The Power of Acceptance and Where It could Go...

When I was having my Board Review to become an Eagle Scout (The final step to becoming one), I was asked the question: If you were to give one word to scouts, leaders, and people in general to live by, what would it be? I thought long and hard, and as many "correct answers" passed my mind such as Bravery, Love, Patience, Strength, Unity, etc. this one stood out the most, mainly because it is something I have lived by all my life. ACCEPTANCE! Now, I could go on about the reasoning for that answer forever. All you need to know is, it was very well received and I backed it up very well. Why is that important for you to know? Well, because it's one of the few things I am very passionate about that also happens to be an issue today. As much as I'd like to believe that America and the World is headed in some direction of equality, we have a long way to go. I am a firm believer in equal rights basically on every capacity. As we all know, racism is a huge issue that we sometimes forget or just choose to ignore, because  we're supposed to be past that. Yet, get on any social media, and the first thing you'll see is some racial issue, or just people in an argument that escalated to something racial because they were of different backgrounds, when the original discrepancy had nothing to do with race at all. (personally, I don't believe in race, because we are all homo sapiens, which means "wise man." Ironic, I know!) Also, people have a certain freedom behind a keyboard, particularly the wonderful comments you'll find on youtube. (yes, i know. I went there.) And many more examples that could be used. Another issue is the right for same sex marriage. I for one, support it. Two, it is something that is still not allowed in most of the country, and yet we're supposed to be "America" home of the brave. Free and Equal. United we stand. One Nation. Yet we limit people that live a different life style just because it may make people uncomfortable, angry, blasphemous, etc.

So, where am I going with all this? Well, I was taught a very successful technique on getting large crowd's attention by the Magnificent Nicholas Erickson. This technique is known by many as flocking. Before I get into how I would utilize it, I will first give you my objectives.

1. Bring awareness to both the issues mentioned above
2. By the end of experiment, have all or most bystanders want to make a change, or at least spread the word on what they saw.
3. Stress that no matter how you may disagree with either issue, to ACCEPT people for who they are. As cliche as that sounds, it can be a huge step forward once someone makes that decision.
4. Engage the people well enough to watch and listen the whole time. (this would be the most difficult)

This is what I would do.

I would have a large group flock together to grab the attention of the people in a public area. If we're talking LSU campus: the quad, parade grounds, student union, front yard of MDA, major parking lots, The 5 and 459, and any other decently sized area on campus, such as the courtyard of the education complex. When I said large group, I meant it, as I would have all this happen in each area simultaneously. Once the attention is grabbed by a substantial amount the flocking would end and transition to scenarios of these different options of themes. Both positive and negative.

Acceptance
Awareness
Bullying
Discrimination
Equality
Harassment
Ignorance
Unity

Many others can be added or taken from the list, but you get the idea.

I feel this would be effective as it is a new way to bring up the issues, and engage the people.
Because it is live and somewhat performative, they can't just click the "x" or keep scrolling.
Also, because it would be done on such a large scale, it would be talked about all around campus for a long time and most probably make news, become a viral video on social media, and at least have the issues rethought and possibly cause the ultimate goal of moving forward, even if it were a baby step.

Post a Photo, Create a Play

I usually don't like answering a question with another question, however, I would like to ask: Can a twitter play consist of just photographs? No words at all, just picture after picture. Could it even be said that a twitter play can be just one photo with hashtags? If so, I would 100% agree that  time and place definitely reinforce the reality of these plays.

For example: Saturday October 25, 2014 was a night LSU fans won't forget. After LSU upset Ole Miss, LSU fans rushed the field in tiger stadium. This hasn't been done since 2001. So in other words, it was kind of a big deal. That being said, I posted a picture of myself and a friend (Laine Korn) on the field. It immediately became the most popular post I had ever posted on any social media. It made me think of the saying a picture is a thousand words. Granted, it probably would have gotten a good amount of recognition on its own, but because of time, place, and circumstance it got a far more likes, retweets, and grams than ever perceived.

1. LSU fans were liking everything LSU related. PERIOD.
2. The picture is pretty good, especially the poses.
3. Knowing that everyone would be on their news feed after the game, the timing was perfect.
4. Using the hashtags #LSU #geauxtigers #paintedposse allowed it to get instant viewing.

All this is important to consider, as a story can be told from the expression on Laine and me's face, to the band playing in the background, to the people running amuck on the field out of pure excitement, and to the group of girls behind us taking a photo. (possibly another twitter play? the sequel?)

I realize this is a stretch from what we read, but I do think it possible to formulate said desired play from a photo or series of photos.

Red VS. Blue! Which side are you on?

I thought it would be interesting to set Romeo and Juliet either in a mansion or castle. Upon entry, audience members would choose Red or Blue. Depending on their decision, a Montague or Capulet would then lead that person either to the west wing or the east wing. While in their perspective wings, audience members would witness and participate in the scenes that only consisted of one particular party. All scenes where Capulets and Montagues interacted, or crossed paths, both parties would be led to the grand hall to witness and participate in the madness. To maybe push it further, I would play with the idea of having Romeo and Juliet pull members aside and only tell them their own personal private thoughts, and when Romeo and Juliet would sneak off together, they would only take a few people with them in a secluded room in the mansion or castle. If the rights allowed to manipulate the script, maybe the audience could choose to stop certain events from happening, or at least try to intervene and maybe be killed (not literally) or led out the building.


I feel this would be a great way to get more people excited about Shakespeare.  It could also benefit people who have watched and read this play a million times by giving them a new way to experience the story. The use of space would cause the parties of each household, audience included, to really engage in the story and pick sides; allowing them the ability to feel there actions and opinions do effect the outcome.

Would the actors allow someone to stop Romeo from killing himself and explain Juliet is still alive?
Could a member of the audience jump in the way so they are "killed" instead of Mercutio or Tibalt?
During the ball scene, would people gang up on Romeo and stop him from getting to Juliet?

All this reminds me of the choose your own adventure books I read in 3rd grade.
Obviously, if this were to become a thing, the director should make the ultimate decision as to choose to either guide the audience along, or actually allow them to intervene.

Do I agree with Kantor's view that the theatre is the least appropriate site for drama to be materialized? I'm not quite sure. He does make a good point that when we don't expect things to happen that that's when they undoubtably do. However, wouldn't that be all the more reason to believe that it can be shown through theatre. We learn throughout this course how vast theatre is, and that it comes in many many forms. So I would say that theatre is the MOST appropriate for well... almost anything, if not everything.

Nothing Is Ever Black and White

This idea goes back to the first class we had when Dr. Fletcher asked us what Theatre was. Many of us had very different answers, yet all were correct. Because, theatre cannot be defined as just one thing. Performance Art is a great mediator that shows us this. In itself, it has various different forms, interpretations, messages, and goals. I would agree, however, that with technology, society, and now, social media, performers are constancy evolving and creating new acts/art that we can relate to, dive into, and possibly change based on the "norms" of now. This gives it potential to in a sense, dilute itself and possibly lose its artistic expression. Though, I do believe if it came to that, artists would then revert back to what it was before to then change the "norm" again, and it would become this sort of cycle of art. 

When it comes to "imagined memory", I couldn't think of something very recent, so I reverted to my years as a wee little lad. When I was very young, about 5 or 6, I would watch The Three Stooges, The Little Rascals, The Legend of Zoro, The Lone Ranger, and many other black and white films and television shows. For some reason, I believed that at a certain point in time, everything was black and white, and by some miraculous phenomenon humans discovered color. I was obviously taught otherwise shortly after, but it made me realize that because of what I saw on television, and the VHS tapes of recorded family memories (all in black and white), it almost seemed natural to think that things used to be that way. It was then very cool to learn that we always saw color, and the camera technology from back then could not produce color, rather than the human eye.

HEY! ROSETTA!! THAT'S MY BIKE!

One example that comes to mind when thinking of a disturbance in the theatre world, is the neutral mask performance we do in Nick Erickson's movement 2 class. We all go to the quad during mid-term week of the spring semester and perform the art of Neutral Mask. Then, we make our way to the middle of the quad and start flocking. Little by little the group separates into smaller flocks until everyone goes solo. The reason this works so well, is everyone's attention is grabbed by this strange "flash mob" happening. So then when we break off on our own, we have this false sense of security with the people in the quad. This allowed us to do/take/try things with complete strangers that no one in their right mind would let someone do if we didn't have the neutral mask on. I personally got to take someone's book bag, ride a bike, a longboard, a unicycle, climb a tree in somebody else's shoes, and many other unusual things I wouldn't normally get away with. We then finished by flocking together again and marched back to the MDA.

Something I have always wanted to do since my sophomore year here in 2012 that could be considered 21st century is performing an aerial silks routine in the enchanted forest, or a public area where there is a giant sturdy oak tree. It would be a change in pace, one, because it would be outside and the performance itself (being performed on a real tree) links with the audience being outside. And two, not only is it just a performance in the outdoors, but it is a performance in the outdoors using the outdoors at the same time.

Ostriches and Felonies!!

Back when I was a wee lad, I had the wonderful experience of being part of the show Eiffel Tower: Revisited. This play had just about everything. It was narrated by two men, a Mac and a PC, and consisted of an ensemble that played out the story as it was narrated. The central stage piece was a giant iPhone which all characters entered and exited from. This play also had dancers (the tweets), and a live twitter feed being projected on a giant screen throughout the whole play. Characters in the play including a lion, hunter, clown, general, photographer, and lets not forget the ostrich, all participated in tweeting as well. The play's general plot was to get the perfect tableau in which the photographer would add another character each time. Needless to say this play was very fun to be a part of and watch at the same time. However, as hilarious and enjoyable as it was, i didn't get much more out of it, other than it being my first show in college.

The show that has had the most impact on me was Brother Size. This play really hit home, as the main character went through a very similar sequence of events that I had just gone through. Although this play did have certain dream sequences that represented each character's relation to the african god they represented, it was very real to me in the sense of the hard life each one of them lived. It had a way of snapping me back to reality and helped me realize that I had to change my way of going about things, or else I would end up like Oshoosi who had to leave the country in order to escape prison. So, this play had a very true aspect to it, as the consequences of each action each character took was very realistic.

Whether there's a difference between newly clarified truth or documentary/naturalistic reality theatre is not as clear as it would seem. I would agree that there are different styles and approaches to an issue or story. However, to me, it all depends on the audience it pertains to, the story being told, and what that specific audience member gets out of it.

HEADS UP!!! LOOK OUT!!!

These two phrases are more likely situational. So I might be treading the line of if they're performative or not. However, they did come to mind when I thought of the idea of saying something that means something else; or taking action to a command in result of the social understanding of what that command is.

For example: if someone were to shout out "Heads up!!" it most likely means something is falling from a higher elevation than the plane you are currently standing on. It doesn't even matter if you know the circumstances of what is happening or who actually said it. Your immediate reaction is going to try to move from your current spot to a, hopefully, safer place to avoid the danger. Or if you consider yourself to have enhanced skillz, DO A BARREL ROLE!!

What if we actually "obeyed" the command HEADS UP!!? If someone were to hear this shouted and took the command literally, one would simply raise there head up and look to the sky to be hit or smacked by the probably dangerous object (be it a baseball, wrench, or piano) and then receive consequences resulting in a bump on the head, serious injury, or even death.

The same concept goes for "LOOK OUT!!!" If someone says "Look out!", they most probably don't want you to actually stop what your doing and look for the incoming potential danger, but rather get down, duck, or get behind something.

Here's where these two phrases have the potential to be performative. If society accepts "Heads up!" and "Look out!" as warning signs/a command to move your butt, then couldn't someone shout these phrases solely to get a reaction out of innocent by standers or even test people to see if they react, or what actions they take?

For example: Back in my younger years when I was a junior in high school, whenever I would take a ride with my friends we would play a game. I would sit in the passenger seat as my friend drove, and we would usually have one or two people sitting in the back. I would then role down the window and shout to pedestrians on the sidewalk "LOOK OUT!!!" Not once did anyone actually stop and look for something as I instructed, but rather they would jump left or right, or do a 180 to face the non-existent threat I had just created.

So, in conclusion, because I had an audience (my friends in the back and my driver), and I knew I could get a reaction out of a complete stranger based on social norms, I  believe "Heads up!" and "Look out!" to be potential performative utterances/acts.