Space Project Rehearsal Notes 3.11.10

Space Project Rehearsal
March 11th, 2010
Milepost 5
Jonathan, Liz, Faith, Maesie, Marc, Julie, Scott, Nick

Movement Sequences:

a) "TURN FACE PULL" Two or more people stand facing back wall. Unison slow look over left shoulder toward the house. Turn back to face wall. Unison slow turn to face house. Unison raise right hand, touch face, brush hand down face all the way to side. Hand goes to forehead pulls back on forehead. Open mouth deep breath.

b) "HIGH FIVE KISS" 1 moves DC. Holds up right hand. 2 moves up to the right from behind. Raises left hand. On contact the 1 turns and rubs their face into the palm of 2. 1 kisses the palm 2 slowly backs away. First person turns swiftly to face second. They hold out their hands towards each other.

c) "CRAWL IT OUT" A slow, unison crawl. (Arm followed by opposite leg, sinking low to the ground) across the stage.

d) "STOOL WORSHIP" Person sits in chair UC. One person approaches, strokes seated person's hair. Two people approach from downstage corners of the stage. Three people kneel at foot of person in the chair (they each kneel on their own beat. The movement is sudden and quick, as if a video were suddenly being fast-forwarded for a moment). They nuzzle up against seated person (eyes closed). Seated person stands, quickly breaks from the group and walks DC.

e) "SIT AND SPIN" 2 or more people seated in chairs placed in a row facing out. Lift left leg and rotate until back is to the house and legs are draped over the back of the chair.

f) "SILENT MOUTHING" 1 stands DR mouthing words silently. 2 stands UL, moves to 1 stands at their right arm joins their gaze and then turns, facing them. Mouths words silently. 3 enters stands Ul (where 2 previously was) facing out. 1 moves to 3 (walk downstage until past 3 and then turn up) and joins her gaze before turning back to her. Mouths words silently. 2 moves to UR facing off right. 1 and 3 sink to the ground (3 moves first). 2 sinks to the ground.



Maesie (Redux): (Now with light and Proust read through microphones). 1,2,3, sit facing SL in a diagonal pattern. They wave their right hands lazily in front of them, gently fanning the air. 3 rises and runs to the white stool SR. 1 and 2 lie on the ground DS. 3 sits behind the white stool, back to us. 1 and 2 are side by side. 3 runs down and joins the group of two. They reach up and pull 3 forward and down. They rise and move to back wall. 2 then moves to the white stool UR and sits facing the SR wall reading. 2 turns to us. 3 gets up and charges at the back wall, smashing into it repeatedly in a rhythm. 1 enters to UC and stands between 2 and 3, they stop 3 from running into the wall. 3 starts ramming into the wall again after Maesie's text. 1 lifts their arms, 2 and 3 collapse.

Text: “I remember my room growing up. I used to sit in there for hours reading.”
“I remember hiding in the living room, behind the big chair. I liked to sit there...dog treats, my parents would be angry.”
“I remember picking daffodils in the front yard. There were hundreds of them. All shades of yellow.”
“Her skin felt like paper to my lips.”

Etudes from March 10th:

Marc: (Source: Proust #4 )Three floor lights facing the back wall. Image is played against the fanning door of the chapel. Start lights out. "Perhaps. Perhaps every night we run the risk of experiencing…" (Read in the dark into the microphone from behind as thermion plays). Middle light up. Woman is against it. SL light up, woman sillouhuetted. They rise slowly as their lights come on. SR light up (same). Music builds with loud beeps and cymbals. (Voice in mic continues to read). All three turns left. Their pregnant bellies become visible against the light. "Pardon me, miss" (repeated). Woman SL comes around in front of her light. She mouths words silently. Woman in middle raises left hand slowly. Woman SL slowly sinks to the floor in front of her light. Woman SR comes around in front of her light, holds face with right hand. Woman SL crawls right. (Voice speaks half of a conversation). Crawling woman returns back SL. Woman SR walks left. Woman C comes around in front of her light. She mouths her half of the conversation silently. "Why don't you answer me?" The other two woman continue pacing (one walking, one crawling) back and forth. Woman C picks up light. ("please answer me" repeated) She walks DC, and sets down light, kneeling in front of it. Crawling woman moves to the light, and lies down between it and Woman C. Walking woman moves to kneel next to Woman C. They both open their mouths wide and look straight ahead.

Notes:
Surprise reveal of the pregnant women.
Maesie sillouhuetted, moving slowly.
The strange one-sided dialogue with the women.

Faith: (Proust )Lights out. Crickets sounds. Floor lights up. Faith sits at table with table cloth. Eating fruit. The table shakes rattling the glassware. It stops. Then starts again. Faith holds down the table. There is a swell of music that dies. Maesie "Mom? Have you seen mom?" Faith shakes head, Maesie leaves. Pause. Lights out. Lights up. Liz stands in white dress, left hand on Faith's right shoulder. Dim light. Maesie reads into microphone. Lights out. Lights up. Faith eats directly from plate (lifting it to her face).

Notes;
Shaking table.
"Where is mom?" Led to the building of a story around the images.
Liz's stillness contrasted with Faith slurping the plate.

Jonathan: ( "Nightlife", Twin Peaks. Proust) One floodlight center. Marc sits (his haired tied up in the middle). He holds a mic. Julie lies on a white blanket at the foot of his chair. Jonathan reads into offstage mic. Snippets of music play throughout. Julie wakes up. Marc moves to her suddenly holding the mic up to her. "What did you experience?" Julie explains her experience. She describes a mirror, and noticing her teeth falling out. But there are more teeth that keep falling out row after row. Marc: "Go back to sleep now (x3)." She does. Jonathan "Let us continue with the experiment." He reads. Marc lies down with Julie. She wakes up. "What are you experiencing?" Marc repeats some of Julies phrases softly. Marc begins to use "us, and our". As Julie describes experience, Marc reacts to the sensations. "Go to sleep." (x3) She does. She slumps off the stage. Marc lies in her place on the blanket. Jonathan reads. Marc sleeps. Marc wakes. "It's dark." He describes the same experiences that Julie previously did. This time responding to Jonathan as the questioner. Jonathan "Well done. We'll pick it up where we left off, tomorrow."

Notes:
The shadows created, especially by Marc's hair.
Proust taken into a "mad-scientist" world.
The expansion of person from: you to our to all of us.
God-complex?
When Marc climbed onto Julie, where is this going? Could have gone further. Breaking expectations.


Etudes:

Marc: (Music- Arpegiones Sonata Adagio Sources- In Search of Lost Time: Sodom and Gomorrah by Proust) One footlight pointed SR. 1 stands in the light. 2 stands upstage at white podium behind a lit candle. 1 bends low, knees together. “She did not appear...certainly...” Music plays. 1 moves to the music bending and stretching. Gently bounces knees. 2 stands by candle writing at the podium. 2 stops writing, leans on podium ponderously. 3 enters, moves to 1. They move together. 3 caresses 1's neck and face. 3 opens mouth and their motion picks up speed and intensity. They become entwined. 2 is writing again. 3 bends over stroking 1's leg. 1 strokes 2's back. They wrap around each other back to back. 2 moves behind them, observes, takes a drink of water from a cup on the white stool SR. “Next day, when she wrote to me...” 2 moves back to podium and writes again. 1 and 3 are on the ground, still rubbing against each other. Their eyes are closed. 3 holds their fingers in front of 1's face leading them up and down. 2 blows out the candle.

Notes: Analyzation of the female.
Sensual, to the point of fetishizing. Especially with “the watcher”. Brought up some negative, but affecting emotions.

Maesie: (Music- “Hide and Seek” by Imogen Heap Sources- none) Lights out. 1 lights match. Uses it to light a candle. Sings “Happy Birthday” holding candle near face. Sets candle down bringing 2 into the light. “Wait, cake first THEN presents.” 1 blindfolds self “close your eyes and hold out your hand”. 1 pulls objects from plastic tub and places them on ground in front of her. “What do you think? Do you like it? Happy Birthday” Blows out candle. Lights up. 3 sits on edge of stage SR, 4 stands swaying against back wall, 5 sits DL. They pace about the space. 5 bends over looking at something. They all wear white dresses. 1 sings into offstage mic. 5 lies down, and sleeps. 4 leans against wall. 3 sits. They repeat this pattern on a loop. They all come to sitting. They rise and leave one by one.

Notes: Oddly creepy to see Maesie blindfold herself, and speak to herself. Simultaneously touching and beautiful.
Watching a child play by themselves, with an adult nearby watching, without triggering the self- consciousness of the child.
The object world. How this changed the scene.
The last objects left in the world.
The ladies in white, with the loneliness of the solo singer. Feeling loneliness with many people onstage.

Improv: (You're either standing against the back wall or are in the scene. Can use all the movement sequences and the etude from the beginning of rehearsal.)


Jonathan's Notes on 1st Improv:

4:30 – from the moment (Faith/Julie on chair) that Liz/Maesie begin crawling til end of sequence
6:10 – Marc and Maesie on mic. “I remember” while Maesie/Julie/Faith do whispering in ears until... someone storms offstage
11:30 – from when Marc starts slamming wall til Maesie Faith stop smacking the wall
19:00 – Marc? So then about experience. (cut the first part w/Faith)
24:00 - then he “takes over faith” and then Julie attacks him.