The inspiration for Happy Mundanes came from a year of travel and study on a Bristol Fellowship from Hamilton College. Justin Tyler spent 2002-2003 traveling to England, Scotland, India, Australia, Vanuatu, New Zealand, Japan, France and Italy observing and taking part in street theatre of all kinds. The content of the piece developed out of observing the metropolitan lifestyles of people all over the world. The style of work in Happy Mundanes is a blend of the many different performance styles observed during Justin Tyler's travels, from basic clowning at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to large scale AIDS education plays performed in the slums of Madras. Justin, Aaron and Aurelia developed much of the piece together in April 2003 and it debuted at Hamilton College on May 7, 2003. Pig Brooch, Inc. was formed as a result of this first collaboration and the company relocated to New York last fall.
Happy Mundanes is without dialogue; the actors illuminate the dark nature of daily routine as well as the mind's flights into fantasy through music, sound, facial expression and physical movement. It is a technically simple piece, yet rich in aesthetic value. The music is completely original, performed by a musician live during the performance. This living soundtrack allows the actors and musician to tailor the piece to the moment it is being performed. In that same vein, a portion of the show is improvised, which creates an even deeper connection between the performers, the audience and the moment they are sharing together. Happy Mundanes is a theatrical experience; a fresh, palpable and thought-inspiring work that leaves its audience "reexamining the way they live."
From Justin Tyler: "A lot of me went into this piece. I spent a year of my life traveling alone in environments I had never been exposed to. This purity of experience left me with the raw images and ideas that went into Happy Mundanes. The improvisation and live music in the piece bring the same immediacy of the moment that I experienced in my travels to the audience at each performance. We have a real passion for this piece and want it to be able to affect an audience in the way that it affects us."
Happy Mundanes will perform at the Greenwich Street Theatre on the following dates:
Wednesday, August 18 - 3 p.m.
Thursday, August 19 - 10:45 p.m.
Sunday, August 22 - 9 p.m.
Thursday, August 26 - 8:30 p.m.
Sunday, August 29 - 2:15 p.m.
Contact Justin Tyler '01 (justintyler11@hotmail.com) for more information.
