Seth Lepore's 12 Hour Performance Marathon Kickin’ Ass and Takin’ Names

Seth Lepore presents Kickin’ Ass and Takin’ Names—a theatrical web-a-thon spectacle that will look at the meta-examination of both failing and succeeding in real time—livestreaming from Easthampton, Massachusetts, USA on the global, commons based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Saturday 7 December at 7 a.m.-7 p.m. PST (San Francisco) / 9 a.m.-9 p.m. CST (Chicago) / 10 a.m.-10 p.m. EST (Boston) / 15:00 GMT (Sat, Dec 7) - 03:00 GMT (Sun, Dec 8) (London). Use Twitter hashtag #howlround & direct comments @sethlepore.

Here's an archive of the first half-hour and the last half-hour of the event:

“I could totally fall on my face.”, says solo performing artist Seth Lepore about the 12 hour live-streamed web-a-thon he embarked on in an effort to raise $10,000 in donations as his end of the year fundraiser. Lepore decided to open his creative process to the public as a mash-up workshop/ laboratory/ talk show and performance experiment in order to find the essence of what will become an interactive touring piece.

Along with a series of special guests, Lepore unraveled what the show’s tagline Measuring Success One Failure at a Time really entails. Lepore uses the framework of a die hard 12 hour performance stunt to answer these key questions:

• Can one cut through the noise to get enough attention so people know about the web-a-thon, never mind watch it?
• Can one demonstrate the strange notion of commodified theatrical “value” through the process of an end of the year fundraiser?
• Can one show the full scope of possible actions in terms of failing and succeeding on a cultural level, as well as the process of personal past reflections and observations?
• Can one… Does one actually make an impact with their work? Can that be measured? Does it need to be measured?
• Is the live streaming of live theatre the “answer”?

The Show/ Fundraiser/ Documentary/ PR Stunt dealt directly in real time with the fact that this piece could be an utter and complete flop, blowout success or worse… neither. It ultimately tries to accomplish too much at once. Lepore embraced and simultaneously repelled America’s fascination with social success and rubbernecking train-wrecks.

Lepore challenged several skewed “truths”: that one must fail again and again in order to succeed... that in America we all have the same capacity to reach our goals if we work hard enough... that only the precious few can be titans in their industry... Through this lens, Lepore confronts himself and his audience to think outside the binary solidity put forth by our cultural expectations and make a statement as to why limitations are a good, good thing. Donations can be made via IndieGoGo and are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law. Watch the pitch video.

About HowlRound TV

HowlRound TV is a global, commons-based peer produced, open access livestreaming and video archive project stewarded by the nonprofit HowlRound. HowlRound TV is a free and shared resource for live conversations and performances relevant to the world's performing arts and cultural fields. Its mission is to break geographic isolation, promote resource sharing, and to develop our knowledge commons collectively. Participate in a community of peer organizations revolutionizing the flow of information, knowledge, and access in our field by becoming a producer and co-producing with us. Learn more by going to our participate page. For any other queries, email [email protected], or call Vijay Mathew at +1 917.686.3185 Signal/WhatsApp. View the video archive of past events.