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Artist's Statement
As children, we played the game "Truth or Dare?" A group of kids sat in a circle, each person taking turns to
answer a revealing question or perform some embarrassing act. There were variations to the game, but one rule remained
constant: once you'd chosen truth or dare, you had to do what was asked of you, whether it was kissing Danny's foot or admitting
your worst fear. The hardest part was not knowing what you would have to do - if you picked dare, would you have to
do something unbearably frightening or embarrassing? If you picked truth, would the ensuing questions force you to reveal
your darkest secret?
The show you will see tonight investigates the impulse behind
the game "Truth or Dare?", how the game's ultimate prank and purpose - risk and disclosure - provide metaphors for the lives
we lead. Remember the events in your life that stripped you bare? Remember the people you've met who loosened
your dreams and your grasp on life? These monologues enact a variety of such moments and people and dramatize the lessons
they give us: how, for example, specific events divert us from the quotidian, or how particular people, like the game itself,
dare us to reveal and create new truths about ourselves.
March 1998
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Performance History
Program Quotation
"All your life you live so close to the truth that it becomes a permanent
blur in the corner of your eye. And when something nudges it into outline, it's like being ambushed by a grotesque."
Tom Stoppard
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
Artistic Staff
Technical Director: Mindy Winter
Slides: Stephen Conley
Costumes:
Sarah Messer & Allyson Goldin
Reviews
“Yes, here the words are poetry, [but] the overall impression
is of a character aching to tell a story…” --Linda Falkenstein, Isthmus, 1998
“Conley’s sixteen “Truth or Dare” monologues are places for the genuine ... Conley is a minimalist
with props; a scarf or a sheet of shimmery fabric does a lot of work in her hands … Standouts are “Ramada,”
a reminiscence of the transformative thrill of swimming in a motel pool at night … Gloria,’ a backyard barbecue
queen in a slinky bikini… “ --Linda Falkenstein, Artzine, 1998
“In Truth or Dare, Francine Conley … performed 16 dramatic monologues … not one of them felt filler
… Conley used language and movement to create a one-woman show that felt as full as an ensemble piece.”
--“’The Best of 1998’ Arts Scene,” Isthmus, 1998
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