Friday 28 October 2011

Us must trust us

Dear Quang, Dear Kirsty, Dear Zoot, Dear Paul, Dear Audrey, Dear Ezekiel, Dear Anna, Dear Morgan,

This is for you, company.


I  am writing this here because it feels private (!) (Is anyone reading this other than us? Welcome, whoever you are.) And  because reading gives you more chance to absorb and respond. It is general, so it wont be specific to you, your job is to apply it to every scene you're in, every transition you're in, every letter you build and see what you need and where this is useful and where it isn't. 

Company, thank you for sharing some startling visions yesterday. You made my heart leap. You made our guests' hearts leap. As we all know, there is greatness in the room, as we all witness, it ebbs and flows. Our task is to capture it, and manage the energy of the piece so that we can build the journey. Your task is to make every detail great. ("Well, I will make everything great when I know what I'm doing" you cry. 
"But you do know what you're doing" I reply. 
"And when you don't, if you don't, the specific scenes where you know you don't; it is your job to make a decision on how to play it. Decide you will try it this way or that way or from this angle or from that. ""But how will I know which way to play is the right one?" 
"You wont know it in your brain, you will feel if it is authentic." And it your sensitivity isn't yet attuned, I will feel it for you.

"What does authentic mean?"
Authentic does not mean we stay friends in the group, and we all get along, and treat each other onstage as if it were real life. Authentic in the performance zone is different to authentic in the real life zone. 


This morning I will be in the Laban cafe, sculpting the structure. Know that all that matters is the performers. Truly. What else is there? Isn't going to watch something onstage an acknowledgement that we as audience want to understand how the performers feel so we can understand how we feel?
 Your energy, your emotional truth. Is all that matters. It is the beginning of the story, the end of the story.

The rest is window dressing.

If you are real in a scene (Kirsty asks Quang, what do you mean 'Real"? Ezekiel thinks "What does real look like?" Quang thinks, what is real is the imaginary box I'm squeezing, and the cigarette I smoke after will also be real") then the scene can come at the beginning, middle or end of the structure.

There will be a slight change in the order and the sketches that are most thin will be cut so we can work on what is major.

Let's make everything real and build this great show, together. One of the myths of making work is that the Director has power and the performers are the servants.
We all see the visions.
I am in your hands, and you are in mine.

Fleur

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