by Sandra Beckmeier

This statement may seem flat, but Altamont Now is a play that will get you to think. A lot of work has been put into this production, and just about everyone at our editorial meeting was aflame or buzzing -- and understandably so. Since April 1994, Salvage Vanguard has produced more than 20 productions that break new ground by combining different artistic disciplines in a theatrical context.

Playwright David Bucci is a keen observer, and a gifted writer. Also a founder of Salvage Vanguard Theater, this is the fourth play he's written in the company's growing production roster, and Altamont Now is certain to tell of a character amused by life. This time, the story is of "Richard Havoc, an MTV idol who creates a militia group and invites the youth of America to join in his crusade against everything old."

The stylistic use of language is not only funny, but reveals a side of Bucci's world in rock music -- an extension of intimacy within the society of rock and roll culture which tends to promote the separations between audience and performer to the nth degree.

Bucci and fellow performer Chad Nichols of local rock band Enduro come together in bringing live music to theater. Nichols offered: "Being a musician in Austin means being situated within a hive of creativity. There exists an incredible sense of community among the young people here who are involved with local music. I want musicians to realize that the type of work they are doing conceptually has a history within the arts as a whole. The play discusses these issues and ultimately exposes the revolutionary, anti-authoritarian stance as empty rhethoric. It exposes this creative separatism for the hindrance it is."

The play was created as an "exploitation film for the stage," Bucci says. "Alternative music is one of the strongest bonds that link together my generation and is one of the only live performances capable of engaging them en masse. One of my main goals in writing Altamont Now was to expose a non-traditional theater audience (young people ages 16-30) to the power of live performance."

Directing the piece is Jason Neulander, who is beside himself with excitement about this production. He's also shooting the video which has been weaved into the performance, along with musical compositions by Nichols and Bucci. According to Marketing Director and Director Katie Pearl, it's a "rock and roll montage."

The group is devoted to their artists and is building a national network as well as interdiscplinary programs including an ongoing second stage season. It's geared to give local spoken word and visual artists the chance to create quick and dirty performances with Salvage Vanguard's support. In their 1996-97 season, they worked with more than 100 young artists and were awarded the Fund for Social Entrpreneurs from Youth Service America -- a three-year grant awarded annually to six groups from around the country who promote active service by young people in their communities.

SVT received grants from the Meadows Foundation, the Dell Foundation, the City of Austin and the Texas Commission on the Arts for audience development. You've seen those "I Hate Theater" stickers all over town. They indicate the group's promotion of active spectatorship as opposed to the traditional passive. Salvage Vanguard Theater is doing a good job of hating theater and offering intelligent productions. Neulander and Pearl explained that national theater patrons tend to be a lot older than the audiences Salvage Vanguard are focusing upon. There is something to be said for loyalty.

Altamont Now runs Thursdays through Saturdays, 9pm, from Sept. 4 to 26 at the Warehouse, 2830 Real Street.