TAKES ALL KINDS
From Dan Hoyle whose work has been hailed as “riveting, funny and poignant” (New York Times) and “hilarious, moving and very necessary” (Salon) and directed by celebrated theater artist Aldo Billingslea, comes Takes All Kinds, a funny and essential new piece of Journalistic Theater that has been touring the country and resonating deeply with audiences and critics alike.
Based on immersive reporting from the trenches of democracy, from school board showdowns in Florida, grassroots organizers in Atlanta, barbershops in Las Vegas, deprogrammers of violent extremists in Missouri and much more.
Takes All Kinds channels powerful, funny and complex people caught in the social forces roiling the country. In tender portraits of everyday Americans turned unlikely changemakers, it offers hope and ways forward in these tumultuous times. Don't miss this singular artist and these unforgettable Stories of American Democracy.
“Stunning…something almost supernatural happens.” –San Francisco Chronicle
“Hoyle nimbly straddled the razor’s edge by virtue of the authenticity and specificity of each portrayal. He mined the heart and humor of each American he interviewed, offering invaluable insight to our current national convergence.” –Charleston City Paper (South Carolina)
"Phenomenal...moving and heartfelt and comes along at just the right time...a gifted artist providing interesting and thoughtful commentary...a talented and versatile actor...Dan Hoyle is a major talent...don't miss this show." --Stage and Cinema
"Solo actor extraordinaire Dan Hoyle’s gift is not just the ability to establish trust with interviewees, to strike up meaningful conversations in tense times with complete strangers, but to share those experiences, viscerally."--Local Matters
"A masterpiece of empathy, reporting, and channeling of citizens we would never meet ourselves...no shortage of laugh-out-loud moments...genius celebration of America on the brink” –Theatrius
About Hoyle’s work in general:
"Mr. Hoyle is a first-rate reporter and actor…he channels just plain folks with compassion and respect.” --New York Times
“Hoyle has an ability to provoke belly laughs while bringing the audience so deeply into his own world.” –Salon
“Captivating. It’s truly magical to watch the gifted Hoyle. ” –San Francisco Examiner
“The beauty of Hoyle’s writing is that he incorporates no clichés into the multi-dimensional characters. — Huffington Post
“Brilliant and tantalizing, hilarious and thought-provoking.” — Triangle Arts & Entertainment (North Carolina)
“Hoyle is a master…he fully inhabits both physically and vocally the various personages he portrays.”—Portland Oregonian
Aldo Billingslea (Director) is a professor of theater at Santa Clara University (SCU) where he teaches acting. He watched Dan Hoyle perform Tings Fey Happen in 2007 and has been a fan ever since. Billingslea served as SCU’s Associate Provost for Diversity and Inclusion and served as the vice president of the 100 Black Men of Silicon Valley. He acts and directs in the Bay Area and is a member of the Board for TheatreWorks Silicon Valley. Billingslea is also the Theatre Program Director for The222.org in Healdsburg, California.
Dan Hoyle (actor/playwright) is an actor and writer whose brand of immersion research theater has been hailed as "riveting, funny and poignant" (New York Times) and "hilarious, moving and very necessary" (Salon). His solo shows have toured the country including Off-Broadway at The Public Theater and Culture Project, Baltimore Center Stage, Berkeley Rep, Cleveland Playhouse, Mosaic (D.C.), Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Portland Center Stage, Playmakers Rep (North Carolina), Painted Bride (Philly), Pure Theater (Charleston, SC and abroad in India, Ireland, Wales, Mexico, Canada and Nigeria.
Hoyle has been recognized with many awards, been supported by grants from the Edgerton Foundation, Pew Theater Initiative, Fleishhacker Foundation, and holds a double degree in Performance Studies and History from Northwestern University and was a Fulbright Scholar in Nigeria in 2005-2006.
He has been an artist-in-residence at Columbia University, and Trinity College, Dublin, and teaches storytelling to newcomer youth at the Mind, Media, and Matter Lab at Calgary University. He works as an acting and story coach at the Formerly Incarcerated People’s Performance Project and lives in Oakland with his wife, an art teacher in East Bay public schools, and their two children.