Go Dada at 701 CCA’s special series

On Friday, at 7 p.m., 701 Center for Contemporary Art & The University of South Carolina’s MFA Acting Program will present “Take A Newspaper. Take Some Scissors: Original Solo Performance Pieces.

Created by current and former students in USC’s MFA acting program, the show is part of 701 CCA’s Dada Days, which celebrate the early 20th century anti-art movement known as Dada.

And why celebrate anti-art? By changing what was considered art, Dada opened the door for surrealists such as Pablo Picasso and Joan Mirro.

The story of Dada begins, ironically, on Feb. 5, 1916, in Zurich, Switzerland, when a group of artists, most of whom questioned the concepts and techniques associated with art and formal society, opened a performance venue called the Cabaret Voltaire.

Named after the 18th-century Enlightenment writer Voltaire, who also challenged the status quo, the Cabaret Voltaire drew artists, many of whom were refugees escaping the war, through its doors. Before long, they had started a movement, which they called Dada.

“As a contemporary art center, we thought we should mark the moment,” said 701 CCA board chair Wim Roefs. “We are very excited about this evening and were very happy that the USC theater program, through Robyn Hunt and Steven Pearson, was instantly willing and enthusiastic about partnering with us.”

The inventive solo performances, no longer than 17 minutes each, run the gamut from performance art pieces to short narratives. They were written, directed and will be performed by Candace Thomas, Melissa Reed, Dimitri Woods, Rachel Kuhnle, Josiah Laubenstein, Matthew Cavender and Nicole Dietze.

701 CCA will be the site of Dada-inspired performance throughout February and March.

For more information about all the performances, visit 701cca.org.

Katie McElveen, Special to The State

This story was originally published February 4, 2016 at 11:30 AM.