Arguendo is a playful riff on the 1991 Supreme Court case Barnes v. Glen Theatre. In this provocative case, a group of exotic dancers, citing the First Amendment, challenged a ban on public nudity. Elevator Repair Service stages the oral argument of the case verbatim with their signature theatricality, wit and physical precision.
What Is the Story of Arguendo?
Arguendo is less a story and more a re-telling of a true event. The show chronicles the 1991 Supreme Court case Barnes v. Glen Theatre, in which a group of exotic dancers challenged a stage law banning public nudity. The play includes arguments from the prosecution and defense, as well as summations from the justices and even testimony from opponents of the ban given outside the courtroom. By the end of the play, you’ll know precisely how this provocative case turned out!