the berkeley rep magazine - Berkeley Repertory Theatre

prologue
From the artistic Director
art is fundamentally about taking chances: trundling
through the unknown recesses of the unconscious to “make
something.” Some artists take more chances than others,
buoyed by the force of their circumstances, their personalities,
and their capacity to conquer their fear of disapproval. A rare
few are so gifted and so courageous they stand as a beacon
for the rest of us, their professional lives becoming successful
testaments to both resiliency and grace. If they live for a long
time, the body of their work transcends any individual project,
and they come to exist in a special niche in our collective
history. Such a person is Mikhail Baryshnikov.
It is a great honor to introduce Mr. Baryshnikov and his colleagues to our stage,
precisely because he is still taking artistic chances. In Paris uses a nuanced, complex
theatrical vocabulary of music, mime, video, and excerpts of Russian and French to
explore the relationship between an older man and a younger woman and its larger
theme of profound loneliness. Easy emotional access is denied to the audience,
forcing us to grapple with the fact that we are being asked to participate in an artistic
experiment. What a gift for all of us! That an artist as great as Mr. Baryshnikov should
focus his energies and creative resources on such a challenging project serves as a
source of unmitigated inspiration.
Sincerely,
Tony Taccone
2011–12 · SPECIAL ISSUE · the berkeley rep magazine · 5