Hot, Hip and on the Verge

A dozen young American companies you need to know

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OUT OF HAND THEATRE

Kamikaze Nights
by Curt Holman

When a group of young Atlanta artists resolved to establish Out of Hand Theater four years ago, they sought inspiration outside the theatre—from other spectactor-driven group activities like sports events or weddings.

Maia Knispel, one of the troupe's co-founders and frequent performers, recalls wondering, "Why is football so popular? Why do people have such strong feelings at weddings?" "Because they feel like they're part of those events," answered fellow founder Ariel de Man.

So Out of Hand became determined to stage plays that feel like big events, even when they're performed in an intimate, black-box space. Or in a bar. Or in a car. The troupe's guerilla-style energy fosters audience interactivity and high-voltage physical performance that borders on the kamikaze.

In 2003, Out of Hand staged Charles L. Mee's Big Love as an outdoor wedding that began as a genteel gathering and ended steeped in blood. In the company-created show Live Nude Bouffons!, lovable mutants declared war on their audience with rubber balls and toilet paper. In Help!, a goofy spoof of the self-help movement, the show's self-improvement exercises began by dividing up the ticket-buyers based on their mental states: "Sad," "Poor," "Drunk" or just "Fine." This evening of "life coach" seminars is being remounted through Dec. 5 at Dad's Garage Theatre.

All in their late twenties, co-producing artistic directors Knispel, de Man and Adam Fristoe aim to capture young audiences who usually avoid theatre, but not exclusively that crowd. "We make shows that are timely, modern and popular," says Knispel, "so saying that only twentysomethings like those kind of shows is ridiculous." Still, the ensemble has shown a soft spot for seldom-produced classics: Jean Cocteau's Les Parents Terribles was its inaugural production. But expect the irreverent: Knispel hints that Out of Hand's upcoming version of Miss Julie, beginning in April at 7 Stages, could marry the Strindberg drama with the troupe's deep affinity for red-nose clowning. "If one of us says, 'Hey, Miss Julie would be awesome as clowns!' we'll definitely try it out," she avows.

Out of Hand abjures the typical four-week rehearsal process. De Man compares its time-intensive preparation process to the way team athletes and dance troupes train to work together harmoniously. "Our boot camp rehearsals," adds de Man, "are the theatrical equivalent of what smart corporations do when they get employees together for a weekend to make really strong teams."

And Out of Hand must be doing something right. It was nominated in 2002 for best new arts organization in the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce's Abby Awards competition, and was named best new theatre company by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Curt Holman is the theatre critic for Creative Loafing in Atlanta.

Next: Silk Road Theatre Project, Chicago, Illinois

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