A Note on the Production

In this unique work, a group of village idiots during the plague in medieval Europe are forced to enact their own mass due to the sudden death of their beloved pastor, an extraordinary man who had given them shelter and trained them to sing. Though it sounds grim, the piece is full of buffoonery and comic audience participation. Combine this with choral singing of sacred hymns and chants from the 9th through the 17th centuries, and you get a work which travels from the ridiculous to the sublime. Fool's Mass premiered on December 19, 1998 at the Grace Church Chantry, and it has been performed every December since.

It became clear during the development of this piece that there were many levels of symbolic representation at work. The nature and essence of being "poor theatre" artists in this society was thrown into sharp focus by the death of Jerzy Grotowski, a mentor for company director Matt Mitler and inspiration for all. It became painfully clear that, as a group, DZIECI had truly lost their pastor, and the piece was dedicated to Grotowski.

Fool's Mass also honors the marginalized communities DZIECI works with in hospitals and clinics. These people may appear grotesque at first, but soon are revealed to be deeply human and full of beauty. To be true to these strange and unique individuals, DZIECI needed more than their own observations, and brought in psychologist Dr. Charles Breen, who now provides character analysis and guidance, and leads actual therapy sessions with the actors in their characters.

Fool's Mass is different every year, so if you've seen it before, you'll want to see it again. If you've never seen it, you don't know what you're missing!

Fool's Mass, December 2003
Fool's Mass at La MaMa etc, January 2003
Fool's Mass, December 2002
Fool's Mass at Jan Hus Church, January 2002
Fool's Mass, December 2001