Two Houses

'Two Houses', part of Iteration:Again, September - October, 2011.

The Performance Venue

Mac House (L) and Henty House (R). Action will occur between the two buildings.

Performance Outline

1 Conflict/Anger

Action

4 performers are wrapped in their own elastic on their poles.

2 Romeo’s together, 2 Juliet’s together – partnered.

Slow unravel to meet partner in the centre of their poles.

Begin to Pretzel very slowly with the inside arms.

Neutral mask.

Outside arms reach back to their ‘houses’.

Slow walk, while Pretzeling to meet in the centre.

Neutral mask slowly transforms into mask of anger.

Anger mask grows to extreme in the centre.

Romeo’s and Juliet’s Pretzel with each other.

Anger towards their houses.

Yearning towards each other.

The energy of their houses slowly draws them back to their poles.

Mask of anger transforms to neutral.

Wind themselves back to the poles.

Stillness.

Voice

Vocal flocking: the physical movements determine quality of the sound. Vocal dynamics, energies and actions are also determined by the physicality. Sound is vital, not the textual meaning.

Romeo’s: More light and light it grows, more dark and dark our woes!

Juliet’s: What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other word would smell as sweet.

2 Unity/Love

Action

Both sets of R&J's, in a frozen state expressing their internal image, are facing each other in the centre.

They are connected to their houses and to their opposites by their wrists with red elastic. 

One pair of R&J's move apart - J is the kite and R responds physically and vocally, using text. They walk back to the centre.

The other pair repeat the process, but R is the kite and J responds. They walk back to the centre.

All walk out, diagonal R&J's act as kites.

What results is:

A tangled wed of movements that the center of the space controls;

Carefully controlled slow movements which are balanced out with opposing tensions;

Patterns are made with the elastic;

This scene pre-empts the tragedy that is to unfold. 

All walk back to the centre.

Repeat the process but with other pair as kites.

The dominating image is light, and every manifestation of it, especially when referencing love and unity.

The centre ‘conducts’ R&J (Invisible String).

The vocals are affected by the movements/gestures of spaces in between the performers.

A performance of physical and vocal flocking occurs – north, east, south west will be explored.

Voice

 During the flocking, these texts will be spoken. Breath, gasps, creaks and aspirate sounds.

Juliet:

Take [Romeo] and cut him out into little stars,

And he will make the face of heaven so fine

That all the world will be in love with night

And pay no worship to the garrish sun.

Romeo: I must be gone and live, or stay and die.

3 Betrayal/Jealousy

Action

One pair of R&J’s move to the centre.

They swap their elastic and they cross over.

They meet their ‘other half’.

The other pair repeat the action.

What occurs are a few moments of ‘Swipe’ with ‘Elastic’.

They are being pulled and pushed by their energies.

Not making any eye contact – a feeling of contempt.

An emotional line from 0% – 100% expressing the emotion of jealousy.

When the elastic is swapped, they move from 100% – 0% as they go to the opposite houses.

Voice

Texts during the Swipe, together in unison:

Romeo and Juliet: Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,

Who is already sick and pale with grief

That thou her maid art far more fair than she.

Be not her maid, since she is envious. 

4 Death/Sadness

Action

R&J move to the centre, they are being pulled to the centre by an unseen force.

They face away from the centre, towards their houses.

In the centre: Gargoyles expressing emotions of sadness and death.

Heads down: each speak a word from the text.

Heads up - mask of sadness.

Heads down: each speak next word of text.


Repeat process until line is complete.

Juliette's move back, and die a slow death as they attempt to go back to the house, pretzeling with each other.

Romeo's reach to they Juliette's and slowly fall to the ground.

Voice

All speak the following texts. Each person expresses one aspect of the text:

-       Breath

-       Vowels

-       Consonants

-       Physical expression of the images the text possesses

All: Greif that foils anger.

All: Where be these enemies? Capulet! Montague!

Rehearsal Shots

Chris Jackson and Shannyn Foon rehearse the 'Invisible Kite' (section of 3 Betrayal/Jealousy).