Buskers, Bloggers, and Being

Veni Vidi Vici

L-C — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 18:37:42 +0000

New York Theatre.com’s review of Deborah Kaufmann’s one-woman show reads: “An exploration of human instincts at so basic a level that thought can be put aside and impulse thoroughly enjoyed . . . this performance gleams most brightly, with true mischief . . . unfettered at maximum strength”

It was exactly what I wanted to see - a short clown show that had theme and structure. “Mud” is a clown with a four word vocabulary, the most commonly used words being “mine” and “nice”. She has some vaguely Hindic ritual by which she performs her kind of magic to solve her problems. Her ritual can give her the “permission” she needs to expand the circle of her chalked “spot” larger and larger on the stage or make silverware appear it what seems to be an empty paperbag. She “kidnaps” audience participants and has them set a table for her or be “knights” thumbwrestling. The charm of the show is that her “greed” is so natural and therefore universal. We have all wanted those “nice” things that we could call “mine”.

: Following the Line!!!!

The “dot” at the end of the show is when the audience discovers the chalk line of “mine” has been extended all the way out the theater door, down the three flights of steps to the street, out the door and to the street curb. It is the final laugh, long after the formal show has ended.

I was heartily encouraged as I know I could perform a similar 30-40 minute show if I could write it, (and find proper venue of course). Most heartily encouraged to learn from Deborah after show was that she left parts out!!! and even so, the show seemed complete.

Notes on the Grail Project

L-C — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 18:18:52 +0000

I cannot find any bamboo felt, but there seems to be bamboo fleece which is super duper pile.

Information about it, and the sun painting technique is at Dharma Trading Co.

Mystery Solved

L-C — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 07:23:56 +0000

I am sitting here working on my taupe ombre taupe handkerchief drape top made out of georgette, and started to develop a banging headache. Then I realized that I had forgotten to eat for about 12 hours. I recut this design three times, and then I had several stitch ripping sessions as I neglected to test baste some construction together to see if it was going to work out the way I planned. I’m antsy for the big reveal to see if it looks (and hangs) the way I hope.

Now I’m off to the fridge for some caloric Rx for my headache.

Scatterlings of Africa

L-C — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 08:18:58 +0000

I am an African about 2000 generations removed …

The Journey of Man by Spencer Wells
The Journey of Mankind - Peopling the World nn

National Geographic Channel web site
Wikipedia - article mmm

Transformative Studies

L-C — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 05:08:57 +0000

money required. but sounds very interesting and fulfilling.

CIIS - California Institute of Integral Studies
http://www.ciis.edu/academics/tsd_curric.html

PhD or PsyD - “The Transformative Studies program is offered in an online format. Students work in the online environment of the CIIS virtual classroom. During the 2 years of course work, the students meet twice a year in the Bay Area for 5-7-day residential intensives. The intensives are an essential aspect of the learning experience, and are mandatory.”

$955 - per unit
$20,720 for two semesters full-time - 36 units total = aprx $35,000 plus living expenses for residential intensives …

Homage to Pinky

L-C — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 04:07:13 +0000

He was a very strange cat, at least to me. However, my TacaCat was a very strange cat to others, too. Pinky was a huge unattractive orange soccer ball of fur with a cat head. He would literally eat until he threw up. Dietary self regulation was not in his repertoire. Can you blame him, though? He was an alley cat rescued from a Tokyo street who attached himself thoroughly, utterly to my sister. That kind of devotion from a living purring creature can be so fulfilling and comforting. She was his guardian angel.

Pinky traveled with his companion, MommyCat, all the way from Tokyo to Yorklyn, DE to Norwalk, CA to Baltimore, MD, along with the life transistions of my sister. However, after being rescued from the life of a street cat, he rarely ever cared to venture past the threshold to the “outside” again. He liked the GumbyCat existence: eating, sleeping, and “sits, and sits, and sits, and sits”. Pinky would glare at strangers (including me) if they entered his domain, and quickly trot off to a more secluded place to take up the occupation of sitting. He disliked other cats that tried to enter his world as well - so much so that he hurled himself once through a sidelight window at a neighbor cat who tried to sit on “his” front step, and peer in.

Today, Pinky returned to “Kitty Heaven” in Yorklyn, Delaware once again to lay at rest in the grassy grounds he would peer out at through his windows, but did not care much to explore. In his last months, he began to lose weight and on the eve of his next move it was discovered he had cancer. He was given a shot which relieved his pain, and for a short moment he was in the arms of his “guardian angel” and pain free. He relaxed, and purred his thanks, and shortly passed on to his next existence. It was quite a project to hack out his grave in sun-baked earth with tools that had not seen a whetstone, probably in decades. Especially given that those of us attempting the task were in various capacities of disability - partial amputees, spinal problems, and middle age. It was a trio that could have been quite a comedy routine. We completed the task,though, digging in odd directions to try to avoid the multitudes of roots.

I appreciated Pinky for the friendship and the comfort he gave my sister. He wasn’t handsome, winsome, or talented in any way. However, he excelled in appreciation and devotion. So long Pinky. And thank you.

when is a film like an onion?

L-C — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 08:42:12 +0000

when you can keep peeling through the layers and there is more there. and perhaps you cry a bit at the end. Somewhat of a surprise was the film “Hancock” starring Will Smith. Its storyline was indeed like an onion, the layers kept peeling away, surprising with more than just plot twists. I have to give its writers/et al credit; the ending wasn’t quite the blatantly expected obvious one … there was more than one scenario that could play out. Of course the viewer doesn’t quite believe the title character is going to die at the end … after all it didn’t follow a usual sequence for a tragedy. However, I have to admit my mind was racing with so many scenarios at the climax, I was forced to quit analyzing and just watch the movie … dammit. Watching through my fingers a bit, as the ZAP POW CRASH FX were there … but there because that was how the movie was billed. A bad boy superhero movie. And if you were dense enough, or drunk enough, or defeatist and unsentimental enough, you could sit back and watch the ZAM BLAM show and let the underlayers go undiscovered. It sells tickets, eh wot?

What is Will Smith philosophizing? That we are attracted by forces of destiny to our one true mate, but if we coexist too closely together in space and time, we will be destroyed as our vulnerabilities are exposed? A good subject for a late night latte session in Barnes and Noble, but not for this blogger this early AM. My inner life related the most when both superheroes are dead and down for the count (or so it seems). Life can be such shit, and then you die. In the meantime, wear clown shoes.

One film I saw a few days ago on cable that wasn’t like an onion was “Hairspray”, the film version of the Broadway musical remake of movie of the same title. Whoever thought John Travolta playing drag in a fat suit was a good idea has access to some interesting pharmaceuticals. Or maybe they needed the marquee name. The project certainly needed something. Like my impression of the movie version of “Rent”, this was one musical show that worked a lot better on a stage. IMHO. Maybe some other time I , or some more cinematically enlightened person, will be able to explain how in making the stage show “big” enough for the big screen, even with a former film version as reference, the overall result was much much less than either of its predecessors. Now here is a frightening thought … a film version of the stage show “Legally Blonde”.

Intimacy, Community, and the Milonga

L-C — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 07:16:08 +0000

It is a mark of the experience of the leader of our workshop that by the end of the second day, our group has developed a level of “community comfort” that is unusual unless the moderator/leader actively strives to develop the types of bonds (or conflicts) that they consider conducive to the work. In our work, it is necessary to feel capable to take risks and be comfortable with the context to make good work. In an ordinary class structure this level of relationship usually takes about two weeks to evolve without specific catalysts. For me, I decided Bruce Marrs would be allright when he mixes plaster without a lot of anal precision - by look and feel. I actually got to mix the first batch, and it seemed all wrong to me - and it turns out it was. It had gotten too humid and portions of it had actually set and made little rocky bits throughout that wouldn’t mix in at all.

I have never been able to suss out exactly what it is about creative endeavors and theater in particular that supports a level of openness - at least in communities that are focused on the work and not on the fame game. I’m quite sure there are few contexts in life that individuals who have known each other for less than 48 hours will be examining the most intimate details of their life and identity like we all did tonight applying the brown paper strips to our plaster face positives.

Then we had an impromptu tango lesson as our workshop teacher is multifaceted in their creative outlets and at one time was a dancer and now also plays tango music and is playing tomorrow night.

Second Day at Dell’Arte Mask Workshop

L-C — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 23:08:50 +0000

Beginning with community rite - hold hands and step into circle

Exercise - pushing at a low level instead of standing up

Throwing the Ball - and Oompah/Vortex ball exercise

A variation of the Wooosh game only using clapping as base action

Then instead of moving into mask performance as we did yesterday, we went to mix plaster and pour our faces in positives so they could cure by the afternoon and we could squeeze in a neutral mask made of brown paper mache.
   Notes:
Pouring: No. 1 casting plaster; apprx ratio 1:2 water to plaster
   ”the hawaii mountain” pouring method of measuring
   pour from forehead into lower face
   vibrate - slapping
   holding carefully ( or in sand )
PaperBAG Mache
   vaseline positive surface - wet strips of brown paper bag - hand torn crunkled up
   wall paper paste - layering

Afternoon Mask Work:
   Finished paper plate entrances
   Did paper plates with a “group mask” entrance and a ‘bit’
   Did characters with entrances

books I have recently read

L-C — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 07:16:16 +0000

“Freshwater Road”

“The Girls Who Went Away”

“Out There”

“I Cannot Tell a Lie”

“Chinese Cinderella”

“Princess”

the latest in the alphabet series

Other good books I have already read:
“The Glass Castle” the autobiography of Jeanette Walls

“Wild Swans” by Jung Chang

Books I Want to Read:
I Walked the Line by Vivian Cash
It Happened to Nancy By Beatrice Sparks
Lipstick Jihad