The Orange Route is a gathering place for information about the development of a site specific ‘improvised opera’. This multi-dimensional piece focuses on the synthesis of improvised and composed music, text, movement, video and use of architectural and natural space in performance, challenging to throw the blueprints of a large scale piece to the blenders of improvisation and chance. During the period of March through May 2009, this work began development at the Headlands Center for the Arts in Marin, California under the direction of composer/performer Theresa Wong.
7:30pm Ensemble Room
Mills College
5000 MacArthur Blvd.
Oakland, CA 94613
Theresa Wong will give a short solo performance of improvisations/works for voice and cello and present a lecture about ‘O Sleep’.
done
The Exquisite Improvisation of Dream States
O Sleep – an improvised opera and work in progress directed byTheresa Wong @ The Headlands Center for the Arts, Marin Headlands, Sausalito, CA
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Performaners: TheresaWong, Ellen Fullman, Kanoko Nishi, DoheeLee, Luciano Chessa, Michael Carter, Shayna Dunkleman, HeikeLiss and Alice Wu: costumes
Structured along the stages of sleep, O Sleep features a range of dream-state inspired improvisations, movement and creative staging. At times, one could be tempted to close the eyes and drift along with the percussive textures.
O Sleep has its visual highlights as well. The projected video of a curtain by an open window onto a sheer curtain suspended in the middle of the room by a wire was striking. Theresa Wong stood behind this projected image with another performer standing behind her as their vocals twisted within one another’s critical band. One of many moments that left an indelible visual and aural impression.
At one particular sleep stage, the room itself became an instrument as performers worked within the low light, exploring the sounds of frictions along the walls, floor and windows of the old gymnasium at the Marin Headlands. The dance-like kinetic motion of the performers, the vibrations that nearly engulf the observer and the spatial dynamic of this moment captured the essence and mystery of sleep in a uniquely familiar and unsettling manner.
Occupying the core of the stage and sound of O Sleep was the droning and harmonically dynamic sounds of Ellen Fullman’s Long String Instrument. Stretched along the entire length of the gymnasium with wires tuned to just intervals, Fullman walked forward and backward with fists full of strings like a human bow. Coaxing a room-sized, tamboura-esque sound. The addition of percussion, drums, voice, koto and electronics filled out the dreams of this work.
O Sleep incorporates the instruments and performers into a cohesive whole. Musicians move with the grace of dancers. The staging realizes the corporeality of performance and drama as part of a cohesive whole. Improvisation allows the collective ears to focus upon the realization of sleep states. The result is fantastic. As a work “in progress,” O Sleep holds enormous potential.
“O SLEEP”
SUNDAY, MAY 24 2009
HEADLANDS CENTER FOR THE ARTS
(In the Gym) 8:00PM
For directions: http://headlands.org/article.asp?key=23
We will be doing an informal performance of the work in its current state, exploring the topic of SLEEP.
Please come join us!
Sunday 4/19/09 (Headlands, Marin)
The 5 hour marathon of music in the gym for the annual Headlands Open House was an intense and successful day. I started off with some solo work, then got to a running start with a duo with Fred Frith, whose presence created a charged and magnetic spirit for the entire ensemble for the remainder of the day. Ellen joined us for a trio, then the opera sketches got off to a start with my cover of “Vedrai, vedrai” in lilac wig and evening gown with a projected video of Luigi Tenco, some mask dancing in the balcony and a lively improvised duo of Fred and Mikey. The rest of the afternoon included improvisations with all 7 musicians (conducted and free), the walking exercise with audience members participating and finally duos of Mikey and Ellen, Shayna and Luciano and a trio of Dohee, Kanoko and me.
(photo by Caroline Kraus)
Sunday 4/12/09 (Headlands, Marin)
Alice joins the crew! Everyone is present for the first time.
First half: continuation of walking exercise, adding sound elements to the movement. Also trying it with Kanoko improvising on koto.
Second half: music structures and improvisations
Samples of improvisations of the whole ensemble:
Sunday 3/29/09 (Headlands, Marin)
I was very excited by the variety of images that each person generated in this exercise of mask making and dancing. Each person’s personality came through in some way in their colors and forms. It was a reminder that when given basic modules or tools, each person’s individuality combines to create a much more interesting whole than if outcomes are dictated by a single person. As with the dancing and movement which was improvised, each person had a very particular ‘atmosphere’. I was drawn to the juxtapositions of disparate movements going on at the same time – independent and interdependent. How does a mask free you (your inhibitions) and limit you (physically) to move in a different ways? The effect of video taping could also be a potential tool to explore during performance- perhaps the audience only sees the ‘flattened’ version of a live event that is occuring in a space but visible only via this removed portal. During the exercise, we had an unexpected visit from Genine Lentine, poet and artist in resident, who jumped right into the scene with her movements and text fragments. After this ended we went outside and I filmed everyone walking on the front green field – instructed to stay in a line and break out of the line at anytime. Then we played some music in the gym, improvising as a whole group. It became clear that we’ll need to structure the music – even if it’s just deciding who is playing at a given time, in order to create a more focused soundworld. I envision there being the whole gamut from tightly composed pieces/songs to very loosely guided improvisations.
