PARK BENCH: El Mirage

IN September, a team of 4 simpletons (Monique, Bob, Andrew and I) went to El Mirage, Arizona to create a PARK BENCH event, asking questions of the community about growth, local history ~ recent and past, wish lists for their community for the future, and ways to arrive at those desired destinations. An interesting part of all of our interviews was the idea of community - what makes work, or fall apart... what are the common threads that tie a neighborhood or a group together, and how can that be used for the betterment of the city... One common thread that now exists: If a simpleton interviewed you about El Mirage, you got a rubby ducky. So there are a whole new flock of rubber ducks 'floating' about in Arizona.

We spoke to folks at the Bulk Trash Clean Up event, At Pueblo El Mirage Resort, At the new Walmart on Thunderbird, and at Dysart High School. We came away with over 100 interviews with more than 140 people, encompassing countless opinions, suggestions, kudos and criticisms.
There are FOUR PODCASTS - we really had to let the people of the city speak for themselves...
(they're pretty great - Andrew did a great job of editing them together! Whew!)

The podcasts create an interesting sketch of El Mirage - incomplete, of course, but still a complex interweaving of people old and new, established and fresh, young, old, thoughtful and thoughtless. Kind of like what you might expect of a diverse, rapidly growing community. We can't say we 'know' the community, but we at least now know them a little better than before, and harbor great hopes for their future.

And let us know YOUR thoughts and opinions - the good, the bad, the _____(enter adjective here) ~
Here's a good start -
How does one (or many) translate the ideas of 'what makes a good community' into something tangible that actually creates that? What might be successes, lessons, and 'what if's?? How does the public/private enterprise and responsibility come into play? What do YOU think?

Thanks again to The City of El Mirage (cityofelmirage.org), Maria and Raquel and the Planning Center (azplanningcenter.com) for letting us come in and speak with folks. We can't thank you enough for bringing this city into our lives.

Park Bench's North American premiere PODCAST is here!

Yes, folks. The first of seven King County based podcasts is now available (just over there to the right, if you're interested). We've been busily rolling into different King County locations over the past five weeks and having the most fabulous conversations with folks, young and old.

(to the right we see Llysa conducting one of many interviews in North Bend, WA with the gorgeous Mount Si in the background. photo by Monique Kleinhans )

WHAT'S THIS ALL ABOUT? (if you don't know already)
As part of the 2007 Site-Specific King County Performance Network (funded by 4 Culture), Park Bench will visit 7 communities in August and September. We start with interviews from a visit to the King County Public Library in North Bend, WA, and in the coming weeks look for podcasts from visits to the cities of Auburn, Bellevue, Kent, Duvall, Redmond, and Seattle’s Columbia City neighborhood.
Powered by Gcast, Park Bench is made possible by the generous support of 4 Culture and the local sponsors who brought us in to each community.
PARK BENCH premiered at the 2007 Adelaide Fringe Festival and Episodes 1 & 2 (with 3 & 4 to come) are taken from those Australian interviews.

for past episodes visit http://www.gcast.com/user/theater_simple/podcast/main

What is Park Bench?
Park Bench is theater simple's mobile interview outpost where we invite people to have a seat and have a chat.
Park Bench is a change of perspective that looks a little like a rolling hill that arrives into an urban environment (a mall, a parking space, or as part of a public event) and asks passersby to consider and share their thoughts while sitting and observing their present situation.
Park Bench hopes to capture, through a series of friendly interviews a small snapshot of a neighborhood, a destination, or a community landmark, perhaps revealing a philosophy about where we are and how we got there. These interviews are recorded and edited into an internet podcast.

Hope you enjoy.

Andrew

2nd Park Bench Pod Cast!

Check out our 2nd episode of Park Bench!

...tick...tick...tick...

Well, while Andrew and I swivet about trying to cram all we need into many suitcases, (and speculating what losing an hour in the wee hours of Sunday morning will do to our crack-of-dawn flight from Canada back to Seattle to then get to LA), Monique is in Adelaide, whirling like a proverbial dervish getting things looking awesome ready for opening day of the Fringe. (Actually, being in Australia, she is whirling like a Disney cartoon from Tasmania...)

She, with the able help of Graham Norman, and a trailer from Graham's mum has been constructing PARK BENCH, our mobile point-of-view (yes there is a 4ft x 6ft trailer underneath that lush grass) that will be roaming the streets of Adelaide, and gathering interviews with willing passersby. It currently looks like a rolling hill. I kind think it's cool. Isn't that juicy looking astro turf? We'll post the finished product, and certainly one with it in motion/on the scene.
Imagine also a flower box, and a tree of some sort all sitting upon this little 'oasis' , parked across from the big towers in the Central Business District. You can step up from one artificial environment to another, and talk about how you got there, and what you want to do. Maybe a little about what you wanted to be or do as a kid. It'll be interesting, and it will be podcast. More on that later - DEFINITELY check the website.
See you around the world! (Whirled!)
And NOT ONLY does the Fringe start in Adelaide (a mere week after the fringe ended in Wellington, NZ - where we will go in April!) it is also WOMADelaide weekend! Non-stop things to do, see, buy, experience or ... I think I'll take a transPacific flight, myself... and a long nap. I am thinking there will be NO time for naps after we land, sprinting...
Llysa