Melissa Bair
Andy Batt
Adrian Brown
Jason Dahmer
Ric Shoemaker
Morgan Stuntz
Directed b Andy Batt, Jason Dahmer & Jennifer Barlup
227 North 3rd Street | Columbus, OH 43215 | 614.221.5418
Oct. 18th-Nov. 3rd, 2001
all shows at 8pm
Thursdays-Saturdays
$8-$12 regular admission
$6 students/seniors
Emile Zola claimed that art’s only true subject was the grimly realistic representation of ‘real life’. And thus, so began the naturalistic tradition of THE GRAND GUIGNOL. THE GRAND GUIGNOL is violent, bloody theatre. Originally running from 1897 to 1962 in Paris, France, THE GRAND GUIGNOL quickly gained a reputation for over the top bloodletting and gore. Routinely the audience fainted due to its gruesome and psychological thrills. The actors measured their success by the number of people who fainted every night. For a ‘hot and cold’ effect, theatre nights typically included campy comedy pieces interspersed with tragedy to keep the audience on their toes. By 1910, the theatre, originally a chapel, had become the best known tourist attraction after the Eiffel Tower. During its run, its patrons included the King of Greece, the Princess of Holland, and Ho Chi Minh, then a political refugee. MadLab’s THE GRAND GUIGNOL 2001 featured 14 short plays improvised and developed by the cast. The production went on to win Best Original Production of the Year” from The Other Paper.