And now, over a year later, we’re in the final rehearsal stage for PUSH’s re-telling of Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

Our version of Dracula departs from the original novel for mostly practical reasons. We don’t have the numbers to fill out Stokers’ main cast, much less all the supporting roles. We also don’t have a good way of staging a weeks-long cross-European chase with trains and boats. At least, no way that wouldn’t leave the audience catatonic from intense boredom.

The central liberty we’ve taken with the story is to tell it from the perspective of the madman Renfield. In Stoker’s novel, Renfield is a sort of motion sensor for Dracula, his actions parallel Dracula’s movement and desires. Renfield also serves a crucial plot point by becoming the weak link in the defense of the asylum he is housed inside. A local writer/actor and friend of ours, Danny Hoskins, wrote and speaks Renfield’s part on stage with us as we alternately become his nightmares, fantasies and actual characters.

(YouTube doesn’t seem to be working with me today. Video’s are here.)

On the spiritual side of things, Dracula is an interesting story to tell. There have been a lot of sidelong glances from many church friends who ask “Why Dracula? Isn’t it all about EVIL?” The short answer is: yes it is. Our ‘Dracula’ is a story about absolute evil. In a society where morality is more of an opinion than a standard, we felt this would be a particularly compelling idea. It breaks the social norm and makes our vampire story a bit different what pop culture is producing. It’s a conversation point, which is what we always hope will occur when people watch PUSH perform.

We’re pretty excited about Dracula, if you couldn’t tell. This is by far the biggest project we’ve ever worked on – the show is almost an hour long. It’s also a chance for us to merge the many worlds PUSH draws our art form from. The narrative of Dracula draws out our classical story-telling mime background. The horror element allows us to indulge the more extreme movement training. There’s even a moment where I get to bring out some of my old circus training and hang from the ceiling.

We’ve got more videos and pictures up on our Facebook page if you want to take a look (which I’m sure you do). We’re using social networking pretty heavily for this show, so there will be plenty of updates before the show goes up.

Well, not entirely “oops”. I realized I would have a more stable frame of mind this week, so I decided to wait until I could collect some thoughts to share. My church (Mosaic) just finished our annual church retreat this past weekend and PUSH began company classes this Tuesday, so my end-of-summer funk has now lifted.

I get all funky towards the end of summer because I run out of things to do. I don’t exactly have an affluent lifestyle, so when work takes off halfway through the summer I end up with a lot of free time and even more inertia. This only lasts about a month, but it feels like forever and a day to me.

Luckily this is all past and I’m now viewing the world through rose-tinted glasses again – at least until the end of the year when they’ll become frost-tinted glasses.

I’m going to try something ‘new-ish’ on this go-around of posting, too. Instead
of making one massive post that I don’t want to write and no one wants to read, I’ll be chopping this up into bits over the next few days. This should make Chad very happy since I’ll be using that ‘delay post’ button to do this.

So without further ado, here’s the preview!

Dracula

PUSH is rocking the house this Fall with our most ambitious work to date – a one-act retelling of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Videos and pictures will be upcoming.

New Hobby

This summer was actually productive at times. I’ve found a new hobby on the weekends by training with a local parkour group. Great fun and kept me in shape in the off season! I need to keep talking about this subject because formatting problems are messing with the heading below… still not there… there we go!

Promotion

I’m a full-blooded member of the PUSH company this year! No more intern/trainee status for me!

Catch y’all later!

A few updates…

Google Attack!

In a strange set of circumstances, I have apparently become he web’s leading authority on Jerzi Grotowski, according to Google anyway. Seriously. Type ‘Jerzi Grotowski’ into Google and see if my article on him isn’t first on the list or close to it. Unfortunately, if you Americanize his name to ‘Jerzy Grotowski’ it doesn’t work, so don’t do that!

In response to the attention I have re-written my Grotowski article. Most of the changes are actually corrections to the horrendous 11th hour grammar of the original. It is much easier to comprehend now. Points are followed through, thoughts do not flow over tall cliffs and sentences now finish in the appropriate places. Yay editing!

PUSH

PUSH was featured in a news article in our local paper, the Democrat and Chronicle. It has a short interview with my director, Darren Stevenson, and some video of some new choreography we’re working on. The link to the interview is here. Or if you just want the eye candy…

Yes, I did just call Darren ‘eye candy’. But it’s only skin deep… You should try working for him. It’s like working out and working – at the same time!

Upcoming

Be on the lookout for a few articles coming up sometime soon. I’m working on an update to Darren’s “A Case for Physical Theatre” that will attempt to show specific examples of things PUSH does as a result of those ideas as well as the changes nine years have made to the company.

I’m also working on a couple research articles for our upcoming work on ‘Dracula’ that I’ll try to toss up here whenever they’re done.

‘Dracula’

Oh yeah, ‘Dracula’ itself has been postponed until Halloween. We’ll be doing a shorter run at Geva in June as a stop-gap and then coming back for a longer run over the ghouly holidays to present the Count in all his glory. Should be a lot of fun.

Well, that’s all for now!

Just finished a week of shows at the Strong National Museum of Play here in Rochester. Although the week started out rough with me getting over a strong showing from my allergies, the onset of warm, sunny days and greatly reduced stress levels (e.g. quitting my day job) helped swing the week into the positive.

Of course that doesn’t mean easy. Two shows a day and three on Friday, eleven total in five days. Admittedly, they were shorter than our normal set but getting warmed up and ready for each show took up the slack there. PUSH must be on the up and up because the job’s getting harder every month.

A highlight of the week was the fact that we got free passes to the museum during the run. The place is just amazing. Besides the National Toy Hall of Fame there are some awesome exhibits. There’s ‘Reading Adventureland’ that has interconnected ‘houses’ devoted to almost every genre of children’s literature you can imagine. Tucked inside each house you can find almost every book you read as a child – which is only the start of the coolness. Then there’s the ‘Field of Play’ section that has everything from air cannons to DDR to a sideways room tucked inside.

The current traveling exhibit tucked in is called “Grossology” which takes every impolite or disgusting body function and just goes there (except THAT one – it’s still a kids’ museum!). It features such wonders as ‘Urine – The Game’ and a life-size version of ‘Operation’. There’s also a giant faucet, ‘Nigel Nose It All’, that drips snot and ‘Burp Man’ with a visible digestive track belching. Oh, and I won’t tell you about ‘Toot, Toot’, ‘Vomit Center’ or ‘Y U Stink’.

The crowning joy, however was the last afternoon when I got to sit down on Sesame Street and play a game of chess with DJ Stevenson. Just too cool. Surrounded by the old rough brick architecture, chalk drawings and good old-fashioned PBS education just made the week for me. “Sunny day, sweeping the clouds away…”

I was thinking the documentary would make a great post all by itself. In its absence I must make do with other ways to entertain you.

I decided to bring you a meaningful moment from my favorite TV show of yore: The Muppet Show.

Without further ado, here is Rowlf singing the classic ballad “You and I, and George.”

Trivia moment: There is no song credit given for this song. Apparently no one wanted to own up to writing the thing.

All of these topics will be relating to the general theme of ‘what’s next?’, reflecting the general trends I see in culture and the arts.

The Themes (da-da-da-dum…)

• 
  Politics: One of the Big Three taboo subjects that are always talked about, I want to take a look at what we’re learning from the incredibly extended presidential race and some recent state elections as well. This post will end with a segment that ties very closely to my next topic…
• 
  Religion: Number two in the taboo category. In a similar vein to politics, I’m going to take a look at some of the general movements that are happening among my peers and in Christian leadership. There are some not-so-surprising-but-still-surprising ideas that are cropping up more and more. Specifically, I want to examine some of the things that relate Christianity to the changing of generations and cultural backlash.
• 
  Art: Skipping to something a little less taboo, but no less awkward than the traditional third topic. There are couple things I want to relate that I’ve been learning/identifying for the past few months. Particularly in regard to how the transition from student to professional is taking place. Also, I want to mention a few points of a growing movement that is simmering behind the tatters of postmodernism.
• 
  Bringing it all together: This is actually what is prompting the whole themed posting idea. I’ve been seeing some unifying themes between these various subjects lately. There is a lot that I want start to identify where these three things intersect and how they are reflecting a general change in culture and social interactions.

Whew. I think I just jumped in way over my head, but I’m determined to go out kicking.

One final note. None of the ideas I will be expressing are gospel truth to me (well, aside from THE Gospel). I not only welcome comments on all of the above topics, but I want to go ahead and ask for them. You’ll see why in my bit on politics.

Well, here’s hoping I finish these sometime before the Second Coming.

To begin, I would like to start by offering you a podcast. I’ve recently begun listening to all sorts of NPR productions and I’m loving it. If you can stand to listen to something besides your current favorite band, give these guys a listen.

A Favorite Story

This American Life is a particular favorite of mine. In short: it’s amazing. An hour-long broadcast of stories, some fiction, most true that are just great listens. I’m posting a broadcast this show did on a prison putting on Act V of Hamlet.

Here’s a short description.

That’s right. A medium-security prison performing Hamlet. It’s real.

I won’t go into details of the show because it must be heard. Succinctly put, this is like a real life version of ‘Oh, Brother Where Art Thou?’ only with Shakespeare.

I couldn’t manage to work things so you could play the podcast here, but you’re only two clicks away if you go to the show’s website and look for the ‘full episode’ link down the left side of the description.

Pure awesomeness set aside, it’s a great thought-stirrer for those artsy/theatrical thinkers out there.

Pure awesomeness added back on, it’s a great thought-stirrer plus awesomeness. It’s a killer whale!

The Cyclic Viewpoint

Chad takes a look at movements in the arts from a cyclical perspective. Specifically, he uses a ‘redemption cycle’ analogy that compares the philosophical underpinnings of art and culture to other cycles in man’s history. His view is that we are going to see a change in these areas that amounts to ‘putting the pieces back together’.

Adding to what Chad has already put forth, I would like to point out that the cycle he mentions is not without precedent. Although we are in a ‘postmodern’ world currently, similar views have been held by previous cultures – most notably the Romans. One has only to compare the mechanics behind ‘American Idol’ the gladiator arenas to see how similar our two civilizations are.

The fact that a thousand years separates the Roman existentialism from the modern version should clue us in to the fact that there must be a change following. Unfortunately for us, the change for the Romans was the decline of their civilization and the wild Middle Ages.

A Different Outcome

While I don’t think it is possible for a second period of the ‘Dark Ages’ to occur today, I do see the potential for our culture’s ruin. Again historical similarities point out the corollary between the Germanic tribes to the radical Islamists.

So, what does this have to do with Chad’s ideas? Simple. Chad puts forth the option of redemption vs ruin. In a way unlike the Romans, we have the opportunity to put our ‘broken vase’ of postmodernism back together. This is not to say that we will recreate a classical ideal. However, we can create a new set of standards that address the shortcomings of postmodern assumptions.

The Challenge

The challenge I want to lay down is to forge ahead. The problems are too easily seen to be ignored, and postmodernism has given us an enormous boon for the next step: research.

We can view postmodernists’ work as a huge archive of experience and knowledge – they tried almost everything. Some of it worked, some didn’t but all of it can inform our construction of the next step. I don’t pretend to know what that next step will be, but I can say we have taken the preliminary steps toward this ‘fusion’ of postmodern discoveries.

The trick is to build that step one person at a time. Each individual, whether they are aware of their postmodern heritage or not, is capable of finding common ground – empathy if nothing else. My personal art form is built upon creating hybrid techniques, and I am not a singular example of cross-training.

So find that common ground. How can you glue people together?

This brings a new perspective to the whole Star Wars phenomenon. We can construe this balloon to be a social commentary on Star Wars, while at the same time promoting enjoyment. I see Star Wars as an experience providing momentary joys through fantasy and geekiness. However, internally I always remember that this happiness is only skin-deep and that ultimately Star Wars is full of nothing but empty rhetoric… or hot air.

Take take that Lucas! I only memorized half of the Expanded Universe content!

I love the open road – especially the mornings. There’s a great sense of purpose and adventure when you’re rolling down the highway with cool morning air blowing through the open window. I really enjoyed the trip, but that’s not to say that I wasn’t tired by the end of it. Last night I slept VERY well.

Now I’m in Rochester, NY – ready to start my search for housing and a part-time job in preparation for starting work with PUSH next week. Hopefully, at least the housing part won’t take long and I’ll be able to spend this week settling in.

It’s funny trying to update a blog after a long trip like that. I had an enormous amount of time to myself when many thought crossed my head. On the flip side of that road, after I pull into the last driveway, I really don’t have much to say about it. Strange.

You would think I would be bursting with profound thoughts or questions I can’t answer, but I’m not. I think most of what I experienced on the lonely road could be equated to a sorting of my life. It wasn’t so much of adding to my experiences as identifying them and categorizing, making sense of a great many things. Boil it down and I arrive at Rochester ready to start on the next phase with a largely de-fragmented brain.

Movin’ Right Along…!