Mirror Mirror on the Wall!

Approaches to the Stage! This course has pushed me to reach deeper thinking into not just approaches to the stage, but approaches to every idea that a person may present. When I approach a situation I ask myself ,"why" rather than saying, "well that's the way it is." I go back to the time that ranted on about how I hated protest, which was the most I have ever talked unscripted in front of people in my life. It developed a realization that people hear what I'm saying with a clear voice. After, I finished my rant I was still asking, "why", and still searching for a balanced answer.

I enjoyed the critical and analytically thoughts that Dr. Fletcher would lure you deep in, and then drags us back to the surface in a flash. But you know you can't let those thoughts go, and you bring them further than the classroom just like how i'm still trying to figure out what performance is? I thought that I was so certain what performance was. Then, we were presented with different types of performance that challenged the specific definition in my head. At the end of the day, I believe performance doesn't have any boundaries. Other hand, I have to draw a shallow line on things that fall in the Uncanny Valley. They are cool beings, but  I wouldn't what them to take over the world.

          

Would you like to hop on the Carousel of Uncanny!

Uncanny is a double edge sword. Uncanny can come off as eerie or horrifying at first but can blend in to something that becomes part of normal life. For example, when Dr. Fletcher brought up how we have mobile devices that we carry around to make call which also tracks. So back when this type of technology was coming up it was skeptical or weird. Now we use mobile devices in almost everything we do. The other side of this Uncanny sword is that it can aid in humans not falling into simulacra. It can help us to separate and create a sense of that we are originals and not a copy of copy. To relate this to performance the Uncanny needs to be far from what reality is in the here and now to give a sense of distance from ourselves so we can real and original. I feel that for an artist sense out the Uncanny is a quality to have, because an appreciations for human uniqueness grows. Then, when involving the Uncanny in your work you can appreciate human qualities to push the envelop. There is a balance I feel that needs to be hold.

An example that popped out to me is Disney's Magic Kingdom Carousel of Progress, which I was think about through this whole discussion. As the audience sits through this show, there are people talking during the performance, which the entity that  is performing won't respond because it is programmed to do what it its programmed to do. Then also the purpose of using animatronics is the durable quality of the actor animatronic. Which concludes that Uncanny is a line that is drawn the purpose and meaning of the performance.    

What Change!

To change the problem of the oppressor vs. the oppressed, there would have to be push to reach this Forum, Image, and Invisible Theatre to people that we give power to. If we could either bring them to the performance or convince them that this is the way to really hear the people. I feel if we carry these types of theatre, we can make more impact for the people, and these form are, from what I see, contain a thought out process to effectively present an issue are problem rather than Activism. There is something that is said with visuals rather than performing an action for a purpose like Activism. I know that when I see something visually it stick with me and possibly create an emotional reaction for me. Now, to forward this theatre to the powerful, we would have to create movement with the people of that community.      

Theatre will never stop being the answer because there is an idea that is presented, and people like to voice their opinion through some form. The way that we approach the theatre these ideas are different but the question I would ask is theatre making changes that we as performers, audience, and creator of theatre are satisfied? Is theatre making an actual change that we can see and can implement in that change with true intentions of it being reality in our performances? I would answer this question with when I can see the change not only in reality, but a translated form of this change in reality in theatre this is when I will be satisfied.   

Act...Act.....Activism!!!!

I have been in a battle with myself about same-sex marriage and how this issue affects my faith based belief of  same-sex marriage. I have strong feelings about this issue is because I have friends, or have been friends with, or even meet , or engaged with an gay person or same-sex couple.  The importance of this issue for me is that according to the Bible, which by beliefs are based off of says that Homosexuals are going to hell then why I don't have a sense of wavering away from this evil. To bring this back to activism, I feel strongly about it, but I wouldn't necessarily organize a protest about this issue. I'm a person who sees protest as an extreme way of voicing your opinion or making your voice heard. My idea of protest is sitting and having a civil conversation with the issue at hand. I feel that we can learn from history specifically pertaining to Civil Rights Movement on how to handle this situation in a non-violent plan. 

The act of protesting in my mind leads to violent activity. Actions do speak louder that word but when you are fighting or voicing your opinion against something there is already a sense of anger and frustration, which in the right environment  can rub together start a spark of violence. An this goes for the people that are involved in the issues that are being protested. That frustration and anger rubs off and causes verbal attacks which escalates to that spark of violence. The act of protest angers me because I hate to see people get into risky conflicts that can put other people in possible danger because of the actions of one group of people or person. 

Then there is the idea of people like to stay away from conflict, which seems reflected for the above statements. It not that I want to avoid the issue at hand, but it the concept that there is a better way in my eyes to solve these issues.           

Tick Tock Tick Tock... Time and Pace

When I think of time in reality, I think that time is precious so don't waist it. Therefore, I want to do things quick but at a pace where I can enjoy what I'm experiencing and absorb what I'm doing. The way that the reality effect reinforces twitter drama is that twitter is a medium that is for instant real-time communication. Once the twitter drama is out there it's out there and therefore you and  not mediate it's content. Also the text can get different reactions and be what it wants to be without any added influence. There are also constraints on the creation of these twitter dramas with the 140 characters. I feel that the constraints give a reality effect as well , because speed up your creativity if you plan to make this hobby. If you plan to do it a couple of times give you the mindset of making a choice which is a good habit when you are dealt with all the choices to post about.

On the other hand with durationals, these type of plays use up more of your time but you have the choice of choosing whether to stay for a long time or a short time. The plays that were presented in put into play the reality of simple situations involving confessional and question and answer scenarios. The way that durationals reinforce the reality effect is how you can relate to the reality of the content that the durationals that we read about present. These plays expand the range of what you can fit in a six hours and give the opportunity to explore those details either in an audience member's perspective and an actor's perspective. Therefore, you are given more time to absorb more things that you may have may felt that were overwhelming or things from your memory that were there, but you just missed. This set plays make you more of an observer that a looker, which is an opportunity to take in more.

So the next step, would be for me is teleportation. Now let the performance come to us in a space similar to twitter drama but through teleportation, but that is technology a little ways down. . Another thought is holograms. If holograms could look like real people then yeah.  

                 

Let's move into a different SPACE!

The theatrical production that I would incorporate the 6 axioms of environmental theatre is Killer Joe by Tracy Letts. This play takes place in a trailer park. To involve the elements of environmental theatre I would found and trailer park and transform it into the environment of Killer Joe. I would have different trailers for different parts of the play and people would sit in the space and absorb the space as long as they needed and move to the next part of the story. 

The results that I would want the audience to have is to experience and absorb a space that comes alive and be a possible space that they can actually touch and feel. I know when I go to see a production that is set on a stage there is a sense of I know what is going to happen. I'm going to see a story happen live on a stage with set, lights, sound, and actors. Whereas if I set the audience in the middle of the environment of the play there is a sense of they don't know what's going to happen in this space, and then their senses are more aware. The audience takes in more and understand because when my senses are heighten in a space that Killer Joe presents. I'm going to take more away from the experience because it felt real to me than a set of rules put on me when I go see a play in a theatre where the stage is just in front of me instead of around me. This goes along with  the quote from Tadeusz Kantor that Amar states in his third question, which I agree with. 

Performance Art

My thoughts on theatre becoming diluted is that it will not become diluted if we give people something that they can relate with. I find that if you tell me a story that I can relate to, or what I'm going through in my life; I'm more likely to listen in and become interested in what you are trying to say. Another thought is that you need to entertain the audience to keep them drawn in. We can lose it if we don't encourage theatre in education settings. For example, I didn't have a deep appreciation for theatre until I was introduced to this department and learned there is more to it that actors on a stage. It would be cool if we could make and promote a movie and the staged version of that movie at the same time, and see which one would see the most tickets. It would most likely be the movie, because if I don't see in the movie theatre I can get it later and watch and and live theatre you can't. There would need to be something to draw people in and ways to get people to realize the live work that happens on a stage rather than a screen. I love movies and eventually want to be a part of the business but I appreciated theatre and what it gives.

 

Media is already a creation of imaginations and stories from memory so there is truth in Andreas Huyssen's "imagined memory." I have memories that I can relate to something that I have seen on TV/Flim which is the happy family sitting at the table sharing what has happened in their day. I really cannot think of a subject matter that has impacted me that I have not personally experienced. I can draw things out from something and relate it to my personal experience that impacted me, but just the subject matter itself. I cannot think of any.