"An Instrument For The Measure Of Absence" (an installation) (2011)
Temporary Distortion
Astoria, NY
Individuals are invited to get into a box, (pictured above) and view a performance. This isolates the audience member, heightening the experience of the pieces' themes: loss, loneliness, and isolation. I find this piece interesting, because it exploits its message. People voluntarily submit themselves to the viewing box, which taps into subconscious emotions to apply to the piece performed. The box makes the volunteer feel the emotions directly ot then relate to the piece.
http://www.temporarydistortion.com/productions/instrument-for-absence/
"The Rotary Notary and His Hot Plate" (1987)
Creation Production Company
New York, NY
Staged on either side of a revolving metal door, this show provides an interesting view on the various perspectives of love. The rearview from the metal door is viewed from a tilted, large overhead mirror. To get to the other side, actors slither under the door and are sometimes trapped between either side. I love the idea of viewing the backside of the set, especially through the large, overhead mirror. The back of a set, when not in use, is usually a mystery to the audience. This mirrors, maybe pun intended, the perspective of mystery in a relationship. In a review, the production was described as showcasing the "geometry of love."
http://www.creationproduction.org/chronology.htm#2004
http://www.nytimes.com/1987/06/18/theater/the-stage-rotary-notary-and-his-hot-plate.html
Isabella (2007)
Pig Iron Theatre Company
Philidelphia, PA
Pig Iron Theatre Company's re-cutting of the Shakespeare play Measure for Measure throws you for a loop. Pig Iron's Isabella is set in a morgue. Performed in the Icebox Projects Space, the eerie blankness of this space adds to the "morgue's" sterility. Not only did I find the performance space experimental, but the interpretation of the play as well. The mortician of the morgue brings the dead alive to perform the play. Everyone, including the mortician, is naked during the show. All of these aspects add a different twist to the meaning and story of Isabella from Measure for Measure.
http://www.pigiron.org/productions/isabella
http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/arts-and-culture/much_ado_about_rotting-38460014.html
http://www.borrowers.uga.edu/cocoon/borrowers/request?id=782037
"Fleet" (November 2005-May 2006)
Fevered Sleep
Salford Quays, M50 3AZ
This site specific installation offers an experience controlled by the viewers. The visual is made up of tiny paper boats shaped to mock a large boat of their same shape. The viewers are able to view the visual at various angles. Along with the visual, the viewer is given infra-red headphones which pick up connection with different soundscapes. The sounscapes are mixed with original music, original poetry, and a deconstruction of shipping forecast. I appreciate that the viewer can manipulate their experience by walking around and under the display. Also, they are allowed to experience the sounds of the piece for as long or little as they wish.
http://www.feveredsleep.co.uk/past-projects/fleet/
"The Making of Americans" (2002)
The Gertrude Setin Repertory Theatre
New York, NY
This piece is especially interesting, because it utilizes many synchronized digital elements with actors' choreographed movements. Various images are projected on the actor's all white costumes and the set pieces as well. I have not experienced the use of projectors this intricately before.
http://www.gertstein.org/project1dev.html
Show Photo:All sizes AL_0162493 Flickr - Photo Sharing!
"Feeder: A Love Story" terraNOVA Collective (2011)
Here
New York, NY
This show adds an extra level to the audience experience through modern communication. The characters in the show blog about their issues. Vlogging (video blogging), computers, and live video feed are incorporated in the action. The audience is encouraged to visit the characters' blog before and after their show.
http://www.here.org/shows/detail/453/
Interactive Blog: http://jessennoel.blogspot.com/
"Fluke (The Solemn Mysteries of the Ancient Order of the Deep)" or "Dick Dick Dick" (First Performed in 2006)
Radiohole
Brooklyn, NY
The picture above shows the very experimental aspect of the show. The actors operate their own technical elements during some parts of the show. Also, they paint eyes on their eyelids, during the performance. To see, they put on sunglasses. This is a very interesting idea, because sunglasses are usually a defense mechanism. Here, they are presented as a tool to see.
http://www.radiohole.com/show-fluke.html#
http://www.radiohole.com/images/press/reviews/Fluke_NYT_04-29-06.jpg
"Ode to the Man Who Kneels" (First performed 2007)
New York City Players
Brooklyn, NY
This show employs a nearly bare stage throughout the piece. A large canvas is used as a backdrop. A single, intense light projects the actor's shadows onto the backdrop. This distinct shadow simplifies the action on stage. I really like this technique, because it defines the action onstage. It is like a 'silhouette gestus.'
http://www.nycplayers.org/works/view/Ode_to_the_Man_who_Kneels
http://www.nycplayers.org/press/view/52
"Why Does Night Come Mother?" (1990)
Hotel Pro Forma
Copenhagen, Denmark
With the audience viewing the performance from a brid's eye view, there is a definite manipulation of perspective. I find this very interesting, because this viewing angle leaves a lot of playing room for design. As seen in the photo above, a simple decreasing grid adds depth to the flat surface.
http://www.hotelproforma.dk/side.asp?side=2&id=277&ver=uk
Video Trailer: http://www.stan.be/content.asp?path=sydtow08
"Lucia smelt" (in Dutch) (2001)
STAN actors company
Antwerp, Belgium
I like the set design, and the use of it. Everything in a typical apartment is outlined on the floor. The use of the object, such as the stove, is pantomimed when in use. I feel like this adds subconcious boundaries on top of the present boundary placed by the story itself.
http://www.stan.be/content.asp?path=nusw2iab
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