Good-bye Mark Russell

I went to Mark Russell's talk and I found myself wishing I knew him better or at all. I've been grateful for his involvement in the PICA: TBA Festival. He was my first guest artistic director of the festival and I appreciated his focus on theater and performance. See his talk on YouTube about the Under the Radar Festival at the Public in New York. He was also the Executive/Artistic Director of PS122 from 1983-2004. He seems to have an amazing sense of cutting edge work and emerging artists. I want to know how I get his career path. It would be amazing (and I'm sure exhausting) to go to different festivals and performances, both locally and internationally, scouting talent.
Thank you Mark for all you've done for Portland and the festival. Hope to meet you one day.

Vivarium Studio & Superamas

I think Philippe Quesene/Vivarium Studio was by far my favorite at TBA. I had seen them two years ago with La Demangeaison des Ailes (the Itching of the Wings) for TBA:06. I went with my boyfriend Kristan and I think that was the moment I realized he spoke French, which is probably when I fell in love with him; right there. I have always loved the French, which is how I ended up in England. Long story. And now I love both countries. Complicated I know. However, I did not let my love of the French color my judgment of the pieces. I swear.

Here is why I loved Vivarium Studio's new piece, L'Effet de Serge. It was beautiful and complex, but simple. It wasn't trying to be more than it was. It was a focused piece and super cleaver. I like to refer to it as reality theater.

The play starts with an introduction from a man in a space suit. It is explained to us that the beginning of each piece begins with the ending of the last one. This space suit guy (played by the same person who play Serge) takes us on a tour of Serge's apartment and tells us a little bit about him. Next Serge enters and we watch his life unfold. He is no one special, just a ordinary guy who lives by himself and every Sunday he invites a different friend over and performs a light show for them. They are timed to music. It's pretty impressive how well they go together, but his friends are so-so about the effects. Three weeks go by and he invites all his friends over to watch the "big" performance. They come the way they came before, walking, biking, by car. Yes, by car. It was pretty cool.

Then I raced by car from Imago to PSU Lincoln Hall. I made it with plenty of time. I didn't know much about Superamas, but their picture looked cool. Everyone was dancing and having a good time. And I think that is exactly what they are deconstructing. This idea of happiness. Their show was entitled Big 3rd Episode (happy/end), which now I want to see episode 1: Big 1 (reality show/artifical entertainment) and episode 2: Big 2 (show/businsess).


Through a series of repeated scenes, Superamas, a French Austrian performance group, (again with the French) cynically examines our obsession with sex and vanity. The actors are beautiful and sexy and dubed, but that's the point. The repetitious scenes, mostly one inspired by Sex and the City, cut back and forth between disco-inspired dance numbers, familiar video clips, a French/Austrian video of self expression with football players and cheerleaders, and a film about Superamas' own success. However, the most horrific and also the most beautiful part is when there is a video of a car crash. When the video fades from the screen, the sound and lights take over and create this wonderful ballet. You are at the accident and not just watching it. There is no time to dwell on this because we are back in the ladies locker room to watch them strip down one more time. Bad feelings gone and back to the sexy ladies. Hott.

Tim Crouch

I was looking forward to seeing Tim Crouch, for no other reason than to hear his accent. I've been missing England and a performance piece entitled "England" sounded like a good idea. Also, he's kinda a big deal.
This piece was breathtaking. It was a site specific work which took place in the Elizabeth Leach Gallery, but very much a theatrical piece which engaged the audience. It was simple and through this simplicity something really magically happened. There was no set, no special lighting, just a sound scape and two performers: Tim Crouch and Hannah Ringham. (picture below)

The story is told by both performances from the point of view of this person who is dying and receives a heart transplant. We see the world through the character's eyes and are transported from hospital to hospital around England until we arrive in a hotel room in a foreign land. We are there to thank the wife of the husband whose heart now beats inside the protagonist. But things get confused, politics and translation get in the way and we end up questioning how did we get here.
It's not the story that made this evening so incredible, although it is a fascinating one, but the way in which the story was told. I think this could be the future of theater; this well told narrative, this intimacy with the audience, the simplicity of design. Getting back to basics.

Lemon Andersen: The Beautiful Struggle

Last year I saw the Suicide Kings, who were amazing, and I learned that I liked slam poets. So this year I went to see Lemon Andersen. I didn't know anything about him except that he is an urban poet. He all caught our attention when he jumped out from the audience and started rapping. This story starts at the end. Lemon tells us about winning the Tony and then takes us back to his childhood growing up on the streets of Brooklyn. He has had quite a full life: he lost both his parent at a young age to A.I.D.S, ran in a gang, sold drugs, and ended up in jail twice. After his second time out of jail he went to get his hair done at the barber shop and while he was there, he heard about a poetry reading. So instead of spending the money on the haircut he went to see the poetry reading. He was so impressed with the poets that he got carried away and asked the lady to put him name down to read. She told him they were full but if he heard his name he could come up. It was then that he realized he didn't have anything prepared. "I didn't have a poem, but I had experience" he said. And by God does he. His performance tonight was captivating.

So I got to thinking about biography. I'm obsessed with it. I have had many discussions with my boyfriend about the importance of an artists biography. I think it informs their work. To know an artists biography gives you a deeper understanding of their work. Of course the work can be and should be appreciated separate from this knowledge. I just think it gives you a little something extra. An inside look. An intimacy with the text. And now in my cases we are seeing one's biography become their work. This season at PCS we will be producing Storm Large's one woman show about her life. I saw her performance during JAW and was also entranced by her and her amazing life. She monologues and sings beautifully; Lemon monologues and raps; Mark Bamuthi Joseph monologues and dances; playwrights dialogue, monologue, and create text. A successful playwright once told me that you write about what you know because if you do that the work will come from an honest place. What could be more honest than preforming your biography in your chosen artistic medium. I'm not sure what this all means about American Theater or public interest, but it's just something I've noticed.

Reggie Watts & Ten Tiny Dances

Today was my second day of the TBA festival. I met up with Rose to see Reggie Watt's TRANSITION. We saw his show DISINFORMATION at last year's festival. The performance was directed by the very lovely Tommy Smith, who is also a playwright and we had the pleasure of getting to know when he participated in our Commission! Commission! event for JAW 2007. Needless to say I was looking forward to seeing the show.
Reggie was awesome as always and I enjoyed the use of video. At one point Reggie conducted an interview with someone on the screen about social networking and the internet and the distance but also the intimacy this creates in relationships, which you didn't realize was live until the actress came out on stage with her video set up. However, the biggest payout was when they played a clip from "Teen Wolf", which they had mocked earlier in their performance. I didn't make the connection until they played this clip (jump to 3:40 to see the exact scene) after the show. They had copied it perfectly. Hilarious! The show was entertaining and Reggie is the ultimate "piss-taker" (if you know what I mean).
After the show I ran to my car and drove straight to the Leftbank to see Ten Tiny Dances. I was blown away by last year's performances and had encouraged our new Portlanders Kim and her boyfriend Chad to join me. "It's a Portland Must-See" I said. It's true. Luckily Kim and Chad had got there way before me and saved me a seat. As always the works was packed for this event. I wound up talking to a lady next to me about what she had already seen at the festival and what she was planning on seeing. And it turns out that we might bump into each other at a few events. On my drive home I kept thinking about how wonderful it was to engage in conversation with a complete stranger and how that is SO Portland and very much part of the festival spirit. There were only 8 tiny dances this time but they were very substantial and serious, so you felt like you were getting a full 10. Last year each piece was a mini production and usually involved scene changes or heavy clean up after each performance. They were beautiful, especially to a theater artist. This year it was more about the dancer and the dancing than the effects. I was able to see Mike Barbers face most of the time during the dancing and he looked full of inspiration and awe. It was charming. He's looking for suggestions for the 20th Ten Tiny Dances, so send him your suggestions.

All in all a good night. More to come tomorrow!

Today I went to Europe...

Yes. It's true. I took a walking tour of Tilburg, the sixth largest city in The Netherlands. Khris Soden was our guide. I was amazed at the similarities between Portland and Tilburg and also how easy it was for me to drift away and feel like I really was in this European province of Noord-Brabant. I have to say this is all thanks to Mr. Soden. I was so captivated by what he had to say that I didn't really need to look around (which I think helped, because then I was not reminded of the fact that yes I am really in Portland and NOT Europe). I was only shaken once, when this crazy lady came straight towards the crowd of people and yelled, "Move!" I found traveling to Europe exactly what I needed on this lovely fall day.

I found out that Tilburg has tree in this middle of a five point intersection that quite controversial because the city wants to remove it and the local businesses and people want to keep it there. I also found out that years ago Tilburg's main business was making fabric and that the people of the town used to bring their urine in a jar to the factories because it was an important ingredient in the fabric making process. I even saw the statue dedicated to this. Surrounding towns mock the residents of Tilburg for this fact, while the people of Tilburg see it as a source of pride. My favorite part was a monument dedicated to non-violent solutions. After six people were randomly murdered (Khris explained that you are five times more likely to be murdered in Portland than you were in ALL of Holland. This sort of thing doesn't happen there.) the city commissioned an artist to create a statue dedicated to this city's loss. The artist (and I'm so sorry I don't remember their name) made a cabinet where people could come and write down their solutions to violence and everyday someone from the city comes and picks up the messages and puts ones they deem fit in the top part on display.

Tilburg is so cool you can even get a degree in Rock n'Roll at one of the local art universities. I was lucky I got to see the city without even buying a plane ticket. Khris will go to Tilburg and conduct a Tilburg Tour of Portland during their city's arts festival. I can't wait to see what they think of us!

T.B.A. Second Weekend-GATZ

Home stretch! Above is a picture of me enjoy my dinner break picnic in my car during Gatz.

Claude Wampler: I really liked her video instillation. It looked like ghosts playing, such a cool effect. I thought it went on a little long and there were so many plants that I felt like I was not invited to the party. I felt left out. Maybe that was what I was supposed to feel.

Ten Tiny Dances: What a treat. I had never seen them before, but I'm hooked. I thought everyone did such a nice job and I can't wait until next time.

Elevator Repair Service-Gatz: Amazing. Totally totally amazing. It really is incredible that an audience will sit through a 7 hour show. I was exhausted afterwards but I it was engaging the whole time. I never got bored or tired. That says a lot about Fitzgerald's writing and ERS's performance. The man who played Nick had the perfect speaking voice for the part. Even when it was just him on stage he was magnificent. So different than books on tape, a real theatrical experience. If you get a chance to see them you totally should.

What a fabulous festival...I'm totally inspired.

Nature Theatre of Oklahoma: A Conversation with Kristan Seemel

I got the only pink and red Nature Theater of Oklahoma shirt that Pavol made for himself...but he couldn't fit in it because it's a girls medium so he sold it to us. Look at how wonderful!! I loved their concept of using the transcript from a phone conversation as their script. Copying is the best form of flattery so I decided to record my conversation with Kristan Seemel verbatim and post on my blog.
P.S. We are exhausted from seeing so many shows and staying up late and we are drinking.

K: So we are just hitting recored and seeing what happens. Umm

M:We are going to talk about NTO.

K: Ok

M: So, so far it’s kinda been the most inspirational piece. Not the most inspirational because I have to say that the Suicide Kings was pretty emotionally inspirational. But as far as for a theater performer, the work they are doing is fresh and exciting and cool experimental theater

K: I think part of what makes it particularly evocative for us is that it umm he doesn’t, Pavol doesn’t umm think of it as theater. He is a theater artists and he works text based a lot umm but as soon as he works within a ensemble generated, all of his ensemble generated work has been considered dance. I mean he declares it as dance.

M: Right and like the piece we saw last year, um Poetics…

K: Ballet Brute

M: Ballet Brute, umm is was incredibly dance oriented…like it was all a dance. It took it was dance for the non-dancer. It took the average dance move and umm …you can have some of mine if you want…and then but..

K: we’re looking for beer…

M: and umm… (giggle) but what was different about this year is that there is very little dancing. I kept waiting for the dance. I mean yes, they were doing…umm systematized movements ugh when they were talking. Especially the guy in the cowboy hat, what’s his name?

K: (silence)

M: Anyway, umm they were doing those movements like just kinda unrelated umm to what they were saying so it was kinda a dance in a way but like the real break out dancing with music and all that didn’t happen until..

K: the intermission and the end of the show

M: spurts. Well you know and right before the intermission…oh yeah you said

K:yeah right before the intermission. they used it as act closers more than anything else.

M: Yeah

K: UMM. But I think that it was, for ME for what I think of dance. I mean we’ve had this WE have had a little bit of this conversation before specially talking about MAP ME. But umm I think of it very much as dance. Um it actually is so systematized that really the only, there is so much improve in it that a lot of what would be considered a traditional theater directors work becomes choreography. It’s a system it’s a system in which or a modern dance choreographers choreography like he, they were allowed positions that they could take. there is not a specific place that certain people have to be on stage. all of the staging is reduced to a choreographic system. instead of so people are wandering around people like when they want to there’s certain position they are allowed to occupy on stage. And they move to those positions they don’t they don’t have to move to another position they don’t have to be in this place. I mean some of the parts are like very more much more systematized so you will be far away from this person. But theres like three different spots you could pick.

M: right, up at the proscenium. back. middle.

K: (overlapping ) and there were very there were there were probably about twelve positions on stage they were allowed to use and within each of those twelves positions they were three general like orientations towards the audience that they were allowed to use and after that they had a system of choreography within specific positions that they had to that they were allowed to use. In fact they were only allowed to use it in position one when they were facing the audience. Otherwise they didn’t do any choreography while they were facing away in general

M: well…

K: but they could. I mean I don’t I don’t know. I didn’t I didn’t notice that.

M: The one that seemed to be doing the most choreography was…the one with his shirt off that was uh at the at the desk that (sigh) umm kinda cowboy looking guy, what’s his…

K: whenever he was sitting yes

M: yes whenever he was sitting. And kind of facing the audience

K: whenever they were talking about work.

M:Yeah

K: And he had a very that was clearly and that’s where like I talk about a choreographic system but theres also like theres dynamics in that systems. So it’s like when you are sitting at talking about work you will do more choreography. And I don’t know what you do with a performer like that . like if you. you can stress it but I don’t know if you stress it and then you let it be. And let the performer sort of gage it cause it’s still heavily improvised. Or do you do you really say when you are at your desk you must work very intensely with our choreography. And I think I suspect that’s what Pavol did. I suspect that's what the choreography of the piece is. That when they are sitting at the desk they do more much more.

M: Or facing the audience

K: or talking about work

M:work yes

K: work was a big keynote specifically because ultimately the system of symbols that they had are physical choreographic...individualize choreographic moves that they were allowed. There's really only about twenty of them at most and not even that many. In fact I could probably recreate many of them that's how frequently they repeated themselves.

M: absolutely. yeah I agree.

K: which is wonderful actually in a lot of ways because it it it had. for me it had an alienating effect. It pushed it it reminded you constantly that there is a dance going on. It was the thing that kinda gave them a little bit more permission. maybe. If I if I were to like hazard a guess of theory wise of how it works. why the piece cause the piece. we can both agree that the piece works.

M: umhm.

K: It works by it is the work. it imitates and borrows everything from the the worst theater worst..

M: Dinner theater.

K: melodramatic dinner theater you have ever seen in your life. And yet. it works.

M: right.

K: and...

M: and that was the inspiration for it.

K: and that's the magic the magic of it the thing that is inspirational. well the thing that's inspirational for us watching it is like its totally works, in spite of it being the worst kind of theater you can imagine. It borrowed so heavily from it that it totally imitated it. It's pretty amazing what is achieved using all the signs and symbols of bad theater intensely and committing to them 100%. And I really wonder as a dramaturg, I'm looking at like three or four different things that help them to do that, but I don't know what the answer is. And it's kinda special when the magic, when all the pieces, when you can't figure out all the ingredients is in this beautiful dish you are eating, that looks like pizza, looks like white trash pizza but like tastes like gourmet brilliant food. like the best like something you've ever tasted before and is amazing to your pallet and you want to eat it forever more. Like you have to try, like the first thing as a dramaturg is oh what are the magic ingredients? and you try to solve it, but I don't have solution. I just guess but it like totally worked. I mean it was like brilliant. I think they are...methodologically intense. Theres, they are very rigorous. I don't know how you can be that rigorous and still be fresh.


This is just 8 mins of an hour conversation...man can we talk.

T.B.A. Monday thru Friday-I'm a sexy Robot

After a fabulous weekend I was looking forward to seeing more!

Las Chicas 3.5 Floppies: Fabulous acting. Both of the women were very believable. You felt for them and at the same time you wanted to find a way out for them. I wanted them to make the right choice, but in the end they were replaced by two women just like them. The never ending cycle of poverty and desperation. This story isn't just about two women and their relationship, its about the larger issue and the play does a great job of bring their story to life.

Kassys: Something's rotten in the stage of Denmark-OK...NOT Denmark but that line just comes to mind when I think back to the performance. The characters begin by putting on a play in which Holden has died and they are all grieving together and exhibiting odd behavior, like shredding plants. They play ends and we see behind the scenes and into the actors lives. I could feel their desperate loneliness seep off the screen. But also funny funny!! This is the last time I saw Marc Acito at the festival. We had been following each other from event to event, but this is the last one we were at together.

Nature Theater of Oklahoma: I want to run away and join your company!! OMG I LOVE THEM! Really amazing well executed, fresh and honest experimental theater. More on this later...check out my next blog when Kristan Seemel and I record our conversation about them.

Teeth: Visually very interesting. The group with "plaque" all over them were the best. They brought a sense of comedy to the piece. I do not recommend seeing this performance if you are easily upset by loud noises and bright flashing lights.

Young Jean Lee: I was excited to see this play because of her review in American Theater magazine. If I ever got in American Theater magazine I would probably pee my pants. And I dunno, but after seeing Jean Lee's Songs of the Dragons Flying to Heaven, I don't think Jean Lee knows what's she wants to say or how. I found out later that she admits to this in AMT, so I guess it's no secret. She did have some wonderful moments in the script, so I know she has talent and an interesting perspective. I just wish the play had looked a little more rehearsed, but maybe that's the quality she was going for; but if this is the case I don't get it.

Zoe Scofield & Juniper Shuey: Wonderful. Very athletic. The costumes were gorgeous as well. I really enjoyed that all of the dancing was partnered and developed on this theme. Dances were choreographed together and then one or two dancers would break apart and build on the previous choreography. I just think it is so beautiful when people dance in unison. It takes great focus. I would definitely love to see more of their work, which I think is doable because they are a Seattle based company.


And that ended our week...

T.B.A. First Weekend

Wow, I am exhausted...I kinda went crazy over the weekend running from performance to performance. I nearly got in several car accidents and almost hit some people. My boyfriend doesn't want to ride in the car with me anymore...What?! I'm not THAT bad! Some people...
Anywho.

I am so pleased with everything I have seen. Some really inspiring performance art. There has not been one performance where I walked away and thought, wow that was crap!

Here is a list of what I've seen (and if you didn't see it...sucks to be you!)

Suicide Kings: So so so amazing. These guys are really talented slam poets and have created seamless piece of theater. They took their slam poetry and crafted a "what if" scenario based on the work they do in schools: they travel from classroom to classroom teaching a writing workshop. The work they do and the performance they put together was really inspiring. I got chills, laughed and even cried. Fabulous.

Marc Bamuthi Joseph: beautiful beautiful story-telling. I really liked learning about his life and his personal perspective. This work was a work in progress, but you could obviously tell he was a talented artists; he could dance, beat-box, and engage the audience. What a gift!

Taylor Mac: Hilarious. Beautiful. Heartfelt. His monster drag cabaret show was a "best of" of his other acts. He had a way of making us laugh our asses off and then quickly turning the moment serious. It's his eyes. Even through his latex blue face and his sequin eye make-up, you could see deep down into his soul. I wanted to hug and kiss him and immediately make him my new best friend.

Reggie Watts: He kept us all entertained with his fabulous beat-box songs, including my favorite, "fuck shit stack". Reggie is taking the piss-the American way with his improvised song, dance and performance show Disinformation.

Charlotte Vanden Eynde & Kurt Vandendriessche: Naked Belgians! Map me, get it? Explore our bodies using different mediums, (mainly film). Interesting. The best part about it was when they covered their heads in plastic bags and duck-tape and explored each other while blind. Beautifully intimate. I don't know why but the image of them with their heads ducked taped together reminded me of the torture at Abu Ghraib. No picture necessary but check out their promotional picture...See what I mean?
But, I do not feel like they were trying to reference this event or torture at all. It just the way my mind works. I feel like it really was more about cutting off the other senses and just exploring each other with touch.

Donna Uchizono Company: I loved the first piece. The sets, the lighting, the sound, and especially the choreography was A-maz-ing. I don't see a lot of dance, but I was mesmerized by this performance. Perfect from beginning to end.



More to come about TBA...and I apologize if my thoughts don't seem fully formed...I'm tired. This art is soo stimulating!!

T.B.A. PDX 2007

YEAH YEAH!! I GOT MY T.B.A. PASS TODAY!!

I am SOOO excited for T.B.A. I went last year for the first time and really loved the intensity of the festival. I am really looking forward to seeing Nature Theater of Oklahoma again. Last year we got into the final performance and had to sit on the floor in the front row. A little bit about Nature Theater of Oklahoma pulled from the TBA booklet: "Nature Theater of Oklahoma is a New York-based performance group under the direction of Pavol Liska and Kelly Cooper. The ensemble strives to create an unsettling live situation that demands total presence from everyone in the room. Using ready made materials, found space, overheard speech, and observed gesture, and through extreme formal manipulation and superhuman effort, they seek to effect a shift in the perception of everyday reality that extends beyond the site of performance and into the world in which we live." AMAZING...right? The performance is 4 hours long and you get a soda and a sandwich...talk about bang for you buck! (www.oktheater.org)

The next group I'm so excited about is Elevator Repair Service. I haven't seen this group before by they are reading The Great Gatsby out loud. From the T.B.A. handbook: "Six hours long and with a cast of 13, Gatz is by far ERS' most ambitious endeavor yet. Not a stage adaptation of Fitzgerald's novel but a verbatim reading of the entire book, accomplished by the staff of a small office in the midst of their increasingly bewildered business operations." (www.elevator.org)

Other things I am looking forward to:

Mammalian Diving Reflex: Haircuts by Children (Toronto-bases performance company, who will ask you to trust children to cut your hair. ) www.mammalian.ca

Zoe Scofield & Juniper Shuey: The devil you know is better than the devil you don't (their performance explores adolescent group dynamics) www.zoeandjuniper.com

Kassys: KOMMER (Amsterdam-based theater company focusing on displaying the beauty of humane success and failure)

tEEth: Norman and Happy (Portland-based company...yeah P-Town! dance group who are exploring division between one's conscious and subconscious) www.rubberteeth.com

Charlotte Vanden Eynde & Kurt Vandendriessche: Map Me (naked Belgians using their bodies like a canvas and exploring the hidden physical and emotional aspects) www.wpzimmer.be

Taylor Mac: The BE(A)ST of Taylor Mac (He has sequins on his face and creates solo performances borrowing from different perfromative art forms) www.taylormac.net

The Suicide Kings: In spite of Everything (hip-hop theater...enough said) www.suicidekingsspokenword.com

And ALL of the events at The Works looks amazing (seriously just go to them all because it's always a fun time) and so do the Art exhibits. But being a theater person, the devised and performance based groups are what interest me most.

Check out more at: www.pica.org