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Prompt 7
http://devinangelique.blogspot.com/2014/10/prompt-7-space.html?showComment=1418413919927#c7483598940828464381

Prompt 8
http://gtpbloggo.blogspot.com/2014/10/prompt-8-ive-recently-had-some-hands-on.html?showComment=1418414414597

Prompt 9
http://sanchavis.blogspot.com/2014/11/post-9.html?showComment=1418415619489#c7817423730742034655

Prompt 10
http://bturn4130.blogspot.com/2014/11/post-10.html?showComment=1418417406239#c6302255156893789369

Prompt 11
http://alexandriaandarathtr4130.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-uncanny.html?showComment=1418417779429#c8224065939826210236

Final Prompt

As I reflect on our past semester of readings, in-depth discussion, and performance experiments, I can think of a few ideas and concepts that I have trouble digesting or taking an opinion on. I think that having an internal struggle about how I feel about these ideas is not a bad thing. I've really enjoyed exercising my analytical skills this semester by reflecting on our classes. This class has also enlightened me to a field of study that I am incredibly interested in but have not been aware of until now.

Something that I have struggled with and have discussed repeatedly outside of our class is the concept of "liveness", and how pre-recorded implements are used in performances. I can understand that using pre-recorded elements are necessary for many live performances, but there is a line that can be crossed when they are over-used. When I go to see a theatrical performance, I have certain expectations. A live and alive performance allows you to suspend your disbelief and become more immersed with the action on stage. When pre-recorded elements are over-used in live performance, the juxtaposition of the two takes me out of the show because I'm aware of the differences.
An example that comes to mind is the opening sequence of LSU MainStage's production of Fifth of July. A sequence of pictures and video clips preceded the action of the play, which I assume was to give us context for the time period. I found the context helpful, but the sequence to be a bit too lengthy. The sequence was displayed on a large projector screen behind the set. Perhaps if the video was displayed on a television set that was on the set, it would have established more of a connection to the action on stage. It really felt removed from what I came to the theatre for that day- a performance of Fifth of July.
Hopefully the careful balance of live and pre-recorded is respected for the future ahead. I do not want to be phased out by a projector.

Post Prompt #11 Using "the uncanny".

The first example of "the uncanny" that I could think of is the 1999 film "Bicentennial Man", starring the late Robin Williams. This film (set in 2005?!) experiments with elements of the uncanny, as Williams' character transitions from a robot with very rigid movement, then an "android"- a more upgraded model, and eventually into a "human body", which eventually leads to the end of his life. Towards the later half of the movie when the robot named Andrew transitions into his more human form, we start to feel that familiar uncanny feeling.
Bicentennial Man has the advantage of having a real human actor playing this "robot coming to life", but there is still an attempt to make the "robot-ness" of the character apparent. I think the use of the uncanny in this film is to remind us of our feelings about the mixing of human and robot elements. I'm not sure how successful this movie was in its effort to show... well, I'm not sure. "Robots have feelings too?" I remember this being a pretty strange film.

I think the uncanny can obviously lend itself to horror, but some elements could be used in comedy. There are some who can find a lifelike Japanese humanoid robot very humorous, because it is an attempt at a human-like form that does not quite make it there. Some may find the inadequacies of these robots creepy, while others may find them humorous. It depends on the context in which they are set.
I'm sure that the more technology advances, the more experimentation with "live but not alive" performance we will see. My current view is that a performance that is not alive is not one that engages me as much as one that is alive.

The feeling for the uncanny is an important sense for artists to develop so that in the future, the fine line that can be tread when using this technology in an art form that is meant to be viewed by the public isn't crossed. The artists wouldn't want to make their audience feel unnecessarily uneasy.

Maggie's Blog Prompt #10: EMPATHY - Response

I can certainly agree that we are living in a world of increasing cynicism, narcissism, and apathy. I think that utilizing the tools that Boal offers via Theatre of the Oppressed could be a window into the future. Theatre can help remind us of the world around us and that humans need interaction that is more than hiding behind a computer screen. The experience of attending a performance of something whether that be a dance, music, theatrical, or other kind of performance reminds us of the amazing things that we can do as humans.
I think that forum theatre is a great way to create discussions between those who wish to initiate social change. Giving people the ability to step into someone else's shoes while discussing these important issues can I've some much needed insight to some who might not get the opportunity in any other kind of way.

The answer to combating injustices and wrong doings across to world boils down to one word: "awareness". If we are made aware of issues and told the real facts, not biased opinions, our very nature will lead us to find solutions. That could mean electing new leadership, lobbying for new legislation, or joining a protest.
I think that theatre doesn't need to always be the "answer", but it can be a much needed release as well as a forum to discuss topics in new ways that can continually be modified and updated depending on the needs of the piece. It is a place to air out opinions about these topics, but if done in the right way, can inspire social change. If injustices are brought to light in a popular public forum, there's a higher chance that someone will be inspired to initiate social change. Theatre has that powerful tool that many other mediums do not have.

ACTIVISM - Response to Colt's prompt #9

An issue of social importance in our community that comes to mind is the recent push for Baton Rogue to split into two cities: Baton Rouge and St. George. More than 18,000 residents of suburbs in south Baton rouge have signed a petition calling the creation of this new city. The proponents of this movement claim that they want to improve the quality of their local schools and have better control of where their tax dollars are going. This taxpayers in this area contribute about two thirds of the funds of East Baton Rouge Parish.

Many opponents argue that this proposal has other motivations. The newly proposed St. George would be 70% white and the largely poor community in the rest of Baton Rouge would have to endure huge cuts to education because of this loss of taxpayer revenue.

 This story has received international attention from many news outlets.

I am in opposition of this movement. 

 I think the the more media and internet attention this story receives, the less support it has going for it. Although this may not apply to all of the petition signers, it seems that some of these supporters may have good intentions, but don't take into consideration the people that it would negatively affect. If they could see the hardships that these people already endure, maybe they will think twice about making their lives and their children's futures.

This protest would reach a conclusion when the proposal is denied, as I suspect it likely will. This is a concerning development that I will keep my attention focused on.

TIME - Response to Ashley's post prompt #8

The "reality effect" is reinforced by the time and pace of the various types of theatre in varying ways. The twitter plays can have a very fast pace because reading twitter conversations allow the reader to feel like they're part of the action, reading along as the events are simultaneously happening. 

This reminds me of a time when I was reading conversations and reports on twitter while a high profile news case was unfolding. In April of 2013, the tragic Boston Marathon bombings occurred. Three days after the bombing, I was noticing some strange reports on my twitter feed about a carjacking in a neighborhood of Boston, and that 'crude grenades' were being thrown out of the vehicle. 
I just happened to be out with some friends that night, and I obsessively would refresh my feed to stay updated. I was updating my friends constantly, and as we know today, that carjacking, police chase, firefight, and eventual manhunt and capture was all linked to the bombing, days earlier.
Reading news reports on my twitter feed and staying updated to the second made me feel like I was part of the experience, even though I was in a bar in Baton Rouge, not in Boston. The pace started slowly, but quickly accelerated and I couldn't keep away from my phone to see what would happen next.

I think that if a performance artist wanted to experiment with the "right here, right now" of theatre, he or she could set up an exhibit in which they were in a room that was visible from all sides to the audience. The room could be set up as a kitchen or bedroom and the artist's actions would be determined by a twitter feed that the audience controlled. The audience would dictate the artist's actions, and could argue and cancel each other's commands out.
I would definitely feel like I was part of the experience as an audience member in that environment.

Amar's Prompt - Post #7

Once is a show that I had the pleasure of seeing the last time I visited New York City. This show features live musicians and buskers that perform all of the music in the show. I would be very interested to witness a production that took the audience to the street corner, then into a bar down the block to watch this beautiful story unfold.
This would really utilize the Axioms of Environmental theatre and present a believable story to the audience. The story revolves around the relationship between the two main characters simple named Guy and Girl. The separation that is distinguished between the audience and our characters by not knowing their names really reminds me of how it is like to witness things as a bystander in a bar. I also would not be opposed to the idea of ordering a couple of beers while watching a show!

As for the quote by Kantor, I can certainly agree that in order for a completely, wholly believable event to happen, the "audience" must be in circumstances that they think are real. It is far more likely for me to believe that a "drama" is actually happening if I'm walking around downtown as opposed to near or inside a theatre, at a park like Disney World, or even to an extent a college campus. Places that have an environment meant for performing in (e.g. a theater, Disney World) sets the audience member up to expect a performance, and when said performance occurs, some percentage of the audience's consciousness is aware that they are watching a staged event. At a place like a college campus that contains a specific population of students and faculty, where everyone is there for a similar purpose, there is still some amount of disbelief because that audience is more aware of the likely-hood of some kind of disruption.
I do not think that the theatre is the "least appropriate site for drama to be materialized". As I stated before, it is harder to establish an immediate believability for an audience inside of a theatre, but when attending the theatre, it is partially the audience's job to suspend their disbelief and allow themselves to be immersed in whatever is happening on stage.

Response to Addie's Post Prompt #6

1.

I don't think that "cross-pollination" with other mediums(film, images, technology, etc.) dilutes performance art into the other mediums. It may evolve and inform the performances of the future, but I think that performance art has the capability to influence and inform these other art forms as much as it has the potential of being influenced. If anything, the mediums will become more diverse and enriched by these intermingling art forms.
The future of performance art will be shaped and molded by those who practice it. It has and will continue to influence artistic mediums of every discipline. 


A mainstream contemporary example of this is displayed in Jay Z's Picasso Baby: A Performance Art Film. Influenced by Marina Abramović's The Artist is Present, Jay Z raps on a small stage in a museum atrium while spectators are invited to take turns sitting opposite him, one at a time. Each spectator that did so received a personalized hip hop performance. Many artists, dancers, musicians, writers, actors(famous and not-so-famous alike) were in attendance, as well as Abramović herself. These artists eventually joined Jay Z on stage, performed for him in return, and the intimate space turned into a block-party. This mainstream artist sharing this type of performance is exactly how a medium like performance art will continue to influence other art forms, while staying true to itself. It is likely that many spectators of this performance(live and online) would have not been exposed to this type of art had Jay Z not been interested enough in performance art and held this event. One spectator says "You make yourself art. That's amazing!".

As Jay Z remarks in the video "we're artists, we're like cousins". Like minded creative people can and should work together to create new art, and help each other excel in each other's fields.

2.
When talking about historical events with people I am unfamiliar with, I like to ask where that person was when said events were occurring. This is a somewhat often occurrence when I encounter new people and they discover that I grew up in Louisiana. For several years after August 29th, 2005, most non-Louisianians would ask me if I faired well during Hurricane Katrina, assuming I had lost everything. I usually explained that while I had to endure some power outages and varying degrees of fallen foliage, I survived quite well considering. My family housed a family or two for several weeks and I had a lot of new classmates, but even my Baton Rouge experience of the storm was nothing like the thousands who had to endure being stranded in New Orleans and surrounding areas with very little support. 

Just as I had no change in my daily life during Hurricane Sandy(though I may have had a better understanding of the situation because I am a Louisianan), many Americans had little to go on other that what they were seeing on TV in the aftermath of Katrina.
It is important to recognize that as theatre artists, if we want to represent an event and tell a story about it, we should make sure to present accurate depictions of the events that occurred. Getting information from the direct source is important. If we wish to influence our audience with an opinion, that is something different all together.

Tim Moriarty’s Post Prompt (Prompt #5)

A moment of theatrical abstraction that stood out to me as particularly effective was in the Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof that I saw in 2005. For those of you who are not familiar with the story, the narrator/main character Tevye (played by Harvey Fierstein) has arranged a marriage with his daughter Tzeitel to the wealthy butcher Lazar Wolf. Tevye discovers that his daughter is in love with her childhood friend, the tailor Motel Kamzoil. Tzeitel wishes to be free of her arranged marriage and Tevye decides to break tradition and gives his blessing to the young couple. 

Tevye realizes that he will have to explain to his wife Golde why he has broken this very respected tradition, and does so in what is probably my favorite scene in the show. 

He explains to Golde that her grandmother came to him in a dream and scolded Tevye for arranging the marriage with Lazar Wolf instead of with Motel, who Tzeitel is meant to be with. He then continues to elaborate on his dream and how he was confronted by Fruma-Sarah, Lazar Wolf's late wife. Fruma-Sarah threatens to curse Tzeitel if she "steals" her husband. Tevye successfully convinces his wife to allow Motel and Tzeitel to marry by fabricating this story. 

The way that that this story is presented is the abstract part. Instead of just explaining this dream to his wife, Tevye's dream is acted out on stage, while he and Golde interact with their ancestors and ill-willed spirits in their pajamas. At the height of the madness in the production I saw, the entire stage was frantically raising and lowering into raked and flat position, while the entire cast was surrounding Tevye as he was plagued by the spirits they represented. 

Here's a link to the movie version of the show some context. 

I think that horrible tragedies like the Holocaust must be treated with respect for those who have suffered and are still suffering. The quote "the abundance of real suffering tolerates no forgetting" is absolutely correct. These events, as unthinkable as they are, actually did happen. If the feelings that people have about them are not expressed and the events are not talked about to future generations, how can we learn to prevent the same things from happening in our future? These subjects must not be disrespected or be used to inflict more pain and suffering to those harmed by denying their existence or by using the material for personal gain. Making beautiful or entertaining artwork about the Holocaust is not only acceptable, but necessary to keep the memory of the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of the ones affected alive. Art among other things is about translating the human experience to other humans. 

In the Heights and Let Me Down Easy

1. Recall two past productions, either you watched as an audience member or were involved in, that stand out in your memory.   Distinguish between the show that you just enjoyed (made you laugh, cry, upset, or was entertaining, etc..) from a production that really informed or convinced you of something True.

2. Is there a difference between performances that offer some kind of (new or newly clarified) truth versus performances that strive for documentary “verbatim” or naturalistic reality?

A recent (in fact, the most recent) theatre production that I've seen was a production of In the Heights produced by New Venture Theatre, a community theatre in Baton Rouge. The original Broadway production won the 2008 Tony Award for Best Musical. With music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda (who also originated the leading role on Broadway), and a book by Quiara Alegría Hudes (Pulitzer Prize winner for her play Water by the Spoonful), it is a story of a vibrant community in New York’s Washington Heights neighborhood. It is a community on the brink of change, full of people with hopes and dreams, who deal with the pressures of supporting themselves and each other.  They struggle with what traditions they take with them, what they leave behind, and where their true home is.

This show is one of my favorites as well as one that I am absolutely not cast-able in.  Nevertheless, I’ve still read the script, watched various clips of performances online, and listened to the cast recording countless times. You could say that I’m familiar with it.

The production the New Venture offered was an enjoyable one, and had some great moments. The show was cast with New Venture’s usual group of community actor, who are mainly African American, so it was a little bit of a stretch for some of these actors to be playing Hispanic roles and speak with Hispanic accents. Any short comings in the show(missed harmonies, off-color singing) I was able to “filter” through my brain because I know the performance of the original cast so well. It’s an interesting phenomenon, being able to fill in the gaps of a particular production because in your brain you have memorized the version of the show that is “best” to you. It usually seems like the first time you hear or see a production it gets wedged in your memory for you to measure all subsequent productions you see of the same material. I find this more common to for me with musical theatre (likely because of cast albums). Of course, if the actor brings something new to the role or makes an appealing choice on stage, that is usually memorable.

For Theatre History 3, Dr. Walsh had us watch a “Great Performances” recording of Anna Deavere Smith’s Let Me Down Easy, a piece of verbatim theatre. Smith’s signature style of creating theatre is to interview an eclectic group of people (about 300 in this case), creating her show, and then performing as the interviewees in their own words. For this production, the interviews include Rodeo Bull Rider Brent Williams, New Orleans doctor Kiersta Kurtz-Burke, and more famous people such as Lance Armstrong, Joel Siegel, former Texas governor Ann Richards, as well as many others.

Smith performs not only in theses interviewees in their own words, but also performs in their accents and mannerisms. She tries to occupy or be occupied by their words. Let Me Down Easy, as well as most of Smith's other works, is about finding the character of America. It asks "Do we have the most caring society we could?" The piece largely concerns people's thoughts on the Healthcare system in the US. It really puts into perspective these interviewees' thoughts and ideas about these issues. When Kiersta Kurtz-Burke's story was performed, we learn that she was a doctor at Charity Hospital in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. Lance Armstrong talks about overcoming his cancer prognosis, and how he came back to cycling with the same approach that he did when he was fighting cancer. There are so many wonderful stories in this piece, and luckily for us, the performance is free online for us to watch! Please watch this performance if you have the time.

These performances are different because though I can laugh and cry when watching my favorite musical, I can still go home knowing that it was a great story that used fictitious characters to show the experiences of people in a particular community. In the case of Let Me Down Easy, I know that these stories are real accounts of people that really had these thoughts and feelings. Knowing that makes it different for me.

Performativity!

When I started to think about what example of a performative act/utterance that is intentionally performed to mean something else, I thought of sarcasm. I particularly thought of using sarcasm when you're unhappy with your friends, girlfriend, boyfriend, etc.
    Kevin Hart gives an example of a jealous girlfriend hearing her boyfriend having fun without her while on a boys night out, and instead of asking why they're not out together having fun, she essentially says "have fun!" without really meaning it. "Do you boo boo" is her way of communicating to her partner that she's unhappy and fed up with him. This situation obviously makes for a funny stand up bit, especially when Kevin Hart exaggerates the girlfriend's reaction, but it also is a reminder that often times the words we say are not always the words that we mean.

This summer I taught beginning acting classes to kids that attended the summer camp(s) that I was an instructor at. An early concept I taught them was the idea that words have the potential to mean more than their face value depending on the context. This was a particularly useful concept when we started to work on open scenes, or scenes that contain dialogue open to interpretation, with lines that are intentionally ambiguous so that no particular plot or intention is suggested. In an effort to encourage to kids to make up their own scene with the words I provided to them and not have the same story happen with each group of scene partners, I encouraged the kids to "raise the stakes" of the scene to make it something more pressing and important for their characters, and in turn the performances were much more interesting to watch.

For example:

A: Hi!

B: Hello.
A: How’s everything?
B: Fine, I guess.
A: Do you know what time it is?
B: No. Not exactly.
A: Don’t you have a watch?
B: Not on me.
A: Well!
B: Well what?
A: What did you do last night?
B: What do you mean?
A: What did you do last night?
B: Nothing!
A: Nothing?
B: I said nothing.
A: Sorry I asked
B: That’s alright.

I really enjoyed this particular open scene because the kids impressed me with how different each of their interpretations of the text were.

One scene showed two strangers at a bus stop, one asking what time it was, then continuing to ask personal questions to this person they had just met. This was a pretty common interpretation of the scene. 

 Another scene included two friends talking the day after a big party and one of the friends being upset that his more popular friend was invited to the festivities without him. 

Finally, one of the most successful scenes (read: higher stakes!) displayed a married couple. The wife had been waiting all night for her husband to come home and when he finally arrives the next morning, she interrogates him about his suspicious activities, infidelity implied, while the husband denies any accusations.

As soon as I got the message through to the kids about making their own choices on what the scene meant and making those situations more pressing and important to their characters, the scenes began to greatly diversify. 

Just as "What did you do last night?" can mean something different depending on context, so can "Do  You Boo Boo!".

"What is Performance?” Performance: A Critical Introduction by Carlson

Something that really intrigued me in this reading was the question of "What makes performing arts performative?" and the suggestion that they require "the physical presence of trained or skilled human beings whose demonstration of their skills is the performance"(3). While I can see that most of the general public could agree on this definition, I'm not sure that performance is always about "demonstration of skills". I don't think that performers always do what they do because they want to display their skills, but want to experience what they are doing with an audience, having a shared experience.

The example that particularly interested me was the idea of performance as a "public display of technical skill"(3).

Diane Spencer Pritchard and her husband practiced the activity of "living history"; dressing in period costumes and acting out scripted or improved scenes, in this case at a historical site for tourists. Diane at one time decided to play piano music of the era to further authenticate the atmosphere that she and her husband were presenting. She later abandoned this practice because she felt that this "display of technical skill" took their living history display into the realm of "performance".

It is interesting to me that that though this woman dressed and acted as if she "lived" in the 1830's, she never considered it a performance until the display of her piano skills was included in the display.  To me, everything that her living history presentation utilizes is a form of performance. She knows a great deal about the character she is playing, enough that she can improvise scenes and answer questions as this historical figure. Those are skills that I do no have, and if her definition has to do with that "public display of technical skill", then I would consider her "living history" a performance.

I am a table top gamer. I enjoy playing games in a social environment, and play both team-oriented and competitive games. A game that I have enjoyed for a long time is Magic: The Gathering. It has a strong casual following but also has a very large international competitive following. At higher levels of play, some of the social aspects of the game change into a more focused attitude, as the game is somewhat of a "mental sport". It is very much like chess in this way. I feel that the attitude and persona that is displayed in these environments is somewhat a performance. Still, there are many competitors that know each other and are good friends, but still at these high competitive levels, become more like streamlined machines, trying to figure out the best lines of play at any given moment. Because this game has an element of chance, sometimes crazy unexpected moments occur. Though you may not understand whats going on, try to see the tension in these moments. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8J5AQMZ8V0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vZv7ijdK2g