Week 1: Screens

Working with our Screens

The first week of the workshop is always about introducing the participants to the skills and ideas they need to be successful in creating their work. This means playing games that grow their understanding of what is possible with the body and voice as well as reading plays that we will take techniques from to write our own. (We’ve already read Dada, Kondoleon, Beckett, Breuer, Handke, Sanchez, Müller and Schenkar.) However, when we work virtually, there is an additional component that the participants need to become familiar with: working with their screens.

Discovering how to work within our screens is very exciting because it challenges even those who have been involved in the workshop for many years. First, the participants must learn how to use the screen to make a compelling performance. This includes understanding what looks good to an audience (we spend a lot of time observing each other). Additionally, they begin to see the frame of their cameras as something to be manipulated. This often means allowing parts of their bodies to be hidden off-camera or deciding how best to fill the screen with their shapes. Finally, they must also learn to devote focus to the screen. As we work together virtually, they must pay attention not only to their own video feed, but everyone else’s videos, too. They need to respond to what’s happening within the video call to create a cohesive ensemble. This is all hard work, but it is beyond exciting to watch as they figure out what is so special about working in a digital space.

This year, we have a really strong group of performers. They created Dada performances on day one. They fearlessly make a racket when asked to create soundscapes. And their shaping continues to surprise and delight us. (Working virtually has introduced the validity of smaller shapes like hand shapes and face shapes). Now, in hopes of capturing their personal experiences, we’ve asked our participants to write about their time in the workshop. We hope you enjoy what they have to say!

From Our Participants

Ashley Donnert:

“Greetings to you all! Some of you might know me as an assistant director for the past few years, but this year I’ve flipped sides. I’m lucky enough to be a participant this year and I couldn’t be more eager to play and study and perform! Our first full week is almost complete and I’m feeling it in my body. I’ve made shapes with a toad in my living room (also with my cats because a stuffed toad in the middle of the living room is very odd and must be investigated), I’ve been a cog in a machine with a movement and sound that was way too complicated for the amount of time it ended up being repeated, I’ve been called a beautiful cockroach, and I’ve woken up with sore muscles multiple days this week. We’ve learned about quite a few playwrights already, beginning first with Dada, which is always a good place to begin in my opinion. This year we’re allotted time in our sessions to try out the writing styles for ourselves and it’s been very helpful in seeing which styles we would like to attempt while also getting our brains geared up for the next phase of our MXTW journey. What I’m most looking forward to though is Pina Bausch Day this Sunday. She’s a new addition to the reader this year and one I’ve been begging Gwethalyn to add for about ten years now and it’s finally happening! Dreams really do come true. Here’s to hoping my dream of a German dance theater small group comes true too.

“I hope you can all make it to our virtual performance this year. We’re already quite the lovely group and I can’t wait to see what we end up with.”