Photos taken in the rehearsal room 30/7/2010, rehearsal time 12.30-5.30pm, Graduate Centre, University of Melbourne

Letter to various respected theatre-makers sent Friday July 30th 2010 at 11:30pm

(or: "Why use a blog to make theatre?" or alternatively, "Meta-theatre blogging")

Hello Friend and Respected Theatre-maker,

As some may know, I am directing a play called 'Smudged'. The play is by Megan Twycross (her first full length play!) and is being performed in Brisbane as part of the Brisbane Festival's Under the Radar Program in September, with Melbourne previews at La Mama in late August (and full season coming in February 2011).

As part of the process of building this play, which is about putting our private lives on display through Social Networking and Clowning, a blog has 'emerged' at http://smudgedbrisbane.blogspot.com/.

The blog began as a criteria for the application process for the Brisbane Festival. (To my surprise?), I have kept using it during the rehearsal process, posting various thoughts about issues that have arisen as we play. These discussions would normally be held privately, (with the role of defining the relationship between performer and audience let to publicity images such as flyers or other invasive marketing). However, in order to follow Megan's lead, I have been pushing new ways to develop the logic behind this new work, and to more accurately interregate its conceit.

This has been met with some resistance amongst the collaborators, and there has been heated debate about whether or not running a blog that discusses (and by nature exposes) a theatre-making process is a valid thing to do. The rehearsal room is a sacred space and the bond between performers is private and, in some ways, this methodology is in violation of the trust assumed by an ensemble. I admit the reason is unclear to myself. However, if I had to justify it, I would say it was "what the play was about". But I also admit it is a risk and that, in a way, I have no idea what territory we are moving into.

And so...

As a trusted collegue, and because I have benefited from your ideas in the past, I am writing to ask your assistance by participating in the blog through comments - to share your thoughts, feelings and impressions, and to offer criticism on the ideas aired therein. Some of them I think are worthy of attention on a broader scale than just this particular show. But you would be helping us develop this show via a new means that I have not really tried before.

I am hoping that I will also at some stage be able to coax the other collaborators into posting, because at the moment it feels like some sounding off on my part, and I hope you will forgive the neccessary indulgence.

Obviously it cannot be a success without the participation of great responses from a myriad of perspectives, but especially theatre-makers, which is why I have written to you.

I hope you can help me with this experiment!

Kind regards,

Richard Pettifer

:) / :(

Single photo taken in rehearsal room 24/7/2010, rehearsal time approx 10.00-5.00pm, Richmond Library

"Is it okay to take photos in the rehearsal room?"

Photos taken in the rehearsal room 22/7/2010, rehearsal time 12.30-5.30pm, Richmond Library

Smudged and Athenian Democracy

I have spoken before in the rehearsal room about my inkling that Smudged has something to do with words like 'forum' and 'democratic'.

The results of my just finished Wikipedia journey are the following points and links for further reading:

- Smudged is Three-Dimensional.
- Smudged is a discussion.
- Smudged champions freedom.
- The power of Smudged is derived from 'humanity'.
- The success of Smudged will be measured by its significance to people.

(I'm sure there are more).

These points are derived from the links between the play and innovations/perspectives which flourished during Athenian Democracy - not that I am an expert but apparently this is the most prolific period of Ancient Greece in terms of its development of Western Thought (including theatre but also mathmatics, philosophy, politics etc.), and it is possible that our process finds its foundational logic here, and which is finding its way into my ideas on visual design (kaleidoscopic), staging (in-the-round), particiapation (live Twitter, this blog), themes (Social Networking, Metatheatre), sound (authentic foley vs. superficial teen girl rock), and performance style (Brecht?).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athenian_democracy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristophanes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Birds_%28play%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatre_of_Dionysus

This is also worth reading:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metatheatre

Special thanks to the democratic medium of Wikipedia for providing the source material for this post.

Banksy on Warhol

Warhol - "In the Future, everyone will be famous for 15 minutes" (1968)



Banksy - "In the Future, everyone will be anonymous for 15 minutes" (photo of sculpture, 2007)

Active Analysis Continued

Based on Bella Merlin's 'The Complete Stanislavsky Toolkit'

READ THE SCENE
Simply read the scene aloud with your scene partner(s). The first time you do this, take a neutral stance and allow your first instincts to read it as you wish. There is no right or wrong interpretation – in fact, don’t try to interpret it at all – just read it and listen to what comes out naturally.

DISCUSS THE SCENE
What might be happening in the scene? What might the scene be about? What clues are in the text that might give way to subtext and action?

IMPROVISE THE SCENE (without further reference to the text)
Physically work the scene through improvisation. This step will be repeated several times, incorporating different aspects. Be sure to do only one improvisation for each cycle, so that you can continually incorporate the text and discussion steps, making each improvisation richer and more dynamic.

DISCUSS THE IMPROVISATION
What was learned during the improvisation? How did being active in discovery change or enforce an idea about the character and situation? What worked? What didn’t?

COMPARE WITH THE TEXT
How does whatever happened in the improvisation compare to the actual words and incidents of the text?

Show map

Active Analysis

A simple summary of Active Analysis below.

Routine of Active Analysis:

1) Read the play
2) Discuss the reading
3) Improvise based on discussion/reading
4) Discuss the improvisation - what happened and why?

Objectives of Active Analysis:

1) What am I doing? (action)
2) Why am I doing that? (motivation)
3) Character (Big Picture): How do 1) and 2) fit with what I am doing and why for the rest of the play?

...We currently have one further objective: 4) What is written, and how does that fit with 1), 2) and 3)?

Active Analysis works best if we limit ourselves (as much as possible) to within this extremely simple framework.

We'll discuss this further in rehearsals.

Regards,

Ricardo

"Should you tweet from your seats during a live performance?"

In Today's Age:

http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/theatre/should-you-tweet-from-the-seats-during-a-live-performance-20100718-10fx8.html

Not a thorough investigation by any means? But he does touch on Opera Australia encouraging people to tweet during interval and after a performance of "The Girl of the Golden West" last week.

http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/opera/opera-australia-lets-tweeters-rip-but-not-till-the-fat-ladys-sung-20100716-10e7e.html

At the end of the article it says to search for #tweetseats on twitter for the discussion on in-theatre Twitter.

http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/35/gaulier.html

This is an article on leadership (corporate and political) and the Gaulier clowning workshops that aspiring leaders are attending.... It's not amazing journalism; it is an insight in to the world of pleasure that you'll want to have.

Twitter Comments

Some Twitter comments:

P.Diddy - “For all those just tuning in. I’m 6 and half hrs in on a 36 hour tantric sex session. Welcome.”

Chrisbrown: “There is one type of love…unconditional.”

Lindsaylohan: “I'm pretty sure that @samantharonson just threw a fit @33years old and my friend tal @draishollywood illegally open NOW at this hour… Asked me, after being here jus for Timbalands birthday-to leave even though she stayed over just 2nights ago-tired of @samantharonson… Playing the innocent card, while chatting to tmz just like my ex-father, when all I've ever done is fall for a girl.”

We are fools for Christ's sake

"A search of an online bible for "clown" reveals nothing, but "fool" bears some fruit.

There is one about halfway down regarding dog vomit that you will appreciate, Tobias.


014:008 The wisdom of the prudent is to think about his way,
but the folly of fools is deceit.

026:004 Don't answer a fool according to his folly, lest you also
be like him.
026:005 Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in
his own eyes.

026:011 As a dog that returns to his vomit, so is a fool who
repeats his folly.

007:025 I turned around, and my heart sought to know and to search out,
and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know
that wickedness is stupidity, and that foolishness is madness.

009:017 The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the cry
of him who rules among fools.

010:012 The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious; but a fool
is swallowed by his own lips.

013:003 Woe to the foolish prophets,
who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!

001:027 but God chose the foolish things of the world that he might put
to shame those who are wise. God chose the weak things of the world,
that he might put to shame the things that are strong;
001:028 and God chose the lowly things of the world, and the things
that are despised, and the things that are not, that he might
bring to nothing the things that are.

003:018 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone thinks that he is
wise among you in this world, let him become a fool,
that he may become wise.
003:019 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.

"We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised"


"Fool for Christ" is apparently an expression meaning to give up everything for religion. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foolishness_for_Christ

Entrance of the Gladiators by Fučík

Image: "Pierrot et Colombine" a French poster illustration from Charles Léandre

"Entrance of the Gladiators" or "Entry of the Gladiators" (Czech: Vjezd gladiátorů, German: Einzug der Gladiatoren) is a military march composed in 1897 by the Czech composer Julius Fučík. He originally titled it "Grande Marche Chromatique," reflecting the use of chromatic scales throughout the piece, but changed the title based on his personal interest in the Roman Empire.

In 1910 Canadian composer Louis-Phillipe Laurendeau arranged "Entrance of the Gladiators" for a small band under the title "Thunder and Blazes," and sold this version throughout North America. It was during this period that the song gained lasting popularity as a screamer march[1] for circuses, often used to introduce clowns. Today it is known mainly by this association, even though the title and composer are relatively obscure. Laurendeau's version was also transcribed for fairground organs. The march receives the occasional concert hall performance, such as at the 2007 Last Night of The Proms.[2]

Generally, the march is divided into three parts. The one people associate the piece with the most would be the first third [citation needed]. This part contains the melody that the trumpet keeps and the several supporting parts. The second third is the section where the low-brass (mainly the tubas) take over with the chromatic scale like role. Finally there is a trio, or a slow melodic section, were there is a strong balance between woodwinds and low-brass. The trio has a part similar to the second third with a chromatic scale like sound. The piece is written in 2-2 time and is originally written to be played at standard march tempo; however, when played as a screamer it is usually played much faster.

My interest is in the way Fučík has linked clowning with Roman Gladiators, if only in the title (but perhaps in composition?? Could it be a parody of Colosseum music? Any comment A.?). Of course the tune is a ridiculous stereotype. But it does have a curious history, it seems, and I think there might be more than meets the eye here???

I have been thinking about the word 'Forum' lately (i.e Roman, democratic, dialogue, 3-dimensional, arena stage) and what it means for our show. I'll do a post on this later I think.

Marching band version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OkkU-UJc5o

Hillbilly version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnxERnliJpA

Forced entertainment "Quizoola"

This photo is of the Forced Entertainment show 'Quizoola' (1998). The photo is taken by an amazing photographer/collaborator Hugo Glendenning and there is more of his work here: http://www.hugoglendinning.com/ including more F.E.

Barthes on Photography

Barthes discusses his anxiety with having his photo taken.

"Now, once I feel myself observed by the lens, everything changes, I constitute myself in the process of 'posing', I instantaneously make another body for myself, I transform myself in advance into an image"

"The 'Private life' is nothing but that zone of space, of time, where I am an image, an object. It is my political right to be a subject which I must protect"

Roland Barthes, Camera Lucida (1980)

It strikes me that there might be some performance similarities.