“No Room for Wishing” Makes Room for All

No Room for Wishing
Performed and written by Danny Bryck.

Photo credit: “No Room for Wishing”

Directed by Megan Sandberg-Zakian.

Co-produced by Company One and Central Square Theater, supported in part by a Boston Playwrights’ Theatre Black Box Fellowship.

Playing at the Boston Center for Arts, 9/13 – 9/22
Playing at Central Square Theater, 9/30 – 10/9

No Room for Wishing Facebook Page
No Room for Wishing Website

Review by Kitty Drexel

“But I hear the boys the boys and girls are coming up up up from the underground… You can find ‘em there, they’re all fired up in Dewey Square… you can call them what you want, you can call them what you need, you can call them what you want but there’s no room for wishing in revolution.”  – Ruby Rose Fox, “Dewey Square”

(Boston) No Room for Wishing is a compilation of interviews and live recordings from the Occupy Boston Movement. The production was written and performed by local actor, Danny Bryck. It is directed by Megan Sandberg-Zakian.

Bryck’s tour de force performance is a must see for Occupy Movement supporters and sympathizers. It offers a personal perspective of Occupy Boston that was not captured by local media during 2011. It is also a must see for those who opposed the movement.  This bare bones production lionizes the individual reasons for protesting while disassembling the stereotypes associated with the majority of activists. Bryck’s characterizations personalize the movement and the many people that the media had neglected; the moderate and the revolutionized.

General consensus was that Occupy Boston didn’t have a specific message to deliver. The average spectator assumed that Occupiers were jaded kids living off the Govt. The reality was vastly different.  Bryck summarizes the two month movement in the potent messages of individual activists.  He assumes the quirks and physicalities of over 20 activists while delivering a top notch performance of continuous monologues with endless energy. Bryck uses his voice like a weapon and a tool to defy expectation. He plays gay, straight, male, female, young, old and all those who nestle between the lines of specification with dedication, respect, and love.

The show runs at approximately 90 minutes without an intermission. Each monologue is treated with sacred reverence and as a result the show grows in overwhelming intensity. Through no fault of his own, Bryck’s ceaseless passion can cause the audience to tune-out. The performance can feel long to even the most avid audience member. There is only so much political critique and emotional overload an audience can take without a break.

The focus of the majority of the production is specifically on the Occupy Boston activists and advocates. Upon asked why opposing views were not included in his script, Bryck explained his necessity for transparency. He only included the interviews and recordings from people whom he had received permission to use their words and identities. Bryck had legal ramifications to consider but it causes one to wonder: why did the more conservative spectators, those against Occupy Boston, refuse to have their words included? Is it possible that they, on some level, realized that they could be on the wrong side of history? Do they feel guilty? These are questions to consider when attending this production. If you are one of the opposed, it would behoove you to attend and then offer a counter-argument during on of the performance’s talk back sessions. Because even as Bryck seeks to honor the Occupiers, it also appears that he is eager to teach his audience as well.

Please use this link to hear a podcast with Danny Bryck: Geek Nerds and Artists Episode 7: Danny Bryck, May 20, 2012

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