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joyfulexperiment · 2 years

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Joyful Experiment, Day #4: "Graham Study" charcoal

"Ah, horsefeathers, Chester. This boy is no courier. He desires a position in King Edward's court. He appears to be a compassionate gentleman, but he is clearly out of his comfort zone." - "King's Quest Chapter One: A Knight to Remember"

(Art diary under the cut)

Shared creativity is one of the great happinesses of my life.

I direct amateur and school theatre, and love collaborating with my assistant directors, my actors, my costumers, my running crew, my prop masters, my set designers, and the rest to shape a true experience for the audience. It's never just my vision. It's the work of the team. I am Socratic teacher, meaning that the backbone of my classes is collaborative discussion seeking truth through mutual exploration and argument rather than primarily through lectures. I love seeing students come together to uncover a striking piece of truth that likely would never have been turned up if not for the open-minded give-and-take of the group. I love holding dances, and sharing my love of ballroom and social folk dancing, especially with people who've never taken lessons. The light that comes into people's eyes when I walk them through the Sir Roger de Coverly, or Ginny's Market, or the Texas Star, and they realize they can do it, is great fun. But the best part is the moment when I see the group has the steps down pat, and I stop calling the steps out, and they whirl away, often incorporating their own moves into it - kicking up their heels like Riverdancers instead of just taking a step, or playfully doing "the wave" when they realize their hands are free for a few moves.

This is shared creativity, and as a happy spinster, it's one of the greatest ways I experience friendship and love. If someone creates along with me, that's in the same league as black cherry ice cream and summertime and Rossini music and being perfectly in the writing zone for a whole chapter.

What's this got to do with my picture? Well, you see, this here is Graham from the 2015 video game "King's Quest," a game loveable enough to make this confirmed non-gamer smile. It's got a gorgeous art style, some fun character moments, a cheery sense of humour, and a few genuinely heartfelt passages that resonate.

But it's flawed. Man, is it flawed. After the first "chapter," it royally drops the ball when it comes to the principles of storytelling, drops an awful lot of the things it tried carefully to set up in the beginning, makes some awful faux pas's with characterization, and frankly becomes rather dull in the closing chapters. And it's really not that deep.

But there's this fabulous, tiny little group of fic writers and fan artists who have basically taken the setting, the characters, and two or three of the plot points and used them essentially as a jumping off point for shared creativity - and let me tell you, it works so much better when treated that way! This little community is so much fun, works so hard and has some excellent skill on display - and that's why KQ has a lasting place in my heart. Not because it's an amazing game, but because I've had fun interacting with them, expanding the story and characters in new and better directions. The support from this tiny ring of creatives has helped me keep my writing going during a time when I had to take a hiatus from working on my original fiction, and brought many smiles to my face.

So, this is Graham, and he's a little gift for the KQ friends. Here's to bravery, wisdom, compassion, and what awesome fun it is to create together.

(As for the picture itself - meh. It turned out well for what it was supposed to be, but I cheated with tracing rudimentary markers, and essentially did this as another screencap study that didn't do much to push me beyond what I've already tried. I mean, I did fix his hair. We all hate Graham's canonical hair.)

#art challenge #traditional art #king graham #king's quest #kings quest #At some point I should try drawing Goblin Graham - everyone's done it but me.

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theparanormalperiodical · 3 years

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Top 10 Controversial Horror Films That Are Famous For All The Wrong Reasons *gags* *cries*

At the beating heart of horror is offence.

From that undeniable sense of something not being quite right, to the CGI-blood-spurtin’-adrenaline-fuelled scenes that leave us shaking in our boots, horror pivots on the knife edge of controversy.

It’s used to drive plots. It’s used to drive hype. And at the end of the month, it drives studio executives to the bank.

Horror films can be traumatic enough. But there are some films that bear the cross of controversy more than others. There are some films that have been branded as so damaging to their potential viewers that merely circulating copies of the film is illegal.

And yet their infamy has forged cult viewership. What was once shielded from us has now become ‘must see’.

Today we are going to be counting down horror’s most controversial films and what made them quite so topical.

*I’m going to star the ones that you can actually watch without getting traumatised. Some are controversial not because of their content but because some religious or political groups disagreed with them*

#10 - The Blair Witch Project (1999)*

Let’s ease in with a classic - a classic you can watch without sleeping with the light on.

In this found-footage flick we see a team of film students as they explore a local urban legend. But what they find leads them to unknown and ungodly territory.

The problem with this film is that it was marketed as a true story. No, not based on a true story, a true story. Yep, they claimed what we were seeing was real, found footage of some teens going mad as they forage deeper into mysterious woods.

IMBd went so far as to report that the actors were dead. Then, the movie studio super-charged their efforts to confirm to the public that not only was this film 100% real, the three main actors were still missing. The parents of the actors then started receiving sympathy cards.

There’s even a mocked up website that perpetuates these claims.

#9 - Night Of The Living Dead (1968)*

Time for another not-too-disturbing film.

This is the original zombie apocalypse film saw a group of Americans attempt to survive an incoming attack of the undead while trapped in a rural farmhouse.

But the Motion Picture Association of America wasn’t too happy about it. The film rating system was yet to be in place, allowing children to also show up for an afternoon screening and be greeted by a 97 minute montage of extreme violence.

“The kids in the audience were stunned. There was almost complete silence. The movie had stopped being delightfully scary about halfway through, and had become unexpectedly terrifying. There was a little girl across the aisle from me, maybe nine years old, who was sitting very still in her seat and crying”

#8 - Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)

In this psychological film, we watch a random crime spree take place at the hands of a couple serial killers. Loosely based on real murderers Henry Lee Lucas and Ottis Toole, its controversial reputation was founded on the gore ‘n’ guts screened in the movie.

Whilst it didn’t receive much attention from the public, various classification boards across the world ensured new versions edited with certain scenes - often involving sexual assault and necrophilia - removed for viewers.

In 2003, the BBFC (the UK classification board) finally allowed the uncut version to be released and Australia followed suit in 2005.

#7 - I Spit On Your Grave (1978)

It’s the original rape-revenge flick. And it managed to piss everyone off.

Originally titled Day of the Woman, it tells the story of a fiction writer who exacts revenge on a group of four men who gang rape her.

Despite its pro-women claim-to-fame, the 30 minute rape scene begs to differ. Furious debate surrounds its feminist label as a film that forces the audience to endure rape from a female perspective and long-winded violence against men (something which is often reserved for women in horror). Regardless, the graphic violence earned it a steady ban in Ireland, Norway, Iceland, and West Germany.

#6 - Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)*

You don’t get many controversial Christmas films. They typically stick to a cookie-cutter plot ‘n’ purpose every holiday season. But there are no strong women who need to rediscover the meaning of Christmas here.

Instead, we see a child traumatised by seeing his parents murdered on Christmas Eve go on a seasonal rampage as an adult.

A week after its release in the early 80s, it was pulled from theatres due to backlash. Marketing was focused on a Santa Claus killer with adverts often airing during family-friendly TV programmes and meant numerous children developed a phobia of Father Christmas. Large crowds protested cinemas with one notable protest involving angry families singing carols at the Interboro Quad Theater in The Bronx.

It was only in 2009 - 25 years after its original release - that a DVD of the film was first made available for purchase in the UK.

#5 - Psycho (1960)*

This legendary film follows the disappearance of a young woman after her encounter with a strange man called Norman Bates, one of horror’s most iconic figures. The controversy that would engulf this fim lay not in the violent attack on an innocent woman or even the disturbing content of the film.

Oh, no. It was because of what the leading lady was wearing.

In the opening scene of the film, we see Janet Leigh wearing nothing but a bra.

*gasp*

This racy attire was emblazoned across promotional material, meeting Hitchcock’s high standards of creating controversy around the movie. There was a no late admission policy for movie theaters, and the posters told viewers “Do not reveal the surprises!” to maintain a mysterious aura around the plot twist.

#4 - The Human Centipede (2009) (all of ‘em)

I’ve watched a lot of horror films, in case you couldn’t tell.

I’m used to watching a scary movie, shaking off the anxiety, and moving on with my life. But there are some that stayed with me. I only watched the trailer for the first movie, and it legitimately traumatised me. It gave me quite a severe, sudden bout of a depression for a solid month when I was 13.

Throughout horror’s goriest franchise, we see an evil doctor and amateur mad scientist attempt to sow several people together into a centipede-like chain from mouth to anus.

*retches*

At the heart of promoting the franchise was controversy. Tom Six, the director, forced a narrative that claimed from the first film that this was "100% medically accurate". He even alleged a Dutch doctor helped inspire the film, confirming that with an IV drip, this was entirely possible.

Although it didn’t receive furore that amounted to serious censorship or long-term banning, it was infamous for having its viewers vomiting in the cinema aisles.

The second film, however, was subject to much more severe controversy and could not legally be supplied in the UK until 2011 due to its heavy focus on sexual abuse, more graphic violence than the original film, and it’s pretty vile depiction of a murderer that was intellectually disabled.

Audiences were used to the graphic nature of the franchise by the third and final release. As the least-controversial and least-enjoyable film according to critics, it barely made a dent in the horror community.

Good riddance, I guess?

#3 - Faces Of Death (1978)

I’m not sure I’d recommend this one per se - but I will give it credit for being an interesting project.

This documentary-style film is a montage of footage of people dying in different ways. As a result of its very graphic and very real content, it was banned and censored in many countries. Only in 2003 was it released on DVD in the UK after a scene was cut featuring dogs fighting and a monkey being beaten to death.

Germany, Australia, and New Zealand followed suit, reversing their bans and releasing edited versions.

However, 7 years after its release, the media revamped its interest in the film after a maths teacher showed it to his class at a Californian high school. Two of his students claimed they were so traumatised they received a costly settlement to reimburse their emotional distress. Things took a darker turn a year later, when a 14 year old bludgeoned a classmate to death with a baseball bat; he claimed he wanted to see what it would be like to actually kill someone after watching Faces of Death.

#2 - Cannibal Holocaust (1980)

This Italian film’s title alone hints towards two frightening things: flesh-eating humans and genocide. In this found-footage movie we see an anthropologist lead a rescue team into the Amazon rainforest to find a group of filmmakers that went missing.

The rampant graphic content including sexual assault and animal cruelty showcased in the film (7 animals were killed during filming in some pretty horrific ways) led to it being banned in 50 countries.

Some also alleged that a handful of deaths seen in the film were real, as were the missing film crew. In fact, the actors portraying the documentarians signed contracts that stopped them appearing in motion pictures for an entire year to maintain the illusion of reality.

And only 10 days after its premiere, the director was charged with obscenity and the film confiscated. All copies were to be turned over to the authorities. There are currently a range of versions that have been edited to varying degrees and are allowed for circulation.

#1 - A Serbian Film (2010)

No.

Nope.

Don’t do it. Don’t watch this film.

A Serbian Film follows a retired porn star who agrees to feature in an “art film” for some cash. Little does he know this film will include rape, incest, pedophilia, necrophilia…

Just don’t watch it.

It is still banned in South Korea, New Zealand, Australia. It is supposedly a parody of politically correct films made in Serbia that are funded by foreign groups and allegedly speaks openly about post-war society and the struggle for survival.

*shakes head*

Off to have a 3 hour shower, brb.

If you, uhhh, liked this post please like and reblog.

And if you want to hear more about horror and the supernatural every week hit follow!

#horror #Horror Movies #horror films #best horror movies #scary movies #banned films #video nasty #a serbian film #human centipede #the blair witch project #cannibal holocaust #faces of death #banned movies #censorship #night of the living dea #controversy #controversial films

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the-cpu-system · 3 years

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Platonic Seavil

Seam: They/them

Jevil: not set on certain pronouns, kinda just exists.

This oneshot is only because no one has been letting me rant about my SpIn and I wanna project that onto Jevil

Oh yeah modernday middleschool au!

||J is for Jester||

Ah. 6th grade. The time where all your old friends betray you and you have to find a clique to fit into. Jevil was kind of a floater. He matched with everyone. Popular, Goth, Cool, Nerdy, you name it. Though the only time he could really talk was Lunch. For 5th hour, which is when Lunch was, he always had Drama. He was the best in his class and aspired to be in the arts career. Comedian or Actor suited him best.

" FOOD, FOOD FOODY FOOD, FOOD! "

Jevil whizzed past his classmates as he sprinted down the Arts hall. He collided with the door though paid no mind to the pain.

" Thy worm needs to sloweth downst! "

The imp stuck their tongue out at Rouxls and pushed the door open, skittering into the cafeteria. He threw his items onto the table and ran to the lunch line. He was always the first one in the lunchroom because sitting through 5 periods can starve you, even if you ate breakfast. He got his food, happily going back to the lunchtable. His class had 2 main tables they always sat at, though the one he sat at had a rather small group of an assortment of kids. It consisted of Rouxls, Papyrus, and Mettaton, who where in his drama class, Alphys from Science class, Napstablook and Sans from Band, and lastly, Muffet and Ralsei from the cooking class. The group changed sometimes but it was more or less the same people everyday. Papyrus and Jevil were like two peas in a pod. They were both NeuroDivergent, which made conversations really fun but their voices overlapped a lot so theyve grown a bit more distant. Alphys was fun to talk to, but today she had gone off with Undyne. Sans and Napstablook were sleeping, Muffet and Ralsei had went over to their other buddies, and Rouxls and Mettaton had no interest in Jevil.

The demon had already scarfed down is food and rubbing his horns had gotten boring so he tried to butt in on their conversation. They seemed to be talking about actors and movies.. Shouldnt be too hard to talk about.. Right?

" I LIKE THE ONE MOVIE, MOVIE WITH THE CLOWN, CLOWN! "

Both the other boys winced at the sudden loudness, Rouxls quickly telling Jevil to shut up. Jevil frowned dramatically, leg bouncing as they looked around for something to do. Aha! The cat from sewing class! Well.. Not sewing class. It was called FACs class. Thats the class Muffet and Ralsei were in. But Jevil always saw that plush sewing something, wether it be cloth, clothes, or their own stuffed skin. Some kids had nicknamed them Sewing Needle. Well! Sewing Needle can't be too mean! Jevil was itching for interaction so he gladly picked up his things and bounced over, sitting down right next to them. They flinched at the items being slammed down on the table while the smaller one slinked down beside them but quickly calmed, setting down the work-in-progress stuffed animal.

" hello..? "

" HELLO, HELLO! I'M JEVIL, JEVIL! "

" .... Seam. Spelled with an E A. "

Seam had seen this person around before, often at the office. This 'Jevil' would get called to the office often for getting caught doing pranks and Seam would see him while they were in the counselors office. Seam didn't have a therapist so the Live-Laugh-Love school one had to do.

" WATCHA MAKIN, MAKIN? "

" oh a small plushie. I don't know what I'll make it yet. I just have the body done. "

" MAKE IT A JESTER!!! "

The cat looked over at the imp, tilting their head. Jevil quickly explained,

" I LIKE, LIKE JESTERS, JESTERS! THEY'RE MY SPECIAL INTEREST, INTEREST! "

The cat smiled, grabbing their bag to get the correct fabrics needed to make a jester.

" oh really? Well why dont you tell me a bit about them then. It wouldn't hurt to learn a bit about what I'm making. "

The small theatre kid's eyes practically sparkled as they grinned from ear to ear. Their tail wagged like a dog as they let out a demonic sounding purr.

" REALLY?!?!! "

" of course. This little jester does have to be historically accurate after all. So why dont you tell me about what they wore first. "

Jevil quickly went on to tell Seam the attire of a jester. He had finally found someone that would listen. It was amazing. Pure bliss. The euphoria was out of the roof.

Seam had let Jevil keep that stuffed animal and Jevil charished it. Losing it was like the world ending. Seam had ended up finding theirself doodling small concept designs for jester dolls and clothes in class. So naturally the two talked more, exchanged phone numbers, and became best friends. Seam had ended up making Jester themed everything for Jevil. Shirts, blankets, pillowcases, etc. They had even made Jevil an Amateur Jester's uniform.

And so they were best friends, for forever and ever.

#deltarune #jevil #seam #seavil #deltarunejevil #deltaruneseam

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snowflake-of-destruction · 4 years

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what’s one thing you really want or wanted to write, but haven’t / can’t?

Haven't?

12/13 Akuroku week one shots

WITHOUT FALSE HOPE. You don't know how much I love that story in my head and yet there's only one chapter so far

The rest of the WIPs Give It Form, Advantage Rule, Sometimes the Lesson Is

I am failing

Somewhere in between Haven't and Can't

Axel's Moving Castle. I definitely should not have another WIP. It makes me look like a clown and it will be another thing I update too infrequently and feel like I let people down on....but I'm definitely going to do this

Can't

Kingdom Hearts Phantom of the Opera AU, but instead of playing it 1 to 1, it's a modern/real world/University au with an ambitious theatre department at Radiant Garden University putting on Webber's Phantom where Vanitas is playing the Phantom, Naminé playing Christine, and Riku is playing Raol. This is Riku's first major role and he shifts between cocky and nervous. Vanitas is abrasive but talented as you would expect. He's been cast in a lot of shows despite being difficult...and he's actually not that difficult this time around, comparatively. He started off obnoxious but Riku stood up to him early off in rehearsals and instead of raising hell, Vanitas took a shine to him and has been even giving him tips instead of complaining about working with an amateur. Enter Sora, childhood friend of Riku and Kairi and a new transfer this semester who is working on tech/a stagehand/etc. who Riku is overjoyed to see and who sees Riku perform once and becomes smitten. And thus the true Phantom of the Opera AU starts. In the background Organization XIII members are all different arts majors across different areas (theatre, dance, music, photography) all working on this joint senior project or MFA student showcase for the end of the year ( and younger students roped into assisting with it in Roxas and Zion's case). It's some kind of performance art showcase...people think....Nobody on the outside knows what is being planned, just that there keep being these strange self advertisements on social media of like Xemnas holding a hyper realistic bloody heart paired with an audio file of angry sitar music from Demyx, and then next time it's Axel and Saix dancing in front of a full moon while ice cream falls from the sky and then a date at the end that just says "Meet the Organization. Regain your heart." And everyone is too scared to ask what the hell they are planning. It's just known that it's their combined magnum opus and now there's drama because some of them are involved in the play when before they had agreed no mainstage performances this semester because they need to Focus on The Organization (and also personal drama because Axel is rumored to be seeing a certain little blonde freshman and forgot to let Saix know that they were broken up for good this time before going after Roxas).

Final Fantasy VIII AU where Seifer passed the SeeD field exam and Squall didn’t and it makes all the difference. At the time where they are deciding to defy orders, instead of waiting for Seifer to lead the way and letting it fall on him, Squall runs out first or maybe the mission unfolds the same way but Squall just gets a case of stupid, stubborn noble later when Seifer is taking the brunt of what really was a group decision (and the right call still in Squall’s mind) even if Seifer was “squad leader” for the exercise. and especially when it goes too far (Xu telling Seifer ”You’ll never be a SeeD. Calling yourself a captain is a joke.” anyone?) and starts talking back and being insubordinate in front of other people to the point where it can’t be ignored even if he is a favorite. Seifer is passed because SeeD still wants/was promised a gunblade specialist. Squall isn’t at the ball and thus doesn’t meet Rinoa. Instead Rinoa and Seifer meet up like their plan was, and, following Seifer gets assigned the mission with the Forest Owls of Timber. Squall doesn’t have the same motivation to chase after that Seifer did, so where does it go from there? Does less change than you would first think and Seifer still fall under Edea’s thrall? Does someone else? Does Seifer get to be the hero of the story? Is Squall still experiencing Laguna flashbacks while stuck in Garden? Where do these paths go?

Hayner meets Ventus and sees a second bonus Roxas, this one unattached. So he tries to woo Ventus like he would Roxas and fails miserably. He has to learn what Ventus actually likes and who he is, and in the process of "learning to cheat the system" he falls for Ventus, though just when he's starting to get Ventus to trust him/fall for him, then Ventus ends up as a history professor at Twilight Town University, teaching a class on the First Keyblade War (who better the teach history than someone who lived through it) since TT has progressed to being fully aware of the larger universe post KH3 in this au. Dr. Laurium Villiers was supposed to teach, but he had to back out and Ventus took over. Hayner was already signed up and is convinced not to drop a history credit he needs just for a chance to get with Ventus. I am not entirely sure where this was going after this point. I...combined a few story ideas while rambling about Ventus and Hayner one night.

See you in the next life story of Axel and Roxas as Balamb Garden SeeDs in the background of FFVIII. No long explanation here. I just have some FFVIII feelings...you may have noticed them.

Story where KH1 era Sora and Dark Road prologue Xehanort step through the door and the portal respectively when taunted by time travleing brown cloak Ansem,and somehow end up in each other's places. Sora ends up studying at Scala in the past and ends up befriending and possibly dating Eraqus--they encourage each other's impulsiveness and other bad habits and are complete disasters together. Dark Road's search for the missing keyblade students plays out very differently. Meanwhile, Xehanort is stuck in a future that keeps changing as Sora changes the past and having a bad time of it as Riku and Kairi really don't take to him like Eraqus took to Sora. In fact Riku blames him for Sora being missing (while he still remembers Sora) and is an active annoyance. I can't write this, not just because NO MORE WIPS but because there's not enough of canon Dark Road out yet to make an effective skewed timeline.

Probably more stuff to be honest. But this is everything currently tied for first place in my mind at the moment.

#snippets #Anonymous

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lezliefaithwade · 4 years

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Being An Actress

I remember the moment I decided I wanted to be an actress. I was walking across the parking lot of my high school after an undoubtedly stellar performance as Portia in an all-girl production of The Merchant of Venice when my father turned to me and said, "Do you think you might want to do this for a living?" At the time I remembered feeling a little insulted. My grades were excellent. Didn't my father think I could be a lawyer or a veterinarian or a psychologist? It wasn't that I didn't love to act, but everyone I knew who wanted to be an actress was either egotistical or unstable. Not that one was mutually exclusive of the other. What did this say about me? No one in my family acted, although my Grandmother often hinted of an unsubstantiated family connection to Hermoine Gingold. Occasionally my parents would take us to see a play or listen to a concert, but only to help make us well-rounded individuals. When someone would go on about the Sound of Music my father would roll his eyes and say, “How can I take a nun singing on hilltops seriously?” And I found myself admitting that he had a point.

When I was four I appeared on Romper Room for an unprecedented two weeks. At the time my best friend, Mary Lou, had been selected for the local cable network but her incredibly shy demeanor had her mother worried.

“She’s gonna sit there like a sack of potatoes.” Mrs. Dean told my Mother who quickly suggested that I accompany Mary Lou for moral support.

“What do I have to do?” I asked my mother as she was tucking me into bed.

“Just be yourself,” she replied. My mother knew exactly what that meant. Naturally loquacious I kept things hopping on the set by constantly commenting on the camera man kissing the teacher. When asked what my father had in his garage, I remarked that it was presumptuous to even assume we had one. There was some discussion about a third week, but Miss Dawson put her foot down and said I was stealing the show.

Soon I was taking dance classes and skating lessons. My first stage appearance was as a rabbit in the famous ballet, Bugs Bunny's Birthday Party. I was excited because we second tiered rabbits were going to eat sandwiches on stage. Then disaster struck. The sandwiches were going to be peanut butter and I hated peanut butter. Teary eyed I complained to my mother who told me to grin and bear it. “That’s acting,” she said.

In grade four I wrote a play about a pair of motorcycle lovers and sang Baby Driver while they straddled their desks and rode off into the sunset.

“Hit the road and I’m gone.

What’s your number?

I wonder how your engine feels?”

“Okay,” Mrs. Orcutt interrupted, “I think that’s all the time we have for that today.”

After my father gave me his blessing to pursue a career on the stage, I decided to explore all of my options. I auditioned for an amateur theatre company and played bird #4 in Aristophanes’ The Birds, and a milk maid in Galt MacDermot’s musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s Two Gentlemen of Verona. Not exactly earth-shattering roles, but I knew there was a pecking order (no pun intended) and that dues must be paid. In Niagara Falls, where I lived as a teenager, there were two amateur companies. The youth group that took over the Firehall Theatre in the summer months of July and August, and the adult group that staked their claim the rest of the year. The youth company was run entirely by a handful of 18 to 20-year-olds who took themselves very seriously. We stretched ourselves artistically, which is really just another way of saying that were out of our depth. I remember as Bertha in Pippin I had to say, "Men raise flags when they can't get anything else up." At the time I had no idea what that meant but I certainly enjoyed the response I got every time I said it.

The amateur theatre company in the neighbouring city of St. Catharines were doing large scale musicals with professional directors and a cast of a thousand. Even I could tell the difference between Garden City’s production of West Side Story and the Niagara Falls Music Theatre Production of A Shadow Box. We told ourselves that we were doing something significant for the five or six audience members who sat in the dark to watch us perform. “At least they can appreciate art.” we told ourselves, ignoring the occasional snore beyond the footlights. When someone who had seen our production complained in the paper that “…smut didn’t belong on stage.” I was devasted. “Some people just don’t know a good thing when they see it,” I ranted, “It’s a Pulitzer award winning play.” I forgot that we weren’t Tony award winning actors.

Anxious to spread my wings and get a taste of the real thing, I auditioned for a one-act play festival at the nearby University and managed to get the part of an uptight bible thumper in an original musical called A Hundred Bucks a Week. It was the story of a topless shampoo parlourist who castrates a guy with her teeth. Did I mention that it was narrated by a cat? I still remember singing:

“We all must be as babies in the garden.

Smiling with our mouths all bright and new.

Innocently smelling lovely roses.

Not prying with our fingers in dog doo.”

Needless to say, my father was a little shocked when an actress appeared on stage topless while I sang my heart out in a futile effort to convert her. This time as he walked me across the parking lot to the car he suggested that perhaps I should seriously consider journalism at Carleton. “Impossible!” I stated dramatically, “I’m an actress.” And I actually believed it.

I arrived at University wearing vintage clothes with frizzy hair and John Lennon glasses. I couldn’t decide if I wanted to be Doris Finsecker from Fame or Janice Joplin. My dorm room-mate was an engineering student who was the first to know of a kegger and had never seen a play in her life. She often returned to our room late at night reeking of booze and sludge water after spontaneous dips in the Detroit River.

At theatre school I was told I couldn’t dance, I couldn’t sing, I had speech impediments and a wandering left eye that would completely destroy any hopes of a career in film “Too bad you didn’t have it looked at when you were a kid,”one professor told me, “It’s easily treatable if caught when you are young.” At the age of five I was a frequent visitor to Sick Kids Hospital for my eye and wore a patch over my glasses for a year. It didn’t cure me. So much for trusting the knowledge of my professors. Strike one!

I began to sink under the pressure of looks and expectations. While the rest of the women in my class wasted away proclaiming to have eaten nothing but broccoli over Thanksgiving, I gained seven pounds over a new found love of peanut butter and developed a bad attitude towards anyone who encouraged me to “feel space”. When my teacher overheard me mutter under my breath one day that I hated improve she called a class meeting to discuss why I hated her. Everyone stared at me shocked and disappointed. Why was I resisting the pu-pu platter of techniques spread out before me? “You’re a very stubborn actress,” the teacher announced, “but I’m going to break you.” That was strike two.

At my first semester tutorial I was told that I had talent, but I wasn’t tall, thin or pretty enough. “You have the face of Sally Field,” the department head told me, “but the body of Kathy Bates.” Strike three. I went home for Christmas and announced to my father that I was dropping out to focus, instead, on getting into a proper theatre school in New York. After all, I reasoned, it’s where I really wanted to be anyway.

There is probably nothing quite as depressing as returning to your hometown in the middle of winter when all of your friends are away at school having the time of their lives. The overall perception is that you have failed. It didn’t help to think that I had willfully brought myself to this point in time. The phrase, “small fish in a big pond” kept going around in my head. While my best friends were acing all of their classes and dating interesting freshmen, I was eating cookies, and counting the days until everyone would return to amuse me. In the meantime, I moped around the apartment, wrote letters to theatre schools and read a lot of plays.

“You have to get a job.” My father announced and for the first time I was forced to slog my way through the want ads in a half assed attempt to find work at either a wax museum or a fudge shop. Completely unqualified for anything except theatre, I was forced to become a chamber maid at a tacky little hotel near Clifton Hill. Picking up after the kind of clientele that honeymoon in tacky hotels in Niagara Falls is enough to get one thinking seriously about their life choices. Maybe Dad had been right. A career in the theatre wasn’t looking so good anymore. Something had been tarnished from University and I couldn’t pretend that my trajectory to success was going to be one clear straight line to the top. I’d hit rock bottom and was picking up the condom rappers and dirty Kleenex to show it.

There have been many times in my career when I’ve been very close to throwing in the towel and becoming a real-estate agent or a tour guide. At each one of those moments of genuine universal surrender something miraculous always happens. That year it was a letter of acceptance from the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York. By now my father, less convinced that I could make a go of it, made me a deal. If I could find a place to live in Manhattan within a week, he would allow me to go. So, I boarded the train in Buffalo and headed for the Big Apple.

I arrived in New York at around 2:00 PM on a very, very hot day in August. I walked straight to the library, took out the Village Voice, circled an advertisement seeking a room-mate for a four-bedroom brownstone on the Upper West Side, was interviewed at 7:00 PM and secured my living accommodations within twenty-four hours. It didn’t matter to me that I had no idea who the three men I’d be living with were. The place was nice and the price was right. I think I heard my father drop the phone when I called to tell him that I had accomplished the impossible. Studying in New York proved to be the best and possibly the worst thing that ever happened to me. I developed a philosophy of acting that has served me in every way, but it also created a high standard that hasn’t always been easy to live up to.

_________________________________________________________

A few years ago, I was invited to direct a production of Blue Stockings at the same University I had so unceremoniously departed from those many years ago. Parallel universes collided as images of my past kept imposing themselves on the present. There was the quad I had been initiated in. There was the building where I’d slept and laughed and cried. There was my window with the view of the cemetery and McDonalds. There was the library where I looked up the address of every theatre school in New York. There was the theatre I did my practicum in, all pretty much the same as the day I left it. The walls, hallways, buildings hadn’t changed, but I had. I didn’t need reassurance anymore. I didn’t need someone to tell me what I wasn’t or couldn’t be. If only we could teach students the value of tenacity and resilience.

I enjoyed directing that class. I hope I encouraged and inspired them. I was happy when they came to rehearsals in sweats and tee shirts, less concerned about how they looked than we had been. More confident in their choices. More involved. On Opening night after the cheers and flowers and the congratulations, it felt good to climb into the car and head for home. I’m not cut out for institutions. I don’t like the brick and the neon and the bureaucracy. Still, it was good to make my peace with that time in my life. On the four-hour drive to Niagara I was thinking about the young people I had just worked with making the transition from student to actor. Maybe some of them will end up in New York. Maybe not. The thing about acting is it can take you anywhere…from Romper Room to the stars with a few tacky hotels in between.

#actress #new york #university #self esteem

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thewidowstanton · 6 years

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Chris Barltrop, actor and ringmaster: Audacious Mr Astley

Chris Barltrop describes himself as “semi-nomadic”, but is originally from Walthamstow in London. He has entertained audiences all over Europe as a performer, and also devised, directed and facilitated shows. He has a lengthy theatre CV – including leading roles in Twelfth Night, The Crucible and Pygmalion – and has also appeared on TV programmes as diverse as The Dick Emery Show, The Royal Variety Performance, Casualty and Blue Peter.

Chris has been a ringmaster for 40 years, including a lengthy run from 1997–2012 for the Grand Cirque de Noël in Toulouse, where he spoke in French. In the UK he has been general manager and MC for the Moscow State Circus, Gerry Cottle's Circus, Jimmy Chipperfield's Circus World and Continental Circus Berlin, among others. He lectures on the history of circus and circus life and is an in-demand after-dinner speaker.

Now Chris makes his Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut – opening on his 70th birthday – with his self-penned one-man play Audacious Mr Astley. The show – which celebrates the equestrian Philip Astley and marks the 250th anniversary since he started the art form in the UK – runs at the Pleasance Courtyard from 1-27 August 2018. Chris chats to Liz Arratoon.

The Widow Stanton: Were you formally trained as an actor? Chris Barltrop: I went to East 15 Acting School in the late 1960s. No one in my family was in the theatre but my father and my mother had done some amateur acting. My father was a teacher when I was small, but he stopped doing that to be a full-time writer and artist. So I grew up in a house that was arts orientated, full of books, and which was also full of political discussion. My parents used to go to see Joan Littlewood’s productions at Theatre Workshop, Stratford, when they were a young married couple so they saw a lot of actors and were very pleased when I eventually decided to go into it. I never had a plan for life and I haven’t now, really [laughs]. I was good at acting at school and suddenly decided to try it.

Part of my father’s personality was that he was a great raconteur and would tell stories and do the characters and voices. That gave me the idea it was fine to do that. I am, like a lot of performers, very, very shy, but you can hide behind a persona and face the world because it’s not you they’re looking at, it’s the ringmaster or Dogberry, or Malvolio; it’s the character. You’re putting up a front, like the clown with his mask.

What did you do on The Dick Emery Show? It was 1979, when Jimmy Chipperfield was approached by the BBC to do an episode setting all the sketches in the circus. It was wonderful to work with him. Dick was doing a summer show in Great Yarmouth. I went down to see him and he was very nice. I asked him to back my application for Equity membership and he wrote me a charming letter.

And on the Royal Variety Performance? I got in touch with the BBC, whose turn it was that year, and spoke to the producer, Kevin Bishop. He was very keen to include the Moscow State Circus, but he said I’d have to produce our spot. So I planned the spot and we did it as a little showcase; one trick from the Russian bar, 30 seconds of the hat juggling and the clowns and me standing on the side of the stage as ringmaster. [Laughs] The other time was 1989 or ’90, the producers wanted to include ‘The World of the Circus’; Paul Daniels introducing artists from Jolly’s Circus, from Gerry Cottle’s, from John Lawson’s… people brought snakes, Gerry brought a baby elephant, and I came on as the Moscow State Circus’ ringmaster.

How did you get into being a ringmaster? The circus was really an accident. Having finished drama school when it was still the days of the Equity closed shop, I didn’t have an Equity card and you couldn’t get a job without one. It was 18 months after graduating and I was doing fill-in jobs, driving, and so forth. We were living in a little cottage in Saffron Walden and my wife, Barbara, who was a teacher, had had to stop work when we had a baby daughter. So it was up to me to earn a living.

One week in The Stage there was an advert for Hoffman’s Circus: ‘Staff Wanted’. Not performers, but what we in the circus still call ‘billers’, people who put up the bills. They wanted a married couple to run the advance booking office. It said: “Luxury accommodation provided. Best terms in the business.” I said to my wife: ‘What do you think?’. We decided to write and if we got the job, we’d stick with it even if it was absolutely dreadful and awful, because we’d learn something. It was in the entertainment business; it was a new aspect to learn about.

The accommodation was in an artic vehicle that had been built as a mobile hairdressing studio for film location work. It was nicely fitted out and comfortable. We weren’t with the circus but we were on the circus and got to know it. We toured Scotland and enjoyed it very much, and asked if we could go back the following year when they were touring the West Country. One of them said; “You’re hooked.” We said: “No, we just fancy doing a second year,” but actually that was the case.

After that I went to work for Gerry Cottle, still putting posters up, and into the second season with him, he asked about my background. He thought I was better spoken than a lot of people and said would I like to try being ringmaster for one of his Christmas circuses in Cardiff. That was 1976. Then the next season he took me on to the circus as house manager and deputy ringmaster, but as the season went on it became more and more that is was me being the ringmaster all the time. It was very hectic, dealing with the public, doing a show, running back out and trying to do both at once. It was very enjoyable and I learnt a lot.

What qualities does a good ringmaster need? The public see the ringmaster as a sort of compere but in fact the ringmaster is the stage manager. I was very quickly aware that I needed to watch out for people’s wires and everything else and make sure things were safely put up and that the props were in the right place. So there’s an element of safety. I remember once when I was one of two assistant ringmasters to Norman Barrett, a Russian trapeze artist missed his trick and was falling. There was the safety net but it looked as though he was going right to the side of it. He was OK, but my reaction was to run forward and when I looked it was Norman Barrett and me running towards one another to do something about it.

That’s what you need, an awareness and a knowledge of the rigging and of what is happening to the artists. I’ve had swings on trapezes, I’ve climbed up to the high wire just to stand there and see what they’re seeing. It’s important to do that, and over and above that it’s alertness, awareness and a calm character because if something goes wrong you’ve got to deal with it. ‘Right, you pick that up, I’m going to talk to the audience, clear that and tell the clowns to come in… ladies and gentleman…’. You have to be concise and have the skill of thinking what to say next; so often when there’s a bit of action going on I’m editing words in my head. Also you have to be able to present yourself if it’s a TV interview. I do love the variety of it. You can be on national television one minute or knocking stakes in or driving a lorry the next.

Did you have to learn French for Grand Cirque de Noël? I was taught French at school. Our teacher was the headmaster, whose wife was from Brittany. I was the dunce of the class and only scraped through. Sadly, he died but I would have loved to say to him, ‘Guess what I do for a month every winter? I stand in front of 2,500 French people talking French!’. He’d have laughed his head off. He’d have loved it.

Tell us how Audacious Mr Astley came about? In 1973/74 at the end of that first season there were no Christmas circuses. It wasn’t practical with canvas tents in the winter. I thought I’d like to find out about circus. There were two books in Saffron Walden library: I Love You Honey But the Season’s Over by Connie Clausen and British Circus Life by Eleanor Smith. I read about Philip Astley starting circus in London. As time went on, I think it was 1986, and having an interest in the history of the circus and knowing roughly where it started, I researched and pinpointed the exact spot at Halfpenny Hatch. Astley chose a field where there was a busy footpath. The landowner charged a halfpenny for people to take a shortcut across his land and you paid at a little window in the fence or hatch. So this is the famous spot. It has lovely Georgian cottages on it now that were built in about 1820.

Has the spot been marked now? I was pleased to identify it for people but there had never been a commemoration on the spot, hence on Easter Monday we unveiled a plaque, which the local residents paid for. They’re so interested in this piece of history related to where they live. I did the premiere of Audacious Mr Astley in Waterloo East Theatre a few yards away; it was smashing.

What form does the show take? With the 250th anniversary getting closer and closer, I thought I’d love to combine my circus knowledge with my acting – directing myself – and my writing skills, which I’ve developed over the years working with the press. A year or so ago, I started to make some notes, in the knowledge that I was not simply giving a lecture or illustrated talk but that I wanted to be Philip Astley and that this would be, not only a unique way to tell the story in the sense that someone will be standing there being him, but also I believe, I hope, with a unique insight.

Astley established various traditions; he wore a red coat, he toured his shows straight away, they went out to Bath and Bristol and he took the circus to Scotland, where I’ll be in a couple of weeks. He introduced it to Ireland and Europe. And he also established a tradition of tough mindedness and independence and overcoming the odds to make sure it happened.

How important has it been for traditional circus in the UK to mark this 250-year anniversary? It’s very important for all circus. It’s a great thing with Circus250 having tremendous individual supporters; Martin Burton of Zippos Circus is one. He’s got the horses and this year he’s reproduced The Courier, which happened in Georgian circuses, where someone stands across two horses with the other horses coming through. Also it’s had the backing of Dea Birkett. She’s the chair of the co-ordinating group and has originated some events of her own.

There is also Andrew Van Buren’s Philip Astley Project in Newcastle-under-Lyme. I love their line: “Philip Astley is Newcastle-under-Lyme’s Shakespeare.” And so he is. Look what he achieved; it’s not literature but he had a cultural impact, which has spread worldwide… . He called it Astley’s Amphitheatre of Equestrian Arts and took it to royal families everywhere. He promoted himself and it was famous throughout the 19th century; Dickens, Jane Austen, Thackeray wrote about it. William Blake lived in one of Astley’s houses and he must have sat there sketching the horses in the amphitheatre. Some people think circus started with contemporary circus 30 years ago, and don’t want animals, but Astley was a rider so horses were involved. He called it a ‘hippodrama’; a play with lots of horses.

Who created your costume? I carefully researched the costume and was very lucky and found a book on eBay The 15th King’s Hussars with uniforms from 1759, which was when his regiment was formed and when he joined. The costume was made by Farthingale Costumes, who make costumes for reenactors, such as The Sealed Knot. It’s the exact material, it’s the exact cut and tailoring; it’s precise.

How do feel about going to Edinburgh for the first time? It’s been a wonderful 12 months in lots and lots of ways. It’s been absolutely fantastic! And to have performed as him on the very spot on Easter Monday, the exact 250th anniversary, was a fabulous thing to be able to do. There’s another anniversary, mine and Mr Astley’s; my 70th birthday on 1 August and I’m presenting him as 70 years old. It’s perfect, absolutely brilliant; it’s such a happy coincidence.

Chris performs Audacious Mr Astley at the Pleasance Courtyard (venue 33) from 1-27 August 2018 during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Picture credits: Ashleigh Cadet; Pierre Gautier: David Davis

For Audacious Mr Astley tickets, click here

Chris’ website

Twitter: @Astley250 @circus250 @ThePleasance @edfringe @PhilipAstleypro

Follow @TheWidowStanton on Twitter

#Chris Barltrop #Philip Astley #circus250 #ringmaster #interview #actor #Audacious Mr Astley #edinburgh festival fringe #the pleasance #Philip Astley Project #circus

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dippedanddripped · 4 years

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ne day earlier this year, a dozen or so Chicago Booth students logged in to their virtual classroom and presented their assigned homework. But they didn’t turn in the usual slide decks or Excel analyses. Instead, one by one, they shared their homemade instruments—whimsical improvisations that included a glass jar packed with pennies, a xylophone made from silverware and a set of wine glasses filled to play different pitches.

The students were ready to shake, strum, jingle, drum and clap their way through the lesson, staring down their stage fright and prepared to get a little musical in their quests to become better leaders. It was showtime in the Leadership Studio course, one of three new leadership courses the Booth School of Business introduced in the 2019-2020 school year, and one of the most unique classroom experiences at a leading business school.

Writing a new tune

Stephen Kohler, MBA’02, a leadership coach and lifelong amateur musician who led the session that day in Spring Quarter, describes Leadership Studio as a new kind of course, in which students dig deep through rehearsals and hands-on lessons to discover their own leadership skills.

“It’s all through the lens of leadership as a performance art,” said Kohler. “This whole idea is that we as leaders can look at leadership not in the old, dry, textbook way, but as a creative, experiential activity. My focus, of course, was very much about how we can use music as a lens for growing ourselves in our teams and organizations as leaders.”

The course was the brainchild of Harry L. Davis, namesake of the Davis Center and the Roger L. and Rachel M. Goetz Distinguished Service Professor of Creative Management. In crafting it, he envisioned a course split into three interwoven tracks: classroom lectures, “rehearsal halls” incorporating the performing arts, and hands-on fieldwork. Co-teaching with adjunct leadership professor Nancy Tennant, Davis gathered an “ensemble” of guest teachers from the arts world who could encourage students to stretch outside their comfort zones.

Joining the course with Kohler were Janna Sobel, of the Second City Training Center and Chicago Dramatists, and Charlie Newell, Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director of the Court Theatre—all of whom led students through exercises meant to help them recognize, harness and deploy their leadership qualities. Leadership coaches Ed Miller, MBA’83, and Becki Lindley, MBA’97, provided one-on-one sessions with students throughout the quarter. The course will be offered again virtually this upcoming winter and spring.

“I’ve been using performance metaphors in my teaching for many years,” said Davis. “The idea for the Leadership Studio was to bring them all together into a single experience. I knew this would have to be a highly experiential class—there’s only so much you can learn conceptually before you just need to try it for yourself. That’s true for acting, dancing, and playing an instrument, as well as for being an effective leader.”

“Our whole concept of leadership is that we aim to bring some innovation around what leadership can look like in the classroom,” Kohler said. “Before the first quarter we offered it, Harry kept very humbly saying, ‘I don’t know if this might be a grand failure, but we’re going to try it and see what we learn.’ By the end of the quarter, what we learned is not only did the concept work, but it really engaged the students in a powerful way that then led to a lot of word of mouth, and students telling other students, ‘You gotta sign up!’”

“There’s only so much you can learn conceptually before you just need to try it for yourself. That’s true for acting, dancing, and playing an instrument, as well as for being an effective leader.”

Turn up the volume on listening

As a Booth alum, Kohler jumped at the chance to give back to his alma mater in a way that combines his two passions of music and executive coaching. At his own firm, Audira Labs, he teaches individuals and organizations to closely examine an often-overlooked concept: listening.

“Listening is one of the most crucial leadership development skills that I have found is too often lacking in successful leaders,” he said. “And, it’s also a gap in our society, in that many of us are not necessarily slowing down to really listen to one another.”

In his own coaching practice and in the classroom, Kohler guides people through what he frames as the three levels of listening. At Level 1, people are fully focused on themselves: distracted and prone to prejudgment. At Level 2, they begin to tune into others but are not as aware of their environment—they listen only in order to shoot back a response. It’s only at Level 3 that people are fully present, aware of not only themselves, but also others and the environment, approaching the exchange with openness and curiosity.

In Leadership Studio, Kohler teaches students to listen at Level 3 by having them pick up their own instruments and play—first as solo instrumentalists, then as duets, and finally as ensembles. “As we do this, we talk about the impact of each of those kinds of experiences and how we apply those in terms of leadership and listening lessons going forward,” Kohler explains. “At the end, we get very practical in talking about how we carry these lessons forward in terms of the roles that we have within our organizations.”

Kohler also frames leadership as a dynamic range of skills, much like how a composer can experiment with tempo, key, and volume to create wholly different songs. Teaching students to understand how and when to deploy their various leadership skills can help them become adaptable, dynamic leaders who can respond to a multitude of different scenarios.

As one student put it at the end of the course: “I became mindful of the tone, volume, and pitch of those around me, and used those as proxies to predict how they were feeling and accordingly adjusted my own to sync and match theirs, as necessary.”

Zooming ahead

Leadership Studio was first offered in Winter Quarter 2020 as an in-person experience, and it shifted online for the Spring Quarter as the COVID-19 pandemic forced universities everywhere to quickly change their teaching modalities.

The switch was a chance for the Leadership Studio team to practice what they preached, Kohler said: “We talk about the importance of being adaptable. But then we actually had to do that, right?” Early on, they adjusted to combat “Zoom fatigue” and encourage engagement: limiting classes to 75 minutes, and splitting the class into smaller sections so everyone could fit on screen at once. Instructors mixed technology tools such as breakout rooms and shared slides, along with pre-session work to create a lively virtual exchange. “People felt like they really could participate in a meaningful way,” Kohler said. “They felt engaged. They felt heard.”

“People felt like they really could participate in a meaningful way. They felt engaged. They felt heard.”

The close-knit feel of the virtual modality surprised even Kohler. “I believe that an online virtual experience can be just as impactful, and in some ways more impactful, because it can be more intimate,” he said. “We took the total class of about 30 students and divided it in half. What we learned is there’s an advantage to some of the constraints, because everybody was really put a little bit more in the hot seat of really being engaged.”

Whether he’s in the physical or the virtual classroom, Kohler has treasured the chance to reconnect with students as an alum.

“Some of the highlights were just how creative students were,” he said. “What I loved to see was that so often people started with, ‘Oh, I couldn’t possibly. I’m not musical.’ And then what I actually saw people sign onto Zoom with just blew my mind. They put that limiting self-talk aside and just said, ‘Well, I’m going to have fun with this.’

“By the end of these experiences, they walked away saying, ‘Oh my gosh, I never knew that I could possibly be creative. And now I feel really empowered that I can take some of these experiences into my workplace.’”

—This story was first published by the Booth School of Business.

#booth school of business #music blog #business leaders

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literateape · 7 years

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Shut Up and Make Some Art

By Don Hall

I'm surrounded by artists. I've been in the company of fellow artists of nearly every stripe since I was prepubescent, and the refrain, "I should be paid for this work!" is as common as half-baked songs and poems about romance gone wrong. Combined with the rhetoric of the 99% and the botched lack of oversight of corporations plus the demise of the American union, this demand to be paid a living wage to be an artist sounds silly.

Lose the entitled attitude and become amazing.

Before the days of radio and recorded music and movies, family members were required to learn to play instruments and recite poetry and create art. Both for self-edification as well as entertainment for the family (picture the Norman Rockwell-esque vision of a home piano recital and family sing-a-long). The amateur creation of art and the learning of an artistic skill used to hold a great deal of importance in the average American household. Art was less a commodity to be bought and sold and more a way of life.

Eventually came the idea of the specialist.

Like the difference between the old family doctor and the plastic surgeon, there was more money in specialization. Why be an MD when you could make a lot more money being an eye doctor or dermatologist? Old school (meaning pre-film days) performers could do it all—Charlie Chaplin could sing, play several instruments, dance, act scripts, write scripts, direct and perform sleight of hand as well as show proficiency at acrobatics and sword swallowing. Most vaudevillians could perform on the stage, in the orchestra or backstage—whatever was necessary. That show must go on.

Like with politics a bit later (which wasn't heavily affected by film and television until the 1940s) the movies changed the craft of acting. Early films captured the skills of these renaissance performing Jacks of All Trades—the work of the Marx Brothers, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd and, of course, Chaplin were often simply screen versions of the schtick they had performed on stages for years. With later film, however, it became apparent that skill was overshadowed by looks and the vaudevillians of old became cameos in the films of the very good-looking movie stars.

Even then, actors like Cary Grant, Errol Flynn, Fred Astaire, Judy Garland and Fanny Brice could hold their own in nearly any performing medium. There was a well-rounded quality to their skills and, when attached to natural camera friendly charisma, stars were born. But they were born after years of practice on stages.

Jump Cut to today and we have movie stars that can only look pretty on film and go to learn skills and craft on Broadway as gimmicks. The idea of winning that lottery and becoming a star has overtaken all aspects of the industry, and students spend thousands of dollars learning how to speak lines of dialogue from commercials selling bullshit for their On Camera classes, and get meaningless degrees in specializations that are far too common.

Instead of getting your voice attuned, learn to sing brilliantly. Did Leonard Cohen have a conventionally beautiful voice? Not on your life. His voice, however, was amazing, and the fact that you just wrote a song out in the Uber ride home is contrasted by Cohen taking NINE YEARS to write Hallelujah. Be better. Be worthy of money rather than entitled to it.

Imagine how much money a brain surgeon would make if every other medical student became a brain surgeon.

As the open source technology begins to unfold, industries like the publishing giants and the film production houses are fighting desperately against the tide of participatory art. With Kindle and digital books, anyone who can type can publish their work for immediate distribution; with iMovie, any idiot with a digital camera can make a movie and post it on YouTube. The writer doesn't need the publisher anymore; the filmmaker doesn't need the studio any longer. Sure, if you want to make JK Rowling or James Cameron dough you need the publicity and distribution of a major publisher or studio, but if all you're looking to do is get enough notice to fuel the next one, now is the Golden Age.

This isn't new for the actor or musician or poet or storyteller. Artists get paid so little on the middle to the bottom of the pile because any asshole can say he's an artist. A degree means dick unless you're going to go into Arts Administration and, even then, grad school isn't about what you learn but who you impress and befriend. If everyone who felt a need to help his fellow man could simply declare that he was a doctor could be, in fact, a doctor, then being a doctor would have very little employable value.

Why do technicians get paid when actors and playwrights and even directors do not? Because they have a necessary and demonstrable skill that has immediate pragmatic value. Working with technology gives it a whiff of legitimacy and something concrete to produce. Why does a group of actors feel the need to become an NFP corporation? Because it makes the theatre company they started smack of some sort of grownup legitimacy. The degree and NFP 501(c)(3) make the work seem suddenly more adult and business-like. Like charity for themselves. Having a Board of Directors comprised of people with real jobs makes us feel that we are somehow not just defrauding the public by putting on our shows.

The attitude that in order to be a successful artist one must be a savvy businessman is like telling a poet he isn't a real poet until he can sell 50 books of his poetry. The sale doesn't change the work; it just makes the poet spend time selling it rather than making it. And face it, most poets we still read are amateurs that became famous because someone else sold it. Most died broke.

Now, here is where it gets sticky—the NFP institutions are built for distribution. Like publishing houses and film studios, they make their dime on providing a building to do shows in and a place for artists to gather. The artists almost always rotate in and out—the revolving door of the journey. Even an ensemble theater like Steppenwolf rarely has the same actors floating around from show to show. Similar to the publishing house, a good 85 percent of the dough per book sold goes to overhead. In the publishing institution, that means paying publicists and accountants and sales reps and the administrative costs. The guys who print the actual books? Probably not getting a big cut of that $24.95 ($25.95 in Canada). The authors? Not unless they're Dan Brown.

Institutions operate exactly the same way.

You don't need a degree to be an artist.

You don't need an institution with a Board of Directors to make art.

All you need is the desire to be a craftsperson. Learn how sing, dance, orate, write, do magic, direct, hang lights, design and build a set, record some cool SFX, paint. Make it your business to be good at everything. Make art. Make your art. Make it anywhere, any time. Don't listen to those screaming in your face, "Be a professional specialist! Grow up! Be a better corporation! And buy my book that tells you how!"

Here's a reprint of something a very smart fucker once wrote to me. I posted it originally on my old blog in 2005.

Patrick Jacobi was in Postmortem and is one of the smartest people I've known. Moved to Vermont decades ago to study law. He then emailed me. Here's a piece of his correspondence:

"SHUT UP AND WORK. Law school has made me realize what a lazy person I was when I worked a 9–5. If you haven't exhausted yourself by the time you go to bed, you have wasted your day. You want to be an artist and get paid—PROVE THAT YOU CAN GENERATE REVENUE SUFFICIENT TO BENEFIT SOMEONE WHO HAS THE MEANS TO PAY YOU or perish. If I had it to do again, I would have stayed up until 3 or 4 every night writing scripts, getting in shape, sending out headshots, etc. If you are sleeping comfortably when you are trying to make art that someone will pay you to make, you are going about it the wrong way. If law school requires that I work this hard just to become a lame-ass lawyer, then that means becoming an artist requires 10 times as much work.

I have alienated a few with this rant, but I know you well enough that you will heed it or ignore it to your heart's delight. But feel free to pass it on to others: YOU ARE ENTITLED TO NOTHING. WORK UNTIL YOU DROP AND THEN GET UP AND WORK SOME MORE AND THEN MAYBE THE WORLD WILL GIVE YOU A PENNY. When you can truly say that you are blind with the fatigue of trying to make art, then I will feel for the PERSON WHO CHOSE TO BE AN ARTIST, when so many other easier roads were available. IT IS THE HARDEST of roads, so SHUT UP AND MAKE SOME ART!"

There you go.

#art vs commerce #Art #MAKE ART

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flauntpage · 7 years

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Meet Savoy Howe, Who's Changing Lives and Empowering Women Through Boxing

This article originally appeared on VICE Sports Canada.

When Savoy Howe moved to Toronto from New Brunswick in the late 1980s to pursue her theatre degree, she also came out of the closet. New to the city and far from family, she wanted to learn some form of self-defense. "There were a lot of stories of gay-bashing back then," she says. "I didn't want to walk around afraid. I saw an image of a woman wearing boxing gloves and thought, 'OK, that's an option.' So I went to a few classes and got hooked."

Howe then started teaching boxing classes a few years later as a way to pay her bills. "I threw a bunch of posters up on a pole hoping I'd get like, two or three people who would pay me to teach 'em how to box. Within three months, 40 people showed up."

Since then, the Toronto Newsgirls Boxing Club has grown from a small rented space inside men's gyms to a sprawling space where she runs three programs—recreational (for people who don't want to get punched in the head), amateur, and a free program for female-identified survivors of violence. The club has around 300 active members, with 3,000 graduates, most of whom are women and trans people. She has trained boxing coaches all over the world.

VICE Sports asked Howe about getting knocked out, busting out of the boys' club, and coaching formerly meek women into beast mode.

VICE Sports: Who trained you?

Savoy Howe: Ray Marsh picked me up and trained me for my first couple of fights. Pretty much after my third fight, I trained myself. I'm kind of a soloist and a good imitator. I would just watch boxers that I liked and take from them the dance moves I liked. I was kind of my own coach. I was inspired by Muhammad Ali. I liked his personality, how confident he was, and he was just a great dancer—he could really move. His punch was like a towel whip — ba-BAM!

What was the boxing scene like for women back then? I started in '92. In the beginning, the boys didn't want me in the gym. It was a boy's playground and the only place for a gal in there was in the office sitting on the owner's lap. Some guys didn't care less that I was there. Some guys were amazing—sharing their knowledge with us and letting us spar with them, and not killing us in the ring. But there was the occasional guy that wanted to chase me out. One time a guy invited me in the ring and I was all excited because I thought, 'Oh finally, someone's gonna teach me something,' and he beat the crap out of me. I realized he was trying to discourage me from coming back. But the problem was, I had fallen in love with the speed bag, and I just kept coming back because I just wanted to figure that thing out. Even up until ten years ago, there'd be guys trying to chase you out of the gym—even if they had only been there a week, and we had been there eight years. There are just some guys that think a woman should not be in a gym. But by that time we had learned how to stand up for ourselves. Some guys think they can just touch you and hold you by the waist and show you stuff. When I would bring in clients, I would tell them off the bat: If a guy tries to touch you, say, 'Do not touch me.' If he touches you, slap his knuckles. If he walks towards you when you're skipping and expects you to walk out of his way, skip harder. All of these ground rules to let them know that we're not going to be pushed around. It's good training for standing your ground.

How have things changed? I started teaching in '96, but we were always sort of an underground club. Because I rented space out of boys' gyms—when their gyms were closed, we could have women's only classes. I think we kind of kickstarted it. It's more normal now for women to be in gyms. Even ten years ago, it was odd to see one or two women in a gym. I think once gyms realized hey, if we let in the women, we might actually pay the rent.

Walk me through your club now.

Our gym is pretty Rocky Stallone. No white walls, get-your-towels-at-the-door type of thing. When people walk in, it's like, 'What an awesome space.' People get to use it and walk away pretty empowered. The gym is a 3,500 square foot playground for hitting things. There's at least 15 things to hit, I just teach them how to hit safely. And we just hit things to loud music. Couldn't be better.

Members of the Newsgirls boxing club. Photo courtesy Tracey Erin Smith

How do you avoid permanent damage?

[laughs] You move your head. Don't get hit. You work on lots of defense. I'll be 51 this month. I think I'm in great shape for a 51-year-old. But I've been punched a lot. Back in the days before there was any discussion around concussions, we'd have the crap kicked out of us. I've been knocked out on two of my fights. You'd get knocked out in a fight and you'd go out drinking afterward, you know? Nowadays, if you take a punch that's a little too hard you don't do any ring work for like, three weeks. Which is good.

For me, I just wanted it all so bad that nothing could stop me. I was coming back no matter what. I had an AVM—it's like an aneurysm. Four years later, I fought at nationals. I wouldn't let my athletes do that, but if I want to do it, I'm just gonna do it. What were you seeking?

I love the performance side of things. I like to show off, I like to be watched—that's probably why I got into theatre. Boxing is like a dance, it's like an art form. I really worked hard on my dance moves—I'm not just gonna get in there and slug. I wanted to play the game. I don't like punching people in the head, but you have to—it's boxing.

Don't mess with Savoy. Photo courtesy Tracey Erin Smith

It's more of a power struggle with myself. You try to calm yourself down, give yourself little pep talks, [and] be positive, because it's easy to scare yourself before a fight, especially if you haven't done enough work. The battle is more with yourself than with this person you get in the ring with whom you've never seen before. What do you love the most about this sport?

I love coaching. I've been doing it for about 20 years. I get to show women and trans people how to hit properly. I give them access to things to hit, like heavy bags. They get to see in a very short period of time, even like two hours, how strong they already are. And then I get to see them see that. And that's one of the most exciting things ever. Especially women, you know? Sometimes women are told they're weaker, they're a piece of crap, or whatever. When [they] see that actually I'm not weaker, I'm way stronger than I've been told, that's empowering for them. And I get to witness that.

Any stories in particular come to mind?

I had a woman jump in my free boxing program for survivors of violence. She had just put her son into the temporary care of [the Children's Aid Society]—not because she wanted to, but because she had no support, no money. She wanted to make sure he was going to eat. Her worker said, 'Why don't you go check out this gym, they have a free boxing program.' She thought, 'Boxing? I never thought about boxing before.' She came, she was so bummed out. Within three classes, she realized she was a beast. She had no idea she was a beast. She went back to children's aid and said, 'Give me my kid back.' Around the eight-month mark, she said, 'Savoy, I want to compete.' I'm like OK! Took her to a couple fights, [and she] did very well. At the year mark, took her to the provincials, she got gold. Four months later, took her to the nationals, she got silver.

People who don't want to compete still get an equivalent reward out of it. I hear stories of women who broke themselves out of isolation, especially trans women. Other people who had nightmares every night, once they start moving their bodies they don't have nightmares anymore. Left abusive partners. Finally got the courage to work on their résumé and get off their couch and get a job. Out of depression, you know? They are way stronger than they thought. I can show somebody how strong they are in one two-hour class. All I need is a heavy bag. I love my job. I'll never be rich, but I'm definitely rich in community.

What's your mantra?

Boxing is the art of not quitting. We train through a bell system. We hear a bell, we go at it for two minutes. At the one-and-a-half minute mark, you hear another bell, and that's where you work ten times as hard, so you train your body to work hardest when you're the most tired. It carries over into life. When you train enough in this crazy sport, sometimes a challenge will hit you in life, and it's like, nope! Keep going, keep going.

Savoy (right) with the women of the Newsgirls club. Photo courtesy Tracey Erin Smith

I think almost everything that happens in that gym is a metaphor for life. If someone comes in to train, [and] if their grounding sucks in life, their grounding sucks in gym. When you're ungrounded maybe you're anxious, panicked, it's like your feet aren't in the ground. So I might throw a set of leg weights on you, do lots of footwork.

All of a sudden, your grounding gets better in life. I've seen this for so many years. If your offense sucks, then chances are, outside of the gym when somebody says something to you—and you know you should say no—you don't say it. Then when your offense gets better, you can say no. It carries over. It's pretty cool.

Howe will be sharing tales from her 25-year boxing journey in her solo show, Newsgirl, opening this week.

Meet Savoy Howe, Who's Changing Lives and Empowering Women Through Boxing published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

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bandgeek573-blog · 7 years

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Senior Essay

Joseph Lomeli

Erwin

AP Lit 4B

12 April 2017

Theatre Design

Imagine travelling endless hours on a small charter bus to Ashland, Oregon with everyone in your entire Advanced Theatre course. You’ve all made the decision to attend this year’s Oregon Shakespeare Festival. The actors are putting on a production of Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar.” You’re dreading watching your least favorite play in a place where everyone has some massive appreciation for the piece. Sure there are other plays you’ll see, but still. This Saturday night’s performance has been sold out for months, just like every other night at the Angus Bowmer Theatre. You’re a little peeved that you all managed to get tickets. Everyone makes their way into their chairs after seeing the house light pulse for a few moments. The lights fade out and the work men come from side stage. They begin and all seems to be going well. It’s not long before you find yourself engaged in the performance. Soon it’s time for Mark Antony’s funeral speech. You listen as he speaks. “Friends, Romans, Countrymen,” he proclaims surrounded by men scattered around the set. This entire performance has been surprisingly good. What could it be? What made this experience enjoyable? Could it be the set, the actors, the lighting, the costumes? Who is in charge of coordinating these things? That would be someone who works in the field of theatre design and has the responsibility of ensuring that the emotions and feelings in the stories being told on stage are also shown through things such as props, set and lighting.

Though modern theatre leads people to believe stagecraft and stage designing are new ideas, they have been around a lot longer than our culture thinks. With Hamilton and La La Land on the rise as of late, millennials seem to think theatre is hip, cool and all new. Contrary to that semi-popular misconception, theatre has been around for a very, very long time. This means that design has too. Theatre has been used as a form of entertainment for as long as anyone can remember. Theatrical performances can be dated back as early as the Medieval era, though the actual origin of theatre has yet to be proved. In an article titled “Theatre Design,” the author claims, “A study… (2002) is the only full-length study of the oldest theatre in India, but its conclusion that Ramgarh Hill is the oldest theatre in the world is not supportable,” (Hildy). This study helps confirm the idea that play performances, and thus their set designs, have been around for centuries (Hildy).

Through the almost infinite history of theatrical design there have been many influential people. One person in particular is Anna Wyckoff. Anna is not considered your typical theatre designer, she excels in the field of media showcasing the arts. She is the editor in chief of the magazine Costume Designer guide. Wyckoff goes on to explain, “The life of a designer can be isolating. Because you are deeply absorbed in the world you are creating with your team, it can become difficult to connect with your peers, or even your family and friends.” Here she tells of her experiences in the world of theatre design. She shows that life in this field is often very constraining and time consuming.

Theatre designers are to oversee that the compositions of the overall production matches the message trying to be conveyed to the audience through things such as dialogue and different theatrical conventions. The duties of a theatre designer are just about endless. These duties include all visual aspects of a production. Some of the visual aspects are props, lighting and set design. When dealing with props it is important to start a list of all props needed and ensure they are all bought/rented. It is crucial to each production that props are taken care of so they will not break (Lord). A way to ensure this is to take inventory of each prop needed every day with the use of a prop table. A prop table is located off-stage and each prop will have a place marked off, typically, by blue painter’s tape or a thick line of black magic marker (Ledo).

Moving forward with the visual aspects of a play, lighting takes a large amount of time to plan and produce. To begin planning lighting, a designer should follow certain critical steps in a show process, not in any specific order. Once one has obtained a copy of the script, looking for possible cues already existing. As the show begins to advance, the director’s artistic invisions should play a role for all light designs. When the actors begin rehearsals, follow them closely. It is important to watch and look for any missed cues and note things like time of day, pacing, brightness, angles and colors. Once a design has been created, copies should be made to avoid losing the hard work that has been put in. No design is set in stone. They can be altered as needed (Ledo).

Set design is also a huge part of theatrical design. In an article titled “Set Designer…” the authors explains:

"All the scenery, furniture and props the audience sees at a production of a play make

up the set design. The set designer’s job is to design these physical surroundings in

which the action will take place. A theatre set should suggest the style and tone of the

whole production, create mood and atmosphere, give clues as to the specific time and

place of the action, and offer creative possibilities for the movement and grouping of the

actors.” (“Set Designers…”)

Which tells of the different aspects involved in the actual set design. The design will be created to cultivate the play’s entire setting. Sketches would be drawn out to scale, including furniture, large props and general layout of the stage. The director would heavily be involved in the creation of the entire set. The designer should be extremely comfortable with the script to have a full idea of what the story’s atmosphere should look and feel like (“Set Designers…”).

A good amount of work will take place during rehearsals. A good theatre designer will constantly be watching how the set works with the actors and take note of anything that doesn’t work. This requires a lot of time and effort. That being said, most designers are also hesitant to change their previous designs. The article called “Designing Theatre, Designing User Experience,” it is said, “We may not adapt as easily as a chameleon, but people do adjust to their environment,” (Quesenbery). Quesenbery tells about how a lighting designer will find themselves cocooned into the comfort of having a set design in place. She says that a designer must separate themselves from the theatre for a little while, which is a difficult thing to deal with.

As a theatre designer, the pay isn’t too fantastic. The typical starting salary for a designer is around $45,000. Though the work can pay up to somewhere close to $60,000 (Carillo). This is not a sufficient amount of money for the work that is put in. A theatre designer does a lot of work in comparison to the amount they are paid. Often times a designer can be paid little to nothing, so one must love their job (Ford).

For this career one must go through a series of general education classes with a major in theatre design and or stagecraft. In an interview with Desiree Carillo, a professional theatre designer, she tells, “For most Theatre companies it is either a few years of experience or a BA degree in Theatre for some sort (general or technical).” Carillo states that she personally has her bachelor’s though it is not fully necessary. This takes four years. More often than not, smaller companies look for personal experiences. Hands on training is important to gain. A lot of designers get into the field coming straight from amateur productions, such as high school. What’s important is stamina, attention to detail and proactivity (Ford).

In this field the key to advancement is being patient and prepared. To prosper in the world of theatre one must truly love the theatre (Ford). Working as a designer, there are three possible levels of careers in the technical route. The goal would be to become a principal designer (Carillo).

Wrapping this up, theatre designers really do a lot to contribute to the entirety of a production of any play. Designers do a bunch of things to make plays more enjoyable for an audience. The biggest discovery I made was the different terms used for all of the separate aspects that are tied together by the theatre designer. Throughout this project I have decided that I no longer want to be a theatre designer. This is because the pay isn’t good enough. Instead I would rather study to become a plant scientist. Though I am thoroughly impressed with the work theatre designers put in and what type of effect it can have on an audience. They have done such a good job that I forgot how much I didn’t like “Julius Caesar.”

Works Cited

Carillo, Desiree. “RE: Theatre Design.” Message to Joseph Lomeli. 22 Mar. 2017. Email.

Ford, Liz. “So You Want to Work in Theatre Design.” Guardian News and Media, 22 Sept.

2007, www.theguardian.com/money/2007/sep/22/graduates.workandcareers2.

Hildy, Franklin, “Theatre Design | Architecture.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 2017, www.britanni

ca.com/art/theatre-design.

Ledo, George. “Set Design and Tech.” Word Press, n.d. Web. 7 Apr. 2017. www.setdesignand

tech.wordpress.com

Lord, William H. Stagecraft 1: a complete guide to backstage work. 3rd ed., Colorado Springs,

CO, CO, Meriwether Publishing, 2002.

Quesenbery, Whitney. “Designing Theatre, Whitney Interactive Design.” Wqusability.Com, 20

17. www.wquasibility.com/articles/theatre-interactions.html.

“Set Designer | Www.Aact.Org.” Aact.Org, 2017, www.aact.org/set-designer.

Wyckoff, Anna. “Editor’s Note.” The Costume Designer, p. 4. Magazine.

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