This week, I have been busy in sorting out my technical requirements for the show. In sorting this out, I wanted to ensure that I had the terminology right which is why I was determined in getting right the terminology.
When doing the tech, I found it to be quite exciting as I have a lot going on in the show. However, I found it to be really difficult as the show requires quick thinking and not that much time until the next cue occurs.
To give you an idea on tech linguistics, these are the following abbreviations to know prior to reading this.
Lights (LX)
Sound (SQ)
Projections (AV)
Please find the following cue sheets below explaining how the show will work.
In order to ensure that the show is of a high standard, it is important to note that there has to be influences from certain practitioners. Indeed, although this is an essential part of the marking criteria, I want to ensure that the references to those practitioners are not only clear but really well utilised in the show. So, in this post, I will explore the practitioners that I have taken inspiration from and looking to showcase in my upcoming show, The Ride of My Life.
Tim Crouch
One of the first practitioners I am keen use is Tim Crouch. Now I have aware of this practitioner since the first year of my degree since performing an condensed version of his 2007 play, England. However, since doing the module, I have become obsessed with his style of performance in establishing the presence of the performer’s identity by performing other roles “as…” rather than “is…”. Indeed, I was inspired by the play, An Oak Tree, when he begins the show by introducing himself as himself playing a hypnotist in which this trust is then established and brings in a meta-theatrical presence as a performer and character. Indeed, the following video establishes how he does this establishment of the performer.
(juliageek, 2007).
The reason I have been interested in this is as my show encounters a personal story of my life, I want to be able to establish a relationship with the audience in which they are not only able to be immersed in the show but can trust me as a performer. Indeed, whilst I intend to take on certain roles, it would be under the idea of “Daniel Fotheringham as…” a ride attendant for example.
I am also keen on using him to create an immersive show that is visceral but exciting to observe and I was inspired by both ENGLAND and The Author in this case. Indeed, they both use interesting staging to help immerse the audience into a show and get a deeper meaning. For example, the play, ENGLAND occurs in an art exhibition in the Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh as whilst it focuses on a persons journey for a heart transplant, it’s main theme focuses on a tour of an art exhibition. Likewise, Crouch’s The Author is set in traverse staging in which the setting is the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs in the Royal Court Theatre.
(Kenton, 2009).
In this case, I want to utilise this idea of immersion by creating the studio space into the seating of a rollercoaster carriage and having a projection board to suggest certain things. By this, I will be able to create something similar to the style of Tim Crouch by having something as an overarching concept in which something smaller occurs. In other words, the rollercoaster can therefore be used as a metaphor to talk about my childhood and can be utilised as an idea for achieving the impossible.
Chris Goode
Another practitioner that I have been massively inspired by is the work of Chris Goode and his use of storytelling. Indeed, Goode has the use of storytelling to showcase that we have forgotten to tell stories and that sometimes, less is more. This is vital for me as whilst the show has to be visual, I want to ensure that it has the heart and has the story needed with a solidified beginning, middle and end.
One show that inspires me is the play, Monkey Bars which is a verbatim theatre piece in which adults answer questions by children in the style of children. Now whilst the show my piece is not verbatim and instead a personal story, one thing that interests me is the possibility of using childlike language and seeing how the language can be used for comedic purposes. Indeed, the show focuses on my childhood at an adult age and I think by using this idea of childhood language and honest words could be used not only for poignancy but also comedy.
(ChrisGoode andCo, 2013).
Refreshmentby Craig Gingrich-Philbrook
One final influence on this show is Philbrooks autobiographical play, Refreshment which focuses on a shooting at a Gay Pride parade. The reason I have been inspired by this play is the fact that this ten minute play does interesting things by focusing on the personal event and a bigger topic which is about what it means to live in the LGBT+ community.
I particularly am inspired by this text as I want to ensure that whilst the piece is personal, it speaks on a broader level about achieving the impossible and has some meaning for a wider audience. Indeed, I feel that this piece should connect to people and I hope that it is more important to people to discuss the ideas of bettering yourself.
So these are my influences. For the next few weeks, I need to script it. Currently, I have ideas on how this can be furthered and I hope to further these ideas more so the piece can be truly unique and special.
In todays class, we were once again introduced to a set of artists. In observing them all, I felt they evoked some interesting elements. However, one artist that spoke out to me more was none other but the renowned Shia LaBeouf.
Now prior to finding out about his work, similar to some people as seen in the class, I felt very strongly against his work due to his reputation that he has gained in the media. Such instances have showcased him for example as a madman and as if he is trying to hold onto his fame by trying to redefine himself as a performance artist. Indeed, this is highlighted why the business magazine, Forbes in which they attack the artist by saying that “his downfall has been tragic, even if it appears to be mostly self-inflicted” and also that “he should retreat from public life altogether, and focus on ridding himself of whatever ailment troubles him;” (Placido, 2017).
However, whilst people may say that Placido’s statement is true, I believe that LaBeouf does not deserve this statement. Whilst he may have caused controversy, he has been regarded as a millennial artist that aims to make a statement personally about who he is, what he does and try to make that distinction of what is art and entertainment. Thus, through his perseverance of being an artist, he has been seen as a popular culture icon that many people are fascinated by as seen in the video below:
(robcantor, 2014).
From this video above, we could say that there is so much to learn about LaBeouf as he gained a cult following for his decision to be a performance artist and also as a celebrity. Indeed, LaBeouf’s performance style could be deemed as him trying to redeem himself and define himself as an artist. Thus, we could say that this video jokingly poking at LaBeouf epitomises who he is and what he does concerning his performance art.
Now whilst LaBeouf has had a very short career so far as a performance artist, we will focus on one performance he did called #ALLMYMOVIES. Seen below, the six part video documents LaBeouf’s performance as he watches all of he films in reverse starting with his latest film at the time of the performance to his first movie. In the performance, as documented below, he allowed audience members to come in to see him perform and watch his own films and also livestreamed the event for people to observe from the internet. This performance went on for three days, as documented in Jimmy Kimmel video with Shia LaBeouf and personally has allowed me to understand the idea more of the distinction between a performer and artist.
(LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner, 2016).
(LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner, 2016).
(LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner, 2016).
(LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner, 2016).
(LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner, 2016).
(LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner, 2016).
(Jimmy Kimmel Live, 2016).
From the set of videos, there is a lot we can learn a lot from LaBeouf’s performance. For starters, one interesting thing we could say is that for the manner of the performance, we see him enter the room and sit down as if he is trying to signify he is an equal and not as if he should be respected higher. Therefore, it could be suggested that he is playing with the idea of the relationship between the audience and performer and as if he implying that everyone, including Shia LaBeouf, creates the performance. This is even including the people watching the livestream and therefore makes the piece feel extremely interactive. Thus, this is something I wish to explore as I am intending on livestreaming the performance in which the audience will be able to question this distinction between audience and performer and who has the dominance onstage.
As well, one of the other questions we could ask is the question concerning the issue of authenticity. A couple of weeks ago, we explored this idea of authenticity/ autobiographical performance in which, during the workshop, we came to a conclusion that it is hard to define whether a autobiographical performance can be deemed as authentic as there will always be some performativity to the piece of work which would make it less authentic. Indeed, as Craig Gingrich-Philbrook notes in his introduction to his script Refreshment, “autobiographical performers cannot speak for an absolutely unique experience.” (Philbrook, 1997, 353). Therefore, it is unclear to define whether Shia LaBeouf’s performance can be seen as authentic due to the performativity of his reactions in this meta-theatrical performance as he watches the films in reverse.
However, one thing that is interesting is, once again, this issue of status as a performer. From discussions and understanding the artist in class, we understood that his main aim was to try and sec make himself change his status from celebrity status and make himself an equal in the audience. However, in performing this piece in a manner where he is allowing the audience to view it as a participant, the focus is less on the films being shown but more the focus on his reaction. Indeed, one problem that occurs is that this creates a “boomerang” effect in which he is unable to denounce himself as a celebrity but as an artist. This idea of the denouncement and equality of the audience is something I wish to challenge as I feel this idea of the power relationship and challenging this idea of how I could be deemed as an equal onstage compared and how, through the status and persona of a Youtuber, how I could try and denounce myself and the reaction that would give or vice versa.
Overall, whilst people may criticise Shia LaBeouf for having no relevance or an idea on what his work could be, I find his performance art interesting. Each piece holds something clear and important and allows him to denounce himself into a performance artist and allows us to question his work or even make suggestions on what it could mean. Thus, this allows us to rethink the ideas of post-modernism and modernism and brings us back to the ideas of Matt Chewiwie in the question of how you distinguish art and performance and what the meaning of art is.
Works Cited:
Jimmy Kimmel Live (2016) Shia LaBeouf Explains His Performance Art Events. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeZ6iy_qUhs [accessed 05 March 2018].
LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner (2016) #ALLMYMOVIES (Part 1 of 6). Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkIPVVpY164 [accessed 05 March 2018].
LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner (2016) #ALLMYMOVIES (Part 2 of 6). Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qhq-KgkKVCg [accessed 05 March 2018].
LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner (2016) #ALLMYMOVIES (Part 3 of 6). Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkJ1oGgMzJM [accessed 05 March 2018].
LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner (2016) #ALLMYMOVIES (Part 4 of 6). Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgrwLhpcqwo [accessed 05 March 2018].
LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner (2016) #ALLMYMOVIES (Part 5 of 6). Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ow2SjHwffQ4 [accessed 05 March 2018].
LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner (2016) #ALLMYMOVIES (Part 6 of 6). Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zO_xbsp6sKA [accessed 05 March 2018].
Philbrook, C.G. (1997) Autobiographical Performance Scripts – Refreshment. Text and Performance Quarterly, 17 352-360.
Placido, D. D. (2017) What Happened To You, Shia LaBeouf?. Forbes, 12 July. Available from https://www.forbes.com/sites/danidiplacido/2017/07/12/what-happened-to-you-shia-labeouf/#641f40fb1193 [accessed 05 March 2018].
robcantor (2014). “Shia LaBeouf” Live – Rob Cantor. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0u4M6vppCI [accessed 05 March].
Over the past four weeks of this module, I have been exploring various ideas that could be used for the final solo piece. Personally, I have found this an exciting process as it has allowed me to narrow down my thoughts and think critically about some ideas that can be explored in the next following weeks that can be explored. So, instead of doing separate blog posts detailing about my thoughts on this, I have decided to compile all my thoughts into one so you can get a succinct idea of where my piece is heading. That does not mean that I won’t be exploring some ideas in finer detail but it is so you can get an idea of where it is heading currently and why I think this will be an interesting idea to explore in rehearsals. So, without further ado, here are my ideas:
What is the current stimulus for my solo performance?
Currently, my stimulus is based on the idea of YouTubing and the idea of how a YouTuber can gain a reputation for better or worse. In the ten minutes of the piece, I want to explore this idea of the downfall of someone online. I want to question how big a downfall it can become when a YouTuber shows their real thoughts and personalities on camera instead of conforming to the ideals that are expected when it comes to creating YouTube videos.
Why should you explore this stimulus?
I want to explore the stimulus because I think it is something that is becoming very current in today’s world. When researching the topic, I found a shocking statistic in which one in ten people now have created their own YouTube channel and this may be down to the fact that many people see famous YouTubers as role models and people aspire to be. Therefore, this idea of becoming a role model can be both a positive but also a very scary prospect as the YouTuber’s reputation is put on the line because if they do something that could be deemed as extremely wrong or offensive then it may cost them their reputation and job. This has clearly become a problem in the last few months with famous YouTubers such as Logan Paul, KSI and recently, Shane Dawson in which they have all faced scandals that have occurred on YouTube and has cost them a lot with their reputation and also, at times, rewards with their jobs that YouTube has taken away and this is one of the big reasons why I wish to explore this concept of YouTubing.
Briefly describe some of the ideas that you want to explore.
There are a few ideas that I have in mind but these are some of the ideas I think that are interesting ideas and could be explored.
1. Live streaming the show – From researching YouTube and how a YouTuber can gain money professionally, I have discovered that a lot of the money comes from when people tune into their videos they make and view it. Very much, the idea for YouTube is to get the views and I feel this is something I could incorporate into the show. As the venue I am intending to use (Studio 2) is a very intimate space and would only be able to seat thirty people at the maximum, I would not be able to get as many people to view the show and get the full impact of my point of the show. Whereas, by being able to live stream the show on social media sites such as Facebook, it would allow me to branch out to a wider audience and also make the message more real as I assume that people would view it through their mobile phone or laptop for the sake of convenience and also down to habit as that is how people normally consume YouTube. Plus, I am keen to show the idea of how people will only be able to see one side of me and of what I put on the internet to view and they do not see everything that is happening in the ten minutes.
2. Creating my own “Diss” Track – In one of my earlier blog posts, I mentioned that I wanted to create a “Diss” track giving some people an idea of the way how some people approach YouTube by verbally attacking people in a comedic manner. However, in deciding on this idea of a “Diss” track, one of my big concerns is that there will be certain people in the audience who will be unaware of the topic that I am discussing. Therefore, I have decided to branch out and discuss a wider topic and I have discovered a topic that may be of some worth to discuss this topic.
(Good Morning Britain, 2018).
Recently in the news, there has been a massive controversy concerning the closure of many KFC restaurants due to the lack of chicken being supplied. This has sparked so much anger and frustration to many people in the public due to the fact that the convenience of the fast-food chain has shut down and I think there is something overtly funny about several people complaining over a greasy meal. Indeed, in one of the videos below, there is a woman who highlights her frustration in saying “I’ve had to go to Burger King.” (ITV News, 2018). I think this can be done as very comedic and I feel that the use of something “major” will help me in dissing KFC and trying to make the audience feel as if I am the “role model” to follow in criticising my thoughts of the chain on the internet.
(ITV News, 2018).
3 – Space – in the past few sessions, we have been exploring the idea of space and when doing the activity, my group was given a tight corner. In one of my previous blog posts, I showed my enthusiasm for this space as I felt that there were a lot of interesting elements to space. For starters, I really like the way how it could feel quite intimate and if modified, it could be seen as a really relaxed/intimate space. However, at the same time, it could come across as a very exposed and trapped space in which there is no way to escape. Thus, I feel that I want to use the space so it makes the YouTuber feel trapped in their own world of hate and dominance. Plus, I want to be able to have a space where I am able to interact with an audience. Therefore, I feel that this could be seen as extremely intimate and very exciting to observe in a visceral manner due to the fact that the audience may feel uncomfortable.
What artists do you want to incorporate into your performance?
For my performance, current certain artists include Laurie Anderson, Karen Finley and Tim Crouch. There are various reasons and below are the reasons for each artist and why I want to incorporate their performance style:
Laurie Anderson – As mentioned before, the piece will focus on YouTube and I am intending to livestream the show. Therefore, I am expecting that my show will have a massive emphasis on the multimedia aspect. With Anderson’s work, I find it highly political in which every piece of work aims to send a message concerning politics. Some of her favourite work that I have discovered is Mach 20 as I feel the use of the voice is not only used for comedic purposes but also highlights the problems about how sometimes we forget what is going on in the world and the metaphor of the sperm whale being a missile is interesting. This could be an exciting idea in trying to modulate and change my voice as I feel that this could emphasise the idea that for people on YouTube, you only see what they wish to put out online. Therefore, by deciding to modulate my voice, it could mean that it could be interesting to observe how I am only showing an audience (Ie. the people that view the livestream) how they are viewing an image I wish to put out online.
(k8fan, 2006).
Karen Finley – Another artist that interests me is Karen Finley and her idea of hysteria. This is because when it comes to YouTube, when a video is put online, there can be some extreme comments which people could relate back to Finley’s work. Whilst I will say that I personally am not a fan of her work due to the explicit nature of it, I do personally think that there are interesting elements to explore. I think that Finley’s work, whilst there is a heavy emphasis on hysteria and the female body, could be used to help create my diss track in beginning it as a funny piece only to then take it to an extreme.
(Belgian New Beat, 2014).
Tim Crouch – One final artist that I am currently thinking about is Tim Crouch. This is because I am a fan of the way he has the idea of not distancing himself from the audience by making all his roles “Tim Crouch as…” meaning that he is closer to the audience as he is not playing a role but just showing a side of his personality suited for the role. Personally, I find this interesting as I want to get the audience create a bond with me and I feel that by creating a bond with the audience, it will help them not only engage in the piece but also make them feel trapped in this idea of thinking they know about me when in fact they will only see one side of me onstage. Thus, I am also keen to use Crouch’s theory of autosuggestion in which I can theoretically suggest to the audience that I am taking on the persona of a YouTuber instead of actually being one.
What do you want your audience to take away from the piece?
For the show, there are many things I want the audience to take away. However, the main objective of the piece is to alert and inform people about the cynical things that can occur when people create YouTube videos. That is not to say that this is going to be done in a dystopian or didactic manner in which the message is “YouTube is bad. Stay away from it.” But, the whole purpose of it is to show this idea of how some people do gain a reputation and how far they are willing to go to gain that reputation online. Thus, I hope the piece will be able to help people become a bit cynical about the way people project their lives onto the internet.
Works Cited:
Belgian New Beat (2014) Karen Finley – Tales of Taboo . Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rrr4qNJJ7U8 [accessed 2 March 2018].
Good Morning Britain (2018) The ‘KFC’ Chicken Crisis – Good Morning Britain.Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4VtITHr-OQ&feature=youtu.be [accessed 1 March 2018].
ITV News (2018) KFC closures over chicken shortage to continue for rest of the week – ITV News . Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elh5B1y8vKM [accessed 1 March 2018].
k8fan (2006) Laurie Anderson – Mach 20 . Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SirOxIeuNDE [accessed 2 March 2018].
Below is a slideshare presentation on Tim Crouch. It cover’s three pieces of work that he has created. If the link does not work, please use the following web address to find the presentation:
