About The Man in the Newspaper Hat...
No artist is, really. They use the world, nature and the people in it as fodder for their work. However, in each individual case the line of separation between the artist’s person and his/her work needs to be drawn. To decide what we are willing to ignore - despicable politics or morals, criminal records, betrayal, murder… can not be decided once and for all. The Man in the Newspaper Hat takes a glimpse at the one single case of Ezra Pound – magnificent poet, visionary and ranting lunatic, meeting Elizabeth Bishop, his watchful colleague and poetic executioner.
Elizabeth Bishop, Poetry Consultant to the Library of Congress 1949/1950, visits Ezra Pound, father of modern American poetry, in the asylum of St. Elizabeths where he is remanded, declared unfit to stand trial for high treason for his pro-Fascist/anti-Semitic rants over Rome Radio during WWII. Over the course of one year, Bishop challenges Pound artist to artist. They become poetic sparring partners. Even though he resists her efforts, Pound nonetheless allows her enough access to become material for the poem that would become one of the most unique works in her canon, “Visits to St. Elizabeths”. Pound can no longer be the mentor she originally sought out, but Bishop also senses that the ground underneath his longstanding political convictions is giving way. The result is deeply disquieting and eerily moving.
The production features scenic design by Shimon Alkon, costume design by Karen Ann Ledger, lighting design by Chris Scofield and Nathaniel Z.Whitten as the sound designer.
Press are cordially invited.
Elizabeth Bishop, Poetry Consultant to the Library of Congress 1949/1950, visits Ezra Pound, father of modern American poetry, in the asylum of St. Elizabeths where he is remanded, declared unfit to stand trial for high treason for his pro-Fascist/anti-Semitic rants over Rome Radio during WWII. Over the course of one year, Bishop challenges Pound artist to artist. They become poetic sparring partners. Even though he resists her efforts, Pound nonetheless allows her enough access to become material for the poem that would become one of the most unique works in her canon, “Visits to St. Elizabeths”. Pound can no longer be the mentor she originally sought out, but Bishop also senses that the ground underneath his longstanding political convictions is giving way. The result is deeply disquieting and eerily moving.
The production features scenic design by Shimon Alkon, costume design by Karen Ann Ledger, lighting design by Chris Scofield and Nathaniel Z.Whitten as the sound designer.
Press are cordially invited.