12 to watch in 2002
Tim Bostock

Advertiser Staff

But then he goes ahead and books Australia's Flying Fruit Fly Circus, French mime legend Marcel Marceau, Slava's Snowshow or some other decidedly niche performer or virtual unknown from the Pacific Rim.

"I have to be affected enough by a piece to feel that it may have changed me in some way," said Bostock, 38. "To me, that's what theater can and should be. I realize that I could change my tack a bit, become a bit more safe, and present what I'm pretty sure I can sell, but I don't think I ever will."

In choosing that route, Bostock has created his own arty promotional niche, introducing more adventurous Honolulu theatergoers to the kind of international productions that most of his peers wouldn't touch with a Russian snowshoe. He has also been a leading champion of the nonprofit artists collective The Arts At Marks Garage, where he has supported an inventively eclectic slate of smaller productions.

Expect Bostock to remain an ever globetrotting showman to watch in 2002. In January and February, "On The Edge" introduces a collection of four Pacific-themed dramatic plays. In April, Bostock brings in China's The Shaolin Warriors, a theatrical martial arts presentation by a cadre of 30 Buddhist monks.