A politically odd New Year’s celebration
Invariably the Possibilitarian Puppet Theater’s annual New Year’s Eve event is one of the strangest holiday celebrations taking place in Northeast Ohio. In fact, it falls somewhere between peculiar and absurd. However, don’t tell that to organizers of the 3rd annual “New Year’s Eve Insurrection Mass” and the 4th annual “Funeral March for the Rotten Ideas of 2010” taking place at 3PM on Fri 12/31 at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Cleveland in Cleveland Hts. Special guest and storyteller Norma Powell begins the festivities with several folk tales.
This event may confuse you but you’re not alone. Cool Cleveland has done its best to get clarification (sort of) and education on the Possibilitarian movement and this celebration from Possibilitarian Puppet Theater Director Daniel McNamara, a 2001 Cleveland Heights High School graduate.
Cool Cleveland: Let’s start with being a Possibilitarian. What exactly is this and how does it fit into the “New Year’s Eve Insurrection Mass” and “Funeral March for the Rotten Ideas of 2010”?
Daniel McNamara: Possibilitarian is the celebration of possibility over the recoiling or resorting to stuckness in the way things are. This event is the Possibilitarians way of starting off the New Year and taking a day, which for us was feeling like it’s supposed to be the day to go forward in the New Year, to process and deal with and digest the old year. So for us it’s a way for us to take this time and to really make it special and a manifestation of any of our thoughts and experiences and real feelings about situations, which makes it a very political event.
No offense, but I have no idea what you just said. It seems a bit, well, odd.It is odd. It’s very odd and that’s why we keep doing it year after year. This is an Insurrection Mass with a Funeral March for the rotten ideas of the previous year. And in different times, we’ve asked people to contribute the bad ideas and negative things from the past year. The first year it was a dragon with many different scales and many different people’s ideas, meaning rotten ideas – be it the continuing war, foreclosures. We tend to focus on more of the politically negative and potentially depressing events from the year but then we take these rotten days and parade them and bury them in a funeral to get rid of them. We bury the rotten ideas and have a Possibilitarian Radical New Year’s Resolutions to start the New Year off with.
Does it have to be political because in many circles the two worst ideas of 2010 involved Lady Gaga’s meat outfit and Conan O’Brien getting screwed by Jay Leno.
The first year it was really open to anybody who wanted to put any kind of idea. This year, we’re focusing on what we feel are more important (ideas) and effective ideas. Meaning, I guess, the word heavy is (accurate) and we can actually deal with the heavy problems by facing them and getting rid of them and start the New Year off with a genuine real hope.
OK. Um, how do the puppets come in?
This year we do a puppet show to start the event, which is called the Insurrection Mass. The show includes songs, dance, music and texts. We tend not to make realistic portrayals of characters. The puppetry is a forum for presenting the idea in a clear visual fashion and also a joy of a celebratory fashion. So rather than having a sign that says “No War in Afghanistan,” if we’re burying the rotten idea of war we tend to choose very visually clear (displays) of what is the issue that we’re addressing. Anybody can see it and say that’s the situation.
That’s nice. Finally, what do you hope people take away from the New Year’s Eve events?
Hopefully, they’ll feel like they’ve seen something special. They’ll feel uplifted and excited about living and feel informed about a new way of looking at the world and understanding a little more about what Possibilitarianism is all about.
Yeah, that might help.
The Possibilitarian Puppet Theatre’s New Year’s Eve Insurrection Mass and Funeral March for the Rotten Ideas of 2010 kicks off on Fri 12/31 at 3PM at the Unitarian Universalist Church located at 2728 Lancashire Road in Cleveland Heights. For more information, visit http://Facebook.com.
Free-lance writer John Benson spends most of his time writing for various papers throughout Northeast Ohio. When he’s not writing about music or entertainment, he can be found coaching his two boys in basketball, football and baseball or watching movies with his lovely wife, Maria.
3 Responses to “Possibilitarian Puppet Theater: A politically odd New Year’s celebration”
Samantha
It’s not like what they’re doing is that confusing. Your article came across as unnecessarily condescending. Maybe you were trying to be amusing. Thanks for spreading the word about an important part of Cleveland, though.
She
Possibilitarians Unite!
Susan Miller
This event has become a stalwart of my end of year calendar. After the mass and funeral march, we all walk and play various improvised instruments enclosed in a large piece of fabric with a sail. As we walk, a dirge a la New Orleans funeral processions is played and sometimes sung. This year we sang, “Ain’t gonna study war no more”. As we reached the corner of Lancashire and Coventry, we were joined by another musician who played along on a melodica. The point, the message of the last stroll? We are all in the same boat. Yes, we are.
Here’s the thing about speaking out: You’re either for the war or against it. You’re either for bailing out Wall Street or against it. If you’re against war, don’t keep it to yourself. If you’re against bailing out Wall Street, don’t keep it to yourself. I applaud Possibilitarians for their creative and sustainable methods of speaking out against injustice. Someone, actually more of us, ought to be moving beyond private handwringing. The Possibilitarians offer a wonderful opportunity to do just that – just say no to bad ideas.
Shoulda seen their welcome for Kasich at the rock hall. Brilliant! I think a local news station covered it.