Arena
| Series | |
|---|---|
| WBAI And NPR Playhouse | |
| Original Broadcast Date | |
| 1979 | |
| Cast | |
| Annalee Jefferies, Arthur Miller, Bernie Mantell, Rosemary Foley, Eric Sears, Tim Jerome, Matt Bassford, Joe Frank | |
| Format | |
| Sound Effects, Absurd Monologue, Scripted Actors, Improv Actors, Panel Discussion, 1 hour | |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by: | A Call In The Night |
| Followed by: | The Death Of Trotsky |
"They stood at the water's edge, the waves mounting, then crashing and sweeping up the coastline..."
Arena is the name of a program Joe Frank produced as part of the series WBAI and NPR Playhouse. It was originally broadcast in 1979.
Synopsis
We hear Joe alternately discussing his own writing process and typing at a keyboard. His story describes a romance between an American woman and a bullfighter. The narrative alternates with acted scenes and sound effects. Every scene degenerates into references to bull fighting. The couple swims naked in the sea, encounter a whale. Panel discussion: being terrified of text after reading Black Beauty, writing to purge anxiety, the history of writing. Story: reckless passion in a race car. Panel: reading and the downfall of civilization, the danger of self examination. Joe: the universe as a succession of writers inventing worlds. Story: a scene in a hotel room above a festival, the bull fighter's childhood, a fisherman living far from water and fishing for scrap ("You cannot eat a coat"), reading doesn't compare to bullfighting, scar stories. Story: scene in a church, stained glass featuring the resurrection of a wealthy donor, animals communicate with god. Joe: hammering a nail into your heart with your own brocaded slipper. Panel: man wasn't meant to read, college course reading lists. Joe: Melville's physical struggle when writing. Story: a scene in a cafe, she begs him to stop fighting bulls, a model bull fight using steak knives tied to a chair. A man and woman fight - he wants to watch TV and she wants to read. A television program: the fastest piano player interview. Panel: the consciousness lowering group. Joe: finding a dead whale on the beach, the mess in one's bathroom.
Interesting Facts
This program is also available in the Somewhere Out There series as Arena (remix).
Music
- "Solea" - Miles Davis (from Sketches of Spain, 1960) | YouTube
- "Section I" - Steve Reich (from "Music for 18 Musicians", 1978)
Commentary
Please see guidelines on commentary and share your personal thoughts in this section.
Cast
Tim Jerome, Annalee Jefferies, Paul Mantell, Rosemary Foley, Avery Hart, Matt Basford, Lester Nafzger, Eric Sears, and Joe Frank
External Links
Member stream: https://www.joefrank.com/streaming/shows/?jfsearch=Arena
Single show: https://www.joefrank.com/shop/arena/
