The Dominion on Social Acupuncture
by Darren O’Donnell
Coach House, Toronto, 2006
I saw Darren O’Donnell on the street recently, but I didn’t say hello. After reading his book, I’m asking myself why not. There are two sections: the essay Social Acupuncture, and the play A Suicide-Site Guide to the City. I knew that I’d seen the play when it was performed at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre in Toronto, but I’d forgotten that I was also in it – I was the audience volunteer who went on stage to make out with O’Donnell, the writer and performer of the piece. It’s right there on page 147: “If there’s a taker, we kiss, kiss, kiss.” That’s the kind of thing he’s into, and that's what this book is about: “an aesthetic of civic engagement,” ways of challenging traditional theatrical and artistic forms along with the capitalist conventions of social interaction. It’s complicated, and that’s why the essay is the real jewel, a manifesto of sorts about the work he and his company, Mammalian Diving Reflex, have done and will continue to do. I can’t say I agree with every tenet and assumption O’Donnell makes, or that the argument doesn’t at times wax superficial or egotistical. What surprises me, though, is that he consistently recognizes and flags these moments himself. I can say this is a book that anyone involved with theatre or activism should read, maybe even anyone who identifies as left of centre. He’s asking the right questions, and positing interesting answers. Does it make sense to buy a book meant to be a guide to undercutting capitalism? If you see Darren on the street, ask him.
--Matthew J. Trafford
