Missoula Oblongata

Thursday, June 17, 2010 | 8pm

A rousing and magical night of performance from one of the world’s most acclaimed experimental theater companies, The Missoula Oblongata. Opening the evening are two special guests: music from Nelly Kate and a performance by Ali Cheff.

:-:-: THE MISSOULA OBLONGATA :-:-:
in:
“The Daughter of the Father of Time Motion Study”

Once there was a time when people knew the difference between sacrifice and compromise. Which is to say, they knew the difference between a walrus and a robot. Which is to say, they knew the difference between a hole in the ice and the ice itself. They knew each of the 18 hand movements prescribed by Time Motion Study, and they knew how to use them in a way that was restful. This play is a television mini-series about that remarkable period of time.

As always, The Missoula Oblongata is asking the big questions here: Can inefficiency be cured? If a robot is smarmy, is it only a reflection of your own smarminess? What exactly does it take to get oneself on a postage stamp?

Debuting May 30th at Southeastern Ohio’s own CrabbFest, comes a new play by The Missoula Oblongata: The Daughter of the Father of Time Motion Study. It’s the company’s sixth touring production–this one half the size of their usual main-stage fare, but with all of the moving parts, twisty dialog, and duct-taped together lighting that the company has become known for. And all of it is created, performed, and operated from the stage (that is, a 6′ x 6′ x ‘6 box) by the three full-time members of the company: Madeline ffitch, Sarah Lowry, and Donna Sellinger.

Written by: Donna Sellinger and Madeline ffitch

Directed by: Emily Pearlman

Performed by: Donna Sellinger, Madeline ffitch, and Sarah Lowry

Praise for The Missoula Oblongata:

“The romance of vaudeville, the adrenaline of punk, and the playfulness of the Children’s Television Workshop…packing the house with theatre buffs as well as with those who tend to fidget in velvet seats.”
–St. Louis Magazine

“Twisted and beautiful…the stage is transformed into a place of magic again and again. 4.5 stars. [out of 5]”
- Edmonton Sun

“A night at the theater has never looked so delightfully weird…Bizarrely frolicsome, cogently playful, sweetly surreal…Such is the genius of The Missoula Oblongata–quirky, but also exquisitely made and elegantly presented.”
– The Santa Fe Reporter

“Gorgeous, poetic, funny, moving…I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it.”
–The Urbana News-Gazette

“It’s like arts and crafts on crack…like a bunch of summer camp counselors performing a fairy tale with a set designed by deeply disturbed scrap-bookers…It was a kick-ass, amazing performance.”
–The Seattlest

For more info about The Missoula Oblongata please visit: http://www.themissoulaoblongata.com/