Technological Farce

It's a lonely world.

Technology is quickly segregating us further under the guise of bringing us closer together. iPads and laptops are giving us the unique ability to experience events almost before they happen, giving us the ability to shake hands with friends and colleagues without having to feel the disgusting sweat of their palms. Artists of all art forms are asking themselves, "How do we transfer our medium into the digital world?" Literature, film/television, music, and the visual arts are finding a niche on the internet. But many performing artists are unable to make the transition. Anyone who has ever watched a clip of a live theatre or dance performance on Youtube or Vimeo, can argue that those mediums lose their vitality online. The energy of the excitement, imagination and exchange that happens between live audience and live performer (arguably the defining feature) is washed away when pixelated and converted to a digital format. I believe the performing arts will never make the jump to digital media, they will never survive being transferred through miles of tubing and googled for on Bing.

However, I believe this dilemma will give the performing arts a better opportunity in the long run. It appears dismal now. It appears that a dying art form will soon be dead. BUT... If you can, imagine 20 or 30 years from today. The digital age has fully consumed our culture and we are all directly wired to the internet via our cortex or some digital DNA implant. People will begin searching for a reconnection to community. People will be seeking out ways to disconnect from their 9G iPhone 18 to allow for a full immersion in the more direct, tactile, physical experience of performing arts. People will rediscover the value of experiencing art live, and experiencing the immediacy of a well crafted moment. Rediscovering the dynamic that exists between an artist creating and an audience member witnessing the moment of that creation. All of us breathing the same air, within the same space. Feeling the impact of gathering with fellow audience members to be entertained, challenged, inspired. The very nature of the performing arts will once again become the mediums biggest asset.

When everything else we consume has crashed or been riddled with viruses, we will once again find the value of holding each other’s disgusting sweaty hands.

***Thanks to Elsa Menendez for her insight, assistance, and eagle eyes on this post.

Jet Planes and Goodbye to The Mrs.

As of tomorrow at 8am, myself, Summer Olsson (The “Co” in my Artistic Director), Kristen Simpson, and Alex Knight, will be heading to Krakow, Poland to begin work on a new collaboration with Teatr Figur Krakow, founded and run by Dagmara Zabska. Teatr Figur, primarily a puppet theatre company, will be working with us on cross training in shadow puppetry and Tricklock Company’s particular brand of physical theatre and original work creation. This, my dear friends, will be an exciting time. I say “new collaboration”, but it is far from new. Tricklock Company and specifically Olsson and I have had a long friendship and collaboration with Dagmara Zabska. Here is a brief timeline:

2001: Tricklock Company tours In Between to Poland. We perform in a festival managed by Dagmara Zabska.

2004: Tricklock Co. tours Billy the Kid to Chicago, Poland, Serbia, and Germany. While in Poland, Olsson and I sleep on Dagmara and her boyfriend Maciek’s floor. During a tearful goodbye, we promise to have her come to our festival someday. She, being Eastern European, does not seem too hopeful about the possibilities.

2005: Olsson and I write a two-hander called Splinters. We name the narrator characters after Daga and Maciek. (Not sure that that counts as relationship history.)

2007: Dagmara Zabska organizes Teatr Figur Krakow.

2008: Tricklock Co. produces 2 original works by Teatr Figur Krakow during our 8^th annual Revolutions International Theatre Festival.

2009: In March, Olsson goes to Poland to begin working with Dagmara on initial ideas, and take Polish language classes. She comes back fluent in vodka.

2009: August 8^th, 8am. We depart The Albuquerque Sunport, and fly indirectly to Krakow, Poland.

As I procrastinate packing, I think about how for five years I have wanted to collaborate with Dagmara Zabska. This has been a long time coming, and through help from the Trust for Mutual Understanding, and a massive amount of work by Summer Olsson, I will get an amazing opportunity to create and direct a large, multi-cultural, bi-lingual performance. I am sure that I will return a better artist, and this experience will be a lasting influence. If not, at least I can cross one name off my Want To Collaborate With list. (Which includes, but is not limited to: The director of Mump and Smoot- Karen Hines, Artistic Director of Witness Relocation Company-Daniel Safer, Artistic Director of Ofer Amram Company – Ofer Amram, and Scott Alexander.)

Someday I will write about my first cross cultural collaboration with Futur3 of Koln, Germany. I was fortunate enough to be directed by Andre Erlen, and act alongside Marianna Sadovska. However, that is a longer story, and I really need to find out where I left my damn passport…

The Beginning...

Welcome to Theatropos.

The first thing I ask myself while watching a theatrical performance is always, "Does this belong on stage?" Admittedly, I have a very small measurement for what I think belongs on stage, but I do believe it can be an important question that is not asked enough of Modern theatre. ("Modern" with a capital M.) Not all of the contributors to Theatropos will have such a narrow view of performance, but I can say that they are all interested in the exploration of new work and its ability to affect an audience on many important levels.

Theatre performance is an ever changing and evolving art form. While I believe that all types of theatre and performance have a place in the world, Theatropos asserts that what audiences have come to expect from modern

American theatre is, well, expected. This site will serve as a resource and guide to performances from all over the world that are surprising, inspiring, creative, and above all unexpected. Our goal is to introduce you to new or evolved styles of theatrical performances, and open a dialogue on how live performance can be important to an artist’s process and the community at large.

Theatropos or The New Performance Initiative is a collaboration of artists from across the globe who are interested in sharing ideas and experiences to better understand art, culture, and the reinvention of performance.

With all of that pretentiousness and self righteousness, I will leave you with a clip from the Israeli performer Ofer Amram. “Tale of a Lonely Man” will be performing at the California International Theatre Festival August 20^th -23^rd. He is an amazing artist and if you are near Calabasas, do not miss this opportunity.

So again, welcome to Theatropos.