Reflection 1; A Starting Point III

What is the most important thing you would like to accomplish in this 2nd year of IB Theater?

The most important thing for me to accomplish this year in IB Theater would have to be a compilation of experience and understanding when it comes to areas of theater that I have yet to delve into. I'm sure that this knowledge will come from the directorial concepts, as we will utilize them in our exploration of the PPP. In total, my particular interests are focused on the idea of developing workshops from the work of such theorists as Grotowski, Boal, and the like. I am also rather interested in finding a focus in the seriously technical aspects of theater, most importantly light and set design.

In terms of workshops, this is perhaps the most intriguing part of theater I have discovered without truly plunging heavily into. Grotowski and his Poor Theater, in particular, appeal to me the most. I'm interested in the concept of psycho-physical theater and have decidedly enjoyed workshops with it ever since our training with visiting artist, Teana of foolsFURY Theater Company. Though, perhaps, Grotowski's whole concept of Poor Theater is far more extensive than just the idea of psycho-physical theater, such a type of theatrical training is integral to any Poor Theater production as it would, hopefully, require the theater-artists to create a whole world out of themselves, to bring a feeling into a minimalist setting without the need for props, extensive sets, or dramatic lights and sound. In a Grotowski production, the production is made from the actors and the actors find themselves in the production. Hopefully, however, I can find a way to further understand the workings of psycho-physical theater to expand my acting repertoire.

As for technical theater studies, I have personally always wanted to know what it is like to be an integral part of theater-making without placing myself in the position of the performer. It is for this reason that I am particularly interested in Set and Lighting Design. Set design became something of interest thanks to my work as the main builder of our puppet stage. Though, perhaps, the stage itself wasn't something one would see in any production that wasn't based in puppetry, the hands-on construction that led the creative process of building the set was invigorating and something that I would love to embrace more intensively at another time.

Lighting Design, however, came to me in a rather strange way, in the fact that I became envious, in a way, of the technical crew of Berkeley Repertory during my four week summer intensive in their School of Theater. Setting up lights, running through cues, and manning the light board may all seem like somewhat tedious or dull things to do to some, but, having seen them been carried out many times before, both through the work of my school's technical coordinator, Brad Cooreman, and through one of Berkeley Repertory's Production Electricians, Zoltan DeWitt, I have seen the importance within such works of technical theater. The truth of the matter is that such a role in production as Light Board Operator requires being active throughout a performance, with a serious focus on the production process and seeing through the success of a show.

I, personally, have been attempting to take the initiative in gaining further knowledge of these aspects of theater, both through my Independent Project, my Extended Essay, and by hopefully entering the Light Crew for Bac A Dos, my school's extra-curricular theater program. Similarly, through learning about Directorial Concepts, I hope to further extend my understanding of Technical Theater. Altogether, however, it is most important for me to merely accomplish something, to achieve something greater and more important out of my theater experience in this year, my last year of IB Theater.