8th June 2019 PUPPY, The Yard Theatre, London This short piece was especially created for art and performance club night PUPPY, which was titled Episode 1. Rave Culture. The piece was performed at 2am, with a live DJ, to a crowd of dancing ravers.
A suited and clip-board-wielding 'establishment square' gatecrashes the party. He's here ready to be an efficient party-pooper by calling to order, reason, structure, and checking for health and safety compliance. However, something goes terribly wrong with his PowerPoint presentation, and he becomes infected by the rave atmosphere he attempted to eradicate.
Disguised as a protracted striptease, RAVE vs RAGE is a shamelessly political live art piece for nightclubs. It celebrates the open, free-spirited and antiestablishmentarian attitude of 1990s rave culture; which was based on the ethos of Peace, Love, Unity, Respect. However, RAVE vs RAGE is not an exercise in party-nostalgia. It is a fun yet pressing call to arms! Through a series of provocative slides, the piece touches on many of today's most pressing sociopolitical issues.
Dance! Rave! Party! And have your sociopolitical buttons pushed!