Drum Bums, by Peter Voice

[Rachel Peters]

Ahaaaaaaaaaaa. I know this photo.
Hi to "Mrs. Wilson"!

(I'm also using "air quotes" while I type. ...as well as *air astrix*. ...but those look mostly like *jazz hands*)

((Air parenthese)) are weird looking.

Rachel Peters
Alias: "Cheesecurds n' Gravy"

[Doctor Eric]

I'm extremely curious to see how this pans out, it's an interesting idea, and it seems as though the motivation is there in spades.

As far as a male/female relationship I'm a huge fan of an intellectually arrogant male with subtle hints of superiority and mysoginy countered by a pretty, likeable female, with the underlying tone being that the man is an idiot completely incapable of operating without the underappreciated and mostly unnoticed help of his partner, who in turn, is the genius masquerading as a nitwit.

That may be a bit specific, and whichever way you choose, it should be an extension of your real relationship, but the relationship should be that deep, no matter what. I think a "married" or partner couple is a powerful force in performance, but not everyone doing it is exploiting the situation to it's fullest. Both characters should have an ego and an id. What they want you to think they are, as well as the real person behind this mask, with ulterior motives and fears. The relationship between the two should ALSO have thse two levels, and all of these things can actually be portayed to an audience quite easily and clearly.

Wow, coffee is kicking today!

[Peter Voice]

Yo and welcome to p.net Mrs W.

I like what the Doc said. Wayne Condo and Nani McMullin's show "Antebodies" was a great example of male-female interplay. He played the dominating master and she a magic doll under his control. He manipulates her mercilessly until she experiences an awakening thru a byplay with an audience member. She resists the master and eventually triumphs. A very beautiful piece.

Thanks to every-one contributing here. It's very productive and thoroughly enjoyable.

[Mrs. Wilson]

Master Doctor Blaster

Eric, oh brillant one.

you are smack on.
We've been brainstorming classic situations with men and women...working up a bit with a marriage proposal with a tinee tiny ring.
I look at it with glasses. Can't see it.
I whip out a giant magnifing glass, still can't see it.
Pull out a microscope, and still can't make it out eventually tossing the thing with some line between the two of us regarding "Size DOES matter, RIGHT ladies?"
Meanwhile the Mr. with smirks and behind my back clowning sneaks out a giant ribboned box with the most humongus diamond ring we can lay our hands on.
The audience gets to vote as to whether
I accept or not.

All you other brilliant minds out there, what other classic mars/venus scenarios
can we play up?

[Mrs. Wilson]

"a spanking, a spanking!.."

o.k..

I'm hot to spank Mr. Wilson in the show.

Basically he plays the distracted fool sticking his head into the garbage bin...I get so frustrated with him that I push him in and spank him with his feet dancing in the air. He emerges with this fantastic fool/jester mask on parading around with his pants around his ankles untill I (after letting him play the 6 yr. old mentality show off ) motion to him that his "fly is down" (entire pants) and he gets embarrassed.

I'd like to bring some sexy sauciness into the show with other bits. ideas?
And where's the line on pushing the boundry in this?

[Peter Voice]

Flipping Mr. W face first into the bin could make an alternative finale.

[Peter Voice]

No idea at this point is too silly to ignore or not consider but it is important to understand that purity is most readily found in simplicity.
The obsessively absurd crowd build and it's reversal is actually a complete show by itself. Personally I think Judge Wilson is the funniest show and it is also the simplest. I sent some notes tonight with an even simpler scenario again.

There is a great temptation to add more eye-candy to it but I honestly don't think it has much room left. If I were there with you now directing rehearsals, I'd be stripping it of all the tricks and baubles until it worked without them. The vignettes are the place to start. The essence and skeleton of a show are far more important than the bits we hang on them.

Remember, Mrs. W much of it revolves around Kafkaesque origami and the Judge Wilson still makes me laugh after knowing him/her for years.

[Mr. Wilson]

Great feedback, and Dr. Eric, you get the MVP for this thread.

I can see a guy who wants to look smart, and is constantly invisibly corrected and supported by his honestly smart mate, and a guy who wants his mate to view him as awesome and totally loving, and who is flirting and cultivating mischief the minute she turns her back.

The Mrs, I'm guessing, genial and loving to the crowd,
fed right up with him and her lot in private... adoring him to his face, rolling the eyes when he looks away, and sighing as she does the heavy lifting.

My question is... is this what you see, and, when did you put your hidden camera in my home?

[Peter Voice]

All is quiet, I hope they are rehearsing and haven't gone "method" on me and are sleeping in some park somewhere.

[Rachel Peters]

Echoing what Streetdean said about integrity, I know that sometimes I get really excited about seeing someone perform, and enjoy their performance all the more, because I'm a fan of them, personally. Like, I go see (and thoroughly enjoy) more musicians who are friends than just big-name strangers.
If you can create this sort of familiarity for the audience -- the feeling that you're their buddies, or their cool next-door neighbours -- I think it would do you well. That might be before and after the show mingling type of stuff though. I'm not exactly sure what I'm recommending here. But that sort of thing often keeps me coming around to different shows.

[Mr. Wilson]

Au contraire, Peter, we are staying in a bed and breakfast on the harbour, workshopping this bad boy. Tonight at seven we have a consultation with a percussionist. My surface judgement mentality gives him high marks, as he's tatooed, and is called "Axe".
In an ideal world, he can impart skill effortlessly.

Good timing on your comment, Rachel. I agree, and also prefer to watch acts that are genuinely "with" the audience. I think this relationship with the crowd will be a huge factor, especially in the first 10 performances, while we are finding the groove.

[Mr.Taxi Trix]

Read This. Good luck.

http://www.performers.net/library/dc-anchors.html

[Peter Voice]

Ah, Taxi, glad you've waded in.

Sorry you were too slow the other week and, of course, with Mr and Mrs. Wilson's reputation, what could I do?

I have another one if you're interested but it's more designed for a magician with an unhealthy interest in the audience's anatomy.

More Doctor Eric than you really.

[Peter Voice]

Yo Mr. Wilson, just found out I'm very likely to be in Toronto early April for a few weeks. Maybe we will yet get together to workshop this thing. You can't be that far away. Mind you they have to let me across that bloody border. My ME Green card ran out and I probably won't have enough time for another.

[Mr. Wilson]

Good!

We worked well with Axe, and have a slightly more traditional session set up with a local drummer for Sunday at 1. It looks like a week from Tuesday, not this Monday, for the debut performance. Would love to have you come and work with us on this. I think it's a gem.