• BRAZIL

Is Dramaturg a Dirty Word?

2006-12-15

Since listening to a cassette demo years ago, we've had nothing but admiration for the talent and tenacity of singer, songwriter and performance artist Amanda Palmer. Talent because she writes hard hitting songs busting with emotion. Tenacity because she can do it all by herself with a little help from her friends and record label. Not odd, then, to hear Robert Woodruff, Artistic Director at the American Repertory Theatre was inspired enough to invite Amanda and her Dresden Doll cohort Brian Viglione to create a theater piece for the A.R.T.'s new black box space near Harvard Square.

Only days before the recent opening of the Dresden Dolls-A.R.T. collaboration The Onion Cellar, Amanda's interviews with the Boston press and her blog signalled that her experience in what Woodruff terms the "relationship of music and text" was not what she planned.

Inside the theater lobby, a merchandise table sells drink tickets and Dresden Doll ties, t-shirts, souvenir books and $10 posters that read "Lungs Locked, Lips Locked - Join the Rennaissance" and "You Can Stop The Truth From Leaking."