Three Silent and Secret Acts

1976 • Directed by

Douglas Davis

Structurally, Three Silent & Secret Acts corresponds extensively to the work that followed, Reading Brecht in 3/4 Time: the performance takes place at different times and at several locations, and is broadcast live on cable television. For the television broadcast, different sources (both recorded material and live), places, and times are woven together. The event was staged to mark the introduction of cable television in SoHo and was made possible financially by Mr. and Mrs. Eugene M. Schwartz. For Davis and many other artists of his generation, cable television represented a way out of the centralized structures of commercial and public television, where viewer involvement was not intended.