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JANUARY 14, 2006 So much to see and do, so little time to blog. The first week of events here at QuestFest has blown by faster than wind through Baltimore. A few highlights from the last couple of days: MOSAIC TALK BACK
During the discussion, which focused primarily on the challenges of creating theatre without text, director Miriam Ganz had this to say when asked about the content of the show, “We wanted to showcase how in this society even kindness can be oppressive. We wanted to show oppression in all its forms.” REFLECTIONS
FROM TEXT TO STAGE How do you take a written text and transform it into visual theatre? That was the question being asked at Sunday’s Master Class, led by Ramesh Meyyappan. With a group of about twelve students, who had come from all over, he led the students through exercises designed to show how one can make words come alive through movement, facial expression, and sign mime. Sign mime involves using only the hands and face to express text visually. The group gamely chucked tennis balls at each other, had very angry tea, brought to life the Weekly World News headlines, and participated in a World War II re-enactment. In the end, most had added a new vocabulary to their repertoire. Said one participant, “I always knew I could make something beautiful with my voice. It never occurred to me I could do it with my body.” Ramesh will continue with QuestFest next week, bringing his show This Side Up to Towson.
PILOBOLUS TOO TALK BACK
The team shared a little of the history of the company, and their methods of training and creation of pieces. Rebecca explained what makes PTOO unique. “We create all our pieces with improvisation. Sometimes we start with an idea, or a piece of music, but sometimes we don’t have anything. We just try stuff and see where it takes us.” Some audiences expressed concern over the physical demands of the performances, and the safety of the performers, but Matt was quick to dismiss their fears. “I have a background in martial arts, and that helps a lot.” He was, however, quick to point out that the audience probably shouldn’t try this stuff at home. “If a normal person were to try this stuff, they definitely hurt themselves,” he said.
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Previous
Saturday night’s
performance of Mosaic was followed by a post-show discussion
with the cast. The show, which features both hearing and deaf
actors, is performed without dialogue, either spoken or signed.
Using creative ensemble movement, the cast takes the audience
on a journey through the personal stories of a variety of characters,
and explores racial and religious bigotry, homophobia, gender
identities, and the pressure by the larger community to make
individuals conform. The stark black and white color scheme
and lack of set showcase the vibrancy of movement by the actors.
Artists tend to see each other’s work more often than
they see each other. QuestFest attempted to change that Saturday
night with Reflections, an artist’s gathering and salon.
Over drinks and snacks, the artists and staff of the faculty
shared some thoughts on their favorite moments of the festival
so far, and got a chance to talk to each other more informally
than through the talk-backs or workshops. Many of the memories
shared had to do with the work displayed this week, such as
the overwhelmingly positive response to The Tell Tale Heart
and Masque of the Red Death at Creative Alliance (“I
understood fear,” said Jay Herzog), or the many workshops
and master classes taught over the week, but just as many had
to do with moments that had happened in hallways, or on route
from one venue to another. The QuestFest family grew closer
this week, and now our family has begun to tell its stories
to each other. Perhaps Tatsuya Aoyagi summed it up best, “This
festival has made me begin to believe in Baltimore.”
The week wrapped up for PTOO with a spectacular closing performance
Sunday afternoon. The crowd went crazy for the unique blend
of dance, acrobatics, mime, and story-telling. The beautiful,
practically gravity-defying movements of Matt Kent and Rebecca
Darling were discussed in a post-show discussion.