The Destruction of Art

Monologuist Mike Daisey's performance of "Invincible Summer" at ART's Zero Arrow was interrupted Thursday night when an 87-member group stood and walked out of the performance space. During the walk-out, one member of the group approached Daisey's performance table and destroyed the outline the performer uses to tell his nightly tale, Daisey told Bostonist on Friday.

Daisey posted to both the ART blog and his official website on Friday with a recap of what unfolded:

"I am performing the show to a packed house, when suddenly the lights start coming up in the house as a flood of people start walking down the aisles–they looked like a flock of birds who’d been startled, the way they all moved so quickly, and at the same moment…it was shocking, to see them surging down the aisles. The show halted as they fled, and at this moment a member of their group strode up to the table, stood looking down on me and poured water all over the outline, drenching everything in a kind of anti-baptism."

Daisey wrote that none of the group members heeded his request to discuss what had just happened, instead fleeing the space. He finished the performance and received a standing ovation from the remaining audience.

"They are young and old, they are teachers and students, they are each and every one of us. We are the same family, even if it hurts. The hard truth is that you reap what you sow, and I will not sow hatred and discontent–I refuse," Daisey wrote. "I will not forget what that man, older than I am today, did to my work. I will not forget the cowed silence of those who left. I will not forget their judgment and their arrogance–but I will not hate."

Read Daisey's post for his full recap - and if you know anything about what unfolded, shoot us an email or leave a comment. We'd like to talk to someone from this group.