“I have a strong
propensity in me to begin this chapter very nonsensically, and I will not balk
my fancy.--Accordingly I set off thus:”(Lawrence Sterne, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman)
I like beginnings. I like starting new projects, new
productions, layering texts, finding my way out of the fictional woods. The Quijote project – assembled, subverted, reassembled,
and forever hopeful – has finally found its shape. I've found the perfect
beginning, which means the production’s slightly manic rhythm makes sense now,
as the adventure gallops towards its inevitable (but also perfect) end.
An observation: I love looking at close-ups of
the actors’ faces. The rehearsal photos
often capture their expressions, or a gesture, the position of a hand, the arch
of an arm, the head thrown back in a moment of delight. I love that. These are
movements that happen naturally, that no amount of dogged work will trigger,
because they happen spontaneously, in that obscure, and impossible to define space
where theatre begins, in absolute freedom from narrow-mindedness and fear (have
you noticed how often the two go together...?)
This Friday, with Dulcinea and Sancho (or Millie Mae
and the Mad Hatter – as you wish), I’m going to New Orleans to talk about the
evolution of the Quijote project at
the Society for Comparative Literature and the Arts. It’s a joyous occasion to
connect with past Milena Group members who now teach at other universities, and
introduce the Group and its work to a new public. We’ll read a few scenes, I’ll
talk about the crisis/opportunity scenario, and then show this film that
captures the mood of the whole piece. While speaking, I’ll imagine the final
version of our exemplary tale, with masks, and costumes, and lights, and a completed score composed
specifically for the production – the end of the Death- Love-Adventure trilogy.
And as I have a strong propensity to
begin very nonsensically, I will not balk my fancy, and accordingly, I’ll set off thus:
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