Day Six

Friday, January 8, 2010

Creating Plays Collectively Using Boal’s Image Theatre with Maritza Perez and her Youth Ensemble, Jovenes de Noventa y Ocho

Friday morning we returned to the Teatro Yerbabruja for a workshop with UPR Professor Maritza Perez on creating theatre using Augusto Boal’s Image Theatre techniques. We began with a demonstration by the Jovenes de Noventa y Ocho (Maritza's youth ensemble) of two completed works. The first piece was an extrapolation of the poem “And Then They Came for Me” by Pastor Martin Niemöller where the performers began by using a series of images and short “scenes” which explored how we as a society are taught to participate in murder, oppression, and/or brutality (Freire refers to conscientization as a process by which we learn to be critical of the social structures and behaviors that we participate in—these scenes critically depicted how this can happen) and followed it with a series of statements/actions following a pattern: ---happened, and I didn’t say anything because I (don’t live in a ghetto) (have a job) (am Puerto Rican), and ended with, “And who was there when they came after me? Or after you.”

The second work the youth ensemble performed was titled, “The Legislators” which dramatized a day in the life of the Puerto Rican legislature, who are known to be the highest paid of any of the legislatures in the US. In the work, we saw that they participated in the legislative tasks, stopped to celebrate when they received a pay raise, legislated more, stopped to celebrate again when they received the reimbursement for travel expenses, legislated a last time, and celebrated more, though they were too drunk to continue.

In order to show us how the work had been created, we began a series of activities, led by Ms. Perez. The activities were as follows:

1. Participants walk in the space at leisurely pace, trying to fill the gaps that appear on the floor as people continuously move about. At the facilitator’s direction and in a count of eight, the participants slowly roll their body down toward the floor and continue until they are laying flat on their back. The facilitator hesitates and then counts to eight to bring everyone back to standing and the walking resumes. Thereafter the participants are directed to go back to the floor of their own volition, such that a spectator would not know who initiated the roll down or started to get back up. This was continued several times, varying the speed and height levels of the walk as appropriate/necessary. The facilitator asks participants to add physical warm ups to the walk that are initiated by a volunteer within the group and immediately copied by the others—again, so a spectator would not know who started the movement.

2. The group is divided into three groups (just by call of the facilitator) and each is told to immediately create a physical image of War. The groups is divided a second time and asked to immediately create an image of Global Warming. The facilitator indicates that this image will be the first in a series, so the group instantaneously creates a second, third, fourth and fifth image. The participants are asked to slowly morph from one image to the next, in a final presentation of the series they created. The group is divided a third time into three groups, given the theme of Theatre of the Oppressed and again creates a five image series. This time, between the creation of images four and five, a volunteer is asked to step out of the group, look at the series of images one-four and given the opportunity to adjust his/herself in the image in order to clarify the picture before proceeding to image five (which is spontaneously created by the group as before). The series is then presented like before. The facilitator asked about story and character evident in the presentation before proceeding to a final group division and image series on Homophobia. This time, the facilitator stopped after every image and asked one member from a given group to step out and make physical adjustments to the image to clarify the narrative as they understood it.

Maritza explained that this is the starting point for creating one of her image theatre pieces—the group selects a topic they want to make a play about, then they begin to physicalize the topic, adjusting it as they go from multiple perspectives so they get a large selection of ideas which may or may not be moments that appear in their final piece. Dr. Rosa Luisa Marquez was observing and she explained that Boal has provided us with the tools for Theatre of the Oppressed, but the individual practitioner determines how to use them.

In closing, Maritza broke the group in half and asked us each to construct an image theatre piece that summarized our workshop. Here is video of one of the presentations:




Trust

In the afternoon, we worked with Rosa Luisa Marquez on a series of trust exercises. They unfolded as follows:

1. Breathing – Dr. Marquez uses a breathing warm up that comes from yoga which I can’t describe in words, but the key is to focus the group’s energy and attention, so any breathing activity is a good way to begin.

2. Space Walk – As we’ve done on previous days, we walked around the space to begin our physical work. This activity begins to build energy within the group, vital to get everyone working together.

3. Pessoa, Cabbana, Tempestade – Two group members face each other and clasp their hands together to create a house (cabbana) wherein their bodies are the walls and they arms make the roof. A third person crouches in between them so they are the person (pessoa) in the house. The group creates as many of these three-person combinations as possible and one extra acts as the joker. If the joker calls “pessoa,” everyone who is inside a house must change places (like musical chairs) and the joker tries to take one of these positions too. Whomever is left out becomes the new joker. If the joker calls “cabbana,” everyone who is making a house must change places and form a new house over one of the abandoned people. Whomever is left over becomes the new joker. If the joker calls “tempestade,” (storm) everyone must change places and may fill whichever roll they choose (pessoa or cabanna), and the odd person left out becomes the new joker. This fun game relaxes the participants and focuses their attention on the happenings within the group.

4. Monkey in the Middle (not Boal’s title, but I don’t know the correct title) – Two participants face each other and the third stands between them. The member facing the front of the middle person places both hands on the middle person’s upper chest. The member facing the back of the middle person places both hands on the middle person’s upper back. The other people brace themselves so they can withstand the weight of the middle person and they slowly begin to pass the middle person back and forth like a pendulum. The middle person should keep their feet firmly planted on the ground and act like a stiff board swaying forward and back. The group negotiates silently their trust/comfort level and allows the middle person to go as far as they can.

5. Four people use only their clasped hands with index fingers pointing out to raise a fifth person from a chair (one person with extended index fingers supporting each knee, and the one is each armpit). Each time they do it twice, adding a brief concentration exercise involving stacking hands above the seated participant’s head before making the second attempt which proved to be more fluid and ‘easy’ each time.

6. The participants worked in two large groups to raise a group member up in the air using only their hands to evenly distribute the weights. The raised person could then be turned in any variety of ways (including vertical with their heads toward the ground) and the group adjusted as necessary to ensure that the person was continually supported.

In closing, Dr. Marquez pointed out (which Michael Rohd does as well in his text Hope Is Vital) that the purpose of doing Theatre of the Oppressed work is that you teach the activities to a population who will then go on and continue the work after you have finished working with them. The games and activities bond a community, and the hope is that they will get something from it if they continue with it.

**Much of Rosa Luisa Marquez’ interpretations of Boal’s work (and her own) are collected in her book Brincos y Saltos, which is also the title of the class she teaches at UPR (Dramatic Actvities).

Day Five

Thursday, January 7, 2010



After our overnight field trip, we were lucky to have the morning free to recuperate from our journeys; unfortunately, it was pouring rain so it did not allow us to take advantage of resort living. Instead, many of us slept late and met up in the early afternoon to have our first public transport experience south to the Rio Piedras section of San Juan.

Today we had a lecture on mask making and public performance by Deborah Hunt, and incredible artist and theatre maker in her own right. We previously saw Deborah’s work on Monday afternoon, but today we had the unique opportunity to view a slide show of many of her works over the last twenty years here in Puerto Rico. Here is a selection:




Thereafter, Deborah demonstrated the power of the masked performance as she took volunteers to try on the masks and see where it led them. This brief demonstration showed the power of yet another non-verbal narrative form that allowed the participant to free themselves from self-consciousness (work that Ms. Hunt thought works particularly well with adolescent children, abused women, and other marginalized or troubled groups because of the anonymity and protection they feel behind the mask) and often had very positive outcomes, particularly if they participated in the making of the masks—an activity which she strongly feels is also therapeutic in many ways.

After the demonstrations we each had the opportunity to select a mask and then worked in small groups to create our own presentations based upon the idea of giving a gift. Here are two examples:





We traveled back toward the hotel and stopped in at a random restaurant on Ponce de Leon Ave for dinner and here's what that looked like (try not to be jealous):

Day Four

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Three Kings Festival in Juana Diaz



Bright and early we departed the UPR Cayey campus for our trip to Juana Diaz for the celebration of Three Kings Day, where a uniquely large and festive parade and craft fair is held annually (for over a hundred years). Community, school and religious groups dress in costumes reminiscent of nativity scenes (shepherds mostly; few kings) and parade down the central avenue before arriving at the high altar constructed outside the main cathedral where an outdoor Catholic mass is held following the procession. In the main plaza, a craft fair is held, selling various wood, leather, art, and jewelry crafts. As this holiday is a tremendous celebration in the Puerto Rican culture, it was fitting that we were able to see the grand pageantry that this little town had to offer.

Antonio Martorell’s Studio in Ponce

Antonio is a world-renowned artist, yet chooses to describe himself as a communicator principally because he believes that the idea of “the artist” is too lofty and his favorite compliment is to be told that he speaks directly to the people, bringing ideas, concepts, and culture normally deemed too high class down to the masses, explaining it in language that is accessible by the common folk.




Martorell’s work has not existed without controversy, having been investigated by the FBI at some point and having his home destroyed as they attempted to uncover some evidence that was not to be founded, but such is the life of the liberal artist in Latin America. These works here depict his reaction to the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. The helicopter painting above was painted on an old carpet from his New York apartment, as though from the floors of the “attacked”, we can see the reflection of the innocents who would be harmed as a result. The other images were from a series painted on mattresses, one indicating a woman looking out the widow, perhaps in awe of what happens around her; the other raises her dress revealing her sex—the only weapon she possesses.

Susan (one of our program participants) was lucky enough to be sketched by the artist. Martorell said it was not enough to see the work that he produced—we must see the process of artistic creation to understand the fluidity with which one must work. The drawing was not just a reflection of what he saw seated before him, but also what emerged from the combination or charcoal, paper, and his artistic vision.

Much of today’s work was emblematic of the potential for artistic expression that exists as a regular part of the culture. As we move toward creating our forum theatre presentation next week, today’s experiences seem to provide a depiction of the raw material that we can rely on—that is, culture not only as an artistic influence, but also part of the material we can draw upon when creating our own presentation.

Antonio Martorell’s Artwork

Day Three

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Field Trip!

At 8:50 AM, a group 23 strong boarded the hotel coach for a 45 minute excursion to the University of Puerto Rico, Cayey Campus. We knew it was up in the mountains; we knew we’d be meeting visual and performance artist Antonio Martorell; we knew we’d be learning to dance Bamba (a traditional Puerto Rican dance described below). What we did not know was what our living situation would be like, and some were very surprised.

We were in two buildings (one group of ten, the other of twelve) with three bedrooms in each. While the facilities were nice enough, the feel of camping out in the woods was ever present from the moment we stepped into this land of bunkbeds and showers with just a trickle of cold water. I found the places charming and full of character, but others were desperately in search of towels and hot water.


Pio Lopez Martinez Museum


Once settled in, we hiked across campus for the real surprise, an introduction to the life and work of Carribean (though native of Cayey) visual artist Ramón Frade at the Pio Lopez Martinez Museum. Curator (?) Humberto Figueroa gave us a brief history of Frade’s life and explained the exhibition that we were to see which was shockingly relavant to our drama work as it explored Frade’s process, rather than focusing on his finished products.
According to Antonio Martorell, Frade had been an actor in his younger years and he took his experiences and understanding of theatrical form with him when he began developing some of his most treasured works, those which depict everyday Puerto Rican life, not unlike the work that Norman Rockwell did in the United States (though Frade was working earlier). In his process. Frade would stage children and other models in positions that evoked traditional poses, yet they were in a studio with minimal costume just so he could block the person in the space. Thereafter he would trace the photograph, sketch the image with pencil and paper, and then begin work on the final painting. In the final work, more theatrical convention was utilized as Frade would paint the person into a new setting, and at times (as in the work you see here), he would develop a narrative which had not been present in the initial photographs.

This process then refers to this notion of creating a non-verbal narrative, which is neither dependent on language or culture in order to disseminate meaning to an audience (a theme that would come up twice more as our day’s activities progressed).

For those who might still wonder if this connection was truly significant, I offer this comparison. While walking to the museum from the dorms, I happened upon a striking view of the town of Cayay and the mountains beyond, yet when I stopped to take a photograph, I was taken in by the trees that framed the landscape beyond and used them in the foreground of the composition. Imagine my surprise when walking through the museum and I happened upon an almost identical photograph that Frade had taken nearly a century before. On our opening night, Dr. Marquez and Javier Cardona asked us to pay particular attention to the people as their rhythms and mannerisms would strongly influence the composition of their art, but from my own coincidental photographic experience, I understand that the physical place has just as much impact on the work that is created.


Transforming Spaces


Dr. Rosa Luisa Marquez and Antonio Martorell team taught our afternoon workshop that was grounded in a variety of exercises by Augusto Boal (Games for Actors and Non Actors), but they culminated in yet another form of non-verbal storytelling, this time using costume and physical space to create a narrative.

Dr. Marquez first asked us to move in the space, find a partner, and take a little time to get to know them—she wanted us to make a connection with them that was verbal. Thereafter, she indicated that we would make physical connections, leading us in Boal’s “People to People” game, where the joker (facilitator) calls out two body parts and the pairs of participants must make that physical connection (head to elbow, knee to foot, etc.). Three or four connections are called out, tying the pairs into complicated body-knots until it’s clear that they cannot go further, at which point the joker calls out, “People to people!” and the participants scramble to find a new partner and repeat the exercise.

The second activity involved image theatre. The group formed a large circle and one participant went into the middle of the group and created a physical image using only their body. Another participant then joined them in the middle of the circle adding to the image in some abstract way. The first volunteer then exited, leaving the second alone, who was then joined by another volunteer who added to the second image. This continued until the volunteerism waned, at which point Dr. Marquez increased the number to three and eventually four participants involved in the evolving image. In closing, Dr. Marquez rearranged a few of the volunteers so that their physical position was maintained but order was made out of the abstract chaos—moving from that which appeared to evoke feeling or ideas, to that which clearly composed a specific narrative which could be read by the audience with limited interpretation (reminiscent of our earlier understanding of the work that Frade had done).

Antonio Martorell then turned our attention to the multitude of possibilities that paper offered, as he (and as pictured above, Dr. Marquez) transformed himself and one of the participants into characters in just a few minutes using butcher paper, scissors, newspaper advertisements (for color), and masking tape. We were given ten minutes (though I’m certain we took much longer) to organize ourselves into pairs and take on the roles of designer and model, creating a costume from the provided materials.

When our masterpieces were completed, each pair joined with another and were given ten additional minutes (this time we kept closer to the limit) to select a specific space in or out of the museum and create a story that would involve an entrance, some specific action, and an exit while also maintaining traditional story structure (beginning, middle, and end). Our post-performance reflections indicated that most were excited by how quickly we created new and vastly different narratives with only paper and the space as a catalyst. Like the other non-verbal structures we have used to construct narratives (one group used a musical underscore, but all others were silent), I was particularly aware of the potential for cross-cultural and cross-language potential for such and activity.


Bomba



The Bomba is a traditional Puerto Rican folk dance derived from the traditions of both the African immigrants (slaves or otherwise) and the native Taino tradition. The music combines drumming, maraca, rhythmic sticks (beaten on the side of the drum or the floor), and singing. The dance/song features call and response (similar to other African musical traditions), conversation between the dancer and the musicians (the primo - or lead drummer - who follows the dancer and not the other way around - similar to the Flamenco tradition from the south of Spain [also influenced by the African tradition via the Moors]), and themes of resistance (as the original slave dancers used their dance time to plan escapes, etc).



We learned a variety of warm ups and dance steps (which were incredibly different--it's amazing how freeing it is to accept that you are not going to do the dance perfectly [ok, not even close] so just let your body go with it and have a good time) and then were given ten minutes to integrate any variety of them into some form of narrative story. Like our activities earlier in the day, this was to be a non-verbal presentation which could read cross-culturally and cross languages. Each group came up with entirely different ideas and everyone participated fully. As per my guiding questions, it is important to keep in mind that we are all willing participants, which may not always be the case, but this definitely did broaden my understanding of the multiple ways to non-verbally convey a narrative.

Here's a sample of student work:



Fiesta

After our exciting day, it was time to relax at our Cayey Fiesta! Luis Rodriguez joined us for live music and dancing on the terrace of one of the residences. While this allowed us some much needed relaxation time (the Bomba is quite a workout!), it also allowed us an opportunity to process some of the work we've been doing, continue to build our community, and catch on proper protocol for the night before three kings day (leave your shoes out for gifts and grass for the donkeys).


Masterpieces