The arts world digs ninjas

June 12, 2007 7:04 AM

Tiny Ninja Theatre does Macbeth at the National Center for the Performing Arts to raves.
posted by 1-2punch (18 comments total)

Goddamnit it's not fair. I do stuff like this with shrimp heads all the time.
posted by dreamsign at 7:23 AM on June 12, 2007

Webcast tonight at 6 est.
posted by ~ at 7:24 AM on June 12, 2007

So if you're spending the day in DC, you can take the kids to this production of the Scottish Play, and then leave them at home while you go see this one. It's Shakespeare-riffic!
posted by Faint of Butt at 7:32 AM on June 12, 2007

Part of the Millennium Stage series of free 6:00 shows at the Kennedy Center.
posted by exogenous at 7:39 AM on June 12, 2007

Outstanding. I produced this show at the 2002 Edinburgh Festival, during which time we handily sold out the entire run. Of course, we could only seat twelve people at a time (and four of those weren't even seated), but still. Dov is a truly incredible Shakespearian performer, and you should catch the webcast if you can.

Searching for a venue was quite an experience. "Hello. It says here your main space seats 230 people. Well, do you maybe have a large closet or a storage room off to the side somewhere? I have a guy who does the Scottish play with one-inch-tall ninjas on a two-foot-square puppet stage. Oh, visibility's not a problem, we pass out opera glasses as you walk in." And then a string of venue owners, who normally get 1500 pounds a week for a performance space, had to figure out how much to charge me for a broom closet. Good times.
posted by milquetoast at 7:40 AM on June 12, 2007 [1 favorite]

I saw this show at the Manbites Dog theater in Durham a year or two ago; it was incredible. They only sell 25 or so tickets to each show since the stage is so small, and there were cute little plastic binoculars waiting for the audience on each seat. It's one guy dressed in black, sitting at a table with a mic headset, doing all the voices himself as he moves the toy figures around the tiny little stage, using a foot pedal to turn little spotlights on and off. He has a technical director with him, but it's basically a one-man tour de force.

It was genius.
posted by mediareport at 7:41 AM on June 12, 2007

Hey milquetoast, I know of a venue that would suit.
posted by chuckdarwin at 7:47 AM on June 12, 2007

I have never heard of this before and I love it, love it. And to think he performed at Stratford upon Avon. Awesome.
posted by slimepuppy at 7:48 AM on June 12, 2007

Is there any way to watch the webcast that doesn't involve installing realplayer?
posted by uri at 7:53 AM on June 12, 2007

uri - try real alternative

Friends don't let friends use realplayer.
posted by chuckdarwin at 8:11 AM on June 12, 2007

So awesome. I remember first hearing about this when I was at NYU and he was doing shows in the Village. It's great that's it's still going, and strong.
posted by XQUZYPHYR at 8:57 AM on June 12, 2007

Sadly, I also realize now that my mother also went to NYU, and talked about how she walked around Washington Square and heard Bob Dylan playing before he got big. I got a dude playing with tiny ninjas. So it goes.
posted by XQUZYPHYR at 8:58 AM on June 12, 2007

Does anyone know where I can buy 3 mm long roses in the DC area?
posted by i less than three nsima at 9:27 AM on June 12, 2007

Caught this when it was in NYC a few years ago. Definitely worth viewing in person, and I'm curious to see how it works via webcast. A shame I'm out of town this week.
posted by zap rowsdower at 10:53 AM on June 12, 2007

Oh my goodness gracious, I would love to see this.
posted by Greg Nog at 12:57 PM on June 12, 2007

Wow, this is still around? Good for him.
posted by bardic at 2:23 PM on June 12, 2007

I saw this years ago, and it was indeed phenomenal. If you are in DC, go see it! It's amazing!
posted by redbeard at 2:55 PM on June 12, 2007

Could anyone watch the webcast? I tried and it keeps telling me to "Tune back at 6:00"
posted by pantsrobot at 4:04 PM on June 12, 2007