Irving Street Dinner Theater Presents
News of the Day in Review and Discussion Lounge
About Irving Street Dinner Theater: This is a partnering of the John Daniel Teply Gallery, Blackfish Gallery, and Irving Street Tapas.
This is a call for artists, writers, and performers, who agree that current events are important, even frightening, and who are interested in exploring the themes of tragedy and comedy which are on display in our country's behavior and leadership. Are you interested in the storytelling potential in the archetypes of Trump or Joe Biden? Are you a creative person and interested in developing the archetypes, allegory, symbolism and metaphor in the service of the events of our time? Though you love Jimmy Kimmel and SNL, you hunger for a different approach to the news of the day in review.
We are looking for creative people who would like to identify and create art and performances from the archetypes, metaphors, and allegories found in the daily news. Creatives who are a real time witness to Shakespeare's portrayal of the foolishness and vanity of King Lear; Goya’s oil painting of the horrific appetite of Saturn eating his children; Tchaikovsky’s ballet of Princess Odette transforming into a swan each day to swim in a lake of her mothers tears; Sophocles’ Oedipus, who can't escape his fate; the blind poet Homer, singing his song of Helen as she dances on the walls of Troy. We are looking for creatives that understand that the reason these stories endure and are potent is because it is in the nature of our humanity. It is in our shortcomings and strengths, our failures and accomplishments, our pride and selflessness, that we continually reveal ourselves and create our stories.
The goal of the Irving Street Dinner Theater is to create a cadre of artists and performers who are engaged with current event topics through their expression and interpretation of those events. We envision forming a regular troupe but at this time, we are welcoming the one off experience and seeing how that organically evolves.
Explore contemporary archetypes with us!
Picture this: Hans Gruber has crashed a 250 year old party in Nakatome Tower. We are looking for John McClain, his wife, a scheming limo driver, and a jolly policeman (and more to the point, artists and performers who understand contemporary archetypes for contemporary storytelling). We wish to meet creative people who are partial to Roy Rogers and realize that it's time to join the party. Who understand how Hans Gruber and John McClain have been locked in battle for millennia, since the very beginning of storytelling. YKYMF
What makes Irving Street Dinner Theater different? #47 is an easy target to make fun of. His character flaws are on view to all; self absorbed, doesn't take responsibility for what he does, eschews expert advice, uses his position to bully, creates chaos in his spheres of authority. The daily barrage of 47’s bad behavior is exhausting and it becomes a kind of backdrop to the American experience. When art and performance makes a critique of this administration, it is most often cartoony, one-dimensional and unfortunately too easily dismissed. It's easy to see the punchline coming. Why this happens is not a mystery for 47’s character is a cornucopia of low hanging fruit to make jokes about. We propose a different aesthetic approach to talking about #47.
We are in the process of creating a community arts troupe to comment on current events. Principals will include two Playwrights, one Actor, two Painters, two Dancers, one Poet, one Comedian, one Costume and Set Master. Principals to be guarenteed a stipend $200 per month and a percentage of the gate when applicable.
Performance Dates, 2026
January 25, 2026. Further dates to be scheduled on the 2nd and 4th Sunday each month. Dinner Theater food and beverage will be served by Irving Street Tapas
Interested in participating? Please contact John directly at [email protected] or fill out the contact form below.
This is a call for artists, writers, and performers, who agree that current events are important, even frightening, and who are interested in exploring the themes of tragedy and comedy which are on display in our country's behavior and leadership. Are you interested in the storytelling potential in the archetypes of Trump or Joe Biden? Are you a creative person and interested in developing the archetypes, allegory, symbolism and metaphor in the service of the events of our time? Though you love Jimmy Kimmel and SNL, you hunger for a different approach to the news of the day in review.
We are looking for creative people who would like to identify and create art and performances from the archetypes, metaphors, and allegories found in the daily news. Creatives who are a real time witness to Shakespeare's portrayal of the foolishness and vanity of King Lear; Goya’s oil painting of the horrific appetite of Saturn eating his children; Tchaikovsky’s ballet of Princess Odette transforming into a swan each day to swim in a lake of her mothers tears; Sophocles’ Oedipus, who can't escape his fate; the blind poet Homer, singing his song of Helen as she dances on the walls of Troy. We are looking for creatives that understand that the reason these stories endure and are potent is because it is in the nature of our humanity. It is in our shortcomings and strengths, our failures and accomplishments, our pride and selflessness, that we continually reveal ourselves and create our stories.
The goal of the Irving Street Dinner Theater is to create a cadre of artists and performers who are engaged with current event topics through their expression and interpretation of those events. We envision forming a regular troupe but at this time, we are welcoming the one off experience and seeing how that organically evolves.
Explore contemporary archetypes with us!
Picture this: Hans Gruber has crashed a 250 year old party in Nakatome Tower. We are looking for John McClain, his wife, a scheming limo driver, and a jolly policeman (and more to the point, artists and performers who understand contemporary archetypes for contemporary storytelling). We wish to meet creative people who are partial to Roy Rogers and realize that it's time to join the party. Who understand how Hans Gruber and John McClain have been locked in battle for millennia, since the very beginning of storytelling. YKYMF
What makes Irving Street Dinner Theater different? #47 is an easy target to make fun of. His character flaws are on view to all; self absorbed, doesn't take responsibility for what he does, eschews expert advice, uses his position to bully, creates chaos in his spheres of authority. The daily barrage of 47’s bad behavior is exhausting and it becomes a kind of backdrop to the American experience. When art and performance makes a critique of this administration, it is most often cartoony, one-dimensional and unfortunately too easily dismissed. It's easy to see the punchline coming. Why this happens is not a mystery for 47’s character is a cornucopia of low hanging fruit to make jokes about. We propose a different aesthetic approach to talking about #47.
We are in the process of creating a community arts troupe to comment on current events. Principals will include two Playwrights, one Actor, two Painters, two Dancers, one Poet, one Comedian, one Costume and Set Master. Principals to be guarenteed a stipend $200 per month and a percentage of the gate when applicable.
Performance Dates, 2026
January 25, 2026. Further dates to be scheduled on the 2nd and 4th Sunday each month. Dinner Theater food and beverage will be served by Irving Street Tapas
Interested in participating? Please contact John directly at [email protected] or fill out the contact form below.
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