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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
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North Coast Rep to great audience response. A true story turned into art by the man
who actually lived it."
--David Ellenstein, Artistic Director, North Coast Repertory Theatre, CA