OK, OK, I know, a Manifesto? Well it helps me organize my thoughts and spell out what my intentions are, and I’ll try to rise above the art school sophomore rant, or not!
Theatre, has not been able to compete with the TV, Film, and Broadway style of recreation of reality for some time now. Almost 20 years ago I wrote a quite serious manifesto titled THEATRE ABSTRACT MANIFESTO. IT dealt with Theatre’s inability to compete with TV, Film, and Broadway in the recreation of reality. So what was needed from an audience was a more severe sense of “suspension of disbelief”. The Theatre Abstract manifesto called for a deliberate eschewing of reality in Theatre and development of a style that was highly abstract. A creating of a subjective reality in that empty space! Thanks Peter Brook! At the time I blamed the technology and money that was available to TV, Film, and Broadway Theatre, that was unavailable to small Theatre. I used that basic theory for a majority of my productions since 1990. Most of those production were produced in the manner of Fringe Theatre, which comes from a European term for what we’d call Black Box Theatre. I also detested what we used to call “Icting” or overly emotional hand wringing acting style prevalent in most small theatres, you know, yell if you’re mad, cry if you’re sad. I feel the way to avoid that was to not “pretend” because unless one is extremely well trained and extremely talented, it’s gonna fall short.
So my theory developed from that previous manifesto into the one I most recently used on “The Hamletmachine” a few years ago, Just honestly say the line as an actor in the theatre space you occupy NOW! Don’t try to use forced inflection or tricks to manipulate the audience into feeling the emotion you think the author wants to convey.
Overall as a production theory LOCAL THEATRE will simply not be tied down to any preconceived rule or notion of theatre. 4th walls will be broken only to be immediately rebuilt, linear time lines will be thrown out and then re-established, actors will break character in mid sentence. Technology such as video, audio, lighting, sets, etc. will be used as an additional character or theatrical device not just to augment the action but to convey it. If a character needs to speak, it may be a disembodied voice or a talking head on a screen, or Hamlet will be portrayed by a chair, Juliet by a dust mop. Develop a hybrid of audience acknowledgement and participation and the Brechtian über fourth wall. The infusion of conceptual art technique lends me to call this Conceptual Theatre. The audience will be required to embrace the concept as opposed to the reality of the storytelling. As Tom Waits once said: “It aint theatre if you don’t fuck with time.”
I hope my ranting has either confused you or intrigued you, to the point you’ll be compelled to come view the future works of LOCAL THEATRE
(IMAGE:muybridge modified close up 1)
(IMAGE:muybridge modified close up 2)
…I know an oxymoron. However, if an artist could exploit an artist’s OCD nature, in the business/organization end of stuff, then success would most likely occur no matter how much self sabotage one used. HA! Well I’m just bipolar bear enough to attempt it! The file organization happens for me in the creation, and mostly by the software itself. I then but finished work on one HD and access that for DVD burning, web uploads, etc. My issue at present is more entries and PR. I’ll see a great video art call for entry and save the email. but then by the time I get back to it… the deadline has passed. oops! My slash artist ( I know how last century) nature causes a lot of scattered focus. I’ll be working on several projects simultaneously and end up dropping a couple just to keep my sanity ( HMMM perhaps that ship has sailed?).
Mostly the issue for all artists os the studio discipline. For me it’s not just going to the studio, It’s actually working when I’m there. I have an amazing multitude of distractions most of which are necessary tools for the creation of the work, i.e. audio recording equipment, musical instruments, projectors, monitors, cameras, DVD players, lights, computers, etc. I work best on deadline, which worked great for the performance end of things but not so much for just being creative and manipulating electrons and calling it art.
So I’ll get back to work now and stop being distracted by my blog and allow my creative neurosis powers to be “used for good”, and be come the super hero I long to be..
I AM ARTISTMAN! and no I don’t have a secret costume under my street clothes, my street clothes are my costume!
Ciao baby!
(IMAGE: art is… installation view)
(IMAGE:muybridge modified installation view)
NOTE: Health Care Bill must include ban on Ads of prescription drugs on TV. The only person making a decission on what drugs you should take is your Doctor. You shouldn’t go in to your Dr. and ask for insulin cause you “feel kinda diabetic”.
The pot dealers of the 60’s have turned into the Big Pharma CEOs of the 10’s. They just want to sell you the “stuff”.
DON”T FALL FOR IT!
This is a still taken from the video inside the Black Box on the previous post. It was a rant about my indecisiveness in accepting my transition as a Theatre Director to VIP (video, installation, performance) Artist. A Museum Director from Denver who saw the show, said he liked these types of pieces best, of which there were 3 or 4. I was quite surprised, as I looked at them as the weakest works in the show. I mean they were just Talking Heads. I spent some time revisiting the works recently as I had a short lived now defunct opportunity to remount the show in CapitalD. I finally got why they were so appealing, it was the verbal and not the visual content. They were all some what controversial, and critical of the HOMETOWN and the art world status quo. They all made you look at a subject from a different perspective.
SO… I’m working on a piece titled Talking Heads, coming soon to a Drive In* near you
* that’s a hint for another piece.
I’ve returned to blogging… to help instill a creative discipline that I’ve been lacking as of late, and because Fakebook sucks ( except as a marketing tool).
Creative Catharsis Coming…
I feel a volcanic creative catharsis building inside. bubbling just below the surface, I’m not certain from whence it’s coming but I sense a creative shift. I’ve been obsessed with niche/pidgin holing genre and practices as of late and I feel like I need to re-enter the slash artist mentality. re-embrace my ability to use what other see as a liability, as an assent.
IMAGE: The Black Box ( from “Atomic Elroy’s Hometown”)
