Thesis Performance Development

Hi folks!

I've been up to a lot since I last posted.  In December the Towson MFA cohort performed a dance originally choreographed by William Foresythe.  We had the opportunity to re-devise this incredible performance under the direction of Elizabeth Corbitt.  In January, we worked with Bulgarian Artist Venelin Shurlov to create an original performance, Post-Everything.  This performance was an immersive theatre experience driven by post-human philosophy and a strong scenographic eye.  (We will be perfroming this piece again in Bulgaria in June!).  In February I defended the written portion of my thesis - an investigation into the mindfulness components of Robert Wilson's work.  In March I coached puppetry for the fantastic, Orlando storytelling troupe, Phantasmagoria (Varney the Vampire never looked so dangerous!).  I'm learning basic Laban Movement Analysis from the generous Tomi Casciero, with the intend to pursue an LMA certification, and I'm studying Lecoq mask work with Dodie DiSanto.  This has been delicious work.

And in April, right now I am deep in the middle of developing my final thesis performance.  It's been a great process so far!  I am devising a 55 minute performance with an ensemble of three incredibly talented undergraduates.  The performance is focusing on Mindfulness in the United States.  I am exploring images, tempos, and moments that explore this phenomena.  I'm using many of the processes I've learned from Anne Bogart's Viewpoints, incorporating influence from Robert Wilson, and there's likely a bit of William Foresythe influence in here.  Here's a video of our very first attempt at the very first show structure. We've come a long way, and we still have a long way to go. Luckily, we have time to make this a fantastic perfromance!

Our first performance is April 30 at 8 PM in the Towson University Studio Theatre.