[Perform-Talk] 800 Words: The Transmigration of Philip K Dick

[Jana Jackson]

Congratulations, Reggie... Great article, too! Thanks for sharing! 😊

Jana


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From: Perform-Talk <perform-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Reggie Herbert via Perform-Talk
Sent: Friday, January 26, 2024 1:40 PM
To: Perform-Talk at nfbnet.org
Cc: Reggie Herbert <reggie.herbert at outlook.com>
Subject: [Perform-Talk] 800 Words: The Transmigration of Philip K Dick

Hi all,

Just thought I would share the work I've been doing in Montana. This is a link to an article about the play I've directed, produced and acted in:
https://missoulian.com/life-entertainment/local/art-theater/zacc-missoula-theater-play-reality/article_b5b23e52-bbab-11ee-9173-cb3baaea5c30.html#tracking-source=home-top-story

It's not the most accessible website though, so the text of the article follows:

Headline:
Reality in question as Philip K. Dick play hits Missoula stage Cory Walsh Jan 25, 2024

Begin article:

Philip K. Dick's brand of science fiction was less concerned with space opera adventures than philosophical problems - the nature of reality and truth, how they might be manipulated in a world with ever-advancing technology.

That's key to their lasting power - they've lived on in big budget film adaptations like "Minority Report" and "Blade Runner," based on his novel, "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?"

Reggie Herbert plays Philip K. Dick during a rehearsal Tuesday night at the Zootown Arts Community Center for "800 Words: The Transmigration of Philip K. Dick," a play by Victoria Stewart. Herbert, a UM theater graduate who is blind/low vision, stars in and co-directs the play.

Playwright Victoria Stewart wrote a stage show that addressed the complex man himself, along with his complicated questions in "800 Words: The Transmigration of Philip K. Dick."

An independent production is coming here through a new company, A Quantum Dream, led by actor-director Reggie Herbert, in the Show Room at the Zootown Arts Community Center.

Ann Peacock, left, as Sasha, and Reggie Herbert, as Philip K. Dick, rehearse a scene Tuesday night at the ZACC for "800 Words: The Transmigration of Philip K. Dick." The play is about the science-fiction author Philip K. Dick, who inspired films such as "Blade Runner," "Total Recall" and "Minority Report" through his novels.

"He's trying desperately to tell this story to the audience, and as it opens he thinks he has a little bit of a handle on what's going on," Herbert said. However, "as the play progresses, his faith in his understanding of the nature of reality begins to crumble, as does his ability to keep up a confident facade for the audience," he said. "The interesting things that happen to him in his life are presented, sometimes as characters, that it's up to the audience to decide whether or not those characters are real."

A University of Montana graduate with a bachelor's and a master's in theater, Herbert said one of his upstart troupe's goals is to bring "meaningful, challenging art" to the community.

Herbert, who is blind/low vision, also built accessibility into their productions - this one will be presented with live audio description at all performances, and open captions on Friday and Sunday evening.

"I would also like to continue to hold our community to a higher standard when it comes to accessibility and the arts," he said.

The show runs Thursday-Sunday, Jan. 25-28, at the Show Room. Go to zootownarts.org for information on times, prices and accessibility offerings. Doors at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 7:30 p.m. except for the Sunday, Jan. 28 matinee with 1:30 p.m. doors, 2 p.m. show. Admission is $15 general, $20-$25 artist support ticket. The show is appropriate for 13 and up, and contains a depiction of suicide.

What's real?
A science fiction fan, Herbert was looking for scripts on the subject and found this one, which appealed in part because of Dick's focus on working-class protagonists in scenarios.

He found this one to be a funny and sad look at a "troubled man who desperately wanted to know the truth," he said. In 1974, Dick had a kind of otherworldly experience in which he believed other beings were piping information directly into his brain, which affected him until his death in 1982 at age 53.

"I was convinced that I just had to do this play - it had all of the elements that I liked, but also it investigated the scenes that the titular author explores in their work, but also relates them to us as audience members," he said.

He also admired Stewart's approach to Dick as a person - her script doesn't engage in hero worship or make him out to be a great man. (Dick struggled with drug abuse and was married many times over.)

The characters include ones based on real people, such as his ex-wife Tessa (Erin Lee Agner) and the great science fiction author Stanislaw Lem (Timothy Ballard). The truth behind other figures is fuzzier - Dick did claim to have interactions with the FBI, so an agent appears in the play (also Ballard). In a nod to the questions raised by the script, the writer Stewart appears as a character as well, just as Dick wrote himself into some of his stories.

There's also a cat named Sasha, who supplies humor, sometimes acting as a sounding board and sometimes like a cat.

"You can't have the world fall apart around you, and have a talking cat puppet and not laugh when reality comes unhinged ... it's just inherently funny," he said.

Sasha is played by Ann Peacock, a fixture of Missoula theater of all types, using a puppet.

Peacock's had fun playing a puppet (although not in a traditional way, where the puppeteer isn't supposed to be seen), she loves digging into the themes, since she's read his short stories (and work by Lem). Dick's work wondered whether it's worth rebelling against the alleged utopia proffered by technology, and questioned what tradeoffs were required.

The questions of reality lend themselves to a funny story, too, she said.

"Humor is all about expecting one thing and getting something else," she said.

Herbert does caution that you don't need to have read any of Dick's books or seen any of the movies.

His co-director, Charlie Oates, hasn't read the books but has found the material rich.

Oates, who's spent the bulk of his career teaching at the University of California San Diego and has worked around the U.S., connected with Herbert through a stint as an instructor at UM.

He sees it as a healthy sign for upstart companies to produce challenging work on trim budgets in Montana, the same as they do in New York or anywhere else.

You often see "groups of people that band together with little or no funding and figure out how to make it work because they've got a passion and an interesting idea, and maybe they want to challenge the status quo," he said.

Making theater accessible
Herbert graduated from the University of Montana with a master's degree in theater in 2021. He's acted in productions on campus and independent ones, like a script called "In the Snow" by a company called BetweenTheLines.

Part of his goal with A Quantum Dream is to produce artistically daring scripts.

"I'd like to be able to present a season of challenging theater and performance arts for our community, that is both accessible, in both meanings of the word, and meaningful. And I would like to make them inclusive and accessible for people who are often overlooked when it comes time for them to make their way into a public space."

The offerings for this debut production include audio description and captioning.

Audio description is a service for people who are blind or have low vision. They'll receive a transmitter with an ear piece, not unlike the ones you'd get for a walking tour in a museum.

Herbert's partner, Meg Denny, a professional in the field, has read the script and watched performances. Then, during the live show, she'll be in the theater, quietly providing descriptions of what's happening.

Herbert said it's a common practice in many markets, and available here sporadically.

They'll also provide captioning on a high-definition screen for the deaf and hard of hearing.

Mikyla Veis, who manages the ZACC Show Room, said some theater shows and comedy performances at the ZACC have included audio description and ASL translation. She said Herbert and Denny worked with MissCast Productions to include audio description.

"I'm hopeful folks will utilize these services as they need them. In all of our communications with differently abled community leaders, they have stressed the importance of incorporating accessibility options as a standard, rather than occasional add-on. Our hope is that, the more we are able to incorporate a variety of accessibility options into our programming, the more people who need them will feel welcome and comfortable accessing our services," she wrote in an email.

END OF ARTICLE

REGGIE HERBERT, MFA
(he/him)

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