The Only War That Matters Is... Premieres at Bats

“The Only War That Matters Is The War Against The Imagination…”

Premieres Bats Theatre

11-21 August 2004

The Beats go on

The poetry of Allen Ginsburg, Jack Kerouac, William Burroughs, Diane Di Prima and others comes to Wellington this August. Wordvirus is an exploration of art, sexuality, love and American society through the words of the Beat Poets. Five performers act, sing, dance, fight and fuck their way through fifty minutes of dazzling words.

"I SAW THE BEST MINDS OF MY GENERATION DESTROYED BY MADNESS: STARVING HYSTERICAL NAKED."

Wordvirus explores the New York of the Beats- a nightmare maze of dark tenements, curling alleyways and cold-water flats. Tucked away in their tiny lofts and apartments they seek salvation in sex, in drugs, in jazz and in Zen, in politics and in poetry.

“Are you going to let your emotional life be run by Time magazine?”

Fifties America belonged to figures such as Senator Joe McCarthy and FBI head J. Edgar Hoover. The Beats’ revolutionary ideas met huge cultural resistance. Through the lives and works of the poets, Wordvirus explores the relationship of the artist with society and the place of the outsider critic.

Wordvirus came into existence last year as the end product of a final-year collaborative theatre paper at Victoria University. Theatre Head of Department John Downie calls it “a highly stimulating piece of theatre… I highly recommend this production.” It will be one of the first shows performed in the newly-refurbished Bats.

Wordvirus is the first production by new company Theatre Militia directed by Rachel Lenart. The script was woven together by Felix Preval, who also performs along with James Schmidt and Leah Brumer. Local musical innovators sstimuluss provide both the sound and the original music score.

Warning: Wordvirus contains nudity, sex scenes, drug use and strong language. It is not suitable for younger viewers.

Wordvirus will be performed at Bats Theatre between the 11-21 of August (no shows on Sunday, Monday or Tuesday). The start time is 9.00 pm and it runs for just under an hour.

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