Visiting Artist Lecture - Deke Weaver

Deke Weaver's stage performance was amazing. With minimal props, and no vocal amplification, he commanded the audience so completely. His bizarre stories of animals standing in as metaphor or allusions to stories that root in human nature, or even more specifically Deke's life, felt so understandable, so true. There was a surprising level of accessibility.

There's something so primal about the storyteller. Deke's writing was biting contemporary social/personal commentary, and with his minimal set, he became the modern day Shaman. More than a bard, or jester, his writing is extremely refined, with very little improv in his performance. He writes with a sideways glance at his subject matter- his stories take place around the frame, not within the frame.

Deke uses animals often in his work; his father is wildlife management worker. Having grown up around animals, in proximity to someone who works with animals, they become humanized characters. He's been working on larger series - "The Unreliable Beastiery" based on 26 animals, 1 for each letter of the alphabet.

When asked what was his inspiration for stage work, Deke responded that it was the only place where he could access "really stupid ridiculous ways of catharsis." To him, performance is a place where artists are supposed to be able to do anything. Performance allows him to pursue his interests in texture, in movement, and in playfulness.

The work of his influences- Spalding Grey and Reverend Billy, led him to stage performance, realizing that stage work communicates with a visceral quality that can't be achieved with any other medium.