|
In the hands of Los Angelesbased comedy and theater group Culture Clash, all the South Bay's a stage and the men and women here are more than merely players but part of the play itself. When Culture Clash takes the stage on Feb. 7 at the San José Repertory Theatre, so, in a sense, will San Jose and its environs.
Culture Clash's show, Culture Clash in AmeriCCa, will feature a special section written about San Jose, commissioned by the San José Rep.
As part of the group's ongoing project that chronicles American cities for different editions of its show, Culture Clash in AmeriCCa, last summer Culture Clash member Richard Montoya conducted a series of interviews with a variety of Silicon Valley denizens. The interviews were used to create a theater piece all about the valley that will be presented as part of Culture Clash's performance at the Rep.
The group has already tackled New York, San Diego, Miami, Berkeley and Washington, D.C. Now San Jose will get its own slice of theatrical immortality--maybe a little infamy as well. Culture Clash, made up of Montoya, Herbert Siguenza and Ric Salinas, is known for biting political and social satire. Irreverence isn't even the half of their comedy, so expect some skewering of local institutions and icons, especially because the Bay Area isn't exactly new territory for Culture Clash.
The group was founded in San Francisco in 1984, and Montoya, Siguenza and Salinas all grew up in the Bay Area. The group performed locally for a number of years, including at La Peña Cultural Center in Berkeley and at Luis Valdez's El Teatro Campesino.
Culture Clash's award-winning work has been seen on television and film as well as on stage. Their play Bowl of Beings was shown on PBS' Great Performances series, and Culture Clash created the first (and sadly, so far, the last) Latino-themed sketch comedy show for Fox TV. Cheech Marin recently commissioned the group to write and produce a series of short films for the national touring museum show Chicano Now!
So what will these modern-day bards have to say about San Jose? In this case, familiarity seems more likely to breed comedy than contempt.
Culture Clash performs 'Culture Clash in AmeriCCa' Feb. 7-March 2 (with previews Jan. 31Feb. 2 and Feb.56) at the San José Repertory Theatre, 101 Paseo de San Antonio, San Jose. Tickets are $20$48. For more information, call 408.367.7262.
|
