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Man plays 10 Different Roles Including His Mother in this True, Compelling Drama at Prayer Day 2011

Presented by University of Mary

February 3, 2011

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Brother-in-Law’s Attempt at Killing Him and His Sister Turns Into Professor’s One-Man Theatrical Reenactment About Forgiveness and Redemption

On his sabbatical leave during the summer of 2004, David Barker was up against an artistic block. He needed to develop a new solo show that was personal and biographical. But approaching his 50th year without having experienced a major catastrophe or even a particularly unusual event, he had nothing to write about. Barker, a theater professor at Arizona State University who is known for his solo mime performances, didn’t have to scratch his head too long for subject matter. Two bullets, fired in rapid succession, changed everything.

One of the bullets was aimed at him, and miraculously, it missed. His sister was not as fortunate, because the second bullet – meant for her – hit her in the chest. The story of how his brother-in-law, “Dr. Jack,” happened to open fire on him and his sister became Barker’s sabbatical project — a one-man play titled “Dodging Bullets.”

The play follows three story lines — Dr. Jack’s attack on his wife and Barker; Barker’s father’s emergency surgery and declining health; and Barker’s mother’s dementia. Dr. Jack, a semi-retired, successful East Coast brain surgeon, had been abusing his wife for many years, and his wife finally moved out. On the fateful day of the attack, Barker accompanied his sister and 15-year-old niece to their home to pick up the teen’s asthma medication.

“I went along to protect my sister,” Barker said. “We approached the house and Dr. Jack appeared at the front door and ordered me to leave. Dr. Jack is a high-strung control freak; so when I refused to leave he attacked me. We grappled briefly and he ran back into the house. My sister, niece and I were in complete shock. He came back with a gun and began to fire.”

The rest of the story is a dramatist’s dream, a soap opera come true. The SWAT team arrives, snipers are placed on the roofs of the houses across the street, and Dr. Jack stays holed up for four hours, but finally turns himself in and is booked into the county jail. Dr. Jack’s sister bails him out, but he is arrested again for trying to buy a handgun and spends the next 10 months in federal prison. Shortly after his release, he marries an Episcopal priest but he still had not faced his attempted murder indictments.

“This year’s speaker, David Barker, who will perform his one-act play ‘Dodging Bullets’ with its themes of forgiveness and redemption will both entertain and move you,” says Kristi Wanner, director of Campus Ministry at the University of Mary. “Prayer Day is a great opportunity for this region to come together and experience faith and healing.” Barker’s Prayer Day performance begins at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 3, in the McDowell Activity Center.

University of Mary students are admitted free to Thursday’s event. For others, registration may be completed at the Activity Center beginning at 10 a.m. However, we strongly recommend that you pre-register in advance, at (https://forms.umary.edu/UM/StudentServices/PrayerDayRegistration) so we may better accommodate you. The fee for the entire day (including lunch) is $10. You may pay at the registration table on Prayer Day. To learn more contact Kristi Wanner at (701) 355-8102 or kdwanner@umary.edu. A lunch will be provided at noon, followed by workshops at 1 p.m. and Eucharistic liturgy at 2:15 p.m., with Bishop Paul Zipfel presiding.

“It’s invigorating to perform this show because everything actually happened. I’m not performing about imaginary circumstances as I usually do” said Barker, who also works as an actor and fight choreographer. He knew early on that the traumatic experience would make for vivid storytelling. "My sister was approached by Maury Povich and 'The Montel Williams Show,' but she declined," he says. "She said she was holding out for 'Oprah.' "

DAVID BARKER BIOGRAPHY
David Barker graduated cum laude from Duquesne University with a B.S. in Education in 1977 and received his M.F.A. in Theatre Arts from Rutgers University's Mason Gross School of the Arts in 1980.

He is an award-winning actor, director and fight choreographer. Also an accomplished mime, his work has been featured in numerous publications including From The Greek Mimes To Marcel Marceau And Beyond, Mime Journal, Shanghai Theatre Magazine and Phoenix Magazine. His credits include national and international tours, Broadway, Off-Broadway, regional theatre, international festivals and TV.

He has conducted master classes, workshops and residencies at universities, conservatories and public schools throughout the country and in London, Athens and Shanghai. He taught at the University of California at Santa Barbara, Douglass College and Scottsdale Community College. He is a professor of theatre at Arizona State University where he teaches graduate and undergraduate classes in movement and acting, and serves as the coordinator of the MFA Performance program. He is the author of Connected Motion: A Common Sense Approach To Movement Training For Actors.

Barker and his wife live in Tempe, AZ. They have four children and four grandchildren. Through his work he intends to glorify God, from whom all good things come.