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Watchface

From This Might Be A Wiki

Watchface was a performance art group from the Lower East Side that John Flansburgh was in during the 1980s. It is unclear as to how many times he performed with Watchface as he describes his acting with them as "a tad of theatrical performing" in an interview on the Gothamist. They were a seven member ensemble that incorporated dance, acting and writing with an emphasis on dancing and movement. Their work involves chanting and moving about in a way that seems to worship their very movements. Their work "Sin," which involved each group member acting out a different sin as it related to contemporary American life, ran at La Mama's Cabaret in NYC during late April and early May 1987.

The group also opened for They Might Be Giants and an announcement can be found at The New York Times. Here is another link to a brief performance announcement from The New York Times.

Contents

[edit] Sin

"Sin" was a performance art piece that the group Watchface, of which John Flansburgh was a part, performed at La Mama's Cabaret (also known as The Club) in NYC starting April 23rd and running to mid-May. In the work, each of the seven performers picked a different sin (of the seven deadly varieties) and acted out an interpretation of how that sin related to contemporary American life. A review of "Sin" in the New York Times criticizes the work for running long and being in need of editing. Interestingly, while the article mentions several times that there are seven members of Watchface, it mentions only six of the performers' sin performances; missing is any mention of John Flansburgh. The performance is also missing from the La Mama's Cabaret's archives on its website, though there are no other listings for the dates this show is listed.

[edit] Kim X. Knowlton - "Envy"

  • First sketch.

[edit] Melanie Monios - "Avarice"

  • A sketch about a woman's obsession with collecting handbags and how it leads her to poverty.

[edit] Chazz Dean - "Lust"

  • A sketch in which three Victorians softly utter sexual ad slogans and bits of dialog form pornographic movies.

[edit] Maggie Siena - "Gluttony"

  • A comedic monologue at one point in which Maggie Siena licks whipped cream off her own body.

[edit] Iris Rose - "Sloth"

  • A sketch where the actress lounges in pajamas for days in front of a television while a radio-television soundtrack collage blares loudly.

[edit] John Flansburgh - "Wrath"

  • While Flans says that he performed with this group, oddly this is the only piece in which the performer (of the seven possible performers) is not mentioned. This leads one to conclude that Wrath was possibly performed by him.

[edit] Kurt Fulton's "Pride"

  • Final sketch.

[edit] Members

  • Kim X. Knowlton
  • Melanie Monios
  • Chazz Dean
  • Maggie Siena
  • Iris Rose
  • John Flansburgh
  • Kurt Fulton
Retrieved from "http://tmbw.net/wiki/Watchface"