Importance is Everything

Sleeping with Marcus Aurelius

Posted on April 8th, 2009 by ksideasnper.
Categories: Uncategorized.

For a large part of my senior project I have written, produced, designed, directed, and performed a solo-performance piece entitled, “Sleeping with Marcus Aurelius.” I have just completed the final performance and it is safe to say that it is heartbreaking to see it end.

I have been thinking about this show, specifically the concept of it for almost a year. This show encompasses a myriad of thoughts that I have had between the moments of sleeping and waking for the past year. Through this process I have discovered how difficult it is to decide to think. To consciously decide that you will sit and think, sit and be creative for an allotted amount of time. I kept three different journals of thoughts and stories for the past year.

I started this project overwhelmed with the possibility. Creating your own solo-performance piece gives you no parameters, you can do whatever you want.  That’s one of the most frightening and exciting sentences ever said, “you can do whatever you want.”

I knew in the beginning that I wanted to create something relatable, something universal. Something that was possibly thought provoking, touching, interesting, maybe even a little funny.

That is hard to come up with off the top of your head.

Throughout the process I never actually felt like I made a decision. Obviously decisions were made but I didn’t wake up and decide that my show would be about the things I think. It just happend that way…..actually it is because I don’t always like to make decisions. I don’t like chosing one thing or another I would always pick both if I could….so there were a handful of thoughts that were my favorite but to narrow it down and only choose one thought to spring board an entire show? I didn’t want to do that.

So….I included everything.

If I could sum up this show…I would say that it is about importance. Experience fully everything that you have the opportunity to. You’ll never be able to say what is or isn’t important within any given moment. So live it up.

The design for the lights and set were also all thoughts that happened near sleeping. The set was three 3ft by 9ft flats that were hinged together like a dressing screen would be, like three panels. These three panels were painted black and I created a collage that covered the surface of each panel. I chose to do a collage not only because I enjoy collaging and for the subject matter I thought it appropriate but for the past four years I have made a lot of collages in my design classes.

As my senior project is meant to be the culminating experience for my college career I couldn’t not incorporate a collage.

The collage was a puzzle of images in sections of color that was designed to be 6 separate pieces to be slowly dismantled throughout the production.

I have worked tirelessly on this production for the past three weeks and I’ve realized it as completely as I could. The product was exactly what I wanted to obtain from the process and I think it is rare for that to happen. It is also rare that any work or piece of art gets interpreted exactly as it was meant to be and from talking with my audience members I believe that is what happened. Thank you to everyone that I was able to share this with.

This performance was undoubtedly the most challenging work I have done yet. It is one thing to act a character but it is entirely different to “act” yourself. I would argue that you can’t ever accomplish that without losing something in the translation. You must simply be yourself. It is difficult to just “be” yourself for an audience.

What also made this show so challenging was that I included some of the most personal thoughts I have. Throughout the process I considered removing one section in particular because I didn’t know if I could say it without losing it and or if I could even say it at all. However, as the performance date crept closer I decided to include it. This was an opportunity to say things that I really meant to say. I do not know if there will be any other opportunity to say what I did in this show.

Also, as I was creating a show about the things that I think about, it was necessary to include everything I did.

This project was it for me. It was all I wanted to do and what I thought about. I loved working on it and would do it again in a heartbeat. I will miss it.

I am actually planning to strike it now at 10:24 p.m. simply to part with it, to find closure with my show. It is like breaking up with something that you have put so much thought and energy into and now you must find something else to do with that energy.

I am glad I had the opportunity to create something like this show and I hope that everyone enjoyed watching it as I enjoyed creating it.

Thank you

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