Der Zuschauer

We confess we feel part of the Enlightenment Project. It has been suggested that Thomas Paine, once in fleeing from a mob in Lambeth in London pushed open a door to a private garden in order to escape, which turned out to be that of William Blake, who was sitting naked in a tree reading Paradise Lost aloud to his also naked wife. This is not proof in itself that enlightenment ideas were not directly responsible for the butcheries of the French Revolution, but it warms our hearts regardless, and if one needs an image of progress in human endeavor to posit against napalm, nuclear weapons, and concentration camps, we would offer flush-toilets and hot water, as Diderot would no doubt point out. Diderot we think highly of, as we do of Voltaire.

In fact one might offer the theatre, the internet, and birth control, as improving elements in ongoing human experience. Surely recent events in Tibet and Burma allow us this positive view of open societies. This weekend we watched a quite good production of John Osborne’s fiery, old chestnut, Look Back In Anger in Boston’s South End by the Orfeo Group. We look back with remorse, we look forward with hope. All our best to you as we come closer and closer to the upcoming and shameful Olympic Games.

The Editors

You ask what does all this have to do with drama, history, and literature? Well, we will tell you. You might look into Non-October Literature, Selected Works, Trotsky, Dramaturgy:Definitions, and, even Intellectual Life on Cape Cod, anything related to Ulan Blator, and, of course, Editorial Statement.

We remain the Editors
Der Zuschauer
A Journal of Drama, History, and Literature

Dear Dear Readers,
Consider the yurt, a domestic habitat, cultural performance space, a place to drink and play cards. Pistol shooting outside, throat singing inside and outside.
It is suggested Trotsky disliked the yurt, but still found it necessary to live and work in one. He also kept a yak and lived primarily on yogart.

The Editors, Der Zuschauer,
A  Journal of Drama, History, and Literature

Can you find Ulan Blator? Do you know why Uncle Joe Stalin wanted Trotsky dead? Trotsky was unfortunately out of the Soviet Union when Lenin died. Trotsky, besides being a brilliant leader of the Red Army in the Russian Civil War, was Jewish.
We wanted to show you a yurt. Perhaps later.

The Editors, Der Zuschauer
A Journal of Drama, History, and Literature

Comrades,
We are aware of some hub-bub about the globe, probably started by the Falklands Islands Body Performance Faction, that we, here, on Guam Island, are not city-based nor cosmopolitan enough to adequately engage with issues regarding drama, theatre, and performance. The photograph above of one of our correspondent dramaturgical staff, is proof enough that we have a bodily and intellectual presence in the major cities.
We would also like to remind our readers that no one complained about Peter Brook hanging in the deserts of North Africa, nor of Andre Gregory allowing himself to be buried alive by Grotowski’s group of ghouls in the forests of Poland at night. Then there are the floating islands exploits of Augusto Boal.
So, we say to the Falkland Island Sheep and the Cosmonaughties of the Night, we are in the cities, we are on the steppes, in the mountains, upon the islands; we are in the air with the Gooney Birds. We are even in the Northeast Corrider, London, Berlin, and Ulan Blator.
Comrades, come with us.

The Editors, Der Zuschauer
A Journal of Drama, History, and Literature

Comrades, We have learned of a presidental visit to Mongolia, the first by a sitting U.S president. This could have only been the redoubtable, resolute George W. Bush. Government officals traveling with the President declined to comment on suggestions the President may have been attempting to locate the remains of Leon Trotsky. Mongolia supported the 03 invasion of Iraq with troops; it also has soldiers in Afghanistan. More later on this front.
Our research into avant-garde theatre anywhere in Mongolia has hit a yurt and gone no further. Well, we are looking into throat-singing and pistol-shooting by women. Our best to you.

The Editors

Dear Readers, We have been working steadily in our air-hangers and quonset huts. There are new elements added to Mrs. Inchbald and Dramaturgy Definitions. Further installments of A Seat on the Aisle from Stanley Richardson are forthcoming. The uproar about the whereabouts of Leon Trotsky continue. Our work in Ulan Blator is being well documented. “The staggering shock-brigades of an ageing, dromedary, avant-garde marches on.” We intend an essay about Richard Nelson’s Conversations in Tusculum, and his writing history plays in general, which are of great interest to us. We will begin soon a list of plays read, seen, and reconsidered, as well as books recommended. We invite commentary, new writing, and other contributions, see below. Our best to you in this World-Chaos which we all are living.

The Editors

We have noticed in our recent debates on human catastrophe, Olympic Games, the intellectual depth of emotions, and cheese-cake, that we have not taken enough advantage of the critical acumen of women. Therefore, we are pleased to announce the participation of Elizabeth Inchbald within our editorial board. Mrs. Inchbald is, of course, renowned as an actress, dramatist, critic, and editor.

It was all very confusing. Iceland. The Falklands. Sakalin Island. The Vineyard. Surfing in Ireland. Singing songs sitting around a can of sterno. We caught Laurie Anderson in London. Homeland. Can we ever make art out of politics? We are all pleased here in Guam to see that Barrack Obama has clinched the nomination. His political agenda seem more nuanced than performance-artist Anderson.
We have to catch up on some editing: put texts with iconographic materials. Right now we are going swimming with the Gooney birds.
The Editors