Since the beginning of our current research and development period we had agreed that today would be a turning point. Throughout this week we have been generating material. The emphasis so far has been on interrogating this material, and exploring ways in which it could be shaped. From now on, for the remaining week, we will concentrate on polishing the various ‘sections’, experimenting with the possible order, running, running, and re-running the various pieces that will make up a whole. So today, as I said, was a turning point: the last day we had allowed ourselves to generate any material; our last chance to just ‘try things out’ for the sake of it.
Surprisingly there was not the flourish of activity that might have been expected. Rather, we found it slightly difficult to identify any ideas we had not already explored. This, however, is not necessarily a bad thing. We have clearly been working hard. Gestures: tick! Interruptions: tick! Fragmented stories: tick! Lamp choreography: tick! Solo and duo actions at the table: tick! Etc, etc: tick! There were, nevertheless, a few things we still had to test: walkie-talkies, dictaphones, and frantic poses. So we fought the typically sedate Sunday mood and got to work.
Originally I had thought that the walkie-talkies might serve as a divide to breach the stage-auditorium divide, but after much consideration we decided that any such obvious attempt would appear as a cheap trick and register highly on the naffometer. Did the walkie-talkies still have a place in the piece then? Well, last night Amber (my housemate) was watching the classic 1972 “Super Fly”, which got me thinking that amongst the various stories that had already find their way into the piece we did not have any allusion to cop/detective plots. The walkie-talkies, with their characteristic beeps and tinny sound proved to be ideal to achieve this. ‘Alpha Romeo 379, come in. Alpha Romeo 379, are you in position?’
The use of dictaphones was one of the elements which we had experimented with during Postscript Mk1. Then, it served as a vehicle to deliver a series of first lines taken from a number of novels. How could they be used now? During this last week we have been exploring how narratives might be fragmented and collide against each other. Could the dictaphones become another means to express this? We tried, all at once; a cacophony. Too much perhaps? Rather than being used in a section all of their own, could the dictaphones instead become a through line, a recurring theme (such as the object-based actions, or our established vocabulary of gestures)? Only running the various pieces we have generated, side by side, in various permutations, will tell.
Surprisingly there was not the flourish of activity that might have been expected. Rather, we found it slightly difficult to identify any ideas we had not already explored. This, however, is not necessarily a bad thing. We have clearly been working hard. Gestures: tick! Interruptions: tick! Fragmented stories: tick! Lamp choreography: tick! Solo and duo actions at the table: tick! Etc, etc: tick! There were, nevertheless, a few things we still had to test: walkie-talkies, dictaphones, and frantic poses. So we fought the typically sedate Sunday mood and got to work.
Originally I had thought that the walkie-talkies might serve as a divide to breach the stage-auditorium divide, but after much consideration we decided that any such obvious attempt would appear as a cheap trick and register highly on the naffometer. Did the walkie-talkies still have a place in the piece then? Well, last night Amber (my housemate) was watching the classic 1972 “Super Fly”, which got me thinking that amongst the various stories that had already find their way into the piece we did not have any allusion to cop/detective plots. The walkie-talkies, with their characteristic beeps and tinny sound proved to be ideal to achieve this. ‘Alpha Romeo 379, come in. Alpha Romeo 379, are you in position?’
The use of dictaphones was one of the elements which we had experimented with during Postscript Mk1. Then, it served as a vehicle to deliver a series of first lines taken from a number of novels. How could they be used now? During this last week we have been exploring how narratives might be fragmented and collide against each other. Could the dictaphones become another means to express this? We tried, all at once; a cacophony. Too much perhaps? Rather than being used in a section all of their own, could the dictaphones instead become a through line, a recurring theme (such as the object-based actions, or our established vocabulary of gestures)? Only running the various pieces we have generated, side by side, in various permutations, will tell.
This coming week, it is now clear, will be crucial. If I may use the visual arts as an analogy perhaps… So far we have made preliminary sketches, played around with colours and tones, layered textures and materials… Soon we will face the white canvas. What stays? What is thrown out? What goes where?
Pablo
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