Dear Segel family,
My name is Mark Johnson, and I am the artistic director of a theatre company (Strings Attached) that is performing a show in Zürich, Switzerland based on ideas that I found in Harold's book "Turn-of-the-Century Cabaret". The show is in honor of the centennial of the birth of "Dada" here in Zürich. Our performance seeks to show what Harold's book makes very clear: that Dada at the Cabaret Voltaire in Zürich in 1916 was the high point of a tradition of "artistic cabaret" that began in Paris at the end of the 19th Century and then spread throughout Europe. We gave five very successful performances of the show in February and will perform it again in June as part of the "Festspiele Zürich".
I was saddened to read of Harold's death this morning. For the past year or so, we have been communicating via email about our production. I know of his death because, when he didn't answer my last email, this morning I checked the obituaries in the "Arizona Daily Star". Harold was extremely kind and helpful in answering my questions and offering encouragement for our show. I only wish that I could have met him - I am a graduate of the U of A and bought Harold's book at the Bookman's on Grant Avenue in Tucson...
We are currently preparing an extensive program for the June performances that is intended to introduce Harold's book and ideas to a German-speaking audience. The connection between Dada and artistic cabaret is a new concept here in Zürich, and it is for this reason that the producers of the festival have asked us to create the program. Please send me your address so I can send you a copy. In the meantime, there is some information about the show ("Dada vor Dada") on our website www.stringsattached.ch Please accept my sincere condolences, and I wish you
All the very best,
Mark Johnson
[email protected]
