from Charleston Post and Courier - June 11, 2004
With the exception of two nights during the festival, a group of young actor/writers, and even audience members have been meeting, at the College of Charleston's Chapel Theatre, 172 Calhoun St., at 10:30 p.m. to perform 15 original short pieces that run no longer than five minutes each.
It can be edgy material with adult themes and profanity, but not necessarily so.
Performers from other No Shame Theatre -- chapters exist in New York, L.A., Chicago and at numerous colleges -- have joined forces with other no-shamers at the College of Charleston, where a chapter has existed on-and-off for the last five years.
The regulars admitted that attendance has not been good, likely because some people may have the misperception that they have to bring material to perform.
Not true said Todd Ristau, who actually was a co-founder of the first No Shame Theatre in, of all places, Iowa City, Iowa, in 1986.
"We plan to come back (to Piccolo) again next year and we'll make sure we get the word out that we want audience, too." said Ristau, adding that No Shame is a excellent way for artists to meet each other.
Another factor in the low attendance may be the fact that No Shame Theatre, as is the custom, starts late. There are two reasons for that.
"If you do it at 10:30 or 11 at night, you can get actors who are just getting out of other shows and you know that the people who show up aren't likely to be offended, so you can do a bit edgier stuff," said Ristau, adding that the timing also is early enough that performers can meet at a bar afterward to talk about the material and socialize.
Despite the warnings of potentially offensive material in brochures, the performances have still caused a few people to leave before the nightly hour's worth of work is up.
Some performances this week have discussed homosexuality, death and social detachment, have challenged the overly positive portrayal of the late Ronald Reagan this week, and have poked fun at the Pope. One "Goth"-styled illusionist, Nelson Oliver, aka "Bone Daddy," has stuck needles through his arm.
Performers, though, are firm believers in the concept of No Shame Theatre.
"It gives me a place to try out things that I normally wouldn't get a chance to, and it gives me stage experience," said Trent Westbrook, philosophy major at James Madison University. "The theater atmosphere at JMU is very cliquish and you have to be a theater major to get in ... Here, everyone is everything. The writers, the performers and the audience really connect."
Similarly, John Shirley, also from Virginia, said he likes No Shame Theatre because "it strips away the pretense and labels of theater."
"It makes theater accessible to everyone on whatever level they want," said Shirley.
College of Charleston rising senior Rob Murdoch said No Shame challenges what people think of as theater and fosters individual creativity.
"I love it because it's a chance for people to come out and be able to be seen without the fear of being judged by the audience or having fruit thrown at them. It's something great for both the performers and writers. I love that it's all on the spot."