DAISEY/ THIS AMERICAN LIFE

So, in the last week or so, this whole Mike Daisey/This American Life has come down. Let me be clear from the get-go, I'm a fan of Mike Daisey. To some degree, he has inspired me in the past and I consider him a talented colleague. I see his strengths and, also as a solo performer and theatre artist (director/playwright, etc.), I can see many of his weaknesses. Having met him and seen a few of his pieces live and been to his blog and followed him on YouTube, etc I can say "Yeah, I keep up with Daisey." I've mentioned him several times on this site.

In a nutshell, the situation I'm referring to in this post concerns Daisey on an episode of This American Life back in January. He did an excerpt from his show "The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs" about abuses in the Foxconn factory that makes Apple equipment. The trouble was that, as broadcast on National Public Radio, Daisey allowed his work to be represented as factual truth. In fact, when asked straight-to-his-face by the producers of This American Life, Daisey blatantly lied and said, basically, "yeah, it's all true."

But, factually, Daisey fabricated a lot of details and spun/exaggerated tiny details here and there in his piece. And this kind of thing does not fly on a show dedicated to journalistic standards of factual reporting. So, bottom line, Daisey misrepresented himself in a very, very public way. He was caught lying.

My colleague and friend Chris Taylor moderates a theatre website centered around the Dallas-Ft. Worth area called The Stage Directions Blog. Chris is a thinker-about-the-theatre, and over beers the other night he mentioned this Daisey/TAL thing. I had been out of town and hadn't heard of it yet. I was on my honeymoon last week, actually, on cruise in the Caribbean, unplugged. Chris' news took me by surprise. The whole thing has many layers and has a ring of real human tragedy. For Daisey.

Chris has posted a pretty thorough summary and weigh-in on the situation in his post. He poses an interesting question about the responsibility of a performer to tell "the truth." It is totally worth a look. Here.

To read the transcript of the original Jan. 6, 2012 episode of This American Life (the audio has been taken offline), go here.

Go here the This American Life Retraction episode, go here.

Go here Daisey's reaction to all this, listen to a recent talk he made at Georgetown. Here.

Still processing exactly how I feel and think about the whole thing. What do you think?

Dramatists Guild Academy: Solo Performer round table live-stream

This should be worth checking out. The Arena Stage Blog has listed a live-stream round table discussion about solo writer/performers on Jan. 2nd. Includes Mike Daisey, Anna Deveare Smith, Sarah Jones and Lisa Kron (moderated by the delightful Gary Garrison). Sponsored by the Dramatists Guild Academy.

More info HERE.

7(x1) Samurai

I saw David Gaines solo show 7 (x1) Samurai at the Phoenix Fringe Festival in 2009 and my first impression was "... how exhausting." Mr. Gaines acts out the Kurosawa film epic of seven samurai complete with the seven individual mercenaries, the band of bad guys and an entire town full of villagers all by himself. And he plays all these characters practically without words. It is an amazing feat of cartoonish pantomime, countless sound effects and superhuman endurance.

Mr. Gaines is currently blitzing the festival circuit with his show, so keep an eye out. Go see it if you have a chance. Info at: www.7x1samurai.com

George Watsky

Solo performance is a damn versatile medium. George Watsky is a poet and rapper in his mid-twenties. Though he has appeared on television and rocks lots of new media (his YouTube channel is widely viewed) he has put together several solo theatre pieces over the last few years.

Here's a good article describing a recent show in Boston that combined audience participation (through text message surveys) and the overall format of the show. Here's some of Watsky in performance..

On a personal note, his album "A New Kind of Sexy" on his Bandcamp page is available for purchase at a wonderful name-your-price rate. Highly recommended if you are into what Watsky does.

Spending a Bit of Time with Jill Bernard

Spending a Bit of Time with Jill Bernard from FT Bonnigan on Vimeo.

I had the opportunity and privilege to talk with solo improviser Jill Bernard recently at the 3rd Annual Improv Festival of Oklahoma.

Ms. Bernard has been performing her one-person longform improv format Drum Machine since 2003. Originally a 15 minute number, she has continued to develop and expand the piece into what it is now, a 30-50 minute historical musical... completely improvised. She begins her sets with a brief interview of an audience member and then programs a beat into her Zoom-Rhythmtrak 123, takes a suggestion for a historical event or period and off she goes.

I found out about Jill Bernard in 2005 shortly after I began my own experiments in solo improvisation. "Surely," I thought, "Someone else out there must be crazy enough to attempt this sort of thing." I was led to Andy Eninger, who, in turn, led me to Jill Bernard (an early workshop student of his).

Solo performance is, as it must be, a very individual form of expression, and Jill Bernard has chiseled out for herself a wonderful, original format with Drum Machine. For more information on the enthusiastic and super-busy Ms. Bernard, visit her website at: www.JillBernard.com

Here's an example of Drum Machine filmed at FuseBox Theatre in 2008.


Jill Bernard: Drum Machine - Sea Food Spirit Quest (Full Performance) from FuseBox Theatre on Vimeo.

Q & A with Andy Eninger

 Photo: Sybilization.com

Andy Eninger is a funny individual. I meet him years ago when I directed his brilliant one-man script The Last Castrato for the New York Fringe Festival. He has worked in traditional theatre as well as a bunch of improv. Here's his semi-official bio:

Andy Eninger studied film direction at the Hungarian Academy of Film and Drama, and earned his MA in Playwriting from Miami University (of Ohio.) Currently, he performs and teaches improvisation around the country with the Chicago Comedy Company. Andy is a founding member of GayCo Productions, a two-time winner of the After Dark Award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance. He also performs at The Playground Theater, where he created the RECESS improv outreach program for Chicago area schools and performs a one-man improvised show called Sybil.


Andy performing a Sybil Solo Improv

Q: Please give us a brief bio, where you are from and how you started in
theatre/performance?
A: At Miami University (in Ohio, not Florida), I fell in love with Improv
Comedy, and flirted with theater. I loved it so much that I stayed to get
my Masters in Playwriting, and then took off for a year of film school in
Budapest, Hungary. Back in the States, I found myself drawn to Chicago, the
improv Mecca, where I studied at The Second City, started my own improv
comedy company, and helped found GayCo, a GLBT sketch group. In the
experimental late 90's, I created "Sybil," a solo improv format that I have
toured to festivals all over. Currently, I am the Head of the Writing
Program at Second City, where I have taught Sketch and improv for nearly 10
years.

Q: What event or desire brought you specifically into the world of solo
performance?
A: When I first got to Chicago, I had to wait for a few months before I could
start classes at Second City, so I studied with a solo performer named Donna
Blue Lachman who had a tiny theater on the South Side. I was immediately
hooked: She was an incredible performer and an inspiring teacher. I
developed a piece called "The Last Castrato" in her class.

Q: Could you tell us about some of your work?
A: Sybil is a loose collection of gimmicks that the improviser strings together
into a cohesive improvised whole: monologues, multi-character scenes (where
they play every character), and audience interactive bits. In my own
exploration of the form, I have created several variations on the form - a
musical version, and even a narrative format called "One Man Scene," wherein
I 'improvise' a set and then create the show that fits on that set. That
one was terrifying!

Q: How would you describe your particular kind of solo performance?
A: Because it's completely improvised, it is a huge challenge; The highs are
exhilarating and the lows are torturous. I have discovered that the key is
to always surprise yourself. Recently, I switched up the format and started
shirtless and asked the audience to draw & write on my body, then used those
scribbles to inspire the scenes in the show. As soon as it feels
comfortable, I have to switch things up again.

Q: What is your favorite thing about doing this work?
A: I love the moments when it all comes together, when a scene magically works.
The best feeling is to return to a character you introduced early in the
show, in a moment of inspiration, and connect them thematically to what has
happened since. The audience loves those connections - and so do I.

Q: What inspires you to keep going and how do you keep yourself motivated?
A: Honestly, I have been performing the Sybil more infrequently each year. I
get restless, and there are so many things to do and try. Recently I've
gotten into music and trying my hand at writing for television. When I do
return to Sybil, it's like sitting down with an old friend.

Q: What is your approach to the development process when putting together a
new project? Do you create a lot on stage, improvising? More on paper? Tape
or video record? Hold readings? Go to a mountain top?
A: Whenever I prepare for a run of shows or a festival performance, I work with
a coach. I have to have somebody in the room to give notes, otherwise I
won't do the work. I run short scenes for them, then move to multi-scene
pieces, improvising my way through. I have worked with many different
coaches over the years, each one bringing a different eye to the work. When
I prepared for a longer run a couple years ago, I worked with a sketch
director, a musical coach, and a movement specialist! I have been recording
my shows over the years, and will someday gather some of my favorite scenes
into a written show. Late last year, I assembled a series of monologues
drawn from elderly GLBT men in the Chicago area - it was my first written
solo piece in a long time. I am looking forward to doing more writing.

Q: Who are some of your influences or people that inspire/embolden you?
A: I have always loved solo performers with strong characters that they treat
with great compassion like Lily Tomlin. I also have been inspired by Tim
Miller (author of 'Body Blows') and had the great honor to study with him
last year. His level of confessional and political work blows me away.

Q: How do you bridge the gap of the business side of theatre?
A: Any more, I only take on a show when I know I have the bandwidth to do the
work to get an audience in the door. I love the marketing side of things -
drawing out the personality of a show and turning that into advertising
materials. I hate the tedious footwork of calling reviewers and flyering,
postering - all the stuff you need to do in Chicago to stand out from the
crowd.

Q: Any advice for some aspiring artist just starting out in solo
performance?
A: Discover what you are really good at, and create a piece that showcases
that. If you do great characters, make that your centerpiece. If you are
hilarious telling stories, then lean on that skill. I recently saw a solo
show of a very talented and quirky friend Abby McEnany, and it was amazing
to see somebody present a work that so perfectly fit their personality and
skills. She even did a scene that made fun of her inability to do accents. I
think half of the work is knowing what you do well.

Q: Share with us something funny that has happened to you recently.
A: Remember how I said I did a show where the audience scribbled on me? It
took two weeks for the markers to wash off completely. Somebody used a
think sharpie all up and down my back.

Q: What do you see for the future of solo performance and for you personally
as an artist?
A: There will always be a market for great solo performers - and a bigger and
bigger challenge to stand out in the crowd as new performers crowd the
market. In Chicago, personal stories are very popular right now - evenings
where several individuals present true-life tales; this is also a format
that bleeds seamlessly into the internet (as in blogging.) I think that
performers are getting smarter about combining elements from different
styles of solo performance - performance art, solo sketch, storytelling -
and creating exciting new hybrids. I have a solo piece that's been rolling
around in my head - a sci-fi solo storytelling vehicle (with songs) - it's
almost formulated enough to start coming out on paper. ~ Andy E.


Andy's audition demo for Piranha 3D Pt. 2

Check out more info on Andy at his website... HERE.

Laura Weedman on PCS Blog

Great interview with Laura Weedman on the PCS Blog about her solo show BUST. Original post here.

" As she spins her tales of truths, half-truths and exaggerations, you find youself rooting for her. She can find humor in anything, and, most importantly, she finds herself funny."