Portland Institute for Contemporary Art announces partial lineup for 2011 TBA festival | OregonLive.com

Portland Institute for Contemporary Art announces partial lineup for 2011 TBA festival | OregonLive.com:

The big news among the 20 projects announced so far is a performance by Mike Daisey. Not that Daisey's appearance is a rarity -- the theatrical monologist performed two shows ("Monopoly" and "If You See Something, Say Something") in TBA '08, came to town the following year for a development workshop of his show "The Last Cargo Cult," and was back in TBA last September with his discursive take on technology and globalization, "The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs." All have been big hits with Portland audiences.

What stands out about the show he's premiering here this year, "All the Hours in the Day," is how accurate its title is. Daisey will present a 24-hour performance piece that Edwards describes as "an excursion into the American character through the lens of a road trip."

The audience won't be required to sit through the entire thing, of course. There'll be built-in meal breaks, maybe an availability-based seating system that allows you to pop in for a few odd hours. But it could also be a way for TBA's true art warriors -- some of whom already have conquered Nature Theatre of Oklahoma's four-hour "No Dice" and/or Elevator Repair Service's six-hour reading/performance of "The Great Gatsby" -- to really test their mettle.

"It'll be a great, brave, extreme festival finale," Edwards says. "And he thinks that Portland is the one place where he can pull it off. He has created a great relationship with Portland audiences, and I think there will be a number of people who'll be with him for the whole 24-hour ride."