Attached is an advertisement for the extravaganza called “Ballet Mécanique: A Spread-Spectrum Ecstasy.” It is not a ballet. It is a kind of poetry reading. John Matthias, Joyelle McSweeney, and Stephen Fredman perform the three voices of Matthias’s long poem “Automystifstical Plaice” from his book Working Progress. To accompany the reading, Chris Jara has prepared a sound and visual collage of materials relating to the text, and this is part of the performance. We are attaching a poster and a two-page statement about the background to the poem written by Matthias. The full text can be found both in his book and on line at the Electronic Book Review site. The text is dense and allusive, and it will help a lot to read it in advance of the performance. It is the text of a modernist poem about modernism; it is not transparent.
The date is September 8th, the place is the Hesburgh Center Auditorium, and the time is 5:00 p.m. There will be a wine and cheese reception following at the Morris Inn.