5 Days

Looming ever nearer now. I've finished my devised piece, a complete overhaul I made two days ago. Throwing all else out the window for an entirely minimalistic approach. Playing around with my box I came up with in image I found pretty darn hilarious. An entity wakes up trapped in a box and struggles to escape. Unsuccessful they choose not to give up, but to accept their fate and adapt to the situation, by cutting arm and leg holes in the sides of the box and standing up. A bow will signal the conclusion.

It's difficult for me not to feel it's too shallow, but it's much tidier and more concise than my other pieces, not to mention it's actually done: that's the important thing at this point. I also realise it's the only piece I've done so far that will fit in the space of 3 minutes.

A discussion with Lithana has helped me realise that I should put as much thought into how I will interact with the panel as I do into my pieces. I should pay very close attention to the other performer's pieces and the panel's reactions to them. I should have a very concrete idea of how I will rationalise my piece if the question arises.

Hamlet characterisation is still shaky but improving, I haven't done a character building worksheet yet, I may do that immediately after this post. I should endeavour to do several run-throughs on at least one juncture a day. This is where the most improvement can be made, given the simplistic nature of my other piece. Blocking still needs to be finalised. A video of Jeff Goldblum drawing attention to the importance of hands in characterisation struck a chord with me, it's making me consider discarding the sword for more fluent use of the hands. Still, to mime holding one would be no different. I can still focus on hand movements while holding the sword, my hands are not immobolised by that. Variations in grip, curling of the fingers, clenching of the fist, there are numerous nuances I could explore.

That's all for now.

5 Days

Looming ever nearer now. I've finished my devised piece, a complete overhaul I made two days ago. Throwing all else out the window for an entirely minimalistic approach. Playing around with my box I came up with in image I found pretty darn hilarious. An entity wakes up trapped in a box and struggles to escape. Unsuccessful they choose not to give up, but to accept their fate and adapt to the situation, by cutting arm and leg holes in the sides of the box and standing up. A bow will signal the conclusion.

It's difficult for me not to feel it's too shallow, but it's much tidier and more concise than my other pieces, not to mention it's actually done: that's the important thing at this point. I also realise it's the only piece I've done so far that will fit in the space of 3 minutes.

A discussion with Lithana has helped me realise that I should put as much thought into how I will interact with the panel as I do into my pieces. I should pay very close attention to the other performer's pieces and the panel's reactions to them. I should have a very concrete idea of how I will rationalise my piece if the question arises.

Hamlet characterisation is still shaky but improving, I haven't done a character building worksheet yet, I may do that immediately after this post. I should endeavour to do several run-throughs on at least one juncture a day. This is where the most improvement can be made, given the simplistic nature of my other piece. Blocking still needs to be finalised. A video of Jeff Goldblum drawing attention to the importance of hands in characterisation struck a chord with me, it's making me consider discarding the sword for more fluent use of the hands. Still, to mime holding one would be no different. I can still focus on hand movements while holding the sword, my hands are not immobolised by that. Variations in grip, curling of the fingers, clenching of the fist, there are numerous nuances I could explore.

That's all for now.

5 Days.

Looming ever nearer now. I've finished my devised piece, a complete overhaul I made two days ago. Throwing all else out the window for an entirely minimalistic approach. Playing around with my box I came up with in image I found pretty darn hilarious. An entity wakes up trapped in a box and struggles to escape. Unsuccessful they choose not to give up, but to accept their fate and adapt to the situation, by cutting arm and leg holes in the sides of the box and standing up. A bow will signal the conclusion.

It's difficult for me not to feel it's too shallow, but it's much tidier and more concise than my other pieces, not to mention it's actually done: that's the important thing at this point. I also realise it's the only piece I've done so far that will fit in the space of 3 minutes.

A discussion with Lithana has helped me realise that I should put as much thought into how I will interact with the panel as I do into my pieces. I should pay very close attention to the other performer's pieces and the panel's reactions to them. I should have a very concrete idea of how I will rationalise my piece if the question arises.

Hamlet characterisation is still shaky but improving, I haven't done a character building worksheet yet, I may do that immediately after this post. I should endeavour to do several run-throughs on at least one juncture a day. This is where the most improvement can be made, given the simplistic nature of my other piece. Blocking still needs to be finalised. A video of Jeff Goldblum drawing attention to the importance of hands in characterisation struck a chord with me, it's making me consider discarding the sword for more fluent use of the hands. Still, to mime holding one would be no different. I can still focus on hand movements while holding the sword, my hands are not immobolised by that. Variations in grip, curling of the fingers, clenching of the fist, there are numerous nuances I could explore.

That's all for now.

Several days of inactivity

Not so good. I played a gig on Sunday which was brilliant and I went to a music festival on Sunday which was brillianter. However I am now really falling behind: 7 days to go and my costume is still complete. Hamlet is going alright, I squeezed a couple run-throughs into today.

My improvisation on Ornithology is improving, I need to focus on Tenor Madness equally.

I'm still not making much progress on the devised piece. I've been taking the approach of waiting until the costume is complete before I finish building the piece. Seems lazy but the nature of the play makes me believe I won't be able to really design or know what it's going to be like until I've finished the character. This character, oddly enough, relies almost entirely on his costume. To build the character you have to move around as he moves, but without this costume, I have no idea how the character moves. I have to obtain tires very, very shortly, and even then I still don't have forearm crutches. I should pour everything I have into the Macbeth piece and hope for the best. I wonder if I should have a backup piece.

I most definitely should have a backup piece. Another movement piece, in response to something. Prinicpia Discordia, Myth of Sisyphus: are what I keep coming back to.

I've read Sisyphus and will sleep on it.

The Stilts

Today I done been a carpenter poorly.

Started and kind of finished my leg stilts, they are highly unstable. I will need to attach velcro to the in order to strap the to my feet and add a base to help with stability. I am purchasing forearm crutches to act as the arm stilts. All that's left is to make the clothes and start rehearsing.

Rehearsing Hamlet today made my realise my character is still very shallow. I will need to study some more, but more important I think is to develop my own Hamlet, I should fill out some character building sheets.

I haven't yet read Principia Discordia as planned. I will download it now and read it at another free time.

I did roughly 90 minutes of guitar practise about half of which I spent on the standards. My blues piece still needs work as I have been neglecting that. I should incorporate aural practise as well. I will start using the loop station for recording comping.

This blog post is indecipherable.

Over and out.

14 days

Tonight I will begin with a message I sent to Catherine around this time, one year ago when I was studying Discordianism and Absurdism. I am beginning to feel that my devised piece should further explore the roots of these themes.

On madness and creativity.

A quote comes to mind I referenced in my essay on Absurdism:

“Rationalist thought, like language, only deals with the superficial aspects of things. Nonsense, on the other hand, opens up a glimpse of the infinite.” --Dr. Jan Culik

The French philosopher Albert Camus was all about defining the human condition as meaningless. He proposed a solution to all our silly attempts to understand ourselves and the universe by arguing that we must resign ourselves to recognising that a fully satisfying rational explanation of the universe is beyond our reach.

So assuming that's true. Assuming we can't make sense of the unvierse, what is the universe to us? It's nonsensical. If we can't understand it then it may as well be random bajungly-wub.

Which brings me to Discordians! Who take this knowledge and use it to further learn from the universe by surrounding themselves in utter chaotic madness. It's not simply from being foolish though. It's another approach to discovering truth. Some people try to discover truth by going to university and learning a set curriculum, but Discordians point out a fatal flaw in such ventures: if the world really is, to our way of perceiving it, completely chaotic, then you could learn "All there is to know" about any subject without learning more than the superficial scrapings.

My point is, that the insane, the Discordians, whoever else doesn't really think "level headedly" will find themselves capable of ideas and thoughts that others will never have due to the hinderence of what Discordians call "the illusion of order".

Of course the counter argument is that these mad people will seldom be understood, and not because they're so special and talented, but because there's nothing there to understand.

-----------------------------------------------------------

I feel in that I made some interesting points. My opinions now have (thankfully) changed somewhat but I agree with much of what was said, at least I understand it... Ironically.

So it seems the plan is to write the play in discord. Now how do I go about this...

To summarise today's progress, I purchased about half of the materials for my costume: wood, duct tape, squeeze bag, velcro, goggles. I still need pants, shirt, megaphone... maybe paint. I should endeavour to build the stilts on Thursday as I will be occupied all of tomorrow with guitar lessons and band practise. I did not work on Hamlet at all today...

I think I will read through the Principia Discordia once more... Maybe Albert Camus... Myth of Sisyphus. See if I can find something with which to respond to.

Ah! Today I had the idea of using Beckett's Act Without Words as inspiration. I will read that, and the Principia tomorrow evening if possible.

15 Days

Left to prepare my two pieces for my audition to get into Melbourne University. I am beginning to grow skeptical of my progress, which is why I decided to write this blog. To keep a record of this progress and ensure it does exist.

I will make an entry every one of these 15 days recording the work completed and the work to come, any ideas that arise and so forth.

The first of my two pieces and the one I have put the most work into is a soliloquy from Hamlet. I would give a number but different sources tend to argue with each other, it is from the scene in which Hamlet hesitates in killing Claudius while he is praying. I have borrowed a friend's sword for the piece as I feel I often work better with props, I am still mulling over whether it is better to mime however. I have not had much chance (room) to block it properly but I have done an extensive amount of research and grown quite attached to the character, I am only halfway through reading the play and I believe it would be in my best interests to finish.

The second piece was initially based on a simple metaphor, "You must empty your mind in order to enter it" was my preamble I suppose. A man pushes around a heavy box and tries to sleep on it. Failing in this he eventually discovers the box itself is the problem and open it up, a mist rises out of the box and he climbs in. End. Too simple, lacks substance.

My current idea is another underdeveloped one that I've had for a while, but it has much more potential than the former as it has a strong character. The character is not strong in his content (yet), but in his image. He is inhuman, blind, distorted, crippled. A real monster of a being, but a tragic one without salvation, or clarity, or communication. My initial idea was to mimic humanity, parody almost. Give this character a routine and draw attention to the nonsense that is the western middle class lifestyle.... But even done in a unique way, it is a tired subject.

Now I'm thinking, maybe the content can be derived entirely from the character. We have this pitiful, lame monster in a realm without intimacy, occupation, sense. How would an entity act in these circumstances. How does a newborn child act? A newborn child locked in a room with no object, light or sound. Surely they die, but what attempts does nature make to prevent this? He would attempt to map his surroundings and find no pattern, attempt to call out and find no response, see no pattern, hear no pattern.

Learn nothing but his own muscles and mind.

Maybe, I'll come back to this.