Some weeks passed as if a long time, longer than just a few weeks, had separated the begining of this group project from its outcome. Some weeks which were marked in the begining by getting to know each other, being careful of words and actions, lots of thinking and discussing of many and different ideas, and by the end were lived through to the point of long hours of group work, building sets, videos, costumes and most of the time joyful conversations and laughter.
All of this summed up to 30 minutes on stage. 30 minutes of what seemed like an interested crowd being led through the theatre to see our piece on Roland Barthes. After 30 minutes, after exhibiting the work it was all destroyed and trashed.... seems like a good therapy. Zen work.
The process was the most important, more important than the short 30 minutes. Not due to the time it took but due to the learning and the exchange of ideas. It is true that we, as a group, did not cross the line of intimacy needed for someone to stand up and claim for order, or simply make decisions fast. We were usually too careful of each other (but I do not think in such a short time things could have happened differently). The learning through the exchange of ideas as well as the building of the space were the most important things (and by the building of the space I mean everything within it: puppets, costumes, sound and videos).
As for the performance I could not see much. Most of the time we were backstage or had our backs to the audience. At one point, however, as I turned around for the puppet handling I saw things had not gone exactly as we had planned. There were people every where. They were not in the back as we had imagined. Was that a problem? I thought it would be, for I wandered how much they could see, where would they look at with so many things going on. Talking to pelople afterwards though it did not seem to have bothered them and most people seemed to have enjoyed it. Through my enquiring I could not find out if they had actually understood the narrative!
Now it will be strange to go back to our own personal project. To our spaces within the studios and to the way time had passed before.
All of this summed up to 30 minutes on stage. 30 minutes of what seemed like an interested crowd being led through the theatre to see our piece on Roland Barthes. After 30 minutes, after exhibiting the work it was all destroyed and trashed.... seems like a good therapy. Zen work.
The process was the most important, more important than the short 30 minutes. Not due to the time it took but due to the learning and the exchange of ideas. It is true that we, as a group, did not cross the line of intimacy needed for someone to stand up and claim for order, or simply make decisions fast. We were usually too careful of each other (but I do not think in such a short time things could have happened differently). The learning through the exchange of ideas as well as the building of the space were the most important things (and by the building of the space I mean everything within it: puppets, costumes, sound and videos).
As for the performance I could not see much. Most of the time we were backstage or had our backs to the audience. At one point, however, as I turned around for the puppet handling I saw things had not gone exactly as we had planned. There were people every where. They were not in the back as we had imagined. Was that a problem? I thought it would be, for I wandered how much they could see, where would they look at with so many things going on. Talking to pelople afterwards though it did not seem to have bothered them and most people seemed to have enjoyed it. Through my enquiring I could not find out if they had actually understood the narrative!
Now it will be strange to go back to our own personal project. To our spaces within the studios and to the way time had passed before.
posted by b e t w e e n t h o u g h t s at 6:24 PM
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