Bark of Millions

After their journey to Berlin with the pop odyssey “A 24-Decade History of Popular Music” in 2019, Taylor Mac, Matt Ray and their artistic community are coming back to the Festspielhaus. Their new show “Bark of Millions”, co-commissioned by Berliner Festspiele, is an electrifying rock opera and exploration of humanity through a queer lens in equal parts. In opulent fantasy costumes by Machine Dazzle, an ensemble of 20 artists sing, play and dance a total of 55 songs – one for each year that has passed since the first Pride March in New York in 1970. This four-hour celebration of queer art and history aims to keep this revolutionary movement alive, by bringing a queer pride parade to the stage. Taylor Mac found inspiration for the lyrics in the spirit of important antecedents and contemporaries of queer history such as Marsha P. Johnson, James Baldwin or the ancient Egyptian deity Atum. Matt Ray composed the songs and is the show’s musical director. “Bark of Millions” was co-directed by Mac, Niegel Smith and Faye Driscoll, who also created the choreography. After performances at the Sydney Opera House, the Brooklyn Academy of Music and the Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley, this “rock opera meditation on queerness” will now celebrate its European premiere at Haus der Berliner Festspiele. “Queer art”, said Taylor Mac in an interview on this work “doesn’t always want to be in a tiny Black Box. It wants to have room to breathe. The activism of taking over the big stage is an important part of this piece.”

The works of Taylor Mac (pronoun: judy) are distinguished by their collage structure and their community-building momentum. Mac studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, has written and staged numerous plays and revues and received several awards, among them the International Ibsen Award, two Obie Awards and two Bessie Awards. Furthermore, judy was nominated for the Tony Award and was a Pulitzer Prize finalist. For “A 24-Decade History of Popular Music”, Taylor Mac and Matt Ray jointly received the Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired by American History. Composer, pianist, singer and musical director Matt Ray has been working with Taylor Mac for many years. He has composed and staged musical shows, e.g. “Matt Ray Plays Hoagy Carmichael featuring Kat Edmonson”, and performed at venues including the Lincoln Center and the Hollywood Bowl. Faye Driscoll is one of New York’s important contemporary choreographers; her works have been repeatedly presented at the festival Tanz im August.

Wednesday, 9.10.2024, 23:00–01:00
Opening Party
Location: Haus der Berliner Festspiele, Upper Foyer
Free admission