Interest in clips of Daisey show blossoms on the Web
John Johnson , the principal of Norco (Calif.) High School, has seen the infamous YouTube clip of Mike Daisey's interrupted performance last Thursday night at Zero Arrow Theatre. And he wants to make one thing clear: An adult chaperone accompanying a group of Norco students should not have poured water on Daisey's notes as the chaperone and roughly 90 students hastily exited Daisey's monologue, "Invincible Summer."
The incident has prompted comments across the blogosphere from a wide range of cultural voices, including author, comedian, and "Daily Show" contributor John Hodgman . The YouTube video of the walkout -- Daisey has every show recorded, and he posted the clip -- had been viewed more than 90,000 times as of yesterday afternoon.
"I want to make this very clear, I apologize for that happening," said Johnson of the water-pouring.
Last Thursday, adults chaperoning the group of 15- to 17- year- olds in a visiting choir group were looking for an arts performance to attend. They bought tickets to "Invincible Summer," in which Daisey discusses New York City, 9/11, and other topics. Johnson said that an ART representative, when asked, did not sufficiently explain to the adult buying tickets that the monologue included profanity and adult themes.
But Nicholas Peterson , the marketing associate who dealt with the sale, described the exchange in a statement released yesterday. He says he told the Norco representative that Daisey's show contained "strong language, adult situations, powerful and emotional imagery, and also that The
Peterson says he told the Norco adult that another school group would be attending the performance; it was a senior English class from the private Brooks School in North Andover. And Peterson says he stated that "the imagery is not any worse than what students would see on television and the language no worse than what one would hear at the movies."
Johnson, speaking by phone on Tuesday, said the chaperones got uncomfortable even before Daisey took the stage.
"They were sitting there, there was an announcement made. Something like this. 'Turn your [expletive] cell phones off or we're going to shove it up your [expletive],' " said Johnson. "At that point, our teacher got real nervous that this may not be the place for our kids."
But according to Johnson, the ART house manager told the group's adult leaders that it could not stop the show, as Daisey had already started. In the lobby, after some discussion, a plan was hatched by ART staff and the Norco chaperones to have the house lights raised slightly and the group to file out. There was no way to explain this to Daisey, who was visibly rattled when nearly a third of the seats in the theater emptied. But what shocked and angered Daisey most was the adult who approached his table and poured water over his notes, which he uses to shape each performance.
"I remember the look on his face more than anything else," Daisey said by phone yesterday. "It really was a look of hatred and total contempt and pride and arrogance. I've actually never seen that look on someone's face directed to me. That's what stays with me."
Daisey said that members of the group identified themselves to him and to ART staffers as members of a Christian organization.
But Johnson said the choir group had no religious affiliation. It was in town singing at the Boston Heritage Music Festival.
Daisey said he tracked down the man who poured the water and, after a long phone conversation, received an apology. He accepted it, but remains angry at the adult chaperones and the school.
"You can forgive and still have feelings," Daisey said. "I just want it to be known that no one on that side has behaved at all like an adult. If I had not hunted these people down, and called them directly and compelled them to speak to me, they never clearly would have spoken to me. And if I hadn't had this video and posted it, they never would have responded at all. I think that says something about their actions and their character."
Geoff Edgers can be reached at gedgers@globe.com. For more on the arts go to boston.com/ae/ theater_arts/exhibitionist. 