Sleaze Nation June 2003
‘Staging Terrorism’
Apart from the shooting of Abraham Lincoln and the events in Moscow last October,
going to the theatre is usually a fairly safe activity. Dance Bear Dance,
the latest production from performance collective Shunt, might change that.
Based on the story of Guy Fawkes’ Gundpowder Plot ( the first major
act of terrorism in London) the production was undeniably affected by 9/11
and the subsequent campaign against terror. Scornful of traditional theatre
set up, Dane Bear Dance is performed under a railway bridge in Bethnal Green
and worryingly, involves the audience. “It’s not like being picked
on by a comedian”, reassures David Rosenberg, a man who likes to dress
as a bear. “But it’s difficult for people to forget what’s
happening outside and focus on a performance. Humour is one way we do this
and frightening is another.” Don’t panic, darling.