Four more shows - and a cry for help
Current mood: optimistic

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And an open letter...
Current mood: grammatical

...to the LEO, its editors and reviewers.

"The members of the local company Le Petomane are among the region's most courageous and daring." - from the LEO review of our production, Leap.

Sincere kudos to the LEO Weekly for daring to fly in the face of public opinion as manifested through Spell Check.

To explain: in adding segments of the LEO review to our website, e-mails and such, a persistent green squiggle appears under the above-quoted sentence - under "region's."

Fascist Spell Check would have us believe that it should be "regions'" (or it accepts "regions'" without comment, at least).

What does Spell Check want? 

Does it want the LEO to proclaim us artists (a word looming grammatically over the sentence from earlier in the review) whose adjectives should cover many regions?  Something we have nor time nor budget nor inclination to do?

Is it trying to make the LEO look foolish by suggesting it "fix" what "ain't" "broke?"

Blessedly, Spell Check failed, thwarted in its attempt to muddy public discourse (again), thwarted by courageous writers/editors/typesetters/illegally-hired-underage-urchins-who-deliver-papers-and-answer-when-stogie-chompers-yell-"Copy!"  Brave women, men and urchins who can separate style from sloppiness, singular from plural, Strunk from White.

And for that we of Le Petomane salute you.

Currently listening : The Very Best of Leo Sayer By Leo Sayer Release date: 15 February, 2000

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And another one
Category: Fashion, Style, Shopping

Also, there's the LEO...

Props (theater news and banter): 'Leap' into Le Fringe

Some of the highest profile names in American theater are in town this month for the Humana Fest, but we needn't forget about the numerous artists who operate in Louisville year around. The members of the local company Le Petomane are among the region's most creative and daring.

"Leap: a physical comedy" is Le Petomane's latest ensemble-created original. Rather than an indicator of plot, the title could point more directly toward the undeniable courage in producing such a play, perhaps demanding a "leap of faith" from everyone involved, including the audience.

There is seldom certainty in the success of any experiment; never a guarantee that people will actually enjoy a theater's promise of an "unrepeatable experience." Artists are always taking leaps when they inject bold, new ideas into their work. "Leap" is theater for theater's sake, movement for the sake of movement, perhaps more closely related to modern dance than traditional theater. The same thing happens in music when you take away its traditional structures and leave only the sound — it becomes an environment, an experiment in the fundamental qualities of musical perception. It's like writing without grammar or painting without geometry. These aren't necessarily new concepts, but neither are half of the selections from any given year at Humana.

If you prefer something more akin to a Dada event or a Fluxus performance, then Le Petomane will be your best night out. For me, "Leap" could be the result of The Beach Boys song "Vegetables" presented as Cubist Theater — examining from every possible angle the experience of chomping down on your favorite vegetable. The lunacy quotient is high, but it's also one of the troupe's most compelling factors. Experimental theater has its challenges, so your patience, your intelligence and your tolerance will be tested, but it will also be rewarded.

The four actors in this piece — resident performers Kristie Rolape, Tony Dingman, Abigail Bailey Maupin and Gregory Maupin — engage in a routine reminiscent of a children's game, replete with imaginary characters playing in their own imaginary world. They each have good comic timing and exhibit incredible dexterity and endurance.

The production continues March 7-8 [Le Petomane Blogger Note: And March 10!  Don't forget Monday, March 10!] and March 15-16 at the Rudyard Kipling. All shows begin at 8 p.m., and tickets are $8-$20. Go to www.lepetomane.org or call 636-1311 for more info. —Joey Yates

Currently listening : Combo! By Henry Mancini Release date: 19 May, 1998

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The reviews are in
Category: Automotive

For a company that rarely advertises, these ain't bad...

First, from TheatreLouisville.org:

Leap, reviewed by Keith Waits (Entire contents copyright © 2008, Keith Waits. All rights reserved.)

A man walks onstage carrying a broom and begins eating a stalk of celery, and the audience laughs. Why is such a simple and mundane action at all funny? Most who do comedy professionally agree that it is foolish to deconstruct and analyze how comedy works, so suffice it to say that it is how the man eats that stalk of celery. The members of Le Petomane Theatre Ensemble performing their new production, Leap, all know how to eat celery in ways that will make you laugh. They know how to make you laugh doing a good many other things as well.

Somewhere between the low physical comedy of the circus clown throwing buckets of confetti and the most cerebral verbal stand-up comedy, there exists a territory of physical comedy that employs the human body to express ideas both subtle and broad. It is an old theatrical tradition but one not often seen on any stage in our area, which makes the work of this gifted troop a rare pleasure. This was my first exposure to their work, and I came away feeling a true sense of discovery, as if I had unearthed a precious gem.

In this particular production, plot and characterization as we know them from traditional forms are jettisoned, while absurdity and irrationality are celebrated. The four members of the ensemble are sublimely silly as they move with great precision through a tightly choreographed series of interactions expressing a wide range of comedic images. To call it slapstick would not be wrong, but it would limit an understanding of what this quartet is capable of. Everything about the production might at first seem random and facile, but as the evening progresses and the structure of the piece begins to, for a time, repeat itself, it becomes evident how well crafted it all is. The skill and energy of the ensemble is impressive, but it is the cohesiveness on display that is astonishing. They move through the performance space less as four individual actors and more in the manner of a finely-tuned engine. Yet they each create indelible figures within that structure with detailed and nuanced gesture.

This unification of purpose, which one might think comes easily onstage, should not be taken for granted. It apparently is derived, at least in part, from a unique creative process in which each performer is given an equal role in forming the show and developing it through the rehearsal process. No credit is given for writing or directing, since no one individual is in "control" more than the others. What might in some circumstances breed chaos and anarchy, in the hands of these spirited but disciplined performers, delivers potent comedy of tremendous grace and agility.  Brava to Tony Dingman, Abigail Bailey Maupin, Gregory Maupin and Kristie Rolape for their inspired work.

March 7-8, 10 and March 15-16
All shows at 8:00pm
The Rudyard Kipling
422 Oak St.
Le Petomane Theatre Ensemble
www.LePetomane.org
636-1311

Posted Mar. 1, 2008

Currently listening : Funny Familiar Forgotten Feelings By Tom Jones

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Leap opens tonight

Celebrate Leap Day with Le Petomane's Leap, a comedy of four weary and easily-distracted travelers, their interdependence and the stories they tell themselves.

And bring a friend – it can be scientifically proven that the show gets funnier as your party gets bigger!

Opening tonight at 8

Currently listening : Brighter Than Creation's Dark By Drive-By Truckers Release date: 22 January, 2008

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Leap is Coming
Category: Parties and Nightlife

This is important.

On February 29th, 2008, Leap will begin.

"What exactly the hell does that mean?" we hear you cry.

And well you should.

But before the crying starts, the details: February 29, March 1, 7-8, 10, 15-16; 8:00 pm; the Rudyard Kipling (422 W. Oak); $8-$20 (your call).

Now start the questions. 

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The LEO enjoyed the heck out of it - and you still can too!
Current mood: hungry

"If you see only one holiday play this year, this is the one that can't be skipped." – LEO Weekly

Only Three More Double Feature Performances!

(And this is at the Rud, so that means only about 150 seats total available for the rest of the run – reserve your seats now!)

December 7, 8 and 9

At the Rudyard Kipling, 422 W. Oak St.

Shows begin at 7:30 pm (lasts about 90 minutes)

Dinner served 6:30-7:00

Tickets: $8-$20 pay-what-you-like scale (cheaper than a movie!)

Also from the LEO:

"Boldly subversive!"

"The thinking person's favorite performers, Le Petomane Theatre Ensemble, raise the bar yet again in their current offering . . . Le Petomane is the well-honed edge of cutting-edge theater. They prove once more the value of ensemble playing as they keep getting better all the time."

"The musical numbers sure are swell."

"And just wait 'til you see what Kenny does to the Louisville skyline!"

For reservation information, contact Us@LePetomane.org or call (502) 636-1311.

Currently listening : TOM JONES: Live in Las Vegas By TOM JONES

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DOUBLE FEATURE opens Thursday
Current mood: creative

Le Petomane Theatre Ensemble proudly announces

 The Le Petomane Double Feature

90 minutes of powerhouse comic performance including:

A Very Special Holiday Special

Our shameless yet spectacular contribution to the season

and a new episode of the audience award-winning radio show that has to be seen to be believed,

Gladys . . . of Adventure!

The joy happens

Thursday, November 29 through Saturday, December 1 and

Friday, December 7 through Sunday, December 9

At the Rudyard Kipling (422 W. Oak St.)

All shows begin at 7:30 pm

Tickets available on our $8-$20 pay-what-you-like scale

For reservation information, call (502) 636-1311 or contact Us@LePetomane.org

-------------------------------

Want dinner at the Rud?  Of course you do!  Enjoy the tasty handmade pizzas and/or the drinks.  (We're funnier when you drink.)

Call ahead for dinner reservations - serving food from 6:30-7:00 

Currently reading : Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain By Oliver Sacks Release date: 16 October, 2007

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Le Petomane Double Feature is coming!
Current mood: Pluggy

Le Petomane Theatre Ensemble

Presents

THE LE PETOMANE

DOUBLE FEATURE:

a new episode of Gladys . . . of Adventure! and

 A Very Special Holiday Special

Le Petomane Theatre Ensemble seasonably announces its latest offering, The Le Petomane Double Feature (don't worry: we're still only talking about 90 minutes), including an all-new episode of our landslide audience vote winner, the live radio glory that is

Gladys . . . of Adventure!

PLUS

our shameless yet spectacular attempt to cash in on the season, entitled

A Very Special Holiday Special.

The Le Petomane Double Feature will be performed on November 29, 30 and December 1, 7, 8 & 9, at 7:30 pm at the Rudyard Kipling, 422 West Oak Street. 

Tickets are available for our usual $8-$20 sliding scale* (cheaper and more personal than an evening movie –plus, you can drink!) and reservations can be made by calling the Rud at (502) 636-1311 or by contacting Us@LePetomane.org.

            So, what exactly will we feature in this double feature?  Well:

Gladys . . . of Adventure! - in the last episode of our comic saga, Gladys fought off the evil Dr. Benjamin Franklinstein, undead founding father and creator of The Gobbler, the biggest turkey the world has ever seen.  What unfathomable danger will she face next?  There's only one way to find out…it's the radio show you have to see to believe.  If that makes any sense.

A Very Special Holiday Special - you never know where we'll find our inspiration.  We've done noir, comic books, Italian masks, Shakespeare, vaudeville and Cold War spies.  This time we looked in the place where any child's fondest holiday memories lay - Science Fiction B-movies from the 50's!  Giant atomic beasts crushing cities.  Baffled scientists pointing skyward and shouting.  And a message of love.  Think Plan 9 from the North Pole or Godzilla vs. Jack Frost and you'll have some idea where we'll be leading you.

How/Why Do We Even Do This?: On the Ensemble-Creation Process: We start with an idea – sometimes a full plot, an image, or just a few cheap gags.  Then we start to play around, keeping some things and discarding others (often the very ideas that got us started; the first thing to go is usually the Ego).  Some ideas go on paper, but the show primarily comes together on its feet.  Eventually it ceases to become clear which idea was whose and the show becomes One Big Idea.   After we get enough of the show organized, staged and rehearsed that we're sure it's "something," we invite in colleagues and/or friends to watch.  They laugh at some things and don't laugh at others.  They tell us when we need to pay more attention to the audience near stage left.  We thank them.  Then we fix a few things.  Then we open.

Some of the nice things people have said about us:

It is a remarkable process, the opposite of the bland compromises generally ground out by committee. It is, in fact, more like a group of precocious, oversized children, making up an intricate game in the spirit of shared intensity and playfulness.

                                                                                                                                                     -Pitch Magazine

"Fine fast and funny . . . ensemble comedy of the first order"

-Courier-Journal

"Brilliant . . . exuberant . . ."

-LEO

"Their work is ego-less and solidly executed.  They are devoted to the play and to their audience... Le Petomane Theatre Ensemble is doing good work in a necessary way, giving the Louisville theater scene something it has been missing. "

-TheatreLouisville.org

                "Viva Le Petomane!"

-Audience member

* a word or two about the sliding scale: it is important to us that our work is available to as many people as possible.  To that end, we offer the Sliding Scale.  One pays what one a) thinks fair and b) can afford; we make a reasonable amount either way.  The low end is no higher than the price of a movie ticket; the high end is not such an issue, as we will gleefully accept any amount above $20 one cares to give.

Le Petomane Theatre Ensemble is a member of the Theatre Alliance of Louisville.

Currently reading : The Yiddish Policemen’s Union: A Novel By Michael Chabon Release date: 01 May, 2007

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Three More Performances!

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