Changes in the air!

Well, after all the sharings this week, we’ve radically changed our piece. Now we’ve involved both Steph and Sarah in the piece, who will be taking over the leads of the chorus; it seemed that Lindsay and Katie had far too much to do and couldn’t concentrate on what they wanted to do when they had to narrate it constantly, so they’ll be playing the characters inside the action while Steph and Sarah lead the chorus in the external narration. Talk about quick changes though!

This has meant that reworking bits of the show, but we’ve got aaaaaaages until it’s on (less than two weeks, but meh!), so it’s fine. It also means the Chorus can be used in a more versatile way. Looks like I’ll be playing the piano too; I don’t remember agreeing to this, or even suggesting it, but it came about and my pianoistic skills aren’t that great. Oh well! We’ve also been trying to incorporate the puppet a bit more, as the sharings proved he sort of appeared and didn’t really do anything.

The piece has a really good vibe to it – it’s an exciting story, and it’s a strong comedy. I’m looking forward to it. We decided not to go with Roller Skates though. No health and safety risk assessments – sorry Lindsay!

Less than two weeks, ahahahahahahaha. It’ll be fiiine.

Stir Crazy

The design team has been spending a little too much time cooped up in the design studio. Last night we found a way to entertain ourselves by making a little present for our production manager. Scott has been working hard on the puppet and he’s starting to provide us with in house entertainment.

Scott rigs & sews!

Alex misses her visitor….

…but gets a special delivery.

Note: Chizuru actually fell over she was laughing so hard while she was taking this picture of Scott and the puppet.

Sneak Preview

We’ve struck on experimenting with using our storytelling chorus to frame the action of the myth, with some help from festival mentor Joe, and the script is underway.  Here’s a sneak peek…

Once upon a time, in the exotic

land of
Greece, lived a goddess of purity called Persephone.

Once upon a time, in the exotic

land of
Greece, lived a goddess of purity called Persephone who was the apple of her mothers eye, and was kept on an island to keep her from the evil temptations of the world.

Once upon a time, in the exotic
land of
Greece, lived a goddess of purity called Persephone, who hadn’t seen the powerful heroes of myths, hadn’t met people called Achilles or Hercules, who hadn’t seen the flames on the walls of Troy, and hadn’t heard the crashes of thunder as Zeus destroyed those who opposed
Olympus.

The Return of Persephone

Gliding through the still air, he made no sound;
Wing-shod and deft, dropped almost at her feet,
And searched the ghostly regiments and found
The living eyes, the tremor of breath, the beat
Of blood in all that bodiless underground.

She left her majesty; she loosed the zone
Of darkness and put by the rod of dread.
Standing, she turned her back upon the throne
Where, well she knew, the Ruler of the Dead,
Lord of her body and being, sat like stone;

Stared with his ravenous eyes to see her shake
The midnight drifting from her loosened hair,
The girl once more in all her actions wake,
The blush of colour in her cheeks appear
Lost with her flowers that day beside the lake.

The summer flowers scattering, the shout,
The black manes plunging down to the black pit –
Memory or dream? She stood awhile in doubt,
Then touched the Traveller God’s brown arm and met
His cool, bright glance and heard his words ring out:

“Queen of the Dead and Mistress of the Year!”
– His voice was the ripe ripple of the corn;
The touch of dew, the rush of morning air –
“Remember now the world where you were born;
The month of your return at last is here.”

And still she did not speak, but turned again
Looking for answer, for anger, for command:
The eyes of Dis were shut upon their pain;
Calm as his marble brow, the marble hand
Slept on his knee. Insuperable disdain

Foreknowing all bounds of passion, of power, of art,
Mastered but could not mask his deep despair.
Even as she turned with Hermes to depart,
Looking her last on her grim ravisher
For the first time she loved him from her heart.

~Alec Derwent Hope

Character Work

The Benji and the girls (Katie in green and Lindsay in gray) have been working hard at character development and imagery.  Here are some photos from rehearsal work on developing key movements.

Two Sisters of Persephone

Two girls there are : within the house
One sits; the other, without.
Daylong a duet of shade and light
Plays between these.

In her dark wainscoted room
The first works problems on
A mathematical machine.
Dry ticks mark time

As she calculates each sum.
At this barren enterprise
Rat-shrewd go her squint eyes,
Root-pale her meager frame.

Bronzed as earth, the second lies,
Hearing ticks blown gold
Like pollen on bright air. Lulled
Near a bed of poppies,

She sees how their red silk flare
Of petaled blood
Burns open to the sun’s blade.
On that green alter

Freely become sun’s bride, the latter
Grows quick with seed.
Grass-couched in her labor’s pride,
She bears a king. Turned bitter

And sallow as any lemon,
The other, wry virgin to the last,
Goes graveward with flesh laid waste,
Worm-husbanded, yet no woman.

Sylvia Plath (1956)

All In

We’re still trying to work out who exactly will be performing in the piece.  Sarah, our costume designer, and Steph, our dramaturg, take a crack at some improve with very entertaining results.

Sarah (top) and Steph (kneeling)

Benji (our fearless leader)

Robyn (stage manager) and Chizuru (scenographer)

Prayer to Persephone

Be to her, Persephone,
All the things I might not be:
Take her head upon your knee.
She that was so proud and wild,
Flippant, arrogant and free,
She that had no need of me,
Is a little lonely child
Lost in Hell,-Persephone,
Take her head upon your knee:
Say to her, “My dear, my dear,
It is not so dreadful here.”

~Edna St. Vincent Millay, Second April 1921

 

Character Images

Dramaturgs do image research too.  Here are my favorite character references.

The photos are by Joyce Tenneson.

Persephone as Goddess of Spring

Persephone as Queen of the Dead

Demeter

 ~meghan

The Clock is Ticking!

Our design deadlines are Monday and everyone is hard at work.  Wish the designers good luck this weekend!

 

The design studio Friday morning.

Sarah’s Costume Design Corner.

 

Scott’s puppet designs. 

Meetings and cigarette breaks on the design studio roof.