Well over a decade ago, Dan Kois penned the what-would-later-go-viral article Eating Your Cultural Vegetables. I make the assumption that Kois intended the article as a little bit of a joke, but even now I remember that the internet took this article very seriously.

Sometimes, I think assumption is that shows which are new or are in development, or shows by artists who are new and emerging is the live-action version of eating your cultural vegetables. You know, someone will say I just don’t want to see someone rambling at me for 30 minutes. No show is perfect the very first time it hits the stage, sometimes jokes need to fail before an audience. Sometimes, actors need to feel that a moment doesn’t work the way they’ve played it before they really get it. New shows are critically important to any arts scene – but that doesn’t mean they’re always fully ready the first time they’re in front of an audience.

This past Saturday, I caught the double header, Field Research, which was comprised of two shows: A Staged Production in Which Two Straight White Men Attempt to Assemble a Tent and Consider the Dongfish. If we’re extending the food metaphor here, these two were anything but cultural vegetables. They were meaty and I loved them both, so, maybe a cultural steak?

Both shows used the limitations of the black box theatre to their strengths, with smart, effective lighting and sound cues, and simple and well-considered props to set time and place. We are welcomed to the show by the front of house who ties the two shows together cleanly, even though there isn’t that much thematically in common between the two.

In A Staged Production in Which Two Straight White Men Attempt to Assemble a Tent, by far the best aspect it had going for it was the incredibly realistic dialogue between the two guys – awkward and funny, and constantly avoiding the big thing they want to, but also will also avoid talking about. If the dialogue was all there was to it, I think this could have fallen trap to the overly talky without anything happening shows that can feel aimless. Instead, there were so many genuinely funny moments in this show, and roiling just underneath was that nasty rot of two used-to-be-friends who aren’t close anymore. It’s a big enough question to keep us engaged, and so cleverly balanced with the physical busywork of assembling a tent (as the name suggests). If I could give any criticism to this show is more around the physical space of the venue – sometimes the actors would over-project and it was just too much voice for a space of that size. I really appreciated the pacing of the show, and sharp turns in the show felt within the circle of expectations, but also fresh and exciting.

In Consider the Dongfish, we begin with a content warning: this is going to be dumb. Aaand, I’m sold!

I enjoy a playful show that gives you permission to laugh and have fun – and the commitment to the bit by these two very skilled comedic actors really opened the gates to a good time. The show itself isn’t particularly deep – it’s about luuuurve (and a little bit about sex) – so a less committed couple of actors could easily make this show feel a little juvenile, but Guerrerio and Konstantinov play the physical gags perfectly.

A double header of new works by emerging artists doesn’t always sound like an easy sell, but with new exciting shows like these, it’s only going to get easier. I was delighted to see how full the house was, even at the matinee performance! If I read it correctly on the facebook event, both the evening shows were sold out – sincere congratulations to all involved!