Sitrep 4

This week, if found myself reading something to what I'm used to. Performance art. performance without an obvious narrative. Where the explanation seem less concerned with creating dimensions for a fictionally staged characters, and instead a fictional staged person. Based on our persona, aren't we all staged. Pretending to be people that makes awe and incite impacts in others live? 

In-yur-face theatre seems less concerned with creating fictional characters and more of a fictional speaking situation. Things read more like a public speech, a persuasive one, filled with warrants, evidence and thesis argument. 

Sarah Kane's Psychosis reads similar to Ellen Hopkins, where the words on the page are less of a character and more of an artistic argument for what needs to be said. Howard Baker's Judith reads like a long soliloquy after long soliloquy. As if Shakespeare had a lot of chips on his shoulders.

Challenging people means to stop trying to entertain. Just like the Superbowl needs to be more than an event to forget the realities of our current system. But, captivation is a priority. I think a little of Bo Burnham's Make Happy Special:


"I can sit here and pretend like my biggest problems are

Pringle cans And burritos; 

The truth is my biggest problem's you;

I want to please you But I want to stay true to myself,

I want to give you the night out that you deserve,

But I want to say what I think and not care what you think about it.

A part of me loves you; Part of me hates you; Part of me needs you; Part of me fears you,

And I don't think that I can handle this right now". 


How can we teach an audience, when the audience want to be protected? They wanted to be like the "cameraman" meme. Believing that because they caught the action that they are shielded from the action. As if they are exempt from the affect. As if the performer is exempt from interaction. There's an implied museum-esque quality to the interaction. Separation, distinction, dismemberment, than In-Yur-Face theatre tries to disembowel. So it's not as hard as my impression was at the start of last week. More of a realization that we are all trying to do things differently so that we can teach/learn things differently.  


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