Day 7: Meg Stuart's Marathon Performance: Sketches/Notebook

This piece was just what I needed to See. 4 hours of scores, sketches and a journey into a Crystal Cave. 

Meg Stuart's Sketches/Notebook was not your average performance. And I don't mean it deviated from the normal structure. I mean that it defiantly left the realm of traditional dance pieces to the other extreme, it was a new creation in itself. 

You step into the theater space to find creatures playing in their element. The stage is transformed into a visually dynamic setting with ramps, chairs in clusters, props, fabrics and pillows of various textures, wardrobes full of costumes, and technical equipment. The show had already started when the audience arrives; we just happen to witness this scene as if joining them for a normal afternoon tea. But nothing was Normal.

I can not begin to go into the details of the whole four hours. What happened in that space from 9:00 until 1:30 in the morning is something so complex and involved, I can only give you a tiny glimpse into what occurred in this spacetime  

There was an element of transparency. The performance was open: in the show the process was very visible to the spectator. The technique, costume, stage & lighting designers were in the same space as the performers, therefore becoming performers themselves.  

Following the openness of the piece, there was an incredible amount of spectator interaction. What started with small things to engage the audience [little nods, handing out costumes, assigning tasks] leading to larger roles in the overall. Audience members were dressed up for a photos shoot, invited into a clumping circle and eventually into a communal improvisation and 'structure building'.

With this audience-spectator interaction, there was a sense of harmony and togetherness. By the end piece, I had been on stage a number of times, including a duet with a cast member and orienting myself structurally. There was definitely a level of trust which the audience had in the performers. I learned the rules they were operating and felt safe within that. I'm curious though how to make the trust go even deeper to the point when you get the audience to interact or do something which is outside of their comfort zone. A moment when they release their traditional ideas of the spectator/performer role and let go into the moment. I had the thought sometimes that I really wanted to join or propose an idea into the space but I never acted on that. How can you create the environment where I felt free to do so? or even required and willing to propose ideas during the performance?

This is a question I want to explore for myself and in my own work. It's a great research!

I loved the visual aspect of the piece. You could see so many layers of details. The spacing of the stage area had an immediate impact with ramps and areas of chairs arranged in a unique pattern. Quickly the element of texture and colors were introduced. With reflective and shiny as a theme, arranged within the space were with different fabrics, transparent plastics, geode rocks, colorful costumes, and a discoball to name a few items. Each were introduced on their own, given a distinct role in the piece related to the other items. It was a magical clash of 

This work is filled with layers of information! It touches sensory stimuli, social-cultural issues, performative tasks, and redefining theater space and time. 

I loved it. I loved the marathon of the extended four hour version. Its duration flooded me with waves from complete engagement to closing eyelids. I was overwhelmed and completely pleased with the direction Meg Stuart went into. All more I can say is I want more of this.