Last week I entered a brainstorm. Today I exited this brainstorm with a brand spanking new introduction sequence for my performance thesis! I am really pleased with how it plays out on paper and cannot wait to try it in rehearsal. Below is the recipe for my sweet intro, or rather, my Invocation:
Let's start by looking at Dictionary.com's definitions of the word invocation.
1.
the act of invoking or calling upon a deity, spirit, etc., foraid, protection, inspiration, or the like; supplication.
2.
any petitioning or supplication for help or aid.
3.
a form of prayer invoking God's presence, especially one said at the beginning of a religious service or publicceremony.
4.
an entreaty for aid and guidance from a Muse, deity, etc., at the beginning of an epic or epiclike poem.
5.
the act of calling upon a spirit by incantation.
And now the sculpture, "Invocation" by August Rodin.
And now the opening words I have chosen from Act V, Scene iii of Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale.
Tis time. Descend. Be stone no more. Approach.
Strike all that look upon with marvel. Come.
I'll fill your grave up. Stir. Nay, come away.
Bequeath to death your numbness, for from him
Dear life redeems you.
That short passage will be chanted at the beginning by all three actors who will start the show as three individual sculptures. I will be in the "Invocation" position and from there I will start my monologue as Helen from Shakespeare's All's Well That Ends Well.
"O were that all! I think not on my father,
And these great tears grace his remembrance more
than those I shed for him. What was he like?
I have forgot him. My imagination
carris not favour in't but Bertram's.
...
But now he's gone, and my idolatrous fancy
must sanctify his relics. Who comes here?" (excerpt, I,i)
I will make my way back into the "Invocation" sculpture postion and then start a second monologue of a completely different nature from a different play. I will play Philomele from Scene 15 of Timberlake Wertenbaker's The Love of the Nightingale. At the start Wes will speak the few lines of Tereus, the rapist. To create a seamless transition into the first scene, which is from Titus Andronicus, the last five lines belonging to Tereus will be split between Wes and Penny, who then become the two rapists, Demetrius and Chiron. In that scene, as in the scene from The Love of the Nightingale, I will play the victim. These two scenes also line up perfectly because Tereus cuts out Philomele's tongue at the end of her monologue and the twins have just cut out Lavinia's tongue (as well as cutting off her hands) at the start of their scene.
The difference between the two victim characters will be expressed by the statues I chose for each scene. Philomele, shown in her scene to be an outspoken and strong victim will be found in "Invocation"--a very open and imploring position. Lavinia, unable to retaliate with words or gestures, will be found in the collapsed posture of Rodin's "La Danaid".
The idea of the Invocation is to invite the audience to buy into the concept I am presenting (which includes believing that the actors are sculptures that can move and believing that a single sculpture can hold many stories). Also, there is the Invocation that conjures life from the sculptures. Then there is the sculpture, "Invocation" and the invocation of Philomele for some kind of justification for Tereus' rape. Aside from everything in the introduction fitting so nicely under the title of Invocation, my favorite part is how nicely the Philomele monologue segues into the Titus Andronicus scene. After all, transitions are my biggest unknown right now, so it's moments like this, when the puzzle pieces fit so well, that I feel relief.
All of this came together today in a meeting I had with my thesis advisor. I came to her with two ideas for my introduction, feeling unsure about the directions each would lead me in. On the one hand, I felt that using the invocation from The Winter's Tale would trap me into a narrative with these three sculpture characters, and on the other hand I felt I might be too vague if I just dove into a monologue right away. She reminded me that audiences appreciate straight forward elements like the Shakespearean invocation and told me she did not think the audience would expect a narrative to follow. That solidified my determination to use the lines from The Winter's Tale. She then gave me advice on which Shakespeare monologue to use (out of the seven that I pulled!) and that solidified my choice to use the Helen monologue. I already knew I wanted the scene from The Love of the Nightingale because it worked so well with my first scene. The sculpture also fell into place when my advisor saw it among three I had picked out as possibilities. She immediately recognized the usefulness of employing a sculpture called "Invocation" in the introduction and from there I tied that title into the rest of the elements of the intro.
Next step: Wes and Penny perform this weekend so we will start up with rehearsals next week, blocking the five remaining scenes. After all of the scenes are blocked we will work on the transitions between them. My hope is that transitions will become apparent in the rehearsal process based on blocking. My advisor and I have set up March 30th at the tentative date for her to view a run of the piece. I'm glad to have that date ahead of me as a goalpost of sorts.
All of this came together today in a meeting I had with my thesis advisor. I came to her with two ideas for my introduction, feeling unsure about the directions each would lead me in. On the one hand, I felt that using the invocation from The Winter's Tale would trap me into a narrative with these three sculpture characters, and on the other hand I felt I might be too vague if I just dove into a monologue right away. She reminded me that audiences appreciate straight forward elements like the Shakespearean invocation and told me she did not think the audience would expect a narrative to follow. That solidified my determination to use the lines from The Winter's Tale. She then gave me advice on which Shakespeare monologue to use (out of the seven that I pulled!) and that solidified my choice to use the Helen monologue. I already knew I wanted the scene from The Love of the Nightingale because it worked so well with my first scene. The sculpture also fell into place when my advisor saw it among three I had picked out as possibilities. She immediately recognized the usefulness of employing a sculpture called "Invocation" in the introduction and from there I tied that title into the rest of the elements of the intro.
Next step: Wes and Penny perform this weekend so we will start up with rehearsals next week, blocking the five remaining scenes. After all of the scenes are blocked we will work on the transitions between them. My hope is that transitions will become apparent in the rehearsal process based on blocking. My advisor and I have set up March 30th at the tentative date for her to view a run of the piece. I'm glad to have that date ahead of me as a goalpost of sorts.
Next week I should have a rehearsal report for your enjoyment! Until then, here is an adorable animal for you to look at:
