Final week of Physical Theatre Intensive

The intensive wrapped up with a week focusing on clown, which was very fun and interesting because I've seen many clown performances, but had little idea how they came to be. The DAI website describes it as:

Week 4 : THE DRAMATIC REALMS: Clown & Comic Archetypes
Coming full circle from the cleansing work of The Showers, the actor researches an organic, non-traditional personage to find the play of failure. Clown lives not just in eccentric behavior, but also in authentic play in concert with its partners, for the audience. Work in duos, trios.

Our assignment for the week was to partner up and create a scene where you are clown presenting something for the audience, but you flop (fail). My partner and I presented a super-fast version of Rapunzel. Here's a couple somewhat blurry pics from that endeavor (my nose was slipping off for most of it!).





We also continued our work with acrobatics, and I successfully stood on two people's shoulders, which was awesome! I don't have any photo evidence, but you can take my word for it ;) Here's a fun picture of everyone in the workshop:



It was a great workshop with great people, and I learn a ton! I'm so glad I went...

Week 3 of the Physical Intensive - Comedy and Acrobatics

To start things off, here's a pic from last week's project in the realm of tragedy and set to the Yeats poem:

This week is described on the Dell'Arte International website as:

Week 3: THE DRAMATIC REALMS: The Human Comedy

With a focus on craft--  rhythm, timing, partnership, entrance/exit, dynamics, the mask and more – this week engages the atypical playing of comic types through work on theme and the timeless situations of the human comedy.

We've spent the week with an acrobatics session and 'games' session every morning, and a comedy and mask session every afternoon.  I have to thank Minneapolis' Brave New Institute for superbly preparing me for the 'games' section because it was a bunch of improv!  It was one of the few parts of the workshop so far where I've felt like I know what's going on.  

In addition to all this class work, we also had to present a fictional infomercial today.  This was a super fun project and was ten times easier than the tragedy project last week. Here's the least blurry pic I could get my hands on (we were selling a product called "Gap-B-Gone" which was for those unfortunate gaps that can occur at the beach or with low-rise pants):

And here are a couple videos of me doing my new acrobat tricks (not too fancy, just rolls and a cartwheel, but exciting none the less, having dramatically exited the world of gymnastics at the age of 6, only to re-enter 21 years later!)

Physical Intensive Workshop so far...

Here I am, already finished with the first two weeks of this four-week Physical Theatre Intensive workshop!  Time is flying by.

Dell'Arte International describes the weeks best on their website:

Week 1 : “NEVER TOO CLEAN”

The essential work of Dell’Arte founder Carlo Mazzone-Clementi, known as “The Showers,”  because “you are never too clean to do them.” Through this set of structured improvisations -- open, non-psychological play in the empty space of the stage, the cleansing of unnecessary habits -- the actor becomes a more powerful presence. The Showers are complimented by  the FM Alexander Technique in vocal/physical work and by movement training with Donlin Foreman.

Week one was all about raising self-awareness for me, and a very good reminder of the hard work it takes to maintain quality work as an actor.  

Week 2: THE DRAMATIC REALMS: Melodrama Through Tragedy

The training proceeds as presence becomes intention; energy becomes action. The actor in the space; explorations in space, time, rhythms, music and visual forms; the poetic dimension of the protagonist or tragic hero(ine), epic and sacrifice. Melodrama teaches us about heightened stakes—“Life, ramped” (actor  Ethan Hawke).

Week two consisted of tragedy and melodrama work.  I was assigned to a group of 5 people, and we developed movement to accompany the tragic poem, The Cold Heaven, by Yeats.  If you're not familiar with the poem, feel free to check out this YouTube video of it.  

Next week is comedy, and the last week is clown.  I'll try to get more photos of the workshop participants, including myself, so keep an eye out!

Dell'Arte International Photos

Here are some pics of Dell'Arte International, Blue Lake CA.

This is the Main Office, where they have an indoor theatre and an outdoor theatre behind the building.  They also have a couple rehearsal rooms/studios, and all the admin offices here.

This is another view of the main building.

This is one of the studios we hold most of the workshop classes in.  It is at the Riverside campus, which is a few blocks away from the main building.

This is another studio at the Riverside campus - everybody loves the red bouncy floor!

Blue Lake, California

Here are some pics of quaint little Blue Lake, CA.

This is the type of housing we live in.  

This is the Blue Lake Museum. I haven't been yet, but I plan on swinging by on Sunday - it's only open in the afternoons on Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

These poppies are all over the place right now.

This is one of the walking paths by the river.

The Mad River.

Another view of the Mad River and the bridge leading to the hatchery.

Dell'Arte International at Blue Lake CA

Blue Lake is a beautiful small town (only around 1000 people) situated right next to the Mad River.  There's not much here other than Dell'Arte International - a cafe, post office, bar, laundromat, a bed & breakfast, and a small industrial park.  However, the surrounding natural beauty makes up for the tininess.  I don't think I could ever live here, but it makes for a great artistic getaway! 

I've already wrapped up the first of two workshops here at Dell'Arte.  The first workshop was entitled, "Grand Guignol: Theatre of Terror and Laughter." Here's the description from their website:

Once the most popular entertainment in Europe, Grand Guignol is an exciting theatre form that begat current thriller and horror films. Rarely taught, this “theatre of laughter and terror” explores our fascination with the macabre, playing with the violation of society’s taboos. Grand Guignol is wildly physical, intensely psychological, and filled with gruesome special effects.

We spent mornings focusing on the physical performance style, and afternoons working on original scripts and the special effects.  I don't have any pics from the gruesomeness yet, but my workshop-mates assured me they'd send some images as soon as they arrived back home (I forgot my camera card reader in Florida!).  I'll be sure to post any pics as soon as I get them.

 

On Saturday they had a fun evening where the company presented a lifetime achievement award to Rene Auberjonois, who's done tons of projects on screen and stage, but most notably in my opinion, he played the voice of the french chef in The Little Mermaid!  He was a very humble and personable man, and it was great fun to dance to a live band with all the hippies after the presentation of the award!  It reminded me of many different events back in Bemidji MN...

Grant Progress

It's time for an update on that grant I first mentioned last December (Fanaticism, Sustainability, & America).  It's been a long bumpy road, but we finally have a survey up online for USF students (sorry we couldn't open it up to people beyond the USF campus - I was really bummed we had to restrict our sample population so much!).  

The other people on my grant team developed the survey and will use it's results to write a paper.  Meanwhile, I'll be taking the results and using them as source material for a performance piece.  The two workshops I'm attending at Dell'Arte International are also partially funded by this grant and will contribute to my research for this performance piece.  

I've already started some visual research by compiling the first 10 pages of Google image search's results on the three key words: Fanaticism, Sustainability, & America.  All the images have been printed out and collaged together for a quick reference on my studio wall.

 

Full collection of images

 

Detail shot

Detail Shot

Ellen Update - Summer Edition

So I just wrapped up my first year of grad school, and am loving the free time to finally take full advantage of the beach! This semester has been a hectic one (when isn't it?) full of exhibitions and performances (and more and more and more).

This summer is going to be busy, but very fun:

- Today I start an art history course entitled, "Against Interpretation," which should be a good time ;)

- Then, June 16 - July 17 I'll head out to Dell'Arte International in Blue Lake CA for a month of performance workshops, for which I cannot wait! I'm hoping it will stir up some inspiration for the grant performance I have to conjure by next October.

- I'll also be swinging by Minneapolis for a visit August 4-9, so I'll be very excited to catch some MN Fringe Festival shows and see my dentist (I had no idea it would be so hard to find a good dentist in FL)!

- And before you know it, school starts Aug 24 (I'll be teaching my own section of Beginning Drawing - awesome!).

That's about all the news from Tampa for now...