Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Letter
This is a letter that I sent to a talented actor who I'm trying to recruit for my theatre company for future. It talks about my time here, and encapsulates my feelings on it very well. It serves as a good reminder for me:
Sorry for horrifically butchering the spelling of your name.
And there's no reason to be intimidated! Good God. I'm waiting for someone to really discover that I'm a big dumb phony, and actually call me on it. In the meantime, I'll just keep doing what I'm doing, and hope no one notices.
Working on this project in Vancouver has been unbelievable. First of all, I haven't been in such kick ass shape since I was 15, and a competitive figure skater. It's also great to be able to apply the work from acting (character work, breathing) to a different medium. There is a lot of carry over from acting to butoh, since it is not a dance form that allows the dancer to get away with just being pretty onstage. This company is not a company that allows that either. They work very very hard, both physically and emotionally, and expect the company to bring absolutely everything to the table - they do a hybrid of butoh and contemporary dance. The piece we're working on, Sunyata (if you want more info on it, and images, check the Repertory section of their website, www.kokoro.ca), is 2.5 hours long, comprising three sections loosely based on Dante's Divine Comedy. It's comprisied of everything from a manic waltz, to 25 minutes of dancing in mud, to vomiting (pretend), to flying, and runs the emotional gamut from utter despair to complete joy. As you can imagine, it's all encompassing. Also, it's really excellent to work in a medium where I'm not immediately virtuosic, and where I'm not the best in the room. I'd say I'm definitely the weakest dancer in the piece. It makes me work really hard, and it's refreshing to be working toward something instead of holding the room. This is the genre of work I'd like to continue in, as well as the type of working environment, where everyone is excellent, and we're really challenging one another (this is where you come in!).
So, as I say, I should be back in May, and it may seem ridiculously far away on the calendar, but when you're going from project to project, as we two are, I find that it approaches rapidly. I can't believe that I've been in Vancouver for over two months! That's already 1/4 of my time here! Love's Labours will fly, so will Voyage, and before you know it, you'll be performing your Archetype project, and saying a fond sayonara to the walls of York University.
Anyway, that's about it for now. I think I'm going to drop a note to Jill as well. Now, I do have to tell you, that as it stands right now, I can't offer you anything in the upcoming show for The Thistle Project, but what I'd like to speak with you about is more the general philosophy of the company, and see if it's something you'd be interested in working on in future (depending on success, funding, longevity, and all that action). In a way, this is advantageous for you, because you get to see our work, and see if it's an aesthetic that appeals to you at all.
So, keep in touch, and if not before then, I'll see you in May.
Regards,
Matthew
Sorry for horrifically butchering the spelling of your name.
And there's no reason to be intimidated! Good God. I'm waiting for someone to really discover that I'm a big dumb phony, and actually call me on it. In the meantime, I'll just keep doing what I'm doing, and hope no one notices.
Working on this project in Vancouver has been unbelievable. First of all, I haven't been in such kick ass shape since I was 15, and a competitive figure skater. It's also great to be able to apply the work from acting (character work, breathing) to a different medium. There is a lot of carry over from acting to butoh, since it is not a dance form that allows the dancer to get away with just being pretty onstage. This company is not a company that allows that either. They work very very hard, both physically and emotionally, and expect the company to bring absolutely everything to the table - they do a hybrid of butoh and contemporary dance. The piece we're working on, Sunyata (if you want more info on it, and images, check the Repertory section of their website, www.kokoro.ca), is 2.5 hours long, comprising three sections loosely based on Dante's Divine Comedy. It's comprisied of everything from a manic waltz, to 25 minutes of dancing in mud, to vomiting (pretend), to flying, and runs the emotional gamut from utter despair to complete joy. As you can imagine, it's all encompassing. Also, it's really excellent to work in a medium where I'm not immediately virtuosic, and where I'm not the best in the room. I'd say I'm definitely the weakest dancer in the piece. It makes me work really hard, and it's refreshing to be working toward something instead of holding the room. This is the genre of work I'd like to continue in, as well as the type of working environment, where everyone is excellent, and we're really challenging one another (this is where you come in!).
So, as I say, I should be back in May, and it may seem ridiculously far away on the calendar, but when you're going from project to project, as we two are, I find that it approaches rapidly. I can't believe that I've been in Vancouver for over two months! That's already 1/4 of my time here! Love's Labours will fly, so will Voyage, and before you know it, you'll be performing your Archetype project, and saying a fond sayonara to the walls of York University.
Anyway, that's about it for now. I think I'm going to drop a note to Jill as well. Now, I do have to tell you, that as it stands right now, I can't offer you anything in the upcoming show for The Thistle Project, but what I'd like to speak with you about is more the general philosophy of the company, and see if it's something you'd be interested in working on in future (depending on success, funding, longevity, and all that action). In a way, this is advantageous for you, because you get to see our work, and see if it's an aesthetic that appeals to you at all.
So, keep in touch, and if not before then, I'll see you in May.
Regards,
Matthew
// posted by MSR @ 10:08 PM 
