From its birth in 1992, Contemporary Performing Arts of Chattanooga (CoPAC), the nonprofit parent of Barking Legs Theater, has sponsored and presented performance artists like Mark Dendy, who world-premiered his original work Busride to Heaven at the Dance Theater Workshop here in Chattanooga on January 22-23, 1993. This visionary, cutting edge, “bound for off-Broadway performance,” spoke to sex and gender issues beginning to rise inside the hearts, souls, and minds of many human
beings within our culture, then—and surging forth right now!
Mark Dendy, whose hilarious, rapier wit, and versatile acting/dance improvisations are renowned, gave an unforgettable performance in this piece, which was a harbinger of many such captivating performances to come in BLT’s next 30 years.
Busride is about what happens when a transvestite hooker, an AIDS victim, a televangelist, and one of her devoted fans , all die on the same day and end up on a bus ride to heaven!
