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2 Acclaimed Solo Shows:
Out of My Mime
Dodging Bullets |
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Out Of My Mime
Watch Show Excerpts
Watch 1979-1999 Excerpts
This show combines several movement styles into a stunning program of mime,
clowning and masks. Using contemporary and classical music--as well as the
occasional spoken word--Barker creates an evening of separate vignettes, ranging from
slapstick comedy to satire and compelling drama. "Out Of My Mime" includes
performances of "Blockhead," a mask creature inspired by the famous mask troupe
Mummenschanz, in which Barker rearranges his facial expression with the help of the
audience. There is also "Daydreamer," the story of a mild-mannered bookworm with
a penchant for fantasy and "The Bad Hair Day," a comic look at a common daily
frustration.
Barker, an alumnus of the Claude Kipnis Mime Theatre in New York, and
founder of the Aurora Mime Theatre in Arizona, has performed his mime show
throughout the United States, Mexico and Shanghai since 1977 in a variety of venues
including theatres, colleges, schools, malls, parks and prisons. He has been featured in
several television commercials and publications. "Out Of My Mime" is appropriate for all
ages and can be performed in just about any space from a fully-equipped theatre to an
open room.
"Mr. Barker is the star of the evening and his animations and expressions are
unpretentious and uncomplicated. This purity allows the audience to concentrate on
the content of the action, to really feel what he is doing without the help of words.
This makes mime an art all ages can enjoy. Anyone who has seen
Mummenschanz will be glad to know that `Blockhead' is a takeoff on cube heads and
cloth to form faces and creatures. It is by far the funniest sketch . . . a wonderful
performer."
---
Princeton Spectrum
“…a rare artist able to create a magical atmosphere as well as a unique
chemistry with (the) audience.”
--- Evdokimos Tsolakidis, Artistic Director,
Theater of Changes, Athens
Greece
"He is brilliant, both in his conception and realization of his pieces---most
particularly in `Menace,' where he unsuccessfully fights off a manic persona and in
`Face It' with an almost endless variety of invisible masks."
---
Phoenix Gazette
“…a magnificent performance…superb”
---Daniel Nagrin, pioneer of Modern Dance
“…his Americanized change (of) mask brings the audience limitless suspense and
surprise.”
---Shanghai Theatre Magazine
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DODGING BULLETS
Watch the Video
In the summer of 2004 David Barker began a sabbatical with the intention of developing a new solo
show; a personal, soul-searching exploration marking the milestone of turning 50. Nothing happened
until... On July 6th 2004 at 12:15 p.m. Barker’s life was changed forever in a period of 90 seconds.
Dodging Bullets is a story of raw violence giving way to redemption. It unmasks the face of cruelty with
surprising humor. Dodging Bullets is a compelling journey through both horrific and tender events and is
performed with visceral truth by Barker as he brings to life 10 people in this new solo show.
The technical requirements are simple: minimum playing area of 16' wide X 14' deep, an arm chair and
a small end table.
Phoenix New Times Best of 2009
Best One-Man Show
His sabbatical leave during the summer of 2004 led to a crisis in David Barker's life. Like many artists, Barker, a
professor of theater in the Herberger College of the Arts best known for his mime performances, turned that crisis
into art. Dodging Bullets details the day that Barker's brother-in-law opened fire on him and his sister, the
gunman's wife. The bullet intended for Barker missed him, but his sister was hit in the chest. It's a testament to
Barker's skill as a playwright and performer that he made this tragic tale — which he's preparing for a
remount, we hope very soon — both amusing and enlightening.
"Dodging Bullets is theatre as it should be: challenging and compelling."
--Michael Switzer, Emmy Award-winning Hollywood Director
"Barker held 300 audience members spellbound as he portrayed 10 different characters in this gripping, powerful and
entertaining performance."
--Jeff Imboden - Director of the Performing Arts Series, University of Central Missouri
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response. A true story turned into art by the man who actually lived it."
--David Ellenstein, Artistic Director, North Coast Repertory Theatre, CA
"You'd be hard pressed to find another arts practitioner in the Valley (or maybe anywhere) who knows more about the
use of the instrument that is the human body, or who has more access to physical range and control, as well as an
understanding of how perception, thought, and emotion dovetail with the body's systems. It's an evening that
everyone can relate to, largely because of Barker's clarity and humility as a performer and Ben Tyler's sympathetic,
pinpoint direction."
--Phoenix New Times
"A bravura performance. Barker walks a fine line between sentimentality and generosity of spirit."
--Matthew Wiener, Artistic Director, Actors Theatre of Phoenix
“Our conference attendees were captivated and enthralled with the powerful performance of Dodging Bullets. The one
-man play underscores the complexity of domestic violence, the permanent scars that are created, and the absolute power
of the story of a survivor.”
--Allie Bones, Director, Arizona Coalition Against Domestic Violence
"Dodging Bullets is meant to be seen by the masses. It is powerful, entertaining and very real. It helps put life in
perspective and leaves you wondering what is most important. The acting is superb and the message is profound".
--Maureen Christensen, PhD, Family Counselor
"…stranger-than-fiction quality adds visceral entertainment value to ‘Dodging Bullets’."
--Arizona Republic
"…powerfully expresses the way in which the violent events which precipitated the play still live in the performer’s body.
(Dodging Bullets is) a significant piece of creative work from a unique theatrical voice…"
--Phil Thompson, Head of Acting, University of California at Irvine
“Dodging Bullets is a thought provoking performance that reminds us that domestic violence happens not to “thoseSojourner Center
people” but to us. It urges us to understand the magnitude of the impact of domestic violence and provides hope
that it can be overcome. Domestic violence happens to 1 in 4 women in our society. Dodging Bullets makes it
real in a way that a statistic can’t. Everyone should see this play.”
--ConniePhillips, MSW, Executive Director,
“…courageous …took us through Holy Thursday and Good Friday to Easter. Love is the only thing that makes us
Christian and love of those who hurt us, i.e. forgiveness is love's ultimate expression. Grab yourself a crucifix and
take a good look: when Jesus told us to love our enemies, he wasn't kiddin'. …(this) play touched me deeply
because it was such an honest and genuine incarnation of that love. All of us who see it are blessed!”
--Fr. Fred Lucci, OP, Former Director and Pastor,
All Saints Catholic Newman Center atArizona State University
“Dodging Bullets” deals with one of the noblest themes in relationships – forgiveness. Taken from actual gut-
wrenching events in his life, David’s tour de force effectively displays redemption’s strength of grace that
we all desperately need to receive and give."
--Pastor Dennis Templeton,Calvary Chapel Arrowhead, Glendale , AZ
Estrella Mountain Community College
was a unique experience for students and employees."
--Dr. Olga Tsoudis,
“The show was captivating and intense, broken perfectly with little bits of comic relief…like a Quentin Tarantino
movie, and just as entertaining.”
--The Moderator, Mount Marty College,South Dakota