Mike Daisey Makes Off with $1169 and a Half Cent

Monologist Mike Daisey took a big risk by giving his salary out to audience members at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre. But apparently, the experiment paid off. According to the Berkeley Rep blog, he clocked a $1,169 and a half cent profit for The Last Cargo Cult , which ended its run last week. The whole impetus for the play was to replicate John Frum Day, a ceremonial rejection of western materialism that happens annually on the island of Tanna. Apparently, Daisey didn’t entirely cleanse us of avarice — he commented on a Berkeleyside blog post that many theater-goers happily pocketed the money. Still, the extra tips suggest that other people took his message to heart. Or at least they enjoyed the performance.