Work session, 1/21/09

Posted on by Dale

present: Marc, Dale, Jeff B

Dale brought in his script, “We’re queer [pdf],” and Marc insisted that we read through it, as a stalling tactic to avoid the Vocal Sequence.

But then we did begin looking at the entire Vocal sequence. Dale has printed out a cheat sheet [pdf] with all 20 parts and their descriptions, and Marc suggested that he begin by going through the first three (which is accepted practice), and then we were to call out other parts and he’d explore them. That way we could tell which one he was doing and record our impressions and questions about each one.

After he was through, we quizzed him about a few of the moments/parts in order to clarify what we saw, and we discussed some ways that the results of such exploration could be used in a final product.

Dale volunteered to try it, and we did the same process. Finally Jeff took the plunge. [Flesh out the experience in the comments, please.]

Dale asked that we re-read “We’re queer” and critique for effectiveness: how to make the point, how to keep it light and funny but pointed, etc.

Jeff departed, and Dale and Marc chatted a moment further. Marc had the idea of performing the same text as a moment of awful self-discovery among the characters. We read through it in that vein, and it becomes mordantly funny that way. Dale suggests that we perform it straight, as it were, and then later in whatever evening it ends up in, the second way.

We didn’t get to an idea for an exercise Dale had, called “Montage.” See Assignments below.

NEXT: Jan. 28, 6:30, NSOD

  • TEXTS: Jeff’s Myth [doc], “We’re queer [pdf],
  • PATHS: Vocal Sequence duos
  • HOMEWORK:
    • (Neo-Futurist scripts)
    • keep bringing in text, either randomly selected from one’s own library, or some online library like Forgotten Books; multiple sources OK; we’re dumping these in our box for use… somehow
    • an idea from Structuring Drama Work: Montage exercise <–download the text for the full assignment

Work Session, 1/14/09

Posted on by Dale

present: Marc, Dale, Jeff B, Barbara

Shortish session tonight. Dale put up the poster version of Marc’s part-2 [rtf] that we had analyzed back in December and Marc chatted about what he saw.

Then Marc started us off on a quick toss exercise using the Vocal Sequence as a basis. This lasted about 30 minutes, using the text She sounds like she can no longer tolerate anything the rest of them are saying.

We sat and talked about the process, the ways it might be useful and some of the things we noticed when we were working. One thing we agreed on was that it would be very helpful to videotape our work, and/or to have more people involved who could watch and notate things they found interesting. Marc talked about using that kind of process in his past work.

One of our concerns, articulated by Barbara, was the uncomfortable feeling we had about movement. Dale suggested that we get one of the NSOD teachers, Annette, to come teach us contact improv as a means of developing those skills.

Dale had written a piece, a simple catalog/list of the items on his totally trashed desk. Jeff read it for us. We talked about having a video/slideshow to accompany it.

Dale brought up a couple of shows currently in NYC that caught his eye because it seemed that they had used the same kinds of processes that we’ve been playing with. The discussion turned to our eventual “results,” and when Marc asked “What is it you want to see?,” Dale asked everyone to envision a performance by us and to scribble down notes.

They were as follows:

Marc:

  • informal & prof0undly altering, at once
  • something we found unexpectedly
  • somewhat musical, somewhat overwhelming
  • I am not an earnest person, but I like to travel miles in all directions
  • 2 hrs. of Jeff laughing at me
  • something kind of thick
  • …and stories, of course

Barbara:

  • minimal costumes/set/props
  • lights, voice, movement, text* leveraged for an expression of what’s beautiful & true about ourselves
    • *the texts are questions, theorems, proofs, writings, stories, character

Dale:

  • familiar vs. unfamiliar texts
  • choral deconstruction
  • postmodern pastiche: skits, monologs, more
  • moments of true emotion
  • topic(s) that resonate with our audience
  • !!organic forward movement –> beginning, middle, end
  • comedy, confession, confusion
  • moments of elaborate stagecraft in a poor theatre kind of way
  • roll of white butcher paper, strewn, crumpled, utilized

Jeff:

  • Us.
    • (Not NYC)

Jeff and Barbara had to leave early to attend to family; Marc and Dale stayed and chatted about how to proceed and what shape our explorations might take.

  • Marc is going to think about ways to develop Vocal Sequence duo/trio work.
  • Dale has an idea for a piece, “We’re Queer,” that might give us a topic to work with, i.e., the nature of being a creative person in an uncreative setting. (Marc, talk in comments about your idea of a hoax, and then see here and here.)
  • Dale will look at possible exercises based on the ideas in Structuring Drama Work. (Keep your eye on the blog between now and then. If he comes up with something, it will appear here as an assignment to bring stuff in for.)

NEXT: Jan. 21, 6:30, NSOD

  • TEXTS: part-2, Jeff’s Myth [doc]
  • PATHS: Vocal Sequence
  • HOMEWORK:
    • (Neo-Futurist script)
    • keep bringing in text, either randomly selected from one’s own library, or some online library like Forgotten Books; multiple sources OK; we’re dumping these in our box for use… somehow
    • possible assignment based on Structuring Drama Work

Work Session, 1/7/09

Posted on by Dale

present: Dale, Jeff B., Barbara, Jeff A.

Dale unrolled the triple-poster printout of Marc’s part-2 text [rtf], only to find that instead of the version everyone worked on in the 12/17/08 session, it was a clean copy, and one that had not printed the right-hand third of the last poster. Perfect!

We began with the first five steps of the Vocal Sequence again as a warm-up.

Jeff Allen then gave his new Neo-Futurist monolog to Barbara to read. It was a variation on the “I need to write something” trope, and it worked.

Jeff A. also had us read through “Give & Take,” a hysterical Neo-Futurist skit from 200 more Neo-Futurist plays. It would be fun to add to an evening of theatre.

We returned to part-2. Barbara suggested that we brainstorm as many ways to perform the text as we could thing of. Dale set the timer for two minutes, and we came up with:

  1. a monolog
  2. rearrange pieces of it
  3. backwards
  4. dramatic interpretation
  5. change the verbs
  6. as a dance
  7. mime, holding up the words
  8. metaperformance, like Jeff’s idea from last session
  9. choral anthem
  10. audition piece
  11. diagram the sentences
  12. as a Marx Bros. routine
  13. grade it as homework
  14. edit (??)
  15. make it rhyme
  16. talk back to it, sass it
  17. cycle through film genres
  18. props, without words
  19. hand puppets
  20. nude
  21. as a musical

Dale then used the random number generator to pick one, #4, dramatic interpretation, and we gave ourselves another two minutes:

  1. black box/empty set
  2. Chekhov
  3. political thriller
  4. children’s bedtime story
  5. Noh theatre
  6. gossiping over tea
  7. medieval mystery play
  8. opera
  9. absurdist piece
  10. elementary class play
  11. Julie Andrews vehicle
  12. dysfunctional family drama
  13. police procedural
  14. therapy session
  15. Seussian tale (??not sure of the handwriting)

Again with the random number generator, and again #4, the bedtime story. Barbara began telling us wee ones the bedtime story, and we both interspersed lines and repeated lines and added our own commentary. It was interesting.

We went back to the main list with the random number generator, and we got #1, monolog. Dale tackled it as a solo piece; miraculously, he convinced everyone he was making perfect sense.

Next was #6, dance, and Jeff danced the first page. We then drew #9, choral anthem, and skipped it.

Finally, Barbara took on #12, audition piece, and Dale was her auditioner, requesting expansions and redirections of the piece. Jeff was the janitor.

As a quickie ending, we threw out #15, Marx Bros., and got a couple of laughs with some delivery. Mike Funt: download the text and turn it into a Marx Bros. routine.

It occured to us that we could take the text and do an evening’s work with it, starting perhaps with the monolog so that the audience could get the whole piece at once, then hitting bits and pieces of the text through the filters of our list (and other ideas). The audience would begin to form their own connections and ideas, perhaps.

It was also suggested as a performance that we could have a pool of available texts, to be matched randomly with performance modes, and improvise performances that way.

Ideas for Neo-Futurist monologs:

  • grocery list; e.g., a piece about one’s grocery list, perhaps the one you’d like people to think you have
  • desktop; e.g., what’s on your desk and why

NEXT: Jan. 14, 6:30, NSOD

  • TEXTS: part-2, Jeff’s Myth [doc]
  • PATHS: Vocal Sequence
  • HOMEWORK:
    • Neo-Futurist script
    • five pages of text, either randomly selected from one’s own library, or some online library like Forgotten Books; multiple sources OK

Work Session, 12/17/08

Posted on by Dale

(I thought I’d put something up before the year is quite over. Sorry about the delay.)

Present: Dale, Jeff B., Barbara, Jeff A.

Dale put up the huge poster version of Marc’s part-2 [rtf] and we all contemplated it for a moment.

Then Dale outlined the first five phases of the Vocal Sequence [pdf]:

  1. Speak silently.
  2. Speak normally.
  3. Slow motion.
  4. Introjecting.
  5. Project atmosphere.

We began playing with the VS, using selected phrases from the text. We assume we were getting introjection wrong; Marc was not there to guide us. We also decided that was completely OK. We were just getting our feet wet, and if we developed something useful, so much the better.

After working on the VS as our warmup, we tackled the text. Dale proposed as an exercise to treat the text as a vehicle for performance, unlimited by any reality. We began to color-code themes and strands and actually had an interesting time. We decided to keep our findings to ourselves and spring them on Marc at the next session.

Work Session, 12/10/08

Posted on by Dale

present: Dale, Marc, Jeff B., Barbara, Jeff A.

We read through the first 15 pages or so of Charles Mee’s Iphigenia 2.0 [.doc] to get a feel for the language and the structure. We also looked at a bit later in the piece that used transcribed narratives from soldiers and Wilfrid Owen’s “Dulce et decorum est” as the text.

Dale explained that he brought the piece to the group because

  • he liked the writing
  • he liked Mee’s use of a structure, i.e., Greek tragedy, to frame a contemporary take on American imperial power
  • he thought Lacuna might find Mee’s appropriation of texts (stories, poems, news articles) instructive

Jeff said, and we all agreed, that as something to perform, Iphigenia was a bit past its date. But the idea of the piece, of using a tale as a frame for texts and ideas, was worth our keeping in mind.

We played around reading some of the Neo-Futurist scripts, just getting a feel of what was possible within that aesthetic. The concept of an evening of very short pieces was appealing to everyone.

Dale asked Marc to explain/show the Vocal Sequence, which he did. Dale suggested that we begin to structure our sessions by opening with some VS work, then moving into sharing and exploring. Otherwise, he said, we run the risk of sitting on the floor all night talking about possibilities instead of creating them. [See: Vocal Sequence and other structural issues for discussion.]

We hit on at some point Jeff’s Myth piece [.doc] and its appeal as a piece to work on through the Vocal Sequence (and other structures).

Marc suggested that we write a Neo-Futurist play by using a structure generated from random drawings. We each did a random drawing and put them in a pile, from which Marc drew one:


(I reconstructed the original for illustrative purposes.)

Marc then instructed us to write a list of ten phrases that the diagram provoked/inspired in us:

  1. All things are related.
  2. The universe is ever-expanding
  3. Repulsion is a force equal and opposite to attraction.
  4. Live in all three dimensions.
  5. Someone has to be the cetnral figure.
  6. All good family trees branch.
  7. Nothingness causes all to flee.
  8. Life is not always linear.
  9. Evolution continues.
  10. Ten phrases are difficult.
  1. Worlds to the South
  2. Worlds to the North
  3. Worlds ot the East
  4. Worlds to the West
  5. Worlds Above
  6. Worlds Below
  7. Worlds in Me, at the Center
  8. Fire at the Center
  9. Fire Above
  10. Fire Below
  11. Fires spinning around me
  12. Emanating from me
  13. Returning to me
  14. Keeping me warm
  1. butter her up
  2. you complete me
  3. all by yourself
  4. help your brother
  5. why unfortunate?
  6. leave it be
  7. please and thank you
  8. on the shoulders of giants
  9. gimmee that
  10. she’s not welcome here
  1. expulsion of the necessary
  2. fleeing the sanctum
  3. more away than not
  4. the center cannot hold
  5. held back by centrifugal force
  6. polar alignment of affection
  7. turning their backs on the empty table
  8. seeing the faraway orbiters
  9. pointing at the ends of the earth
  10. not only circular but outward
  1. I could walk away
  2. we fled to a small grotto
  3. calipers close by
  4. she cares
  5. hungry and tired
  6. I thought she said “egrets”
  7. however, I don’t
  8. fold it imperfectly
  9. quickly now
  10. amazed by onions

We put all our lists in the middle. Marc drew a square around an area of the diagram. Dale drew out one of the lists and selected a phrase to attach to that area. A round robin of that process produced:


(click for full-size version of the results)

At that point we were out of time.

MOMENTS:

  • Dale’s performance of the “Freshmen” monolog, Jeff B.
  • the running down of the soldiers’ lists of things they needed, Jeff B.
  • further nominations?

NEXT: Dec. 17, 6:30, NSOD

  • TEXTS: the diagram & lists;
  • PATHS: Vocal Sequence
  • HOMEWORK:
    • Write a “Neo-Futurist” script using the diagram and lists. Use the whole structure or part of it or select from the lists.
    • Download the Vocal Sequence document [pdf] and have it handy. Suggestion from Dale: Look at Jeff’s Myth piece [.doc] and bring a page or two to use as a basis for work.

—————————————-

UPDATE: a graphic from the math book Barbara was talking about

Click for full-sized image.
Click for full-sized image.

Vocal Sequence and other structural issues

Posted on by Dale

This extra post is to provide a forum for discussion of Dale’s suggestion that we open our sessions with Vocal Sequence work, and find further structure for sharing and creating work.

You can (and should) download the Vocal Sequence document on the Assignments page.

Discuss:

  • questions you have about the Vocal Sequence and its implementation
  • ideas for a variety of structures for rest the session; there is no reason to think we need only one way to proceed after our warmup.

OK, people…

Posted on by Marc Honea

I would like to propose a way forward; not in product, but in process.

Not that there’s anything wrong with talking about product(ions). That should continue, I think, and must. But speaking just for myself, there’s always a sharp disjunction between what I think about potential productions and what i do when I’m engaged in a creative process. Often it’s not a disjunction as much as it is an antagonism. Mutual destruction is ensured in such a case, leaving me just staring off into space while waiting for sleep. For me, talking about the kind of work I’d like to do is often an exercise in egoaggrandizement, an attempt at self-justification through asserting some high-falutin’ critical and academic sensibility. To exploit my jargon, it’s indulging in an imaginary mode of reflection: how do I see myself, how do others see me, how do I want to see myself, how should someone my age be seen, etc. Once shoulds enter the picture they usually turn monstrous and omnivorous; next thing I know they are chasing me down like wild dogs.

Process, on the other hand, is very forgiving. It meets me where I am. It respects limitations. It breathes with me. It patiently teaches and offers reasonable rewards. I’m tempted to use my experience working on Coriolanus as an example, but the experience is too recent and we have many mixed feelings. I’ll just say it was a process experience that got me through and kept me fairly even tempered (for me) in the midst of a frustrating schedule. I didn’t worry about the product too much because my process kept me absorbed and distracted (in a good way).

Let’s give ourselves a rewarding and satisfying life while we wait for the “right one” to come along. If you know what I mean. No need to cloister ourselves.

Here’s my proposal. We open up a page on this site for ongoing creative contributions and exchanges. Wednesdays, I will open up the Newnan School of Dance at 6:30 for whoever wishes to gather and explore. That’s it. No pressure. You do not have to come on Wednesdays expecting to “act, perform, improvise,” etc. Just talking and observing is fine. Let your own thoughts of process lead you.

This may lead us to having several “irons in the fire.” Why not? Several works in progress? Experiments? A series of variations? Scripts? Other performance ideas? We each lean in with whatever process and sensibility fits us. Speaking for myself, again, there may be times when I feel so beset with thoughts of product and the burden of my own unrealized aspirations that spending a Wednesday absorbed in playing around in someone else’s ideas would be just the thing. To just engage in a process with no concern for my own future ambitions would be a welcome opportunity.

If we want to use Vyew as an annex for our online sharing, great. We will need to be reminded of passwords and names and such. As for our forum on this site, new page? or new post? Thoughts?

My one suggestion for our online work: avoid creating the illusion of human interaction and favor other encounters.

Newnan “Performance Collective” announces next project.

Posted on by Marc Honea

Lacunagroup has decided upon its next project. The group will undertake an exact, documentary re-creation of a performance of Act III, Scene 1 from Shakespeare’s Coriolanus the group gave on the evening of November 1, 2008 at the Newnan Community Theatre Company.

“That performance had certain qualities that I find fascinating,” opined group member Dale Lyles, “and the tension in the space was palpable. Not even Shakespeare could script such moments. I think the performers uncovered something very special that night.”

“If for no other reason, I think the contributions this work could make to our understanding of the neuro-physiology of memory will make it worth seeing, ” adds group member Jeff Bishop. “Oliver Sacks has offered to deliver a short spoken introduction.”

The group plans to develop the piece through a process of assembling and reviewing both spokenreminiscencesand assorted journalistic accounts. “Some of the original participants are still alive,” offers member Kevin McInturff, “and have been very generous with their time and their personal recollections. Considering the emotions we’ve asked them to re-live, they’ve all been quite fearless. We have a rich abundance of material to work with.”

The group sees this as carrying forward its interest in “photorealist” theatrical representation. Member Marc Honea hopes the result will be “an intense, chamber-scale offering in meticulous detail–a final, impossible rendering of the ephemeral.” Due to some moments of violence, the performance will be for adults only.