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Courage Confessions: thoughts on the first round of performances
What was it like? What was meaningful, exciting, different? What was unexpected, distracting, or tanked? What did this performance environment allow for us to do/achieve? What did it allow for the audience to do?
Posts
From BETSY
ReplyDeleteThe experience of performing at Chief Ike's was so exhiliarating for me. The opportunity to show what we've worked on for the past few weeks, with the idea that it is still a work in progress, is thrilling. We get to showcase what we've done, get feedback, and take another stab at it. For me, it was meaningful to have all of the actors, band members, and friends and supporters in the audience sharing in this experiment. In particular the moment where I get to stand in front of a microphone with an amazing band backing me up, and just let go. It has been a very new and terrifying experience for me, and therefore all the more exciting to show others.
It was also awesome to have an audience that participated, in the real "tent-revival" sort of way. I think it only adds to the positive energy of the show and feeds many of the characters. (So thank you to those that came out to support us.) The bar atmosphere, which I mention in my other comment, gives the freedom for this audience interaction. In a way it is our set design, without needing to do anything. It allowed us to draw the audience in and keep them a part of the action, but in the same vein, we were able to create some distance from the emotional aspects of the show by allowing the audience to get up, sing back, call out, etc. Javi being able to watch the game on TV during scene 1, Kathleen hitting on audience members, John's song, and castmembers sitting in the audience in their "off-scenes", those moments stick out to me as moments that really worked with the audience.
The only distraction in the bar set up were the few people who weren't interested in or there to see the show, and therefore went about their saturday as usual, sometimes being louder than the performers and therefore distracting.
From JEN:
ReplyDeleteBeing mostly part of the band, I loved the bar venue of Chief Ike's for the songs and gypsy-jam feel of the show. Being part of Scene 11, however, the atmosphere was decidely different from my perspective. Not bad...but not as natural. Dare I say "alienating?"
The best I can describe it is to say it felt cross-environmental. While in the band, I think we clearly had a home on the stage. But when I was in the scene -- and watching other scenes -- I got the impression of being inserted into a space not made for the action. Like pressing painter's putty into cracks -- it works its way in, but only because it's malleable enough shift and change shape.
I'm intruiged to discover what it will feel like when the tables are turned at CHAW.
From Wyck:
ReplyDeleteDitto what Betsy and Jen said.
Performing at chief Ikes was freeing in a lot of ways. I always like connecting with the audience like that and the environment makes it really easy to do...and will be easier when my nose isn't in the script. There was a liquidity to the audience, the performing space and the show itself that was really alive and exciting. (I know this addresses the other question) That's what I would like to capture at CHAW. I'm not sure i know the answer to How do we attempt that at Chaw? but that's point I think.
The most difficult aspect of this Brechtian venture for my part, has been learning to conjure and cultivate the whole A-effect. I want very much to keep discovering how to do it, and I see many of the procedures Brecht outlined to be old. Let’s face it, most of the stuff we’ve been assigned to read, he wrote probably some 60 years ago. While the techniques are still applicable to our work, I think utilizing them now requires an awareness of our contemporary viewpoint. They revolutionized theater in their time, right? But in a way, I see it necessary to apply them with the awareness of how they’ve been used for the decades gone by since they were introduced.
ReplyDeleteSomewhat but not entirely separate from this, I want to address the “HOW ARE WE CONTINUALLY SHOWING THAT THE ALTERNATIVES TO OUR CHOICES ON STAGE EXIST ALONGSIDE THE ACTIONS WE TAKE?” issue. The “This is a hoax/This is real” sign is at present, the only instant that demonstrates this to me in a clear way. I don’t know if it is to always require poster board, but I still don’t clearly understand this one when it applies to acting. I think there is something subtle that we might continue to search for. I will look for it, for opportunities to be aware of and in it on stage this weekend.
From Dave Bobb
ReplyDeleteI think Being in a theater space that wasn't a theater space allowed the audience to really take part & listen to the experience a whole lot more than usual.
the environment allowed me to free up some and be more connected to the audience but even more so it kept me present to the creation of theater that we were doing since the confines of the proscenium etc weren't there to give the audience the givens.
I do feel though that our scripts got in the way and distracted the audience some.
Performing this has been incredibly exciting!
Of course I am trying to “roll up” to the macro level some of my thoughts. Done with more or less success…..
ReplyDeleteTremendous sense of play – there was an overall aura of enjoyment in performing
Tied with this was a heightened awareness of the band and ensemble as performers; of being in the proverbial spotlight and working to shine; but I realize it is not even that; n some ways “perform” is the wrong word. It is the difference between performing as if you are on display in a glass case as a museum exhibit in a museum and telling a story to your friends in extremely animated fashion in someone’s living room one night. I don’t believe this was solely because of the location, though I do believe that the location allowed the ensemble in particular to drop the pretense of “performing” and assume the pretense of “engaging”.
Perform – to present or enact an artistic work for an audience (do, present, execute) Engage – to involve somebody in an activity, or become involved or take part in an activity (connect, hold)
I think this is also the shaping of a future flag for the production aesthetic of Courage. And it may prove difficult to recreate because…
Tremendous sense of casualness/chill – we just did it. Particularly Saturday night once we had been in the space more than once. I do believe the crowd that night helped, but they could have been lost. And everyone could have had moved as if their inner-selves had their shoulders up to their ears, arms stiffly locked at their sides.
Ebb and flow of the ensemble like ocean waves out into and among the audience and back again. Choral vocals surrounded you in the audience as the music came from everywhere… “deal reprise” for instance was magical because it started with the choral vocals in the audience, then moved up front, but the sound of the “Ahs” washed back over us. It was cleansing.
Related to this was the ability to split audience focus and experience so that there were multiple (for us often only two) “things” happening at the same time. Depending on where an audience member was, she could see/hear one event but only hear another, see/hear both, or see/hear one and only know the other was taking place. There is a flag here, though likely a flag for me to meditate on more: dividing the audience’s experience of moments individualizes or unique-izes their experience in a manner that is alienating and collective. (try to figure that one out at home!)
The separation of the band in space is the choice I am interested in pursuing further in order to maximize the A-effect of the songs.
Mine the environment for stimulus and response.