Once upon a time, New York performance art was an outlaw rebel culture. By the time the aughts officially ended, do-it-yourself guerilla Brooklyn-ites and hipster-manques had co-opted the anti-establishment torch. The Lower East Side scene had shriveled into bizzaro performance art cliches, sanitized commercialism and trust fund grad students.
With rivals like these, Penny Arcade probably should have called it quits long ago. But she’s still creating the kind of abrasive, stripped-down monologues that crystallized a downtown culture.
Arcade is captured as the rightful LES pioneer in a career retrospective from MIT Press: “Bad Reputation: Performance, Essays, Interviews” with an introduction from playwright Ken Bernard.
We caught up with Arcade for a quick chat about her new book.
Do you remember when you first realized that art had the power to change things? Or do you subscribe to Karen Finley’s school of thought that artists are mere historical records?
I am always trying to change myself. I create transformational theater with the goal of transforming myself and my understanding of the world. I agree with with Karen Finley. I always have believed that artists live at the outskirts of society and that their job is to report back to that society.
What do you believe that audiences should "get" out of theater?
I believe that we go to the theater to experience what we are unable or unwilling to experience of ourselves. This is usually referred to as 'real life." The audience owes the artist nothing, not even to listen. We as expressive artists must create something compelling that captures the audience and something in the individual that cannot be denied.
How would say that your material has evolved over time?
It's grown with the benefit of my 18-year collaboration with Steve Zehentner, who acts as a dramaturg towards my writing and direction. He creates all my set, lighting, video and sound design in collaboration with me. My work has grown in the scope of spectacle and has evolved in the sense of the inclusion of the audience. It's not seen as a gimmick, but with the desire to create an experiential dimension that allows the audience to fully participate.
Do you have a survival tip for the starving artist?
For an artist like me, the times have always been lean. I do not receive grants that even people who have created work for five years receive. I do not depend on people to give me money to make my work. I make it anyway. When I am not given theater space, I rent an empty hall. I create work that the public wants to see whether or not I am in favor with arts administration. I create theater to break down self isolation and to assuage sorrow. That is never out of style. Be pro-active. Never take no for an answer. Accept full responsibility for yourself and your work.
I'm curious about your inner creative process. Do you have an inner sanctum for creation and how do you re-charge your creative mindset?
I believe that your life is your path no matter what you do to express yourself. I do not think art is superior to any other form. It is simply my form. It chose me and I agreed to be chosen. I am by nature self reflective. The streets are my inner sanctum. As odd as it sounds, that is where I find sanctuary. I have learned to do nothing and to simply be. It re-charges me and allows me to give to the world with great stamina, vitality and generosity.
For more information on Penny Arcade, check out her Web site at www.pennyarcade.tv
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