Things to remember while making work.
Number thirteen: Learn from previous work.
I'm about to say something that I expect will get me into some trouble with my classmates.
I did not enjoy the work we made for our workshop with Toby. I thought it demonstrated how we didn't learn our lessons from our previous workshops - specifically the one from last week with Clare and Duncan.
You know that expression? I think it's from the bible. "Learn your lessons well."
I found the work I watched today, including my own, to be tepid, lukewarm, flaccid, modest, un-urgent, conservative, et cetera.
Last week when we were given the prompt "you have five minutes - what's the most important thing you can do with that time." We made some of the best short-form exercise work we've made all year.
I expect this opinion to go down badly and i hope that if I have offended you that you will come talk to me about it.
Perhaps I'm tired of these short exercises. I want to sink my teeth into something and put up a piece when it's ready not when the clock runs out.
I think we need more time to talk about the work. These short post mortems where we run out of time to talk about the work just makes things worse.
We need to manage our time better.
We need the leaders of our workshops to know what we've done before so we stop repeating.
We need to hold ourselves to higher standards.
We need to foster rigourous critical dialogue
We need to be emotionally honest about what we are engaged by and what leaves us cold.
We need to hold miniature post mortems within each working group about the process.
We need the passion we have for the field to come through in our work.
We need to risk more.
Please respond - What do you think? Am I full of nonsense? Do you think I'm on the right track?
I look forward to the discussion.
happy new year
Things to remember while making work....
Number twelve: Be concise.
I was speaking to a blogger in another field and his first comment, when asked what made a good blog - be concise.
I think this is especially true in the process of making theatre collaboratively. When there are several people in the room, all with a point they're dying to make, it is darn-near imperative that everyone make that point as succinctly as possible.
There are two reasons for this: First everyone will have time to speak, and second, everyone will have time to reflect on the ideas that have been shared.
I understand that often there is the impulse, conscious or unconscious, to persuade the others in our groups to support our ideas. However, it is often detrimental to that end to speak longer than is needed on a given subject because after a certain amount of time people begin to stop listening.
I once heard a radio talk show host say that the length of time anyone can deal with one thought is 45 seconds. Whether or not that's true is probably indeterminable but it sounds good to me.
You now have my permission to cut me off after 45 seconds.
Number twelve: Be concise.
I was speaking to a blogger in another field and his first comment, when asked what made a good blog - be concise.
I think this is especially true in the process of making theatre collaboratively. When there are several people in the room, all with a point they're dying to make, it is darn-near imperative that everyone make that point as succinctly as possible.
There are two reasons for this: First everyone will have time to speak, and second, everyone will have time to reflect on the ideas that have been shared.
I understand that often there is the impulse, conscious or unconscious, to persuade the others in our groups to support our ideas. However, it is often detrimental to that end to speak longer than is needed on a given subject because after a certain amount of time people begin to stop listening.
I once heard a radio talk show host say that the length of time anyone can deal with one thought is 45 seconds. Whether or not that's true is probably indeterminable but it sounds good to me.
You now have my permission to cut me off after 45 seconds.
think fast
The following are thoughts related to the 24-hour play making process we undertook last week.
One might argue that making a play in 24 hours is a bad idea from the start and doomed to failure.
It would be easy to take this line given the widely held belief that the best theatre in the world is made slowly over long development periods. Not to mention the fact that speed is antithesis to what should be fundamental in making work - thoughtfulness. Without time to reflect and re-examine one's impulses it is inevitable that those ideas will be under-developed. No?
All of this ignores the context, of course. The project was an experiment meant to alter dramatically our typical modes of creating.
The joy of making work this way is that you don't have time to think. Thinking can get in the way, allowing time for second-guessing and erecting blocks in the creative pathways.
Thinking fast, under pressure of deadline, forces open new highways. It requires a certain amount of creative prioritizing. And it compels us to take creative risks rather than rely on familiar methods.
A normal creative path, from impulse to finished project could be symbolized by a winding rural road. Unpredictable, unreliable, and full of the unexpected. The 24 hour process could be said to build a super-highway of sorts. This new road is not perfectly smooth but it offers a clear line to the finish. One could argue, of course, that the highway analogy also includes drawbacks. We miss some beautiful scenery and we ignore exits which might lead to other, more fruitful, places.
This leads us to creative prioritization. With an end so clearly in sight, we're forced to eschew certain tangents which, in another context, could be extremely useful. This clarity of priority leads to a singularity of purpose in the work which can be very potent. Without those tangents the work might accused of lacking nuance but it will certainly gain from a high level of focus.
Getting us out of our comfort zone and forcing us to stay away from these tangents encourages us to take risks. (This is only possible in the context of an experiment where it is acceptable to fail.) Risk is the place where the best work happens. The Rite of Spring, A Doll's House, Saved, Einstein On The Beach, the work of Jackson Pollock - all of these took risks, challenged the status quo, and in the end, had an enormous effect in and beyond their respective mediums.
If you had 5 minutes to talk to the whole world, what is the best thing you could do with that time?
If you had one chance to show the world what you could do, would you do something familiar or take a risk?
If we're emotionally honest these are very hard questions to answer. It's easy to say we would be bold and fearless and take a risk. But would we know how? What if taking creative risks was a practice like yoga? Something we did every day and got better at over time.
I think it was Hitchcock who talked about exercising the story muscle... Everyday he took a newspaper story and converted it into a narrative.
Practice, practice, practice.
One might argue that making a play in 24 hours is a bad idea from the start and doomed to failure.
It would be easy to take this line given the widely held belief that the best theatre in the world is made slowly over long development periods. Not to mention the fact that speed is antithesis to what should be fundamental in making work - thoughtfulness. Without time to reflect and re-examine one's impulses it is inevitable that those ideas will be under-developed. No?
All of this ignores the context, of course. The project was an experiment meant to alter dramatically our typical modes of creating.
The joy of making work this way is that you don't have time to think. Thinking can get in the way, allowing time for second-guessing and erecting blocks in the creative pathways.
Thinking fast, under pressure of deadline, forces open new highways. It requires a certain amount of creative prioritizing. And it compels us to take creative risks rather than rely on familiar methods.
A normal creative path, from impulse to finished project could be symbolized by a winding rural road. Unpredictable, unreliable, and full of the unexpected. The 24 hour process could be said to build a super-highway of sorts. This new road is not perfectly smooth but it offers a clear line to the finish. One could argue, of course, that the highway analogy also includes drawbacks. We miss some beautiful scenery and we ignore exits which might lead to other, more fruitful, places.
This leads us to creative prioritization. With an end so clearly in sight, we're forced to eschew certain tangents which, in another context, could be extremely useful. This clarity of priority leads to a singularity of purpose in the work which can be very potent. Without those tangents the work might accused of lacking nuance but it will certainly gain from a high level of focus.
Getting us out of our comfort zone and forcing us to stay away from these tangents encourages us to take risks. (This is only possible in the context of an experiment where it is acceptable to fail.) Risk is the place where the best work happens. The Rite of Spring, A Doll's House, Saved, Einstein On The Beach, the work of Jackson Pollock - all of these took risks, challenged the status quo, and in the end, had an enormous effect in and beyond their respective mediums.
If you had 5 minutes to talk to the whole world, what is the best thing you could do with that time?
If you had one chance to show the world what you could do, would you do something familiar or take a risk?
If we're emotionally honest these are very hard questions to answer. It's easy to say we would be bold and fearless and take a risk. But would we know how? What if taking creative risks was a practice like yoga? Something we did every day and got better at over time.
I think it was Hitchcock who talked about exercising the story muscle... Everyday he took a newspaper story and converted it into a narrative.
Practice, practice, practice.
rigor
things to remember while making work:
Number eleven: Rigor
Two of the synonyms for rigor listed in the thesaurus are Conscientiousness and Meticulousness.
I'm looking for rigorous collaborators
I'm looking to make work rigorously
I feel like we as a class should increase our level of rigor.
If anyone reads this, please post a comment. Do you agree? Disagree? What are your thoughts about our level of rigor?
I look forward to having the discussion.
Number eleven: Rigor
Two of the synonyms for rigor listed in the thesaurus are Conscientiousness and Meticulousness.
I'm looking for rigorous collaborators
I'm looking to make work rigorously
I feel like we as a class should increase our level of rigor.
If anyone reads this, please post a comment. Do you agree? Disagree? What are your thoughts about our level of rigor?
I look forward to having the discussion.
november twenty eigth, two thousand nine.
Things to remember while making work:
Number ten: Art is one thing contained in another
I've been thinking hard about what to say that could describe our conversation with Tim Crouch.
Perhaps its best to say simply that it was an inspiring experience and that I wish everyone could have the same opportunity.
A few highlights of that conversation:
1. What I will call "oak tree theory" In the tate modern there is a work called An Oak Tree (by michael craig-martin) it is a glass of water on a shelf and next to it is the following text:
http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~ig206/oak_tree.html
Tim Crouch uses this conceptual art theory in his play, also called An Oak Tree. Simply stated, a thing is transformed simply by stating that it is transformed. (transubstantiation) And this, in Tim Crouch's eyes, is a central tenant - Art is one thing, contained in another.
This is a big, bold, beautiful idea - so pause here and read that again.
2. The play is a place where transformation takes place.
Anything we do to create that transformation before we meet the audience, thwarts that objective. In Tim's eyes this includes doing a warm-up. I love this idea. The primary attribute of theatre, its ability to be directly connected to an audience, is undermined a little bit everytime we add an element of distinction between audience and performer. Whether that's a warm-up, putting on make-up, et cetera. The idea is that the transformation should take place before the audience's eyes.
2a. It is better to transform the audience than the performer.
3. All theatre should be a challenge to the form.
This is an exact quote from Tim. He does some unusual work, formally speaking, especially in terms of audience engagement. To try to explain it all here would be futile - read a few of his plays, you'll understand....
4. Be unafraid of your own opinions.
Tim didn't say this - he exemplifies it. He talks like a steamroller. He has very strong opinions and presents them in a bold and forceful manner. I had to fight to maintain my own thinking in his presence because I often found myself being moved like a starfish by the tides.
5. To quote Tim "dreams and nonsense are peddled in places like this (referring to Central)"
I don't believe this to be true, and I found it frustrating that Duncan allowed this line to go on.
Yes, there are issues in arts education. Yes, there are way more arts students than there are jobs and resources for students. Yes, I'm biased because I've paid thousands of pounds to be here but it's just not the whole truth.
When we have a practitioner or tutor who gives us their opinion on a subject, that's no more nonsense than Tim's opinion is. When we're shown the standard hollywood plot, we kick and fight and push and pull and that's exactly what students should be doing - learning where they stand in relation to the practitioners and work that exist around them.
6. There is no help needed to create transformation.
The audience needs very little to believe a transformation has taken place. To give them all the typical theatrical trappings is to draw attention away from the miracle of the transformation.
Now....
Do I believe all of these whole-heartedly? I'm not sure. I'm learning. But so far these are by far the most potent ideas I've encountered while at Central.
Number ten: Art is one thing contained in another
I've been thinking hard about what to say that could describe our conversation with Tim Crouch.
Perhaps its best to say simply that it was an inspiring experience and that I wish everyone could have the same opportunity.
A few highlights of that conversation:
1. What I will call "oak tree theory" In the tate modern there is a work called An Oak Tree (by michael craig-martin) it is a glass of water on a shelf and next to it is the following text:
http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~ig206/oak_tree.html
Tim Crouch uses this conceptual art theory in his play, also called An Oak Tree. Simply stated, a thing is transformed simply by stating that it is transformed. (transubstantiation) And this, in Tim Crouch's eyes, is a central tenant - Art is one thing, contained in another.
This is a big, bold, beautiful idea - so pause here and read that again.
2. The play is a place where transformation takes place.
Anything we do to create that transformation before we meet the audience, thwarts that objective. In Tim's eyes this includes doing a warm-up. I love this idea. The primary attribute of theatre, its ability to be directly connected to an audience, is undermined a little bit everytime we add an element of distinction between audience and performer. Whether that's a warm-up, putting on make-up, et cetera. The idea is that the transformation should take place before the audience's eyes.
2a. It is better to transform the audience than the performer.
3. All theatre should be a challenge to the form.
This is an exact quote from Tim. He does some unusual work, formally speaking, especially in terms of audience engagement. To try to explain it all here would be futile - read a few of his plays, you'll understand....
4. Be unafraid of your own opinions.
Tim didn't say this - he exemplifies it. He talks like a steamroller. He has very strong opinions and presents them in a bold and forceful manner. I had to fight to maintain my own thinking in his presence because I often found myself being moved like a starfish by the tides.
5. To quote Tim "dreams and nonsense are peddled in places like this (referring to Central)"
I don't believe this to be true, and I found it frustrating that Duncan allowed this line to go on.
Yes, there are issues in arts education. Yes, there are way more arts students than there are jobs and resources for students. Yes, I'm biased because I've paid thousands of pounds to be here but it's just not the whole truth.
When we have a practitioner or tutor who gives us their opinion on a subject, that's no more nonsense than Tim's opinion is. When we're shown the standard hollywood plot, we kick and fight and push and pull and that's exactly what students should be doing - learning where they stand in relation to the practitioners and work that exist around them.
6. There is no help needed to create transformation.
The audience needs very little to believe a transformation has taken place. To give them all the typical theatrical trappings is to draw attention away from the miracle of the transformation.
Now....
Do I believe all of these whole-heartedly? I'm not sure. I'm learning. But so far these are by far the most potent ideas I've encountered while at Central.
november twenty fourth, two thousand nine
Things to remember while making work:
We have two ears and one mouth and we should use them proportionally.
this is what we did in practitioner study today:
Sound and fury by jampatmulligan
Tom from Sound & Fury gave us a great introduction to his work. He's a lively and engaging speaker and his investigations strike me as rigorous and well-focused.
This is why I was a bit frustrated with the second half of the class in which we turned off the lights, each person took up a noise-maker, and we explored their sounds.
you can tell by the recording that there was little focus or well structured investigation.
That fortunately evolved into a event in which Tom asked us to make specific soundscapes, which, as an exploration, was much more exciting. Though, I wish that instead of just saying, make the sound of the desert and letting us do what we want, he would ask us to make it, listen to it, revise it, and make it again and listen again.
I have to say that there were times when I was feeling like I did this level of work in my bachelor's degree and that I hope we get pushed and challenged a bit harder.
But there were other times when I was very much engaged. Tom brought up the idea of "imaginary sounds" in my opinion this was by far the most interesting part of the afternoon. These are sounds that we do not actually hear but we perceive anyway.
For me there are a few sounds associated with my wife, or with watching people on the tube (while listening to headphones) that fall into this category. I'm very interested in exploring this further.
There's an old saying that we have two ears and one mouth and we should use them proportionally. I was reminded of this today.
Also, Listening takes effort and we should not take it for granted that we are good at it just because we have ears.
Looking forward to the rest of the week!
We have two ears and one mouth and we should use them proportionally.
this is what we did in practitioner study today:
Sound and fury by jampatmulligan
Tom from Sound & Fury gave us a great introduction to his work. He's a lively and engaging speaker and his investigations strike me as rigorous and well-focused.
This is why I was a bit frustrated with the second half of the class in which we turned off the lights, each person took up a noise-maker, and we explored their sounds.
you can tell by the recording that there was little focus or well structured investigation.
That fortunately evolved into a event in which Tom asked us to make specific soundscapes, which, as an exploration, was much more exciting. Though, I wish that instead of just saying, make the sound of the desert and letting us do what we want, he would ask us to make it, listen to it, revise it, and make it again and listen again.
I have to say that there were times when I was feeling like I did this level of work in my bachelor's degree and that I hope we get pushed and challenged a bit harder.
But there were other times when I was very much engaged. Tom brought up the idea of "imaginary sounds" in my opinion this was by far the most interesting part of the afternoon. These are sounds that we do not actually hear but we perceive anyway.
For me there are a few sounds associated with my wife, or with watching people on the tube (while listening to headphones) that fall into this category. I'm very interested in exploring this further.
There's an old saying that we have two ears and one mouth and we should use them proportionally. I was reminded of this today.
Also, Listening takes effort and we should not take it for granted that we are good at it just because we have ears.
Looking forward to the rest of the week!
november eighteenth, two thousand nine
Things to remember while making work.
Number eight: Common courtesy is even more important in a group setting
I very much appreciate both Nick and Mischa mentioning the issue of punctuality to the group. I've been experiencing some frustration with the way things are going and its my hope that we can use this as an opportunity to improve the situation - to everyone's satisfaction, not just my own.
In my humble opinion, the classroom should be like the rehearsal room. People should be ready to go at the call time - not walking in the door a couple minutes after and then spending another five minutes getting their belongings in order.
Its worth noting that it happens to everyone, including Nick and Mischa - and myself. A policy which draws a hard line at the start time of the session may not really be practical but some kind of late seating system to absorb some of the grief could be very useful. A few thoughts to that end:
We could leave a few empty chairs by the door, so latecomers can sort of sneak in the back.
We could ask latecomers to prepare themselves outside the room (taking off coats, getting out notebooks, et cetera) so that when they walk in the disturbance doesn't last as long.
We could arrange a late-seating time as they do in the theatre. Say, for example, all late comers have to wait until 15 minutes past the hour so they all come in at once, rather than trickling in one by one.
People who are going to be late could text a few people so that we have some clearer expectations about who to expect and make room for.
Those are just a few off the top of my head. If people have other thoughts, lets get them on the table and talk about them.
There are some who will argue that the only person affected by one individual's lateness is that one individual. I think that's absolutely untrue. Watch the room the next time someone is late - most people turn their head. It affects my ability to focus and follow the speaker's train of thought. But then again, I do have a small brain.
OH - AND LASTLY - When you're late, don't open the door slowly (especially room Y) it just makes the squeak louder and longer. Open the door quickly - for everyone's sake!
Number eight: Common courtesy is even more important in a group setting
I very much appreciate both Nick and Mischa mentioning the issue of punctuality to the group. I've been experiencing some frustration with the way things are going and its my hope that we can use this as an opportunity to improve the situation - to everyone's satisfaction, not just my own.
In my humble opinion, the classroom should be like the rehearsal room. People should be ready to go at the call time - not walking in the door a couple minutes after and then spending another five minutes getting their belongings in order.
Its worth noting that it happens to everyone, including Nick and Mischa - and myself. A policy which draws a hard line at the start time of the session may not really be practical but some kind of late seating system to absorb some of the grief could be very useful. A few thoughts to that end:
We could leave a few empty chairs by the door, so latecomers can sort of sneak in the back.
We could ask latecomers to prepare themselves outside the room (taking off coats, getting out notebooks, et cetera) so that when they walk in the disturbance doesn't last as long.
We could arrange a late-seating time as they do in the theatre. Say, for example, all late comers have to wait until 15 minutes past the hour so they all come in at once, rather than trickling in one by one.
People who are going to be late could text a few people so that we have some clearer expectations about who to expect and make room for.
Those are just a few off the top of my head. If people have other thoughts, lets get them on the table and talk about them.
There are some who will argue that the only person affected by one individual's lateness is that one individual. I think that's absolutely untrue. Watch the room the next time someone is late - most people turn their head. It affects my ability to focus and follow the speaker's train of thought. But then again, I do have a small brain.
OH - AND LASTLY - When you're late, don't open the door slowly (especially room Y) it just makes the squeak louder and longer. Open the door quickly - for everyone's sake!
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