SF audiences are going to get a treat when rotozaza‘s etiquette comes to town from September 16 – October 3. Culturebot had a chance to participate in the “performance” in both NYC and Philly and recommends it highly.

The performance-or experience-lasts only a half-hour. Only two people are involved. “Guests” wear headphones which tell them what to say to each other and when to use one of the objects positioned at their side. There is a kind of magic involved. Etiquette offers the fantasy of speaking with someone without having to plan what you say, and the resulting thrill of disowning responsibility in a performance situation. Conversation is shown to be a kind of theater whereby the roles of ‘audience’ and ‘actor’ are imperceptibly assumed and exchanged. Like a scene out of a film by Godard, Etiquette exposes human communication at both its rawest and most delicate, and explores the difficulty of turning our thoughts into words we can trust.

Writer and director Ant Hampton formed Rotozaza in 1998, and joined with performer Silvia Mercuriali shortly afterwards.  (The name Rotozaza comes from a sculpture by the Swiss artist Jean Tinguely.)  They created the original version of Etiquette with the support of Paul Bennun, founder and director of Somethin’ Else.  Bennun  holds internationally recognized awards, co-authored the British Government’s recent report on the future of digital music, and has worked with Artangel, John Berger, and Theatre de Complicité.

Performances take place at the Grove Café in SOMA. Participants will meet at YBCA’s Grand Lobby on the hour and then be guided to the performance site.

YBCA, 701 Mission St, San Francisco, CA, 415.978.ARTS (2787), www.ybca.org
Sep 16 – 19 & Sep 23 – 26, Sep 30 – Oct 3, 2010
Thu – Sat, noon, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm, 6pm, 7pm, 8pm
Sun, noon, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm, 6pm
$10 regular/$8 senior, YBCA member, student, teacher