Are We Not Drawn Onward To New Era
Are We Not Drawn Onward To New Era is a solo performance incorporating custom-made lighting and audio fixtures which act as both set and scene partners.
The narrative follows an alienated jarhead who becomes (or thinks he does) an agent of an unspecified espionage agency. It proceeds through a series of fractured recollections / fantasies attempting to reconstitute objective events.
The performer is seated at the table for a majority of the show with the other characters played by tape players mounted on costumed freestanding coat racks. The set is being controlled by creator and performer Daniel O’Shea himself.
This work treads some dangerous territory, creating a work based in identity politics as a white man, O’Shea puts himself in the role of an angry and isolated individual identifying with the alt-right and ultimately turning to violence, while portraying the absurdity of romantic ideals of manliness.
Are We Not Drawn Onwards To New Era was created as part of the Shooting Gallery performance series and was also performed at Sawdust Collector in 2018.
from Julianne Chapple