The Summer in Gossensass
Are we philosophers OR monsters?
Are we beautiful OR ridiculous?
Are we magic OR hot air?
Fornes asks us to investigate the dialectic between WHAT WE WANT TO BE versus WHO WE ARE. I think of it at the use of OR in the above questions. Our endless ability to be more than one thing gives us hunger, passion, and nuance. And that hunger, the unknown of whether we’re pursuing something (in this case theatre) virtuosic or insane, is sacred. Our ability to exist in the OR, is what makes us human (and therefore AMAZING and INSUFFERABLE - we are both).
Why this play?
If we can remain curious about another person, they remain full of potential rather than a fixed object. It’s the same way with plays. The more OR we allow of ourselves, the more generous our lives and interactions become. We forgive ourselves and others more willingly. We can’t take ourselves so seriously, and therefore we become less covetous and scared. Yes, we are hilarious and sobering! Yes we are smart and buffoons! Yes, we are mothers and children! We contain multitudes and that is not to be feared.
Why this image?
This image captures my interest in repetition, framing of reality, and theatrical transparency. The show begins with utmost theatrical transparency. We see stage hands, folks moving lights, board operators, and sound folks competing with Elizabeth & Marion to create the over the top sounds of the women pacing the floor boards. We see it all. It is ever present.
As the play progresses towards the actual production of HEDDA GABLER, the artifice drifts away. And what was once an entire army, becomes frameless. This process of hiding, rather than revealing, feels so deeply theatrical to me. And subversive in the way that Irene’s work was. She took what we normally do a la Aristotle, a process of revelation, and flipped it. We have to start with all the crap if we want to make something worthwhile - and then we trim and work together to siphon out what is most VITAL.
This Image captures what it means to frame, watch, and construct an unknown theatrical world. It points to how Irene uses language, like Beckett, with an arrow shooting towards the stage. Everything flying towards the target.