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January 21, 2011
In the Footprint plays to raves in Boston
WBUR.org, Political Theater In Boston Explores Themes Of Warfare, Racism
There’s another excellent political play in town, “In the Footprint, The Battle Over Atlantic Yards,” by the Civilians, who are performing the work through Sunday at the Paramount. They developed the project with Arts Emerson, Emerson College’s great new arts program.
The unlikely subject matter is the urban development project in Brooklyn to bring the New Jersey Nets there, among other things. But the Civilians make the issue of eminent domain, something that Bostonians are certainly familiar with, compelling with a variety of strong theatrics from musical numbers to modernistic re-creations of who said what.
The group, at least in my mind, takes a very strong stand against Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Acorn and the developers. They side pretty clearly with those who say the destruction of the Brooklyn neighborhood was way too high a price to pay. Whether you agree or not, it makes the issues come alive in a way I certainly didn’t get from reading about it in the New York Times. [Emphasis, ours.]
Blast Magazine, Stage Review: The Civilians’ “In the Footprint: The Battle Over Atlantic Yards” at ArtsEmerson
Whatever side one may take in the debate of whether or not the developers were within their rights, the lawmakers on the peoples’ side, the activists choosing the right cause–and they’re all presented well–no one can brush aside the primal and profound response people have to the threat of losing their homes. We can all relate to their fear and it has to give us pause. Unlike some of the Civilians’ previous shows, “In the Footprint,” digs down pretty deep into a single historical event rooted in a specific time and place without making an overt effort to universalize the issues. At its core though, is that profound, instinctual fear of being uprooted—and the chilling idea that your democratic government could take away your land without your consent.
It’s powerful stuff, but the Civilians don’t just awaken it, they conjure it within a framework of well-articulated positions and well-researched facts—some of which, they sing to you.
The Evolving Critic, In the Footprint
I found the show inspiring and thought provoking, touching on race relations in America, community activism, environmental racism, political corruption among many other issues.
Posted by eric at January 21, 2011 10:37 AM