So I recently finished a fantastic book by Eleanor Heartney called Postmodern Heretics: The Catholic Imagination in Contemporary Art. In it, she talks about some of the most controversial contemporary artists being either Catholics themselves or at least highly influenced by Catholicism. It's a fascinating read, and Heartney's style is very conversational and accessible.
One of the things I learned from the book is that Andy Warhol was a practicing Catholic. Heartney makes the argument that indeed not only was he Catholic, but his faith predominated his work if you look at it closely. He was obsessed with death, according to Heartney, as evidenced by his Death and Disaster paintings, and his "transormation of ordinatry objects with icons with multiple resonances."
Most of all, Heartney writes that Warhol's Catholic tendicies are seen in his exploration of the conflict between the Church's official teachings and Cathoicism's subliminal messages
Case in point- see the dyptich Last Supper/Be Somebody with a Body for a clear image of what she's talking about.
Heartney notes that Warhol, though he went to church several times a week, never went to confession or took communion. As a gay man, Warhol was both censured in his church, but was also provided a whole host (no pun intended) of images depicting homoerotic and male desire. The Catholic Church, she writes, while it officialy abhors homosexuality, contains in its history of art and literature a series of conflicts "that emerge in an outlaw sensibility and sensuality". Thus, in the Dyptich linked to above, Warhol sexualizes the Christ figure.
The chapter made me want to reexamine the Warhol pieces I'm familiar with, and look at some new ones. It definitely got me thinking about his art in a new way.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
The Keys Experiment
Well, I performed The Keys Experiment at the Red Eye last weekend. I think it went pretty well. It ended up being a lot simpler than I intended, but I think it did resonate with people, from the feedback that I got. For the transitions between the characters, I found that if I took a pause and moved into the next person, I didn't need anything too clever to make the audience understand it was the next scene. We ended up not using any blackouts at all.
One thing that quite a few people said to me is that they were very drawn to the scenes that weren't just monologues. Barbra called them the "treated" scenes. For instance, when I eat my hands, or in my "assembly line" scene where I show time lapsing by repeating actions that the volunteers went through, warping the movements as the voiceover got continually more abstract.
When I do the piece at the Soap Factory next month, I'm hoping to add another movement sequence- this time focusing on what happens to the body in a state of starvation. I'll have to do some exploring about what that means. I also want to add another Keys monologue, speaking with wife toward the end of the experiment, and I want to do the scene which i didn't have time to do for the Redeye between one of the CO's and his girlfriend (played by a puppet). So that is quite a bit of work in less than two months but I'm pretty excited about it. I think three new scenes is a reasonable goal. I'd also like to add video, but that would be icing on the cake at this point- and i'm not positive it would work.
One thing that quite a few people said to me is that they were very drawn to the scenes that weren't just monologues. Barbra called them the "treated" scenes. For instance, when I eat my hands, or in my "assembly line" scene where I show time lapsing by repeating actions that the volunteers went through, warping the movements as the voiceover got continually more abstract.
When I do the piece at the Soap Factory next month, I'm hoping to add another movement sequence- this time focusing on what happens to the body in a state of starvation. I'll have to do some exploring about what that means. I also want to add another Keys monologue, speaking with wife toward the end of the experiment, and I want to do the scene which i didn't have time to do for the Redeye between one of the CO's and his girlfriend (played by a puppet). So that is quite a bit of work in less than two months but I'm pretty excited about it. I think three new scenes is a reasonable goal. I'd also like to add video, but that would be icing on the cake at this point- and i'm not positive it would work.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Sonnets
Last night I went and checked out The Complete Sonnets Festival, put on by the newly formed Classical Actors Ensemble at Intermedia Arts. The performance I saw was the second half of the two-part festival showcasing all 154 of Shakespeare's Sonnets. Filled with cameos from local favorite performers such as Jennifer Baldwin Peden, Barbra Berlovitz, Bruce A. Young, Sasha Andreev, Karla Grotting, Joe Chvala and Bain Boehlke, the performance was intended to be a fundraiser for the company, although unfortunately the night I went to see the show the house was only moderately attended.
At two and a half hours, the evening ran a little long, although there were definitely some gems. Jennifer Baldwin Peden's lovely sung performance of Sonnet #43 and Sasha Andreev's sung performance of Sonnet #27, (both directed by John Miller-Stephany and composed by Andrew Cooke) were among my favorite moments of the evening. Also, Joe Chvala and Karla Grotting danced a sweet interpretation of Sonnet #60.
For the most part, though, I preferred the performances of sonnets that weren't too "acted". In a number of scenes, sonnets were strung together and turned into a script of sorts. I didn't like these scenes as much because I felt that first of all I wasn't able to really listen to the words of the poem because I was too busy following the action of the scene, and also I felt that in a number of instances the words were misinterpreted in order to fit the put-upon circumstances of the scene.
In fact, by far the most rewarding performance was that of Bain Boehlke, who went on at the very end and just sat in a chair and read his sonnet. More than any of the other versions, Boehlke made me hear the words of the poem, and allowed me to appreciate the beauty of Shakespeare's language.
At two and a half hours, the evening ran a little long, although there were definitely some gems. Jennifer Baldwin Peden's lovely sung performance of Sonnet #43 and Sasha Andreev's sung performance of Sonnet #27, (both directed by John Miller-Stephany and composed by Andrew Cooke) were among my favorite moments of the evening. Also, Joe Chvala and Karla Grotting danced a sweet interpretation of Sonnet #60.
For the most part, though, I preferred the performances of sonnets that weren't too "acted". In a number of scenes, sonnets were strung together and turned into a script of sorts. I didn't like these scenes as much because I felt that first of all I wasn't able to really listen to the words of the poem because I was too busy following the action of the scene, and also I felt that in a number of instances the words were misinterpreted in order to fit the put-upon circumstances of the scene.
In fact, by far the most rewarding performance was that of Bain Boehlke, who went on at the very end and just sat in a chair and read his sonnet. More than any of the other versions, Boehlke made me hear the words of the poem, and allowed me to appreciate the beauty of Shakespeare's language.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Trip to the University Archives
Well, I finally made it over to the University Archives to research for The Keys Experiment play. There was much new information that wasn't available to me online or in the books I've read so far. The librarians there were extremely helpful, and nice. They also seemed interested in my play, and want to come see it. Hooray.
Watching the footage from the experiment was extremely helpful, although it is so frustrating that I have limited movement right now. Some of the experiments that the CO's had to go through are such excellent fodder for intesting movement choices. Ah well, I go back into rehearsal tomorrow, so we'll see what I can incorporate.
I'm also thinking of using the video footage itself- perhaps not for the Redeye version, but at a later date. I need to find a video artist to collaborate with who will be able to help me.
Here's the link to find out more information about Redeye Theatre, where I'll be presenting 15 minutes of the solo performance on June 3-6.
Watching the footage from the experiment was extremely helpful, although it is so frustrating that I have limited movement right now. Some of the experiments that the CO's had to go through are such excellent fodder for intesting movement choices. Ah well, I go back into rehearsal tomorrow, so we'll see what I can incorporate.
I'm also thinking of using the video footage itself- perhaps not for the Redeye version, but at a later date. I need to find a video artist to collaborate with who will be able to help me.
Here's the link to find out more information about Redeye Theatre, where I'll be presenting 15 minutes of the solo performance on June 3-6.
Monday, May 10, 2010
by the way
In case you missed it, I wrote a bunch of blog posts for Minnesota Playlist last month on ways that theatre can change the world. They can be found here.
I'm excited because tomorrow I get to interview Caitlin Karolczak and preview her pieces she is showing at Rogue Buddha which opens this weekend. It's for my first article for MNArtists, and I'm pretty excited about it.
In other news, someone wrote a really nasty comment about my review of TTT's My Fair Lady. I guess it kind of goes with the territory that when you write reviews you are going to piss people off and they will say not very nice things about you. Ah well, one of these days I suppose I will have to develop a thicker skin. If I'm going to dish it out, I better learn to take it.
I'm excited because tomorrow I get to interview Caitlin Karolczak and preview her pieces she is showing at Rogue Buddha which opens this weekend. It's for my first article for MNArtists, and I'm pretty excited about it.
In other news, someone wrote a really nasty comment about my review of TTT's My Fair Lady. I guess it kind of goes with the territory that when you write reviews you are going to piss people off and they will say not very nice things about you. Ah well, one of these days I suppose I will have to develop a thicker skin. If I'm going to dish it out, I better learn to take it.
And then everything changed
Well things were going swimmingly with my Redeye piece a couple of weeks ago. I had a showing with Steve and Mirium and my fellow Works in Progress artists, and got some really great feedback about the work that I've been doing. I felt like I was finding some really cool movement with Romina and Maggie was helping me find the shape of the piece.
But a week ago, suddenly, my arm swelled to three times its normal size. I spent about a week in the hospital, had several procedures, and one major operation, and the long and the short of it is- I am currently in absolutely no physical condition to realize the piece as it had been progressing.
I'm going to have to rethink things. Currently, I can barely sit up, let alone roll around on the floor and balance on my shoulder and do various other things I was planning on doing. I'm going to have to go back to the text, go back to the ideas I want to convey, and figure out how to realize those ideas in a way that my body can handle at this time.
It's hard, emotionally. While I know that I could certainly revisit the piece at a later time when my body is healthier, I am sad to find myself with these limitations. This has happened twice in my life before. Once, when I was in college. I was going to be playing Medea and I lost my voice. I went to see a voice therapist and had to figure out a way to play the part without shouting, growling, or doing anything extreme with my voice. In a way it was a great thing to have happened, because I found all kinds of colors to the character that I might not have otherwise found. Another similar experience was when I played Puck, and I had to have knee surgery a couple weeks before opening night. For that performance, I did feel that I lost some of my original character, although I guess I did have to figure out how to act the role without the use of acrobatics.
I emailed Mirium today and told her what happened, and she was very encouraging. She said exactly what I was already thinking: that perhaps this is a good thing, because it will force me to re-examine the piece almost from scratch. Sometimes limitations can be good things.
I'm going to probably take a few days off from thinking about it. I have to get caught up with work, and I still have a lot of resting to do. Hopefully by next week I can begin again. We'll see what happens.
But a week ago, suddenly, my arm swelled to three times its normal size. I spent about a week in the hospital, had several procedures, and one major operation, and the long and the short of it is- I am currently in absolutely no physical condition to realize the piece as it had been progressing.
I'm going to have to rethink things. Currently, I can barely sit up, let alone roll around on the floor and balance on my shoulder and do various other things I was planning on doing. I'm going to have to go back to the text, go back to the ideas I want to convey, and figure out how to realize those ideas in a way that my body can handle at this time.
It's hard, emotionally. While I know that I could certainly revisit the piece at a later time when my body is healthier, I am sad to find myself with these limitations. This has happened twice in my life before. Once, when I was in college. I was going to be playing Medea and I lost my voice. I went to see a voice therapist and had to figure out a way to play the part without shouting, growling, or doing anything extreme with my voice. In a way it was a great thing to have happened, because I found all kinds of colors to the character that I might not have otherwise found. Another similar experience was when I played Puck, and I had to have knee surgery a couple weeks before opening night. For that performance, I did feel that I lost some of my original character, although I guess I did have to figure out how to act the role without the use of acrobatics.
I emailed Mirium today and told her what happened, and she was very encouraging. She said exactly what I was already thinking: that perhaps this is a good thing, because it will force me to re-examine the piece almost from scratch. Sometimes limitations can be good things.
I'm going to probably take a few days off from thinking about it. I have to get caught up with work, and I still have a lot of resting to do. Hopefully by next week I can begin again. We'll see what happens.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Brief Encounter- Kneehigh Theatre
I'm going to make a confession. A lot of times, I don't really like going to see plays. So often, the experience ends up be a trial just to sit through. I get bored. I am overly critical of the acting, the script, - everything. I can't go and just enjoy something. A lot of times I'd really rather just watch a movie- because there's a higher chance I'd enjoy myself and usually movies are cheaper.
Now, I'd heard about Brief Encounter probably a couple months ago. I'd heard there was this British company called Kneehigh and they were really physical and awesome and they had this show that was coming to the Guthrie and if I had a chance I should go see it. But the thing is I never have time to do anything and I'm broke and I really don't like slapping down $25 bucks for rush tickets for something that I might enjoy.
But then a couple of days ago I was in rehearsal for my Redeye works in progress piece, where I'm working juxtaposing realism with abstract movement. Maggie Scanlan, my director said that I really ought to go see Brief Encounter, because stylistically it was doing some of the things that I was trying to do in my piece. She told me she had already seen it a couple times and was planning on seeing it again. "Just see it," she said. "You really need to see it."
So I rallied my friend to come with me, and we went last night. While we were in line we ran in to Maren Warde and George McConnell from Bedlam and they said they heard the same thing we had- that this was a show that was not to be missed. Even as we were walking down to our seats (front row rush seats- awesome) the usher told Maren that it was his favorite show that he's seen this season.
I was completely floored by the production. I kind of hate when people use the phrase "the magic of theatre" but that's what it was. Magical. I was literally swept away from my seat and carried with the actors on their gloriously imaginative story.
What I loved about the play was how simple it was- it created these surprising moments with impeccable detail. And for the most part these moments weren't created with hugely complicated set pieces or technical feats. A crumpled piece of paper became a rolling dust ball, for example. Or suddenly all of the actors would begin shaking and we knew that the train outside had arrived. (There were a couple of technically awesome things too- like the movie screen made up of slats that actors could disappear into which was pretty rad.)
I just loved the actors- particularly in the ensemble. So physically alive, so fearless, they were all so... specific is the best word I can think of. There wasn't a moment that wasn't meticulously planned out- and I don't mean that in a bad way. I appreciated Annette McLaughlin and Beverly Rudd's comic abilities. It's so rare that women get to play roles with such comic opportunities, and both of them were hilarious. I was also really impressed with Stuart McLoughlin who played multiple characters and I didn't realize till the end that all his parts were played by the same person.
As for Hannah Yelland who played Laura- there were things I didn't like about her performance. She had a certain tension that I found unbelievable- particularly in contrast to Milo Twomey's Alec, but what i did appreciate was that she shifted effortlessly between straight acting and abstract movement. She would embody emotions physically. Swept away in a metaphor of water- she was a beautiful mover and really drew me in.
It's not like the play is about anything super profound. It's just a love story after all. It's a story about infidelity. (In director Emma Rice's program notes- she says that Noel Coward in writing about this forbidden love affair was speaking to his own experiences as a gay man, which I thought was interesting.) But it was the way that Kneehigh told the story that got me. I'm not exaggerating to say it gave me hope in theatre again. It made me want to strive to work harder- so that I can create as original, imaginative work as this company has done.
Now, I'd heard about Brief Encounter probably a couple months ago. I'd heard there was this British company called Kneehigh and they were really physical and awesome and they had this show that was coming to the Guthrie and if I had a chance I should go see it. But the thing is I never have time to do anything and I'm broke and I really don't like slapping down $25 bucks for rush tickets for something that I might enjoy.
But then a couple of days ago I was in rehearsal for my Redeye works in progress piece, where I'm working juxtaposing realism with abstract movement. Maggie Scanlan, my director said that I really ought to go see Brief Encounter, because stylistically it was doing some of the things that I was trying to do in my piece. She told me she had already seen it a couple times and was planning on seeing it again. "Just see it," she said. "You really need to see it."
So I rallied my friend to come with me, and we went last night. While we were in line we ran in to Maren Warde and George McConnell from Bedlam and they said they heard the same thing we had- that this was a show that was not to be missed. Even as we were walking down to our seats (front row rush seats- awesome) the usher told Maren that it was his favorite show that he's seen this season.
I was completely floored by the production. I kind of hate when people use the phrase "the magic of theatre" but that's what it was. Magical. I was literally swept away from my seat and carried with the actors on their gloriously imaginative story.
What I loved about the play was how simple it was- it created these surprising moments with impeccable detail. And for the most part these moments weren't created with hugely complicated set pieces or technical feats. A crumpled piece of paper became a rolling dust ball, for example. Or suddenly all of the actors would begin shaking and we knew that the train outside had arrived. (There were a couple of technically awesome things too- like the movie screen made up of slats that actors could disappear into which was pretty rad.)
I just loved the actors- particularly in the ensemble. So physically alive, so fearless, they were all so... specific is the best word I can think of. There wasn't a moment that wasn't meticulously planned out- and I don't mean that in a bad way. I appreciated Annette McLaughlin and Beverly Rudd's comic abilities. It's so rare that women get to play roles with such comic opportunities, and both of them were hilarious. I was also really impressed with Stuart McLoughlin who played multiple characters and I didn't realize till the end that all his parts were played by the same person.
As for Hannah Yelland who played Laura- there were things I didn't like about her performance. She had a certain tension that I found unbelievable- particularly in contrast to Milo Twomey's Alec, but what i did appreciate was that she shifted effortlessly between straight acting and abstract movement. She would embody emotions physically. Swept away in a metaphor of water- she was a beautiful mover and really drew me in.
It's not like the play is about anything super profound. It's just a love story after all. It's a story about infidelity. (In director Emma Rice's program notes- she says that Noel Coward in writing about this forbidden love affair was speaking to his own experiences as a gay man, which I thought was interesting.) But it was the way that Kneehigh told the story that got me. I'm not exaggerating to say it gave me hope in theatre again. It made me want to strive to work harder- so that I can create as original, imaginative work as this company has done.
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