Visual Thinking is a formative concept for me as a performing
artist and thinker!
When I am generating
ideas on paper the act of writing itself is a kind of thinking
outside my body. The arrangement of words on the page says as much
to me as the actual words themselves. This is why I use bullets and
arrows, it is why I go back for a second swipe with a pencil or a
different color ink to circle and underline words or whole
paragraphs. This second layer of purely visual information tells me
what is most important, what pieces of information go together, and
which ones lead into each other.
It is the same with space
itself. When I am developing a piece of theater my relationship to,
and interactions with both the scenery and the empty space around me
inform the actual “story”. My experience of a narrow hallway, or
my attempts to navigate it or relate to it tell a visual story
without words. Perhaps I breathe it in and walk firmly back and forth
suggesting that I am in control of my tiny space. Perhaps I claw at
the walls proposing that I cannot extend my person enough to feel
free. Perhaps I do both, suggesting that I need a small space in
order to be in control of it, but inherently feel trapped. This is
all purely visual information that an audience can immediately
understand.
Objects. Objects are my
main method of making theater. When performing with an object there
is the performer and there is the object. This means that as a
performer you may be primary or you may be secondary to the object.
This creates an opportunity for you, the creator, to choose which one
is primary and at what moment. This changing relationship to the
object, be it a chair, a book, or a dog puppet enables you to breathe
a life force into a thing that exists outside of you, handle it, let
it live, allow it to express power, and relate to it. You could even
be encased within the object (a costume that extends or transforms
the body of the performer) and become a chimera where you and the
object are together one primary thing. These relationships between
objects and humans are visual and visceral in nature. Audience see
and understand. They do not rely on words, they are created through
the craft of manipulating the rhythm, shapes, and energy of the body
of the performer.
I teach the craft of
movement in the body of the performer and how this craft can be used
to breathe life into objects and space.
In addition to learning
the workings of your own body in my practical classes, I also teach
the importance of understanding and using the expectations of your
audience. I teach how to set up what those expectations can be,
whether it is in relation to your “story” or the environment of
your performance.
