Ok, let’s see if I can get these thoughts that have been
swirling around in my head out in a coherent manner…..
Theatre and time. Time and theatre. There were so many
interesting readings this past week, and admittedly I too cried out into the
ether many times with my grievances. Particularly chaffing was the article
referring to Single-Tweet Plays. Maybe it’s my constant internal struggle with
social media, but I found it so hard to wrap my head around 140 characters
being a piece of theatre. What? Just writing that sentence almost pulled me
back into hysteria. I don’t aim to put limits or edges on the definition of theatre
– that’s not my place. Good for those who find fulfillment in utilizing the
least amount of keystrokes possible. But my definition of theatre requires a
bit more substance – there’s a journey that visual elements and plot
development takes me on that I simply do not get with 140 characters. I will
say that long-form Twitter theatre is more to my liking, although rather than
theatre it feels more like an adventure book. There is an organic quality that
live theatre offers that, again, I miss with Twitter theatre. With that being
said, I’ve bitten the bullet and attempted to write a single-tweet play:
Girl: (elated) Where did you find that?!
Friend: Five-below! Was only like 3 bucks – cool, huh?
Girl: (deflated) Oh.
[Girl exits]
Now that that’s done, I’ll move forward to a topic that
really threw my mind for a loop – the notion of lengthened time in art. It
amazed me to think that in La Monte Young’s work to develop the musical concept
of stasis, a form that allows time to “stand still,” one chord of two notes can be held for up to 45 minutes! My first thought was, "Yeah, that's not a piece of music - that's two notes being held for 45 minutes." Why did I feel this way? Because there were no variations, no changes, no heightened skill level required (especially if played on the piano, just about anyone could do it), no journey. But perhaps if I sat in a room for 45 minutes, listening to a sing continuous chord I would have an experience. I can't say for sure because I've never done it, but it's seems that experience might drive me a bit insane.
Why?" was my resounding question all week. Why attempt to manipulate time in the extremity? The answer, based on the readings and class discussion, seemed to be, "because it can be done." As the Adam Neely YouTube video said, it's like climbing Mount Everest - you put a lot of effort into it just to see if you can do it (paraphrased). A lot of effort is continuously going into ASLSP written by John Cage. The centuries it will take for that piece to be concluded boggles my mind. I was almost intrigued to go witness a key change one day, but then I learned that it's possible the song could be in a "rest" for a number of year (as it is currently) and suddenly I was cured of that desire. After the deliberations over what might be the slowest music, in the end it comes don to what one chooses to pick as music. What counts to them, Neely stated. He asserted that music is often used to express what cannot be expressed in words. Yes!! Finally something I completely resound with!
There was a thought that I had during class that reminded me of that very concept. I recently had the privilege of doing a reading of a colleague's new script entitled, "Trophy Room." (wink wink) One of the characters loved Bill Wither's song, "A Lovely Day" but one of the younger characters could not comprehend how that extended note at the end was even allowed to be recorded! In effect he was questioning if it was even music. Being someone who personally loves that song, and that part, I can relate to Bill Withers and his creative team. When you get to that point of the song, there is a joy that resonates throughout all 18-seconds of that note - which he holds straight, no chaser, no vibrato. To me, it's reminiscent of a child who is let loose on the play ground and rounds full force, head to the sky, releasing an exclamation of pure happiness. To each his own. But I couldn't stop there. I had to ask the question, was that the longest note ever sung? Well, I'm not the only one who asked that question...
This led me down the YouTube rabbit hole and I began to search for the longest music video. This has been debated at length - cyber insults being thrown left and right. There are those who insist that Michael Jackson's 1997 video "Ghosts" takes the record at 39 minutes, 32 seconds even though Pharrell Williams created a 24 hour music video of his song "Happy" on loop. Those in the Jackson camp feel that "looping" doesn't count, where as critics of Jackson say that it was not not the length of a single song, but rather more of a "film." Check them out for yourself below
Michael Jackson's "Ghosts"
https://vimeo.com/233465951
Pharrell Williams' "Happy" - 24 Hour Music Video
http://24hoursofhappy.com/
Girl! I am right there with you. I’ve been asking, “why?” all week, too! And not a super short or long drawn out “why.” Just a regular ole confused, “why would you consider making a play only 140 characters or a piece of music last for centuries” unambiguous why.
ReplyDeleteI suppose I get the idea of the Twitter plays used as a way to promote other theatre, as the Next to Normal marketing team did. But as an actual piece of theatre, I too am unsure. Though, I will say there is value in brevity, or at least the example of such. Certain people I know are really long-winded and tend to consistently exceed their character counts. When asked to write a twenty-page paper, some people I know might just write so much that they end up with twenty-five pages. So, exercises in conciseness, such as writing a Twitter play might actually be good for that person, as it allows them to only say what is absolutely necessary.
I agree with you that musical compositions that employ stasis would/could cause insanity. Or, as in some of Gage’s pieces, make me laugh. I mean, 4’33’’ is kinda hilarious, I think. Having a vastly talented orchestra hang tight for 4 minutes and thirty-three seconds while a confused audience listens to ambient noise? It amuses me. And why? Well, as you said- because they can. As for the epically long pieces of theatre, I don’t know. Admittedly, I am sort of fascinated by the idea of Quizoola and some of the other Forced Entertainment pieces. From an acting perspective, I think, what an amazing challenge! To have to be fully present for that long of a period of time is amazing. And how fascinating to blur the line between actor/performer/human as fatigue sets in, lending to sharing with the audience something that is not you but is also not-not you. Thanks, Dr. Schechner! From an audience perspective, I also think it would be fascinating just to watch. Would I notice moments where the actors “checked out?” Would I be interested to see the naturalism of things like sweat stains forming on shirts, hair going limp, eye lids beginning to sag during the durational? I think I would be! Though six hours does seem like a long time, I like the idea that I could leave and come back and the performance would still go on. Which is weird, because it makes me think of something that I used to say to the K-8 kiddos I taught as a resident artist in schools. When trying to define the difference between a play and a movie, I’d tell them that the difference was them- a live audience. If they were watching a movie and they got up and left, the movie would keep playing until the end. But if I were in a play and the audience got up and left, the show would be over because I and the other performers would stop. Which made me wonder about the durationals- if everyone in the audience leaves in the middle of Speak Bitterness, do the performers keep going until the six-hour mark, hoping people might come back? Or do they stop for the night if that happens? Hmmm.
In agreeing with Neely’s claim that music is often used to express what cannot be expressed in words, could you also argue that theatre (no matter how long or short) is expressing what cannot be fully expressed in day-to-day life? Maybe. As Mike cites Rube Goldberg, it’s not about how long or short the show is, it’s about the struggle to perform the show at all that gives it life. And the struggle is real.