“Moving On” is the most recent piece I have been working on. It is a piece written for sinfonietta and actor in which I have tried to deal with personal issues of feeling stuck both physically, emotionally and in my artistry and dissatisfied with myself when comparing my work to others. This was done through having the work try to replicate the process of moving on and coping with these issues by abstracting them through the different mediums within the piece. The vast majority of my work has this autobiographical and therapeutic aspect to its creation as I find this is vital for my own understanding of creating authentic and genuine work. It is also the first piece I have tried to write with the specific intention of it being a piece of Music Theatre. The reasons for this decision stemmed from these personal feelings of dissatisfaction I have had and wanting the finished product (the piece) to better match my own wants and needs by incorporating other mediums to expand the creative capacity of the work. The particular reason for incorporating the medium of theatre, as opposed to other mediums, into my work came about from several of my past pieces already having elements of theatre within them. Although I did not recognise these past works as having theatrical elements within them, I now understand these elements being the beginning of my current artistic inquiry.
Music Theatre is a genre that has been described as:
"A term often used to characterise a kind of opera and opera production in which spectacle and dramatic impact are emphasized over purely musical factors."1
This definition provided by Andrew Clements captures the essence of this genre functioning as a symbiotic, collaborative medium where there is an awareness and presence of theatre elements within a musical setting. In another definition, taken from the introduction to the work of the theatre director, Walter Felsenstein, Music Theatre is described as:
"A theatrical work (or performance) in which dramatic and musical elements are used so as to melt into one another to create the total impression of 'seamless unity'."2
This definition, even though it does not acknowledge the historical impetus for the genre as Clement's does, provides a clearer understanding to the balance between music and theatre in creating the genre of Music Theatre. This definition does not place a particular emphasis on what is the more prominent element within works stemming from this genre, unlike the Clement definition, and instead emphasises the idea that Music Theatre is a genre in which there is this flat hierarchy in place between the artistic mediums of music and theatre. “Moving on” was a piece that began as a Music Theatre work in which I created the character of The Sheriff who functioned as my inner voice and provided a deeper insight into the thoughts and feelings I knew I could not express in as direct and literal a method with solely music. The theatre and the music were essentially trying to work as two elements in which one was trying to communicate the issues and the other was responding, trying to answer how to overcome these issues in an abstract manner.
I have since realised that the Music Theatre version of "Moving On" is not the correct form for what it is I am trying to express. This conclusion has been drawn from personal feelings that there is a lack of connection between the music and the theatre within the piece and that there is a feeling of imbalance between the two mediums. The theatre elements feel weak and too literal in expressing the subject matter of the work when they are compared to the abstract form of the music. I think the fact I can make this comparison is a sign that there is a lack of unity between the two elements (as suggested there should be in the Felsenstein definition) and this merging of mediums and my understanding of how they fuze together is what I want to examine and explore. In the following examples, I have used the medium of Auto-Ethnography as a way of analysing this personal sense of disconnect I feel between the music and the theatre to allow for a deeper analysis of how I can work better within this genre.
1 Clements, A. (2001, January 01). Music theatre. Grove Music Online. Ed. Accessed 14th November, 2018
2 Fuchs, P. (1991) Forward to The Music Theatre of Walter Felsenstein, ed. Peter Paul Fuchs (London, Quartet Books) Accessed 14th November, 2018
Music Theatre is a genre that has been described as:
"A term often used to characterise a kind of opera and opera production in which spectacle and dramatic impact are emphasized over purely musical factors."1
This definition provided by Andrew Clements captures the essence of this genre functioning as a symbiotic, collaborative medium where there is an awareness and presence of theatre elements within a musical setting. In another definition, taken from the introduction to the work of the theatre director, Walter Felsenstein, Music Theatre is described as:
"A theatrical work (or performance) in which dramatic and musical elements are used so as to melt into one another to create the total impression of 'seamless unity'."2
This definition, even though it does not acknowledge the historical impetus for the genre as Clement's does, provides a clearer understanding to the balance between music and theatre in creating the genre of Music Theatre. This definition does not place a particular emphasis on what is the more prominent element within works stemming from this genre, unlike the Clement definition, and instead emphasises the idea that Music Theatre is a genre in which there is this flat hierarchy in place between the artistic mediums of music and theatre. “Moving on” was a piece that began as a Music Theatre work in which I created the character of The Sheriff who functioned as my inner voice and provided a deeper insight into the thoughts and feelings I knew I could not express in as direct and literal a method with solely music. The theatre and the music were essentially trying to work as two elements in which one was trying to communicate the issues and the other was responding, trying to answer how to overcome these issues in an abstract manner.
I have since realised that the Music Theatre version of "Moving On" is not the correct form for what it is I am trying to express. This conclusion has been drawn from personal feelings that there is a lack of connection between the music and the theatre within the piece and that there is a feeling of imbalance between the two mediums. The theatre elements feel weak and too literal in expressing the subject matter of the work when they are compared to the abstract form of the music. I think the fact I can make this comparison is a sign that there is a lack of unity between the two elements (as suggested there should be in the Felsenstein definition) and this merging of mediums and my understanding of how they fuze together is what I want to examine and explore. In the following examples, I have used the medium of Auto-Ethnography as a way of analysing this personal sense of disconnect I feel between the music and the theatre to allow for a deeper analysis of how I can work better within this genre.
1 Clements, A. (2001, January 01). Music theatre. Grove Music Online. Ed. Accessed 14th November, 2018
2 Fuchs, P. (1991) Forward to The Music Theatre of Walter Felsenstein, ed. Peter Paul Fuchs (London, Quartet Books) Accessed 14th November, 2018
Since conducting this research, I have finished the piece. Please see the additional tab of "The Work" to find a complete version of the piece as a score and audio. I have included a simple tape part and a visual element into the piece that was not considered when conducting this research, and so have chosen to omit it from this enquiry.
The reason for using the methodology of Auto-Ethnography to analyse this imbalance between the music and the theatre within "Moving On" was due to this imbalance being something I personally feel. In examining Auto-Ethnography, it has been defined as:
"... auto-ethnography invites writers to see themselves and everyone else as human subjects constructed in a tangle of cultural, social and historical situations and relations in contact zones." (Brodkey, 1996: 29)3
This description identifies this method of critical analysis allowing for the researcher to provide a deeper assessment of the subject matter beyond any privileged qualities the researcher may possess by placing themselves at the centre of their enquiry, and of how an individual relates to a culture. In regards to the scholarly research on Music Theatre; many examinations fail to isolate it as its own separate genre, and much of the scholarly work is from secondary sources rather than from the creators of the work themselves. Because of these issues within the research of this genre, the significance of acknowledging my self in examining my attempts at the genre feels relevant as it will allow a more direct method of understanding both my personal feelings towards my attempts at the genre and what the genre is beyond a definition. In another description of Auto-Ethnography, the significance of the self in the analysis is made clearer:
"I start with my personal life. I pay attention to my physical feelings, thoughts, and emotions. I use what I call systematic, sociological introspection and emotional recall to try to understand an experience I’ve lived through. Then I write my experience as a story. By exploring a particular life, I hope to understand a way of life." (Ellis and Bochner, 2000: 737)4
This preliminary definition from Ellis and Bochner identifies the significance of the individuals' own experience in relation to the field they are analysing by using the self as the tool in which to better assess the field they are analysing. The emphasis on personal feelings, thoughts and emotions in regards to the research allows for the extrapolation of ideas that may not have been possible to express without the recognition of the self and its significance in processing and evaluating the information. The typical form this takes within Auto-Ethnography is that of a story in which the field being researched is addressed through the researcher's inner monologue providing the analysis and evaluation. For examples of this, please see the work of Brydie-Leigh Bartleet5 and her work with Carolyn Ellis6. In evaluating my own use of the method, I have notated my inner monologue when evaluating the piece through the use of text, sound and image. In arranging how the narrative of my analysis takes place, the text is the primary means of reflection while the sound and image serve to provide a more direct method of referencing the elements they represent. This is due to the text not being able to express the complete nature of these pieces of information due to the limitation and interpretation of language.
The significance of the self and my feelings within the following analyses is vital to the idea of why I have come to realise the theatre does not work alongside the music, and as such, what I understand Music Theatre to be and how I operate within it. Examining the imbalance between the music and the theatre through the methodology of Auto-Ethnography has allowed for a deeper analysis into the function of the music and the theatre, why these two mediums are opposing each other within the work, and why I perceive this opposition between these two elements.
3 Brodkey, L. (1996) I-site. Literacy and Numeracy Studies 6(2): 17-30. Accessed 19th October, 2018
4 Ellis, C. and Bochner, A. (2000) Autoethnography, personal narrative, reflexivity: Researcher as subject. In : Denzin NK and Lincoln YS (eds) Handbook of Qualitative Research. London: Sage, pp. 733-68. Accessed 19th October, 2018
5 Bartleet, B. (2009). Behind the Baton: Exploring Autoethnographic Writing in a Musical Context. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography,38(6), 713-733. Accessed 15th November, 2018
6 Bartleet, B., & Ellis, C. (2009).Music autoethnographies: Making autoethnography sing: Making music personal. Bowen Hills, Qld.: Australian Academic Press. Accessed 20th October, 2018
"... auto-ethnography invites writers to see themselves and everyone else as human subjects constructed in a tangle of cultural, social and historical situations and relations in contact zones." (Brodkey, 1996: 29)3
This description identifies this method of critical analysis allowing for the researcher to provide a deeper assessment of the subject matter beyond any privileged qualities the researcher may possess by placing themselves at the centre of their enquiry, and of how an individual relates to a culture. In regards to the scholarly research on Music Theatre; many examinations fail to isolate it as its own separate genre, and much of the scholarly work is from secondary sources rather than from the creators of the work themselves. Because of these issues within the research of this genre, the significance of acknowledging my self in examining my attempts at the genre feels relevant as it will allow a more direct method of understanding both my personal feelings towards my attempts at the genre and what the genre is beyond a definition. In another description of Auto-Ethnography, the significance of the self in the analysis is made clearer:
"I start with my personal life. I pay attention to my physical feelings, thoughts, and emotions. I use what I call systematic, sociological introspection and emotional recall to try to understand an experience I’ve lived through. Then I write my experience as a story. By exploring a particular life, I hope to understand a way of life." (Ellis and Bochner, 2000: 737)4
This preliminary definition from Ellis and Bochner identifies the significance of the individuals' own experience in relation to the field they are analysing by using the self as the tool in which to better assess the field they are analysing. The emphasis on personal feelings, thoughts and emotions in regards to the research allows for the extrapolation of ideas that may not have been possible to express without the recognition of the self and its significance in processing and evaluating the information. The typical form this takes within Auto-Ethnography is that of a story in which the field being researched is addressed through the researcher's inner monologue providing the analysis and evaluation. For examples of this, please see the work of Brydie-Leigh Bartleet5 and her work with Carolyn Ellis6. In evaluating my own use of the method, I have notated my inner monologue when evaluating the piece through the use of text, sound and image. In arranging how the narrative of my analysis takes place, the text is the primary means of reflection while the sound and image serve to provide a more direct method of referencing the elements they represent. This is due to the text not being able to express the complete nature of these pieces of information due to the limitation and interpretation of language.
The significance of the self and my feelings within the following analyses is vital to the idea of why I have come to realise the theatre does not work alongside the music, and as such, what I understand Music Theatre to be and how I operate within it. Examining the imbalance between the music and the theatre through the methodology of Auto-Ethnography has allowed for a deeper analysis into the function of the music and the theatre, why these two mediums are opposing each other within the work, and why I perceive this opposition between these two elements.
3 Brodkey, L. (1996) I-site. Literacy and Numeracy Studies 6(2): 17-30. Accessed 19th October, 2018
4 Ellis, C. and Bochner, A. (2000) Autoethnography, personal narrative, reflexivity: Researcher as subject. In : Denzin NK and Lincoln YS (eds) Handbook of Qualitative Research. London: Sage, pp. 733-68. Accessed 19th October, 2018
5 Bartleet, B. (2009). Behind the Baton: Exploring Autoethnographic Writing in a Musical Context. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography,38(6), 713-733. Accessed 15th November, 2018
6 Bartleet, B., & Ellis, C. (2009).Music autoethnographies: Making autoethnography sing: Making music personal. Bowen Hills, Qld.: Australian Academic Press. Accessed 20th October, 2018
moving_on_-_section_1_.mp3 | |
File Size: | 3273 kb |
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00:00 to 03:30 of Teplitzky, A. (2018) Moving On (Musical Score, rendered using Sibelius 7 and Noteperformer Software). Accessed October 27th, 2018.
Image taken from Zahler, S. (2016) Bone Tomahawk. [Motion Picture] United States, Caliber Media Company. Accessed October 27th, 2018.
[enter THE SHERIFF, a man standing tall dressed as a figure of law and reason. He has blonde hair, the entire Texan businessman/wannabe cowboy outfit all in white, a six-shooter strapped to his right side and an air of self-assured compassion. He should speak in a lilting tone of Texan descent.]7
Why is this character here? The idea of a cowboy being present in this sort of musical environment does feel valid, but in what way is the character providing anything to the work that is not provided in the music? The music alludes to the idea of a western, but it is not a stereotypical entity of that genre. The music possesses something about it that feels as though it is something deeper than just the soundtrack to a western, something that captures that sense of isolation/desolation that it cannot escape but has to keep going.
Why is this character here? The idea of a cowboy being present in this sort of musical environment does feel valid, but in what way is the character providing anything to the work that is not provided in the music? The music alludes to the idea of a western, but it is not a stereotypical entity of that genre. The music possesses something about it that feels as though it is something deeper than just the soundtrack to a western, something that captures that sense of isolation/desolation that it cannot escape but has to keep going.
Image taken from Leslie, B. (2011) https://benjaminleslie.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/empty-roads-quiet-mind/ Accessed 28th October, 2018
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Cooder, R. (1985) Paris, Texas Original Soundtrack. WARNER BROS. Accessed 29th October, 2018
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But in this, there is no real need of including an actual cowboy into the atmosphere of the work other than to provide a tokenistic affirmation that the music is based on the sounds of cowboy films.
Why have I described him in such abstract metaphors? “A figure of law and reason”, "an air of self-assured compassion", what does that mean? How does that relate to the physical appearance of the character? I suppose this could be for the benefit for the performer, but how does somebody express law and reason in the way in which they stand without appearing as a fake entity of what they are wanting to represent and in such a way that conveys such a specific sense of purpose? How does somebody express self-assured compassion? This is an entirely transient description which is not possible to achieve. This description is only effective in a literary sense as it does not have any solid sense of being physical and tangible. The only way in which such an abstract description could possibly be expressed was if there were other factors in place to support this idea, such as the music. I do not want this as the music already expresses this sense of inescapable loneliness which is the more important aspect than the stature or reasoning of the character and I do not want to take away from the quality of the music to compensate for my lack of skill in theatre and effective character creation.
Why have I even used the character of a Sheriff?! I suppose it stems from reading Sam Shepard and wanting to capture that essence of the cowboy, that lone figure trying to find a home.
Why have I described him in such abstract metaphors? “A figure of law and reason”, "an air of self-assured compassion", what does that mean? How does that relate to the physical appearance of the character? I suppose this could be for the benefit for the performer, but how does somebody express law and reason in the way in which they stand without appearing as a fake entity of what they are wanting to represent and in such a way that conveys such a specific sense of purpose? How does somebody express self-assured compassion? This is an entirely transient description which is not possible to achieve. This description is only effective in a literary sense as it does not have any solid sense of being physical and tangible. The only way in which such an abstract description could possibly be expressed was if there were other factors in place to support this idea, such as the music. I do not want this as the music already expresses this sense of inescapable loneliness which is the more important aspect than the stature or reasoning of the character and I do not want to take away from the quality of the music to compensate for my lack of skill in theatre and effective character creation.
Why have I even used the character of a Sheriff?! I suppose it stems from reading Sam Shepard and wanting to capture that essence of the cowboy, that lone figure trying to find a home.
Image taken from Wenders, W. (Director), Guest, D. (Producer), & Shepard, S. (Writer). (1984). Paris, Texas [Motion picture]. West Germany: Filmverlag der Autoren. Accessed 27th October, 2018
But why a Sheriff? Why the promotion to someone of a position of power and of being objectionably good? Is this an attempt of trying to prove my own sense of value by honouring my self with this position of power? Is it a way for me to give myself the power to enact the change I so desperately want to experience? Is it an attempt to provide further distance from myself so that the intent to critique and physically deal with my issues has been diluted by pushing my self away from this?
I have no connection to that kind of person. I have no understanding of what it means to enforce a law, I have no personal connection to the cowboy image other than as a device which I feel gives clarity to what I want, and I do not want to protect myself with this persona to make light of the issues I am trying to address. The character, as it stands, is a flimsy caricature that is taking away from the work rather than adding to it.
I have no connection to that kind of person. I have no understanding of what it means to enforce a law, I have no personal connection to the cowboy image other than as a device which I feel gives clarity to what I want, and I do not want to protect myself with this persona to make light of the issues I am trying to address. The character, as it stands, is a flimsy caricature that is taking away from the work rather than adding to it.
Groening, M. (1993) The Rich Texan, http://simpsons.wikia.com/wiki/The_Rich_Texan, Accessed 29th October, 2018
This caricature is not the intention of the character within the piece, as I am not wanting to use the humour of such a persona as a way of addressing these issues. The stereotypical nature of the character does not validate itself, in that I am not integrating the idea of stereotype into the work in any way other than as a rather lacklustre image to accompany the music. The device of a stereotype does not work in the greater context of the work. There has been no extrapolation of stereotypes of westerns in the rest of the script and as such the character is a stereotype because I do not have a deeper understanding of how to use such a genre. The character needs to be taken seriously, someone that feels like they belong in the context of the music and is not operating as a detracting force. The character feels like a cheap tactic and almost aware of the lie it possesses but without having a valid enough reason for knowing its lie and acting on the intention that it is a lie. The character is a cheap guise and has no need or deeper relation to the music other than a superficial sense of connecting through circumstance.
7 Teplitzky, A. (2018) "Moving On" Script Extract, Accessed 19th October, 2018
7 Teplitzky, A. (2018) "Moving On" Script Extract, Accessed 19th October, 2018
THE SHERIFF: (He enters spinning the barrel of his six-shooter in a relaxed manner and addressing the void)8
I really like the spectacle of this image, however, it feels out of place with the intention of the work. The work itself is an attempt to try and process where I am in my life and come to terms with that fact, however, the threat of the revolver alludes to an aspect of self-harm and possible suicide which I do not want to have within the piece. The image itself is also something that I feel has been taken from another source, that I have created theatre that is not "true and resonated with my own heart"9
I really like the spectacle of this image, however, it feels out of place with the intention of the work. The work itself is an attempt to try and process where I am in my life and come to terms with that fact, however, the threat of the revolver alludes to an aspect of self-harm and possible suicide which I do not want to have within the piece. The image itself is also something that I feel has been taken from another source, that I have created theatre that is not "true and resonated with my own heart"9
Photograph of Butterworth, J. taken by Parsons, A. and sourced from Lukowski, A. (2017) “Jez Butterworth on 'The Ferryman': 'Tragedies End with Blood on the Stage'.” Time Out New York. Accessed 15th November, 2018
I clearly recognise that this image has so many pre-existing connotations that its inclusion within the work feels cheap. It has a general sense of suspense and risk within popular culture which is not the intention of why I wanted to use it. The fact that it is a six-shooter relates to the cowboy status of The Sheriff and feels like an appropriate prop, but its relevance for what is truly going on within the work is incorrect. The music is expressing a feeling of longing, of struggling to feel satisfied in where it is, whereas the symbolism of the gun makes this music seem menacing and more about an approaching threat which is not the atmosphere I want from the work.
The spinning of the barrel is a way to try and provide a slight physical reference to how the music will eventually revolve around itself, but the connotations it has are of a sense of risk and possible death which is creating this atmosphere of danger that I do not want. I did consider other things that rotate
The spinning of the barrel is a way to try and provide a slight physical reference to how the music will eventually revolve around itself, but the connotations it has are of a sense of risk and possible death which is creating this atmosphere of danger that I do not want. I did consider other things that rotate
Image taken from “Rotating Pinwheel Toy Animation Stock Video Footage - Storyblocks Video.” Royalty Free Stock Video, Footage, Backgrounds and More, www.videoblocks.com/video/rotating-pinwheel-toy-animation-hnulz-n2hzjd0bfinx. Accessed 15th November, 2018
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Image taken from “Fidget Spinner.” Fluid Branding, www.fluidbranding.com/branded-office/office-toys/desktop-toys/fidget-spinner-1287817115.html. Accessed 15th November, 2018
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Image taken from “Robot Check.” Amazon, Amazon, www.amazon.com/Small-World-Toys-Creative-Merry-Go-Round/dp/B005GYBYY6. Accessed 15th November, 2018
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however all of these alternatives feel too abstract for what I am wanting and I do not feel comfortable in handling abstract theatre within my creative process yet. They all also add in an element of play and childhood which I do not think is right as it is too disruptive to the serious nature of the work.
8 Teplitzky, A. (2018) "Moving On" Script Extract, Accessed 19th October, 2018
9 Interview from Butterworth, J. Jez Butterworth Plays: One. Nick Hern Books, 2011. Accessed 15th November, 2018
8 Teplitzky, A. (2018) "Moving On" Script Extract, Accessed 19th October, 2018
9 Interview from Butterworth, J. Jez Butterworth Plays: One. Nick Hern Books, 2011. Accessed 15th November, 2018
moving_on_2.mp3 | |
File Size: | 994 kb |
File Type: | mp3 |
07:30 to 08:30 of Teplitzky, A. (2018) Moving On (Musical Score, rendered using Sibelius 7 and Noteperformer Software). Accessed October 27th, 2018.
THE SHERIFF: Do you think they miss you? That they wonder where you got to? (Pause) You always did prefer to be alone, even though you enjoyed company you still chose to be by yourself most of the time. Missed call. Running late. Last train. Filling the had to and not the want to. Huh? (Pause) Even when talking to them about it, about how barren it is to live like this, you'd play pleasantries, dress it up as nothing but deep down you like having an excuse. Something behind you.10
The text is completely killing any sense of what the music has to offer. The questioning of the Sheriff feels forced in order to give the character something to do to validate its existence. The forced attachment of motivation from the lines "Missed call. Running late. Last train." does nothing to enhance the music but simply anchors it to a very set definition of expressing these very definite things. Why is this necessary? There is enough in the music to offer the feelings of these experiences which is more important than the experiences themselves. I do not need people to know the cause, simply its emotional impact.
The Sheriff does not need to be saying these lines, there is no motivation for saying these lines drawn about from the music, and there is nothing earned by having this take place alongside the music. The questioning feels like a desperate attempt to try and permit some sense of connection between the theatre and the music which is not there. The questions being spoken by the character overemphasise what is going on conceptually and ruining any sense of ambiguity in the nature of the work and making the music contort to the theatre rather than existing symbiotically. Even the pauses used feel like a cheap tactic to try and interweave the music and the text together and force them to be symbiotic in creating a whole.
The text is completely killing any sense of what the music has to offer. The questioning of the Sheriff feels forced in order to give the character something to do to validate its existence. The forced attachment of motivation from the lines "Missed call. Running late. Last train." does nothing to enhance the music but simply anchors it to a very set definition of expressing these very definite things. Why is this necessary? There is enough in the music to offer the feelings of these experiences which is more important than the experiences themselves. I do not need people to know the cause, simply its emotional impact.
The Sheriff does not need to be saying these lines, there is no motivation for saying these lines drawn about from the music, and there is nothing earned by having this take place alongside the music. The questioning feels like a desperate attempt to try and permit some sense of connection between the theatre and the music which is not there. The questions being spoken by the character overemphasise what is going on conceptually and ruining any sense of ambiguity in the nature of the work and making the music contort to the theatre rather than existing symbiotically. Even the pauses used feel like a cheap tactic to try and interweave the music and the text together and force them to be symbiotic in creating a whole.
Leith, M. (2018) Retrieved from Helmenstine, A. M., & H. (n.d.). Why Don't Oil and Water Mix? https://www.thoughtco.com/why-oil-and-water-dont-mix-609193 Accessed 29th October, 2018
This questioning, and the pausing because of it, is not being demanded from the situation. The music is not raising anything to The Sheriff to make him question the music and causing an interaction between the character and its interaction with the music. Both of these entities are operating separately to each other rather than in parallel. There is too much of a difference in the quality of the two elements; the music has this restless, tense sense of energy behind it which is slowly trying to move forward but failing, whereas the theatre is stating the obvious, pandering to inform rather than explore the ideas behind the piece. It is blunt for no reason other than my inability to connect these two elements together in such a way that they can function together in a way that is artistically interesting and suitable for the work. It is blunt because the theatre is not at the same level as the music.
10 Teplitzky, A. (2018) "Moving On" Script Extract, Accessed 19th October, 2018
10 Teplitzky, A. (2018) "Moving On" Script Extract, Accessed 19th October, 2018
Image taken from Anderson, P. (2017) "Making Sense of David Byrne's Big Suit – Put This On." Put This On. https://putthison.com/making-sense-of-david-byrnes-big-suit-the-tom/. Accessed 29th October, 2018
THE SHERIFF: (Long pause, then whistles the opening of “This Must Be The Place” by Talking Heads, then sings weakly at first) Home is where I want to be/Pick me up and turn me around/I feel numb, born with a weak heart/I guess I must be having fun (Gets up and starts impersonating David Byrne dancing while singing, more confident than before)11
I cannot think of how the music can develop to get to this. I cannot see how it could work due to the complete lack of reason behind the theatre. There is no need for the persona of The Sheriff to pretend to be David Byrne. I have not provided anything before that can validate this sense of absurdity in the characters actions or motivation. Visually I like the idea, but it just has no way or reason of doing anything other than take away from the good aspects of the work and add a referential element that is not necessary. The absurdity of the image is somewhat effective, but all the previous actions of the character have not been absurd in their intention, so the sudden change to this feels lacking motivation and reason. It could be as a way of showing the conscious realisation by The Sheriff that he knows he is not a part of the work, but that needs to be prepared in the rest of the piece and I do not think I have the skill to achieve it. The singing of “This Must Be The Place” is too much of a distraction to the intentions of the original music and it does not feel necessary for what I want. The significance of the lyrics are pretty good, however, there is no way of placing them into the work that feels like it has not been forced. The inclusion feels like an intrusion, something that feels interesting but is not actually adding anything to the experience than being a spectacle to end the work with, which feels wrong as the piece is not about being resolute, it's about struggling to find a way out.
11 Teplitzky, A. (2018) "Moving On" Script Extract, Accessed 19th October, 2018
I cannot think of how the music can develop to get to this. I cannot see how it could work due to the complete lack of reason behind the theatre. There is no need for the persona of The Sheriff to pretend to be David Byrne. I have not provided anything before that can validate this sense of absurdity in the characters actions or motivation. Visually I like the idea, but it just has no way or reason of doing anything other than take away from the good aspects of the work and add a referential element that is not necessary. The absurdity of the image is somewhat effective, but all the previous actions of the character have not been absurd in their intention, so the sudden change to this feels lacking motivation and reason. It could be as a way of showing the conscious realisation by The Sheriff that he knows he is not a part of the work, but that needs to be prepared in the rest of the piece and I do not think I have the skill to achieve it. The singing of “This Must Be The Place” is too much of a distraction to the intentions of the original music and it does not feel necessary for what I want. The significance of the lyrics are pretty good, however, there is no way of placing them into the work that feels like it has not been forced. The inclusion feels like an intrusion, something that feels interesting but is not actually adding anything to the experience than being a spectacle to end the work with, which feels wrong as the piece is not about being resolute, it's about struggling to find a way out.
11 Teplitzky, A. (2018) "Moving On" Script Extract, Accessed 19th October, 2018
Image taken from Yvonne, M. (2018) "The Rocky Horror Picture Show 8 Year Anniversay Show Presented by TLT @ Irving Theater 7-14-2018." YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkO9d_PYqYM Accessed 29th October, 2018
The imbalance between the music and theatre within the piece is clearly due to my own feelings of dissatisfaction and hesitation of working with the medium of theatre due to my lack of experience with that medium. I do not have a clear understanding of what works and does not work within this medium as I do with my musical language. As such, any attempts to try and create a balanced, symbiotic work using these two elements is not currently possible without having the music be diluted to suit the theatrical elements. I will continue to try and understand how I may integrate other mediums within my work to try and resolve the issues I have been having with my creative practice. I will also continue to examine and research theatre, both more abstract theatre and traditional theatre, in order to understand the language of this medium and how I can incorporate it into my own artistic language.
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