Gothamist

A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.

Gothamist

WNYC Listen Live

Donate

 

 

Arts & Entertainment

Under The Radar Festival 2012 Decoded By Artistic Director Mark Russell

By

John Del Signore

Published Dec 27, 2011

Modified Dec 27, 2011

Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail

Never miss a story

 Email address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .

Alexis, A Greek Tragedy From the show description: "In 2008, 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos became an icon of youthful rebellion after he was shot by a policeman, triggering an unprecedented storm of protests against the corrupted political system in Greece. In their continued search for a modern Antigone in present-day resistance, Motus emerges with this documentary theatre piece of uncompromising theatricality. Alexis is their poetic call to action." Russell says, "This show has some awesome images in it, it is literally a hot show—that is all I am saying. This is also the show closest to the themes of resistance and revolution that seem to be threaded through this year’s festival. If I could invite all of Occupy Wall Street over to see something, this would be the show."

 

Gothamist

View all 14

By

John Del Signore

Published Dec 27, 2011

Modified Dec 27, 2011

Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail

We rely on your support to make local news available to all

Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

It's time once again for the Under the Radar Festival, arguably the most electrifying theatrical event of the year. Curated by former P.S. 122 director Mark Russell, the international festival features 12 days and nights of genre-busting productions from across the globe. It starts January 4th at The Public Theater and other downtown venues, continuing through the 15th, with 16 shows from nine countries. Last week we spoke to Russell about what's on his Radar this year, and asked him what some of the common themes he's seen emerging in experimental theater during the past year.

"One is this sort of musical thread of concert theater, rock and roll theater," says Russell. "And the other is revolution and resistance and more political theater. It's in the zeitgeist. You know, a lot of young artists are thinking about the powers that be, and how to construct a new world. And that leads to things that some people might call political, but it's not didactic politics. You know, when I hear the words 'political theater,' I run in the other direction. This is humorous, it's engaging, it's scary, and no one is getting beaten over the head with 'Republicans are bad' or something of that sort."

Asked what he'd recommend for theatergoers who might not have seem much "experimental" theater, Russell told us, "Well, don't be afraid of dipping your toe into the experimental theater world. It's just good theater, and these artists go about making theater in different ways so that they can reach people. That's one of my primary goals: to demystify this sort of downtown theater thing. I have people coming to me going, 'Oh am I dressed right for being downtown?' It doesn't matter! You know, you don't have to dress in black to enjoy the Under the Radar Festival."

Click on the photos here for Russell's thoughts on each of the productions he hand-picked for this year's festival, and buy tickets here. They cost $20 each, which is a bargain considering, as Russell says, "There's going to be theater you can dance to, theater with lots of fire, there'll be cardboard puppets, and there'll be angels dropping down from heaven."

Tagged

mark russell

theater

under the radar

John Del Signore

Twitter

Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.

Read more

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

MORE arts-entertainment

In the algorithm age, NYC college radio DJs are still broadcasting the funky stuff

We dropped by WNYU to see what the next generation of radio DJs is up to. The answer is "Br00tal Beats To Study/Relax To."

By

James Ramsay

Published Oct 22, 2026 at 11:18 a.m. ET

A Queens prop shop shutters, bunnies find a home uptown, and more openings and closings

Highlights of shifts in the city's business landscape.

By

Hannah Frishberg

Arts & Entertainment

A Queens prop shop shutters, bunnies find a home uptown, and more openings and closings

Highlights of shifts in the city's business landscape.

By

Hannah Frishberg

A new film invites you to eavesdrop on one of the greatest conversations in NYC history

By

Sonia Rao

The Knicks are NBA champions. Now they have to start dressing the part.

By

Sonia Rao

Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.

By

Sonia Rao

Never miss a story

Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.

Sign upEmail address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .