, as part of A SERIES OF ONE.
“I wanted to do something with no sets, no costumes, no props, no escape, no distractions, just feelings.” The resulting performance piece, Encourager, took the form of an ersatz self-help workshop hosted by Steele’s longtime alter ego, Billy Cheer. As he readied Encourager’s one-night-only engagement as part of La Mama E.T.C.’s A Series of One festival of solo works on September 28, we chatted with Steele about the piece, the need for encouragement and whether we should actually trust Billy Cheer’s advice.
You can read the full interview HERE.
La MaMa presents
Max Steele's
ENCOURAGER
Part of A SERIES OF ONE
Saturday, September 28th at 10pm
The Club at La MaMa
74A East 4th Street
New York, NY 10003
Tickets are $15 for adults; $10 for students and seniors; a limited number of $10 tickets are available (to anyone) as part of La MaMa's 10 @ $10 initiative.
For tickets and info: Click Here
Performer and writer Max Steele's solo show, ENCOURAGER will be presented as part of La MaMa's A SERIES OF ONE on Saturday, September 28th at 10pm at The Club.
We asked Max 6 questions about himself and his work:
1. What was the initial inspiration for this project?
I made ENCOURAGER in my first year as an Artist in Residence at
Brooklyn Arts Exchange/BAX. I wanted to make a solo performance that
wasn't tied to other forms I had worked in before, theater, music,
dance, etc. I knew I wanted to make a solo performance, and eventually
the material I was working with led me to the form of the self-help
seminar. I'd been thinking a lot about Consciousness-Raising groups of
the 1960s and 70s, as well as current places where expertise and
entertainment overlap (TED Talks, memoir as cinema). The initial
inspiration for the project, though, was that I wanted to make a
performance in which the audience could feel like they were being hit
on. All at the same time. So I started looking for ways to do that,
and I think I succeeded. I feel good about where that line of thinking
has led me. I definitely figured out a lot of other things, on the
way, and the surprise has been that in order for that to happen (for
the audience to feel like they're each, individually, being seduced)
you have to to teach them to seduce themselves.
2. What was the most challenging element in making this show?
The biggest challege I had in making ENCOURAGER was working by myself
the whole time. I wanted to work by myself to generate as much
material as I could, and to edit and organize the text and performance
entirely by myself. This show is my baby and I'm very proud of it, but
it did hurt quite a bit to make everything by myself. I'm sure I
could havge saved myself a lot of anguish if I had brough in other
people to give feedback at different points, or help direct or coach
the performance at different times. That being said, I think the
anguish and the isolation was necessary, and I don't regret working
this way.
3. Do you think of your work at political?
I do think of ENCOURAGER as inherently political, in the sense that
it's about asking people to have a more earnest engagement with
themselves and each other. There's not an overt political statement,
but my place in the world informs my work and everything else I do.
4. How would you describe your aesthetic?
Cautious optimism, earnest abjection, a serious joke, sexy
ambivalence. I think of ENCOURAGER as being content-free in a way,
more like a Philosophy lecture, because it's me sort of articulating
some of my philosophical values, but I feel pretty confident that the
aesthetic experience of it is sort of more black humor.
5. Who has inspired you?
So, so many people, but lately the more and more work I see and make,
the more I realize how much Penny Arcade and Lydia Lunch are
influences for me, with regard to both writing and performing. Hugely
underrated. I feel like they've each inspired more than one generation
of artists, and while I can't exactly do what either of them can do in
live performance, they've both definitely inspired me with their force
of will and rigor of thought.
6. What does working at La MaMa mean to you?
I love La MaMa! I'm really honored and excited to get to be performing
my own work there. La MaMa's legacy of supporting artistic innovation
is really exciting to get to be part of.
You can check out Max's blog here: www.fagcity.blogspot.com
And don't forget to come see Max's show at La MaMa!
La MaMa presents
Max Steele's
ENCOURAGER
Part of A SERIES OF ONE
Saturday, September 28th at 10pm
The Club at La MaMa
74A East 4th Street
New York, NY 10003
Tickets are $15
for adults; $10 for students and seniors; a limited number of $10
tickets are available (to anyone) as part of La MaMa's 10 @ $10 initiative.
For tickets and info: Click Here
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