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.
I like your idea of doing the silks outside. That would be really cool to see. I think it would draw a lot of people just like when you did the neutral mask exercise. I haven't done that much with the neutral mask, just once in an acting class at BRCC. I would feel very nervous doing it in public. I suppose it would be just you said about doing things you wouldn't normally do because you had the neutral mask. Just having the mask on would be disruptive in a public place and would really draw a crowd. Cool Post!
ReplyDeleteI totally forgot about the neutral mask/flocking disturbance. I actually had to do it too and I experienced some of the same things that you did. What's awesome about that type of disturbance is it isn't like NOT IN MY NAME where it's out in the open, but scripted. The point of that neutral mask exercise is to just let it go where it wants to go. It's not committed theatre because we are not attempting to convey a message. We are not trying to produce some change in an audience. I don't suppose it's autonomous theatre, either. We weren't performing theatre for theatre's sake. It was more for our sake. The exercise is to see how being in that environment effects US. What type of theatre was that? Is it performance art? What is theatre that doesn't have a particular message or isn't even really trying to garner attention of an audience? What is theatre that just is? We just did the exercises we usually do in a closed space outside. Did that make it a performance? Is practicing scales a performance? Doing Meisner exercises? Cooking? Reading? Exercising? If you take these actions out of their "natural habitat" and place them somewhere where they don't necessarily belong, what is that called?
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