I attended the third and final performance of Justin Bond’s Talk/Show at Joe’s Pub, with a panel of guests that included Doug Wright (Quills, I Am My Own Wife and the book to the musical Grey Gardens), Kembra Pfahler (of “The Voluptuous Horror Of Karen Black”), and punk rock impressario Danny Fields ( the man who signed Iggy Pop to Electra Records and discovered the Ramones). The meme of the evening: the pearls of the harridan.

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Well, well, Culturebot’s very own Andy Horwitz (currently vacationing in a secluded region that shant be named) was quoted in Sunday’s Times in a piece on blogging about plays. You can read it here.

Since were “insiderish” anyway, we thought we’d put up a link. Hey, it’s nice to be namechecked in the “Gray Lady,” for what it’s worth.

you may remember we were eagerly awaiting the follow up to David Cote’s post on fraudulent theatre, where he promised to unveil his “Five Keys to Authenticity” (aka when to call “bullshit” on bad performance). Well, he’s posted them on his blog, Histriomastix, and they are…you’ll just have to read them for yourselves.

Suffice it to say, Cote’s crucible for anyone who calls themselves an artist, be it visual, written, or performance, has intrinsic value. Basic? Yes. Worthy of discussion? Most certainly.

“Drifting Awake” is a new piece by Estelle Woodward and Jeff Arnal. The performance is an immersive experience spread through The Chocolate Factory’s space (which I found quite fulfilling after making a rare trip to Queens) with soundscape, installation, video, and intent performers (Estelle Woodward and Alison Robinson). The performance uses the whole space, moving the audience between two floors and even the narrow, sloping ramp of a lobby. Some phrases that I wrote during the show, “who else does tai-chi with light and shadow?” “wind instrument resonates the entire room” and “performer stares down dirt after covering extremities in it.” Rather than present my drivel (as evidenced above), I asked Estelle and Jeff a few questions about the creation of this comprehensive show and their vision.

Isabella: Can you explain the origins of “Drifting Awake”?

Estelle: “This was the second time that we have done an installation piece at the Chocolate Factory. We again had the experience of being able to come in and take over the space, in order to create multi-layered installation piece. We were reallyinterested in doing something like that again and we had already talked to Brian (Rogers, director of Chocolate factory) about coming back the next season. At the same time, we went backpacking in the Sequoia and it’s just an amazing experience, where you get to focus on yourself, one another and the environment without other distractions. You’re out in the open, and that’s where we started. We began talking about building different environments that had a relationship to the experiences that we were having on the trip, such as (living) inside a dome, what’s going on inside and outside the dome and what that’s like for an audience member or a performer. On the other hand, the upstairs environment, represents an outdoor, broad expanse. We were working on different altered states of being, states of consciousness, levels of awareness, “awakeness”.

Isabella: I saw a lot of horror film references, In the movement, use of light and video editing…….

Estelle: That’s an interesting association with that particular genre of film because Jeff has a degree in film and his influence comes a lot from the more experimental genre of film. Namely the German expressionist period, which had a “gothic” quality, with extreme shadows, mysterious quality, things not really being what they appear to be.

Isabella: At one point during the downstairs section, I became suddenly aware of your presence, when you actually had been in the room for awhile. Because you were manipulating the orientation of the audience to the performance, how did you remain attentive to their comfort level?

Estelle: “I hope the experience in the dome for the audience feels very gentle and non-confrontational. I picture it as an intimate exchange between myself and the audience, not invading anyone’s space. But it’s a fine line as a performer, (you must be) so careful with your energy, your intention and your focus. You have to be aware of the intensity of your movement. The piece is improvisated; heavily scored, with a very specific structure. Because the material varies each time I do it, and there’s a lot of room within the structure to gauge the energy of the different audiences.”

Isabella: The sound score in this show is so immersive and vital to the creation of the enveloping environment in “Drifting awake”. How did Jeff Arnal approach the sound score?

Estelle: He works a lot with found sounds, exploring the relationship between yourself and your environment, the notion of memeory and unconscious thoguht, which continued the three main concepts of the piece. There was a link between memory and place, so there’s a lot of different sounds that I think people have heard many times, so it calls up a memory for you (from your life). What is the emotional response to that memeory and how does that impact your experience during this show?

Isabella: It constantly amazes me how heightened and attentive an audience can become once they are forced to listen closely and in doing so, focus on their surroundings. The sound was so important in this installation and made the whole experience come together. I really noticed where I was……..

Estelle: We have been collaborating for a really long time and Jeff is a percussionist so a lot of our work has been focused on improvisation, so working in this way, where we are creating sounds scores and combining all these elements, the sound, the environment and the movement, was unique and interesting. The last time we did an installation at the Chocolate Factory, Jeff built a Foley soundstage in the basement, which was used for live radio shows in the 40s. All the performers were upstairs and the percussionists were downstairs doing these sound effects, standing in gravel pits and pouring water. You could see them on monitors creating the live sound score, so this current show was very different from the previous one.

Jeff: I was also aware of the limitations of the space, that you would hear what was going on upstairs while you were downstairs, etc. I also worked with memory, using what you just saw and hearing again what you heard earlier in the show. I used old compositions in collage, similar to the film editing. I did a lot of field recording in the places we had been, specifically Rockaway Beach and the hiking trip in the Sequoias. It really came down to the subject matter, being aware of what’s in our conscious mind and the collective conscious mind. I just collected things over the year that I felt fit into this project.

Isabella: Thank you very much for speaking with me!

Okay. I’m only going to say this one more time. I know the comments are busted. I wish they weren’t but they are. We had a monstrous amount of comment spam and somehow, between that and the site design just being kinda old, the comments don’t work. And there’s lots of broken links and other stuff. So if you’re really concerned about it, then please help us find someone to fix the problem. Like help us do a redesign, really. Email andyATps122DOTorg or culturebotATgmailDOTcom if you want to help us upgrade this thing. We’ve had lots of meetings but not too much in the way of results.

Thanks!

Andy

Just got back from The Butane Group‘s production of Operation Ajax which tells the amazing – and frightening – story of the 1953 CIA overthrow of Iran’s democratically elected Prime Minister, who was replaced with The Shah. For some more info you can check out the Wikipedia entry on Operation Ajax. It is absolutely insane. If you ever wanted to understand a little bit about how Iran – and the whole Middle East – came to be where they are today, this is an interesting place to start.
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As y’all know, Culturebot “doesn’t do reviews,” but we still like to talk about performance, so here’s a chat (conducted via E-mail) between Culturebot writers Risa Shoup and Sarah Maxfield about Cynthia Hopkins’ latest creation Must Don’t Whip ‘Um. Are you still thinking about the show? Add your thoughts as well!
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Apply Today for The Public Theater’s SHAKESPEARE LAB 2007!

Application materials due Monday, April 2!

The highly acclaimed Shakespeare Lab actor training program is now accepting applications for its 13-week acting intensive on
May 29 – August 25, 2007.

Click here for application information. Applications are due Monday, April 2. Scholarships are available to cover the cost of tuition.

Now entering its thirteenth year, The Public Theater Shakespeare Lab presents a unique opportunity for actors to develop their classical skills. The Lab immerses the actor in Shakespeare’s plays and language under the instruction of some of the most respected teachers of classical theater in New York and the world. In previous years, faculty has included Christopher Bayes, Michael Cumpsty, John Dias, Kate Forbes, Orlando Patoboy, J. Steven White, and Janet Zarish. Guest Artists have included Liev Schreiber, Oskar Eustis, Roger Rees, Jordan Thaler, Mark Lamos, Dana Ivey, and George C. Wolfe.

During the 13-week Acting Conservatory, Lab Actors will enrich
their understanding of Shakespeare and his plays through intensive study and performance; develop skills in clown, movement, voice and teaching; and forge significant relationships with fellow Lab members, teachers and members of The Public Theater’s professional community of artists. The Lab provides a unique opportunity for actors to work on their craft during The Public Theater’s world-renowned Shakespeare programming at The Delacorte Theater in Central Park.

For more information about the application process, click here to visit the webpage or call 212-539-8525.

Edina: “It’s a dead body, Pats.”
Patsy: “Yeah, but is it art, Eddie?”

We use the above quote from Absolutely Fabulous as an entry point to an intriguing and well-thought out argument over at the blog Histriomastix, run by Time Out New York’s David Cote, on the nature of fraudulent theater.

Cote wonders when, and if, it’s acceptable to call “bullshit” on a performance. To wit:

“Is bad art fraudulent art? What is art fraud (and I don’t mean forgery)? Is fakery the same as illusion? And isn’t illusion—the fashioning of words and actions in fabricated, unrealistic patterns (especially in naturalism)—the basis of theatrical craft? If we accept that the artist is fraud to nature and to the way humans actually behave, what does it mean to dismiss an artist as a fraud? Does it even matter if we identify the phony as such? Is the true artist a fraud unto himself—a splendid liar?”

The ensuing assessment is a worthwhile read for theatregoers and practitioners alike. You can find it here.

We’re excited to read the follow up, where Cote will introduce his “five keys to authenticity.”

This evening brings another installment of Talk/Show to Joe’s Pub, hosted by inimitable raconteur Justin Bond (“Kiki” of Kiki and Herb). Bond will lead tonight’s guests, including director John Cameron Mitchell, Daniela Sea, and the legendary Debbie Harry in a discussion of current events, with a few musical numbers thrown in for kicks. Think of it like watching a taping of Jay Leno, only infinitely more interesting and probably way more potty-mouthed.

You can listen to an interview with Justin Bond where he discusses the creation of his boozy alter ego Kiki and the impetus for Talk/Show here.

For tickets and info, visit the Joe’s Pub site.