I now have a basis for inspiration for my performance but need some comedy theory to ground it in practice; Amy Taublin’s The Solo Self. Solo performance has it’s foundations in “private obsessions that commands the audience’s attention” (Carroll, 1979, 51). I will thus ensure that I become fixated with something during my performance. I must also comprise “the feelings of division and distance” (Caroll, 1979, 51) and I can play around with “the experience of being seen (Caroll, 1979, 52) and “being heard symbolically” (Caroll, 1979, 53), which also will create tension. The performer must be “observed” (Caroll, 1979, 52). Tabulin’s first solo Pimping for herself describes “what it feels like to be looked at as a performer while also inciting yet defying voyeuristic glances at her nudity” (Caroll, 1979, 52). This voyeuristic impression I would like to explore in my performance and, in particular “what it is to be a person” (Caroll, 1979, 52). In another performance Double Occupancy Taublin transforms “the words of the text and the staging” (Caroll, 1979, 54) another element I would love to experiment with. The stream of consciousness present within Taublin’s work is another aspect I would like to make prevalent. The ability to “contrast an invisible living inner voice with it’s visible outer manifestation” (Caroll, 1979, 56) is another feature I would like to highlight , aided by the technique of “detached delivery” (Caroll, 1979, 56) to enforce certain expression. Finally, “changing angles of view” (Caroll, 1979, 57) really attracted me as something I could add .
With all these ideas in mind I needed to develop my second 5 minute performance. I felt I should try to record something and maybe do something to accompany this. I recorded my comedy script and hen listened to it . I thought this was too boring and remembered Marina’s idea of eating whilst speaking a script to constitute multi-tasking. I started thinking about the script and then had the idea of eating my words , metaphorically and literally, hearing my script and then eating my words. However, I thought this would be impractical, unless I ate sugar paper; and what message does “eating my words” convey?
I was really inspired by the presentation on Marnia Abramovic. This shocked as to how far she pushed the boundaries however I was intrigued by the metaphors and purposes behind her work.
It was suggested that I focus the performance on thoughts and perhaps the grieving process. It was inferred that I found out my inner thoughts. I preferred this to talking about grief, as I can’t really specify my thoughts; also this could become too autobiographical and perhaps lose the sense of the words. So, I began with a pre-performance exercise; I wrote down a series of questions I would ask my brain if I could. Making use of the features that have inspired me from the readings, I listened to music throughout , to zone out my brain . After this I was asked these questions and recorded my answers. Then, in my performance I interviewed myself. I set up two chairs opposite each other, to create an interview. The live me was then the interviewer . After each question the recorded me gave the response. The live me sat and nodded to the questions as though the interviewee was sat opposite me. I picked three main questions: Who are you?, Do you claim to have an ego? and Do you want to be loved?. I felt that these questions were personal to me but also applied to society. They also progressively probed more into the person and gave a range of personality traits, a realistic portrayal. After these 3 questions on impulse I asked the remaining questions that I had asked myself, almost as though the layers had been peeled back. Now I am no longer looking at another person ; my inner conscience, I am that person. To certify this, at the end of the performance I removed my glasses; a resemblance of true identity; noting to hide this. I discarded an idea to look at myself through a mirror to realize my true identity. I found it hard to stage it without it restricting my movements. I felt unnatural to perform such a gesture.
Finally, in an evaluation my peers thought it was a brave performance, and interesting to mix the recorded and live self. Now, to play with a metaphor to the scene. Perhaps, I could add a comic metaphor , to try to present more of a juxtaposition between the live and recorded self.
Works Cited
Carroll, Noel (19979) “Amy Taublin: The Solo Self, The Drama Review, 23 (1) March: 51-58.