Park Bench!!

We had the chance to take our Park Bench Venue out on Friday. It’s a great new fun idea that we’ve added to our Trailer Tales piece (or as we call it here in Ozzie “Caravan Chronicles”). Basically we it is a mobile venue where the audience is the star. Our hope is to park our ‘rolling hill’ in urban settings and then invite those passing by to come have a seat with us on the bench and then share a story about their family. Llysa bought a very cool little recorder that we can use (it’s the size of an ipod, but even lighter!) Once we get a few fun stories, we will edit them into a podcast and post it here....Keep checking back here to listen to our first one!

Our first outing was a bit crazy as communication didn’t get through to all the people involved and there was some concern when we arrived down by the Council building that we were actually protesters instead of performing! Thankfully the policeman who arrived, within minutes understood exactly what happened and liked the idea of our piece so much that he is planning on coming to our family performances on Sunday!

And by the way, I tried to post a video above but it isn't working just yet...When it DOES work the cool music that you'll be hearing on the clip is composed by Chandra Cogburn! She’s a GREAT musician and composer working down in the LA area.
Thanks Chandra for letting us use your grooves!

Here: Try this link until I can get this placed on the blog itself! :)

http://picasaweb.google.com/moniquelk/ParkBenchVideo

All Simpletons Present and Accounted For…

Weds, March 14, Adelaide, AU

Andrew here.

theater simple is no longer a two continent operation. We are a team once more.
We have all finally made it to Adelaide; Monique, nine days ago; and Llysa and I just yesterday afternoon. From Seattle to Canada, Canada back to Seattle, Seattle to LA, and then LA to Australia, we arrived all punchy and ready to achieve. Which we did. The Day Two Energy Drop has happened, though. No way around it. Two and a half days of nearly continual travel culminating in 28 hours of pure transit takes it’s toll.

About those two and a half days: with Monique magnificently flying solo in Adelaide, Llysa and I finished packing and repacking all of our Oz luggage, only to leave it on the couch, take an overnight bag and our 52 Pick Up show bag and catch the puddle-jumper to Kelowna, in the interior of British Columbia. We knew that this would truly be the beginning of our overall journey as we would have only 4 more hours at home before jumping “the big puddle”. We were picked up at the airport and taken straight to a truly staggering B & B in Vernon, overlooking one of the many lakes, and run by the fabulous Alan and Gary (http://www.theeaglesnestbandb.com). Only one "problem" with the place: it was 30 minutes away from our performance venue with no transportation. So we were forced to spend the evening looking at the staggering view, eating a lovely meal cooked by Gary…..oh, and sitting in their awesome jacuzzi. A lovely calm before…..

The next day....the longest day. Truly surreal to be ready to leave on a big trip to do a big project, and to have to slice a large part of your consciousness free to achieve something else. 52 Pick Up is a show that is in our DNA. Like The Master & Margarita, we have performed it somewhere around 100 times. All of which makes it very easy to underestimate, and at some point during our technical rehearsal, we both just had to lock in and realize that in a few hours we were to be performing before our biggest 52 Pick Up audience ever (the Vernon & District Performing Arts Center, run by Michael Cade, had sold over 400 tickets!) on a huge stage in an auditorium that seats 700. And…….? Great audience, great space, great show, and a very fun discussion with about 60 folks afterwards. And just like that we were back to Alan and Gary’s for a 2.5 hour nap before returning to the airport for the start of the above-mentioned 28 hours of pure transit.

About the only hitch in all of this came right at the start. Daylight savings time had happened overnight (robbing us of a critical hour) and while freakin’ Y2K had been weathered by the airline industry with no problem, this move of the clock was more than the Alaska computer system could handle. So all was being done by hand. Now, this 6am flight was booked because it was the only one available that would allow us to make our connection…..to Australia!!!! After waiting for over an hour in line, we got to the desk to check in at the exact time that our plane was to take off! Not fun. But as there were a dozen of us in the same boat, they held the flight and we made it on.

And more than a full day of mind-numbing air travel later, we are in one of our favorite places on the planet, being looked after by great friends (some of whom we’ve known for a decade!), being blown away by the fruits of Monique’s labor, and ready to dive in.

Ta da!

It’s Saturday morning here in Adelaide, and after a long four days of trying to get as much done on our site as possible before the Fringe officially opened, I’m enjoying a bit of a rest! And one of life's finest treats on a hot day (it's going up to 36 c today!) Iced Chocolate!!! Imagine chocolate milke with a bit of vanila gelati in it and smile!

That is one way to avoid jet lag….hit the ground running—then you don’t know if you’re tired from the trip or from all the work that you’re doing!

The site is coming along nicely though! And Park Bench is already creating quite a buzz! Last night was the first time we had public onsite and the very cool bar that borders our performance area was open as well. I was thrilled to see people reading the story plates and Haikus on the laundry line, and even more excited to read the first Australian additions.

Our first Australian Haiku was written by Ruby W.

(I’m going to guess her age is between 10-13)

In winter rain falls.
In summer not enough does.
Dry thirsty country

And our first story plate was inspired after a conversation about ParkBench and the fact that we are planning on driving it behind our friend Scott’s Moke!

The guy I was speaking to smiled and told me about a girlfriend that he once dated who had owned a Moke. “We loved driving it around with the top down, sunnies on….. She sold the car, and now we don’t go out anymore! Ha Ha!”

Many thanks to all the people who have been helping me out get this site ready! Graham and Bernadette! Corinna! Andy! Lisa! And the wonderful fringe volunteers (especially my flamingo base painter!)

I’m now looking forward to greeting Andrew and Llysa here in Oz next week!!!

The Traveling Show

G'day all! Traveling Moe here....with my first of many Down Under posts!

Working in the theater allows you many new and different experiences. But even though most people would assume these experiences have to do attending parties and 'hob-nobbing' with the stars...most have to do with every day life and tasks.

Take traveling: Since we tend to travel quite a bit with our shows, we’re always putting together very interesting items in our luggage for custom agents to poke through. When we took The Big Time over to Oz in 2004 I was carrying the bag that had most of the funny costumes in it. When the customs agent pulled out a pink puffy vest that had bubble wrap attached to it, she gave me a very strange look and asked….”What is this for?”. I explained that she was holding the costume for the character Shampoo, and then I did a brief summary of the show.

“We all play house hold items that start a rock band and become house hold hits!” I explained. “I play a sock!” To which the customs agent took a long look at me and replied; “Your parents must be very proud.”

This year I was traveling with a bag full of large plastic pink flamingos, a number of packages of bunny and spooky cat PEEPS and bar-b-q skewers. (too mention just a few things)

As I went through Customs I began explaining again that I was part of a theater company, and gave a brief explanation of our show.

“It’s a theater piece staged as a family reunion. The audience rolls the dice when they arrive to see how they are related to the family, and then they are taken around to different performances within the site. One of the things that we get them to do is Bar-b-q a PEEP.”

“What is a PEEP?” the customs agent asked me. I pulled out a couple boxes from the bag and showed him as I explained; “they’re marshmallow candy covered in a colored sugar coating! We’ve brought both bunnies and cats with us, but they come in all sorts of shapes.” I then told him to come to Adelaide to see our show and we’d make sure he got a well roasted one!

After looking through the rest of the top part of the bag, he asked what was in the bottom. “Large plastic pink flamingos,” I replied smiling. “Do you want to see?” He gave me another long look, looked at the PEEPS in my hand and started shaking his head. “That’s quite a good bag,” he said. And then he told me to have a great time performing at the festival.

I can only imagine if they keep notes on these sort of things…what kind of comments would be on my traveler file!

Nice to know that we’re entertaining even when we’re not on stage!

here we go...

We have news from Monique Down Under that people are already engaging with CARAVAN CHRONICLES and leaving story plates! YAY!
And that a four year old girl made friends with every single flamingo we had on-site, before taking the tire border for a horsie-ride! (4 half tires attached that we are using to divide the space- very decorated-white-trash action. And obviously a great alternate mode of transport of the imagination.)

Andrew and I (Llysa) begin the trip in less than 2 hours! Packing madly - hoping that whatever I foget(and I will forget something) won't be dire...
biggest stumbling points right now: getting some grants' support materials together... MAKES MY BRAIN WANT TO EXPLODE. And I just don't have time for that. And I'll needmy brain to keep up with the audiences. So there.

...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

countdown to Lift Off

...or might that be lift OOF....

Llysa here. Monique is already in Australia, making Andrew and I crazy jealous that we are not.
We (A & I) instead are lingering in Seattle (admittedly enjoying BEAUTIFUL weather today) before we begin our travels on Friday.

Our schedule: drive ourselves to the airport Friday around noon - take small tiny plane to Kelowna, Canada. We have a performance of 52 PICK UP on Saturday at the Vernon & District Performing Arts Centre, so we will fly in Friday, settle, then tech, perform and strike the next day.
THEN - taking into consideration the Daylight Savings Time is starting months early (!), we need to be at the airport at dark-thirty, as our flight is at half-past dawn! (6am!) So - if all goes well - and it HAS to - we'll fly home Sunday, drive ourselves back to the house, do a little laundry, repack a bag or two, maybe NAP (since we won't have had time for a snooze!) before we go BACK to the airport for our flight taking us to Australia via LAX. A theater simple first: three different international flights (not in transit) in a little over 48 hours. I wonder what our security numbers will jump to? [WHY, you may be asking, are we scheduled like this? Michael Cade in BC booked us first, waaay before the Fringe made the leap to annual. So - hither we'll go, before heading off yonder, leapfrogging borders for HONOR. And a good story.]

In Australia, we will be admiring all the handiwork of Monique and her minions, Graham and Andy in anticipation of CARAVAN CHRONICLES - our Trailer Tales show translated to Adelaide. Which I am totally excited about. Whee!
There will be many more comments soon about the Fringe, and our wee public project (not so small, actually - we perform LOTS) so keep checking back, and see who is writing what.
And write back - this is sort of a form of postcard, after all...
The pic, by the way, is Andy and Sandy. (Andy is the one with the Coopers beer in hand)

Inspiration from Bolivia

Andrew here.

Been attending the Under The Radar Festival here in NY for the past couple of days. Sort of a food-for-the-soul way to gear up for the (potentiallly) impersonal madness of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters conference, the largest arts market in the world, where we will have a booth. Under The Radar is held primarily at the Public Theater down in the East Village and is a pretty amazing collection of like-minded artists and producers from around the country and a few from around the world.

Llysa had the foresight to get us signed up for the amazing symposium/day we had on Thursday. Four performances, a symposium, breakfast, lunch and a boozy champagne reception thrown by the British Council...all under one roof.

Truly the thing that is sticking to my brain most is this remarkable (and I am remarking on it) troupe from Bolivia, Theatro de los Andes, and their haunting earthquake docudrama, En Un Sol Amarillo. Using the simplest of theatrical conventions (no wonder we loved them) they created the most memorable imagery I have experienced in the theater in a long time. I'm still putting together in my head how to describe it without doing it an injustice. Here goes.

Lights up on a stage filled with floating furniture and a man in a poncho sitting on a chair. Yes, suspended by thick ropes on pulleys are a table, a window shutter and a picture frame. They sway as the man introduces the play. Suddenly, a rope and pulley that are attached to the chair he sits on is yanked violently and the chair flies out from under him and into the air. The rope is also (miraculously!) attached to his poncho and break-away pants, that also fly into the air, leaving the man shivering in his underwear while the world violently sways around him.

That's the first two minutes!!!! And it just goes on from there. Crazy and so very good.

Suffice it to say, it is a work that has remained in the forefront of my brain for several days now.

Oh. And it's completely in Spanish with subtitles.

Photo Slide Show for our 365 Days/ 365 Plays

365 Days 365 Plays

A whole new year! (plus/minus a few weeks) - Looking forward, peering back

Hey!
"Get out your calendar, Marge. theater simple is on the road!"
~ for much of 2007…
Maybe we’ll find ourselves in your neck of the woods, bend in the river or side of the road...

Roughly: (more info forthcoming)
FEBRUARY:
52 PICK UP
Mt. Baker Theatre in Bellingham Washington
http://www.mountbakertheatre.com/calendar.php#February
February 2, 9 and 16, 2007 at 8pm.

MARCH:
52 PICK UP
Vernon and District Performing Arts Center, Vernon, British Columbia, Canada
http://www.ticketseller.ca/
March 10, 2007

March 11 – we fly to Australia to meet up with Monique, for
CARAVAN CHRONICLES
our Australian variation and expansion of TRAILER TALES: Weekend Safari (keep checking back – lots of cool info about performances and classes upcoming)
At the
Adelaide Fringe Festival, Adelaide, South Australia
www.Adelaidefringe.com.au
March 18 – March 31, 2007

Glenelg Jetty, Glenelg, Australia
March 24-25, 2007

APRIL
CARAVAN CHRONICLES
Marion Cultural Centre, Marion, Australia
April 1, 2007

MAY
52 PICK UP
Orlando Fringe Festival, Orlando, Florida
May 18-29, 2007

JUNE
52 PICK UP
ArtsStation Theatre, Stone Mountain, Georgia
www.artstation.org
June 6-10, 2007

JULY AND AUGUST
Myth Understandings at various King County Libraries, from Federal Way up to Shoreline

Whew! And we’re still working on the rest of the year into 2008! Yippee!


Catching up on the simpletons adventures of the last few months...
Since the last major update, around June 2005, theater simple has done a thing or two… (OK – maybe one or two dozen, actually)
LET’S SEE… since June 2005…

~ theater simple made their SEATTLE SYMPHONY debut with My Musically Colored Days, adapted from Dr Seuss, conducted by Christian Knapp

~ King County Performance Network TRAILER TALES: WEEKEND SAFARI
4 communities in 5 weeks - Kent, Redmond, Burien and Duvall

~ Tennessee Williams’ CAMINO REAL had a four week run at Freehold Theatre

~ Returned to Australia for the seventh fringe in a row… AND
Taught for URBAN MYTH THEATRE OF YOUTH as the beginning of a three-year collaboration with youth in Seattle, Adelaide, and a few other places around the world.
Taught a masterclass with professional peers at the Festival Centre
Performed 52 PICK UP as a fundraiser for URBAN MYTH THEATRE OF YOUTH
Juggled performances of THREE PLAYS for the Adelaide Fringe

52 PICK UP (in 8 different theaters)
THE FEVER (in living rooms and theaters)
And created and premiered a new theater simple youth and family show –
MYTH UNDERSTANDINGS – which played schools and theaters

~ Taught and performed for the Adelaide Fringe’s Youth And Education program, our 7th time as part of that program.

~ theater simple and TRAILER TALES is asked by the Washington State Arts Alliance to be the Artists in Residence at the Washington State Cultural Congress at Sleeping Lady Resort, Leavenworth, Washington ~ a three-day marathon of stories, art, and fanTAStic haiku

~ 52 PICK UP had many performances, in Seattle, in the San Juans, in Adelaide, and in Charleston, SC, where theater simple made sixth appearance at the Spoleto Festival, part of the Piccolo Fringe, produced by the HAVE NOTS.

~ THE BIG TIME! had gigs all over the Seattle area

~ Myth Understandings makes it US PREMIERE at BUMBERSHOOT with performances on the Theatre Puget Sound Stage.

~ theater simple was part of an extraordinary year/marathon of plays – 365 Days/ 365 Plays by Suzanne Lori-Parks in December, presenting world premieres on the streets of Ballard..
365Seattle.com

No wonder I have less heair, and what is left is grey...
By the way - there are a few more things in the hopper, and yes - we are planning into 2008 already. Oooooohhhhhh yesss.

Llys

365 Days

It's the last day of the 2006, and I'm finally getting to put some of my thoughts down from the whirl-wind week of shows from December 11th- December 17th.

Even before we read our plays for Week 5 of 365 Days/ 365 Plays, Andrew, Llysa and I thought it would be wonderful to present the shows in public places, speaking to the idea that 'Art is all around you'. After we had the opportunity to read through our seven plays we all agreed that our instincts were right, and that our stage would literally be on the streets, sidewalks, cafe's, library, etc...in Ballard.

While performing in public spaces you can always count on the unexpected to happen; we certainly did NOT expect to have so many special effects by Mother Nature! We had the usual rain and the cold of a Seattle December; however, that was joined by the monster wind storm on Thursday the 14th. Half of our cast couldn’t even make it to the performance location due to power outages and flooding! However, we kept firm to the motto of “show up and work with what you’ve got” and we glad that we did! (As were our audience members from Thursday night who showed up in full waders and boating gear!)

December 11th: What do you see? Was perfect for a cafe location. And thankfully right at the hub of downtown Ballard is the lovely Cupcake Royale. With the blessings of the manager there, we were able to set up camp every night of our week (as well as have access to acquire a number of cupcakes and cups of tea while we were at it!)

As the week progressed more and more audience members came with the intention of following the plays, but we even managed to convince a few unsuspecting cupcake connoisseurs to grab their coats and follow along!

I think my favorite thing about What Do You See was our integration of one the constants "Action in Inaction" which began outside on the ledge attached to the main window and then wove inside and into December 11th's play.

December 12th: Jaywalking was one of my favorite plays from the start. With it's fun banter and joyous release followed by it's dive down into despair, it was wonderful doing it out on the sidewalk where three different crosswalks convened. We announced the play's title with one of the characters using sidewalk chalk to write the date and title on the pavement in front of the audience.

After a long moment of seeing each of the characters facing their demons, the audience was called across the street by a "spot-lit" umbrella and a portable boom box. As the audience crossed the street, (not jaywalking!) facts were interjected relating to things and events that have taken place on December 13th through the years.

December 13th: Learning English we had originally thought of staging in a mirrored stairwell a few buildings down from our eventual performance site. As our first choice was not available for our use, we thankfully found a second choice and with great results! The acoustics in this building were phenomenal!

Learning English was the first of our plays that we did a lot of collaborative work on as an ensemble. We did free write exercises that delved into our personal takes on education as well as what we felt we needed to learn most in life. These exercises helped to shape our 'prologue' for this play. This coupled with our gesture work and the setting in our stairwell next to the Chamber of Commerce gave this piece the timeless and endless quality that it asked for.

Although we had hoped to have an original tune written for the song included in this day's text, we discovered with a few creative repeats, the lyrics worked beautifully sun to the tune of "Hard Times".

December 14th: Hippy led the audience through the lobby of the Ballard Health Club and up into a bright yellow alleyway where one actress announced the day's play by holding a sign up behind her while she stood with her hands on her hips. Spectators were allowed an intimate scene made public, along with the gym members passing through the action.

December 15th: 1000 South Kelly we set outside the Ballard public library. It's a beautiful building with a number of odd shaped metal chairs just outside the main entrance. By adding in a table, some candle light and some classic music, we were able to create a beautiful dinner setting. Again we used collective gesture work created by the ensemble to demonstrate the perfect table manners of this family unit.

We also did another round of free-write exercises on this play’s topic of prison. The lists that the cast came up with were inspiring and had to be incorporated into the piece.

Introducing December 15th’s play was a 'on-site' reporter who at one point instigated a call to the son on his cell phone interrupting dinner. She lured him out of his nuclear family with different technology toys and distractions until, too late, he was able to see that he was a prisoner. The family continued with their dinner gestures, but with the absence of the son, the table also disappeared. And now replacing the son in his chair, a television demanded the family's attention.

On our transition walk to our next location we led the audience via a chorus of cell phone rings and conversations over the phone while carrying lit shopping bags. Once we arrived at the bus stop on Market Street, the actors all went into their 365 tasks (Inaction in Action). This continued until a bus pulled up to the stop and with it arrived our actress who performed December 16th: This Is Probably Not A Play.


She stood up on the bench under the bus shelter and was then lit by cell phones, ipods and a flashlight. The simplicity and honesty of the text set in the darkness of the bus stop was stunning.

Immediately after the last line of December 16th play we moved right into the third Constant "Remember Who You Are". Sitting under a blanket on the same bench was “someone”; ready to watch over “someone else” as she slept. At the end of this play, ‘someone’ led the group of onlookers into a version of the song “The prayer for the one” which speaks to seeing God in all of us.

During the song lit umbrellas were passed out to cast members and then used to lead the audience forward to our final performance. The cast talked with audience members about their holiday decorations and traditions as they walked together.

December 17th: Tree was performed in the park on the corner of Market and Leary. In it are some wonderful art sculptures of trees high over head. These became our backdrop and potential holiday decorations for our ending couple.

The rest of the cast stood silently facing the street while standing on the park benches that arced around the corner of the park. And when it came time for the carolers to sing…“Angels we have heard on high” came floating over the audience.

At the end of the text, all were invited to join in. It was a lovely way to end our week of performances, in song, in the streets of Ballard with friends and strangers alike.


I hope that our cast will have the chance to post their comments and their memories from this week. They were a fantastic group of performers to work with!

Happy holly daze

Llysa here.

Well, well, well... it's 4 months since we've posted... more than a season! Solstice approaches - we are mid-Hannukah, the 3 Wise Guys would be on their march following a star, theater simple has finished roaming Ballard with a our art-is-where-you-may-stumble-across-it take on Suzan-Lori Park's 365Days/365 Plays (I already miss the cast meet-up at Cupcake Royale and it's been one day) and Andrew is off at his Other Play - a radio-play version of It's A Wonderful Life, where he gets to delight one an all with his spot-on Clarence Oddbody, Angel Second Class, and Tommy, who "thcuse's" himself when he "buwps".

Can I catch my breath? No, not really. The Christmas Crush is upon us, I'm driving to California on Saturday, present-buying has me stymied, and I have friends who still don't have power after the Big Windy Blow here in Seattle last week.
Oh well. It will all work out.

Oh! Did I mention... we're also getting the company ready to go to New York to pimp our wares... AHEM - entice producers to purchase our performance services at the Association of Performing Arts Presenters conference in January,(and go to the Under the Radar symposium at the Public Theatre) and do runouts of 52 PICK UP in February and March, before we return to Australia with a fabulously expanded Trailer Tales (which translates into Australian as CARAVAN CHRONICLES) for the Adelaide Fringe! For those of you unfamiliar with either title, it's a family reunion disguised as an intimate park show.
AND, we get to figure out a fantastic roving component we are calling Park Bench, that will whiz around the city (somehow - it will be on a small trailer) and we'll get to have conversations, and hopefully collect stories about a variety of topics. And maybe even PODCAST them. (We'll let you know how that goes.)

My to-do list includes updating the website (!), creating updated posters for APAP(!!) and figuring out the myriad of details involved in we simpletons creating a flexible show that also has rotating cast members that are somewhat improv, but also scripted and rehearsed.(!!!!!)
And then working these faboo people so they and we are all comfortable and secure in what the show is about, that we can collectively handle whatever the public might 'gift' us. Lucky for us, we'll be filling a chunk of our dance card with the stalwart denizens of Urban Myth Theatre of Youth in Adelaide. And hopefully others. I think it very important to have a range of ages in a family reunion.

But my actual original point ~ before I got sidetracked by the DETAILS ~ was that in terms of art, I find myself only getting to be immediately reactive to what has just happened, instead of having any time to think, or consider. It's all Blurt and Run. I hate feeling like that. It's like... if I just could hop off the merry-go-round for a little while - maybe only one ride - I could catch my breath, or refocus my eyes.. (Also on the To Do list: See the eye doctor.)

Actually, I am quite looking forward to driving for a long stretch. Once in the car, I can totally yak away with Bill (cousin) for 12 hours+, one way, no problem. But he also has an artistic heart that has gotten squinched and sqooshed lately, and I bet, after we clear the mental lint traps of the fuzz we have been accumulating, there will be some interesting art/poetry/movie/theater/music conversation, as well as some interesting considering silences.

[But just in case, I'm bringing a full ipod. Sheesh.]

But - I want to consider in the more than 36 hours I will be driving back and forth to and in Northern California - where is that inner space of time and distance to look close and far away at Big Ideas? And if you have somehow lost an inner perspective, how do you get it back? (And I say this in full recognition that the last time I asked a question anywhere approaching this, the universe answered with a Bang and compressed vertebra. That was a very effective and sobering way to reset. I don't necessarily recommend it, but your mileage may vary.)

I am currently thinking about: time, space and family tradition/ritual.
Question of the moment - What's your favorite present you have bought for someone this year? Why?

thoughts on the oyster, friends and time

Well, well - it is nearly a week since the rampant creativity of an oyster bbq FUNdraiser - the 17th or 18th annual of the type for we theater simpletons. Fairly straightforward idea: throw a party, fire up several barbecues, make a bunch of food and invite friends to do the same, then add a keg of great beer, a few gallons of some infamous sangria, and 40 dozen oysters. Ask pasl to bring friends, more food, and something to toss into the piggy bacnk to help fund more theatrical escapades.
Repeat as necessary.
Andrew and I are of the opinion that a good party should always repeat, and have its variations. This year they were foodie and croquet. Lots more kids, a few less dogs, but wow- GREAT weather. (We'll put in our request for next year.

The hurdles this year were numberous, not the least of which was: WHERE THE HELL ARE WE GOING TO FIND OYSTERS?? A rare heat spell had temporarily closed ALL the local oysters beds - just as we made our order. But we found 'em, and we're keeping 'em a secret, or we might not have them next year.

many thanks, by hte way, to the sponsors of this years oysters (Mel Nyffler and DINETTE, the fantastic bistro on Capitol Hill) and to the sponsors of the BEER, which was a marvelous Maritime Pacific brew, courtesy of Lowell's in Pike Market, and Mark, their groovy manager. (Talk about knowing your audience - he knows from artists and beer, ohhhhh yeah.)

Llysa
who counts herself in the 'foodie' group. And who thinks Monique is right - we do theater merely so we can create art, make friends, then eat great, artistically inspiring food with our artsy friends. Ergo - making art and creating theater is ultimately just the mechanism... for eating! lol

Open a Page (August 1st)

Today's quote:

"Art, like life, is understood through experience, not explanations. As theater artists, we cannot create an experience for an audience; rather, our job is to set up the circumstances in which an experience might occur. Artists are always dependent upon the person at the receiving end of their work."

--Anne Bogart, A Director Prepares (page 69)


This passage speaks to one of theater simple’s core beliefs: that the audience is smart, and that they love the chance to use their own imagination to follow us into the worlds that we create.

It is very seductive to try and ‘explain’ while you are creating work for the stage. (“Will anyone get this?!?”) However, my favorite memories as an audience member have been when I’ve fought through a moment (sometimes longer) of disorientation and found myself not only enjoying an experience, but stumbling upon comprehension much like we do in life itself. And the chance to explore that journey with the other members of the audience is where the true magic is.

“The audience grows together and becomes a group. There is the impression of a journey undertaken together, and a goal achieved.” ---Alfred Brendel

Open a Page (or...Thoughts on a Random Quote)

“Generally speaking, we can conclude that tradition, in the sense we use the word, means “frozen”. It is a frozen form, more or less obsolete, reproduced through automatism. There are a few exceptions, such as when the quality of the old form is so extraordinary that even today life remains in it, in the way that some very old people remain incredibly alive and touching. However, all form is deadly. There is no form, beginning with ourselves, that is not subject to the fundamental law of the universe: that of disappearance. All religion, all understanding, all tradition, all wisdom accepts birth and death…”

Peter Brook, The Open Door (page 59-60)


To get us started off blogging away. I thought it would be fun to literally "open a page". So today, I picked up a book that I had been meaning to re-read and opened it to a random page from which I pulled today's quote.

So, do you believe that there is a fundamental law in the universe that speaks to everything's eventual disappearance? And what about tradition? It is a solid foundation from which to draw from that allows us to achieve without having to re-invent the wheel? Or conversely is it a shackle that prevents us from dreaming, seeing, learning, or communicating in new ways?

Mr. Brook is referring, in the passage, to the benefits of not being ‘tied’ to traditional forms of generating or performing theater. Taken out of context, we can have a little more fun with it and make it even more personal.

In reading this passage, I'm reminded of the many ways that we try to 're-invent' ourselves every day: How people see us, what kind of person we strive to be, what kind of health or shape we're in.... but I don’t know that who we were, or what steps came before our current destination ever truly disappear. (We may wish that some would, but these are usually the things that cling tightest to us!)

It’s my opinion that we need question our past. We need to truly understand our traditions and habits. Be it from our parents, our heritage, our religion or just the daily life patterns we’ve led for year after year, we still need to strive to reach higher, or at least outside of the zone where we are used to functioning. One of my favorite things that Peter Brook ever said was that…”we need to allow each other to fail gracefully” because it’s in these failures that grand ideas will appear.

This is just one of the reasons that I love theater, the creation, fruition of and eventual release of ideas and labor to whatever end. We hope for our ideas and labors to support the best and the brightest, the creation of the “Aha!” moment for every single audience member who comes to witness what we’ve done. But truth be told, those moments are few and far between, and they usually lie within a flower bed of compost ideas that doesn’t always smell sweet. ;)

So this returns to my thought earlier. I don’t believe that things ever disappear (even traditions) Instead, I believe that they fade or breakdown into a ‘mulch’ of sorts that help support other ideas or methods that are just starting to sprout.

And we feebly begin...

OK - months after I got all energized and created this(on my birthday no less) in Adelaide, Australia during our fringe time there, I am actually, for real and truly, POSTING to it. Lamely, feebly, and soon - much better. This is for all intents and purposes, merely a TEST.

So -

TEST.

One. Two. Zebra.

Thanks.

SOON - I promise - all sorts of mischief and creatively lazy plots will be revealed.

Llysa