We did a session today in the DPL in Media city. My work is analogue so I struggled to adapt my stuff as much I felt. I did enjoy the video mixing stuff and I am interested in following this up and getting the software. I think t was called modul8.
This is the final semester and we have been told to go into it without a fixed end point.
Jo said to start with an enquiry and interest. For me it is historical anarchic roles of comedy performers such as clowns and jesters which I am finding interests me and speaks to my want to bend rules and not be bound by convention. Jo said that through exploration something will emerge
I created a short scratch piece in which i put on my clown make up and read the news of the recent virginia massacre and a list of previous cases similar to this in the last few years. It got very little comedic response however I was told that it became too tense. My thoughts for this moving forward fill me with trepidation. Perhaps this is a deadly theatre mind set? (Brook P 1968)
Upon chatting to Patrick afterwards he mentioned about pushing this and the neutralness of the jester highlighting these things being really interesting in the piece which I hope is evoking of the jesters role of old. It also made me think of something I read a while ago about comedians being too left wing, that is not to say that comedians should be more right wing but that when a comedian plants a flag politically they consciously or subconsciously inform their work and where it stands as a result.
Jo said to keep an eye on the MIF which is coming up. I have already been interested in having a look at the David Lynch showcase that has been heavily advertised.
Jo asked where does my work sit in a number of fields
Artistic
I think it sits with Andy Kaufman, Red bastard and Mark Steel
Academic discourse
I shall ask Richard and Wilkie about this, as I am sure that they will have lots of discourse about historic roles of comedy performers.
Wider social contexts
It is perhaps because of this and the world we are heading into politically that makes this work so apt .
Jo asked what is important about the work for me
I think for me it is that it scratches an itch of something subconscious for me which I think has been a running thread of enquiry for this course to unlock my comedic potential on stage.
Jo has said to make sure to build critical reflection into this unit which i intend to do likely through the blog and video as I felt i fell behind a little with my last unit and had to catch up with. Jo said to build reflection into my process and think about the work.
This unit is continuing the hands off element. In this semester I will have 8 hours of my supervisers time. Which is Wilkie, I hope to be able to utilise our rapport in a variety of ways as I think we work together well and I very much respect his input and ideas. I am most worried about the 5000 word submission for the middle of august as I feel that critical academic writing is something I struggle with.
Brook, P. (1968). The empty space. New York: Touchstone
MaCPPTomShort 