Theatre Du Jour Presents Sandra and Salvador Rosa, two short Absurd plays by painter Joseph White, although he prefers to call them 'oxy-moronic.' A renowned painter since the 1960's (his first inclusion in the Whiney Biennial was 1964), White also danced and wrote poetry while living on the lower East Side in New York in the 1970's and 80's. He participated in readings at St. Mark's Place and his book, Oriental Palace, was published during that time by Adventures in poetry. These two bizarre plays were written between 1970 and 1980 in the absurdist tradition and highlight his image-rich poetry; fantastic vision and practically Dadaist take on society. InSandra, two bus benches observe the behavior of the proletariat who wait for and ride the bus, hiding angst and displeasure under a mantel of civility. Says White, 'Bus benches don't usually get to talk, and when they do it's pretty important.' Salvador Rosa is a series of short vignettes that range from movement poems to a tirade by the rebellious and influential but mostly obscure 17thcentury painter and poet. The themes may be far reaching and at times critical of society, but the plays themselves are funny, entertaining and sometimes downright silly. As one of the actors quipped to White during rehearsal, 'What on earth was going through your mind in 1980?'
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