Studio 360: Actors face stage fright all the time. But consider this scenario: you show up to perform a one-person show, and you’ve never seen the script. You don’t know what it’s about because you promised not to do any research. It’s your first performance, and the only one you’ll ever have. The theater’s artistic director hands you a fat manila envelope with a script. And go.
5 comments:
From the description of performance rules for ‘White Rabbit, Red Rabbit,’ Nassim Soleimanpour’s play could be argued as fulfilling the requirements of a conceptual art project, for Soleimanpour “is literally embodying the ideas of control and manipulation that he’s baked into his script.” The play seems to have been in production since the summer of 2011 (from the White Rabbit, Red Rabbit blog site: http://whiterabbitredrabbit.blogspot.com), but Soleimanpour was unable to obtain a passport to see his work performed until last year in Brisbane. I would love to see this live. As an audience member, I imagined I would share in a bit of the actor’s anticipation about what to expect for the evening!
This play is innovative not only in its controversial content but in the way it is structured and meant to be performed. It must be a fascinating play to watch, because an audience would be so drawn in to an actor's performance if it is the first time it ever happens. I love that it pushes the boundaries of what a performer usually does on a stage as much as it creates a very unusual experience for the audience. It all becomes so much more relevant when you learn of the playwright's inability to leave Iran and see his play performed.
I think this idea is innovative and exciting. I am confused why it is titled as an "Actor's Nightmare," simply because I think most actors today would be happy to participate in this sort of unexpected, experimental theater piece. It must be very interesting for the audience to see the actor develop over the course of a performance. It must also take a special type of skill set from the actor to be both performing and experimenting with the script all at the same time. Either way, this play seems like an exciting process for all involved, including the audience. It must be frustrating but exciting for the playwright, since they cannot personally see how their play is turning out each night.
While there is no way that you could get me to perform this show, I would pay actual money to see this show. Ethically, it's a grey area. It's absolutely controversial, but then again, theater is an art form that can rely on this kind of shock. It's a fantastic idea. It's purely raw performance. That being said, improv is one of my favorite shows because everything is as new to the actors as it is to me. We're truly experiencing a show together. Soleimanpour, the playwright, is giving up all control and that is wholly exciting. Actor's Nightmare? Maybe not so much.
This seems like another example of trying new experimental theatre. Sometimes I wonder if were pushing a bit too far though. I cant imagine how an actor must feel having to create a performance worth seeing on the spot. I'm sure this does make for a really interesting performance, and maybe its an insight to the future of live performance?
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