Wednesday, April 28, 2010
WOMEN’S RIGHTS IN VANISHING POINTS
By the time that these women were grown women and practicing their chosen crafts, a great deal of the Suffragette Movement had ended, with the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920.
However, they were living in the wake of a veritable feminist uprising and while the two American women may represent two halves of a whole – Aimee a beacon of traditional American values and Amelia representing the American liberated woman, unafraid to move in a man’s world – they were all women in a time when the definition of that word, and the expectations it implies, were being questioned, reexamined, newly defined.
However, they were living in the wake of a veritable feminist uprising and while the two American women may represent two halves of a whole – Aimee a beacon of traditional American values and Amelia representing the American liberated woman, unafraid to move in a man’s world – they were all women in a time when the definition of that word, and the expectations it implies, were being questioned, reexamined, newly defined.
IMPORTANT DATES IN COMMUNICATION
Though the advent of excitement surrounding the printing press had come nearly four hundred years earlier, there was a significant rebirth in the interest surrounding print media during the Victorian Era, especially as it blended into new communication developments, namely the use of steam power to mass produce texts. At its inception in 1440, the printing press allowed for religious texts, like the Bible and other ancient writings, to be mass produced, permitting those who could read to independently formulate their own opinions, namely about religious doctrine. Interestingly, the developments in printing during the Victorian Era seem to again have enabled a generation to question their surroundings and furthermore, to question previously perceived absolutes concerning the known world. This is evidenced by the reflection of science in writing and publishing during the Victorian time period.
In addition to this, the mass publication of newspapers and periodicals also enabled much writings about who would soon be called “celebrities” – especially because of the simultaneous rise and development of film-making, photography and radio broadcast. This would have directly influenced the lives of all three women in Vanishing Point: Aimee Semple McPherson preached on the radio, Amelia Earhart’s journeys were documented via radio and film and photograph and Agatha Christie’s books were now mass produced and available on a large scale.
DATES
1440 – The printing press is invented by Johannes Gutenberg.
1800 – The first steam powered printing press is invented.
Early 1930s – The printing press is now capable of performing 2,500 to 3,000 impressions per hour.
1866 – Mahlon Loomis, an American dentist, successfully demonstrated "wireless telegraphy." Loomis was able to make a meter connected to one kite cause another one to move, marking the first known instance of wireless aerial communication.
1933 – FM radio was patented by inventor Edwin H. Armstrong.
In addition to this, the mass publication of newspapers and periodicals also enabled much writings about who would soon be called “celebrities” – especially because of the simultaneous rise and development of film-making, photography and radio broadcast. This would have directly influenced the lives of all three women in Vanishing Point: Aimee Semple McPherson preached on the radio, Amelia Earhart’s journeys were documented via radio and film and photograph and Agatha Christie’s books were now mass produced and available on a large scale.
DATES
1440 – The printing press is invented by Johannes Gutenberg.
1800 – The first steam powered printing press is invented.
Early 1930s – The printing press is now capable of performing 2,500 to 3,000 impressions per hour.
1866 – Mahlon Loomis, an American dentist, successfully demonstrated "wireless telegraphy." Loomis was able to make a meter connected to one kite cause another one to move, marking the first known instance of wireless aerial communication.
1933 – FM radio was patented by inventor Edwin H. Armstrong.
WHAT ARE SOME MAJOR (AND FUN) MOMENTS?
Act I
“Adventure, Spectacle, Mystery”-OPENING SEQUENCE - Actor introduces Icon to audience and becomes Icon in front of them . (Establishing’ story within the story’ conceit.)
“Atlantic”, “The Plot”, “The Heat” – DECISION TO RISE TO FAME- Each lady makes the decision to become famous and walk through the door of opportunity and open up her world.
“Lady Lindy” Scene and Song – INTRO OF PRESS as a constant and insidious force.
“Leave it All Behind” (Act I Finale) – CRASHING WORLD – Agatha is in a car crashing, Aimee is in water swimming, Amelia is in plane flying and all vanish. I see this being extremely theatrical, fog encroaching, world crashing, ladies disappearing into the fog. The important thing is that we have complete unraveling of our story.
Act II
“The Plot Thickens”- REAPPEARANCE INTO THIS NEW WORLD - Make the ladies look like they are reappearing into the completely new world – beyond the Vanishing Point. This is a moment of establishing the new world and letting the audience know the ladies have been trying to get back to Act I world but keep reappearing here in a cycle.
“Point A” – THEY LOOK LIKE THEY FLY!!!!!!!!!
PORTAL - MOMENTARY REENTRY - Ladies appear to find the portal in between the two worlds. We see some design elements encroach into the space – glaring lights, cameras. Ladies make decision that they are not ready and they come right back!
FINALE – REWRITING HISTORY - FREEING AMELIA - Agatha and Aimee put together disappearing apparatus around Amelia and her plane and at the end of song, they make Amelia vanish. The actors return to actors to complete the storytelling cycle.
“Adventure, Spectacle, Mystery”-OPENING SEQUENCE - Actor introduces Icon to audience and becomes Icon in front of them . (Establishing’ story within the story’ conceit.)
“Atlantic”, “The Plot”, “The Heat” – DECISION TO RISE TO FAME- Each lady makes the decision to become famous and walk through the door of opportunity and open up her world.
“Lady Lindy” Scene and Song – INTRO OF PRESS as a constant and insidious force.
“Leave it All Behind” (Act I Finale) – CRASHING WORLD – Agatha is in a car crashing, Aimee is in water swimming, Amelia is in plane flying and all vanish. I see this being extremely theatrical, fog encroaching, world crashing, ladies disappearing into the fog. The important thing is that we have complete unraveling of our story.
Act II
“The Plot Thickens”- REAPPEARANCE INTO THIS NEW WORLD - Make the ladies look like they are reappearing into the completely new world – beyond the Vanishing Point. This is a moment of establishing the new world and letting the audience know the ladies have been trying to get back to Act I world but keep reappearing here in a cycle.
“Point A” – THEY LOOK LIKE THEY FLY!!!!!!!!!
PORTAL - MOMENTARY REENTRY - Ladies appear to find the portal in between the two worlds. We see some design elements encroach into the space – glaring lights, cameras. Ladies make decision that they are not ready and they come right back!
FINALE – REWRITING HISTORY - FREEING AMELIA - Agatha and Aimee put together disappearing apparatus around Amelia and her plane and at the end of song, they make Amelia vanish. The actors return to actors to complete the storytelling cycle.
SO WHAT IS THIS WORLD?
General Note: This is very Brechtian in nature, the frame of this story is that we are “telling a story”. The three actors are actors first, playing icons and various roles second. Its self-aware quality allows the actors to easily flow in and out of 6-9 characters per actor and transverse many different locations in a very short amount of time. This informs clothing to be easily transformable onstage in a way that either the actor can do by themselves in front of the audience, or by adding or subtracting elements. Perhaps that necessitates dressing areas built into the set that double as other elements later. The actors may be getting ready there at half hour. Set/Lighting: The needs are three very distinct areas that can be utilized interchangeably or all at once.
WORLD OF THE PLAY (Act I, Act II, and the Glue):
ACT I: A PUBLIC VIEW
Acting Style: the actors are ‘playing/transforming into’ the roles. Performing these roles for the audience in a traditional/theatrical storytelling fashion. It is hyperbolized biography and the acting style of the characters surrounding the icons will get continually more heightened and stylized as the world gets more chaotic around them.
Tempo of Action: tempo of the world and ladies match in Opening Sequence, then progressively the world moves faster than the ladies as they lose agency in the “Lost Sight of Self” section. Their identities get consumed and the world crashes down around them.
Aesthetic of Act I: The Act I world is late 1920’s period. The Act I world is 1920’s modes of communication-inspired by newspapers, book covers, and film. It has a two- dimensional quality in the beginning that then reveals depth. (As one of our women steps through a door of opportunity, a whole new world is revealed. ) It is mysteriously opaque at times and alternately glaringly transparent. This could be fabric or scrim that can be painted on as a backdrop. It will evoke historical, iconic printed communications of the late 20’s. The background primarily newsprint/neutral colors utilizing projections or shadows to utilize industrial revolution iconic images physically in the space. The iconic industrial revolution images/representations are always present and at work – gears, dials, microphones, typewriters, cameras. Work is central for our icons. And the press is an ever-present force. This world is hard. This world is difficult to navigate. This world moves fast and keeps getting faster until it crashes down around the ladies at breakneck speed at the climax of Act I.
The secondary/accent color palette is the authentic printing ink colors of the time as seen in advertisements, posters and book jackets. It is reminiscent of primary colors that do not quite pop. The color palette and light in a variety of Van Gogh’s work in his daytime palette sticks with me for Act I.
The use of the space is fluid, allowing for many different locations easily. The story lines flow in and out of each other, so the neutrality and flexibility of the space is imperative. There are no blackouts of the whole space, only popping in and out of different isolations if necessary. There may be an occasional moment for an actor to leave stage if absolutely necessary, but my intent is for everyone to remain onstage at all times telling the story.
I believe period is very important to the look of iconic figures (Agatha, Amelia, and Aimee) and the heightened acting style of all the characters surrounding them. I am not interested at all in imitating, but being inspired directly by the period and that ladies sense of style. For all of the other characters, they need to live in a world together also inspired by the late 1920’s, but less realistic than our iconic ladies. Perhaps they use elements in the accent color palette.
ACT II : Part A - FOR YOUR EYES ONLY
Acting Style: Act II actors are ‘playing at’ each other’s parts. Performing as much for each other as the audience. It is in the spirit of performing for the pure enjoyment of performing. It is Vaudevillian in nature. Just a few people hanging around a space, with found stuff, with nothing better to do than make up stories and perform for one another with the goal of problem solving. This is my idea of utopia.
Tempo of Action: Tempo of Act II world is quiet/still/comforting and the ladies are what are lively and kinetic inside of it. If things move in the space, they do it. Whatever they find, they learn to use. They begin to teach each other how to take control of the physical world and regain their identities.
Aesthetic of Act IIA : Complete transformation from Act I. Act II is a much sparer, less complicated space. I see it as a combination of a black hole (the space beyond the Vanishing Point) and a cocoon , which happens to have A LOT of qualities of a dark Vaudeville theatre. It has been cleaned out except for a few forgotten items which the ladies will use. All of its theatrical rigging –mechanics of the theatre-ropes, sandbags etc.- are exposed. All hand props are just found objects in the space. No communication devices exist except some props that are stand up mics. It has none of the “theatrical magic” it is a suspended space, floating. It is safe, but without end. Tunnel-like. It is a world where the imagination runs free. Nothing can encroach on it. One can leave, but one has to figure out it’s secret of leaving. I am intrigued and influenced by Harry Houdini posters and elements of his acts.
The color palette of the world itself is much like the dark version of Van Gogh’ starry night. The atmosphere is quite dark, but the colors around it are vibrant. The lighting is exposed, maybe practical light bulbs on stands. Perhaps old , exposed footlights exist in the space to be found and turned on. The women have appeared in this space in a much more casual, stripped down version of themselves. Any additional clothing necessary are “costumes” that are nostalgic of Vaudeville stock characters that they can don as they play.
THE GLUE BETWEEN THE TWO - ACT II, Part B – WE CHOOSE TO LET YOU SEE US:
Acting Style & Aesthetic of Act II, Part B: In Act II, Pt A, the ladies learned to do everything themselves with the support of their friends and enjoy it. When they reclaim agency and choose to re-enter Act I world, they must carry what they know back with them. This means that the world of Act II still is visible with all the exposed mechanisms. Elements of the Act II, Part A world that the women CHOOSE to include in their world, they control to come back. NOW we literally see our icons be in charge of the whole production. We have to see them bring that newfound confidence and knowledge of their agency. The ladies now know how to operate the theatricality of life and manipulate the space to be what they need. Anything unexpected is welcomed and counterbalanced.
Tempo of Action: The tempo of world vs. tempo of ladies is now balanced.
WHAT ARE SOME MAJOR (AND FUN) MOMENTS?
Act I
“Adventure, Spectacle, Mystery”-OPENING SEQUENCE - Actor introduces Icon to audience and becomes Icon in front of them . (Establishing’ story within the story’ conceit.)
“Atlantic”, “The Plot”, “The Heat” – DECISION TO RISE TO FAME- Each lady makes the decision to become famous and walk through the door of opportunity and open up her world.
“Lady Lindy” Scene and Song – INTRO OF PRESS as a constant and insidious force.
“Leave it All Behind” (Act I Finale) – CRASHING WORLD – Agatha is in a car crashing, Aimee is in water swimming, Amelia is in plane flying and all vanish. I see this being extremely theatrical, fog encroaching, world crashing, ladies disappearing into the fog. The important thing is that we have complete unraveling of our story.
Act II
“The Plot Thickens”- REAPPEARANCE INTO THIS NEW WORLD - Make the ladies look like they are reappearing into the completely new world – beyond the Vanishing Point. This is a moment of establishing the new world and letting the audience know the ladies have been trying to get back to Act I world but keep reappearing here in a cycle.
“Point A” – THEY LOOK LIKE THEY FLY!!!!!!!!!
PORTAL - MOMENTARY REENTRY - Ladies appear to find the portal in between the two worlds. We see some design elements encroach into the space – glaring lights, cameras. Ladies make decision that they are not ready and they come right back!
FINALE – REWRITING HISTORY - FREEING AMELIA - Agatha and Aimee put together disappearing apparatus around Amelia and her plane and at the end of song, they make Amelia vanish. The actors return to actors to complete the storytelling cycle.
Acting Style: the actors are ‘playing/transforming into’ the roles. Performing these roles for the audience in a traditional/theatrical storytelling fashion. It is hyperbolized biography and the acting style of the characters surrounding the icons will get continually more heightened and stylized as the world gets more chaotic around them.
Tempo of Action: tempo of the world and ladies match in Opening Sequence, then progressively the world moves faster than the ladies as they lose agency in the “Lost Sight of Self” section. Their identities get consumed and the world crashes down around them.
Aesthetic of Act I: The Act I world is late 1920’s period. The Act I world is 1920’s modes of communication-inspired by newspapers, book covers, and film. It has a two- dimensional quality in the beginning that then reveals depth. (As one of our women steps through a door of opportunity, a whole new world is revealed. ) It is mysteriously opaque at times and alternately glaringly transparent. This could be fabric or scrim that can be painted on as a backdrop. It will evoke historical, iconic printed communications of the late 20’s. The background primarily newsprint/neutral colors utilizing projections or shadows to utilize industrial revolution iconic images physically in the space. The iconic industrial revolution images/representations are always present and at work – gears, dials, microphones, typewriters, cameras. Work is central for our icons. And the press is an ever-present force. This world is hard. This world is difficult to navigate. This world moves fast and keeps getting faster until it crashes down around the ladies at breakneck speed at the climax of Act I.
The secondary/accent color palette is the authentic printing ink colors of the time as seen in advertisements, posters and book jackets. It is reminiscent of primary colors that do not quite pop. The color palette and light in a variety of Van Gogh’s work in his daytime palette sticks with me for Act I.
The use of the space is fluid, allowing for many different locations easily. The story lines flow in and out of each other, so the neutrality and flexibility of the space is imperative. There are no blackouts of the whole space, only popping in and out of different isolations if necessary. There may be an occasional moment for an actor to leave stage if absolutely necessary, but my intent is for everyone to remain onstage at all times telling the story.
I believe period is very important to the look of iconic figures (Agatha, Amelia, and Aimee) and the heightened acting style of all the characters surrounding them. I am not interested at all in imitating, but being inspired directly by the period and that ladies sense of style. For all of the other characters, they need to live in a world together also inspired by the late 1920’s, but less realistic than our iconic ladies. Perhaps they use elements in the accent color palette.
ACT II : Part A - FOR YOUR EYES ONLY
Acting Style: Act II actors are ‘playing at’ each other’s parts. Performing as much for each other as the audience. It is in the spirit of performing for the pure enjoyment of performing. It is Vaudevillian in nature. Just a few people hanging around a space, with found stuff, with nothing better to do than make up stories and perform for one another with the goal of problem solving. This is my idea of utopia.
Tempo of Action: Tempo of Act II world is quiet/still/comforting and the ladies are what are lively and kinetic inside of it. If things move in the space, they do it. Whatever they find, they learn to use. They begin to teach each other how to take control of the physical world and regain their identities.
Aesthetic of Act IIA : Complete transformation from Act I. Act II is a much sparer, less complicated space. I see it as a combination of a black hole (the space beyond the Vanishing Point) and a cocoon , which happens to have A LOT of qualities of a dark Vaudeville theatre. It has been cleaned out except for a few forgotten items which the ladies will use. All of its theatrical rigging –mechanics of the theatre-ropes, sandbags etc.- are exposed. All hand props are just found objects in the space. No communication devices exist except some props that are stand up mics. It has none of the “theatrical magic” it is a suspended space, floating. It is safe, but without end. Tunnel-like. It is a world where the imagination runs free. Nothing can encroach on it. One can leave, but one has to figure out it’s secret of leaving. I am intrigued and influenced by Harry Houdini posters and elements of his acts.
The color palette of the world itself is much like the dark version of Van Gogh’ starry night. The atmosphere is quite dark, but the colors around it are vibrant. The lighting is exposed, maybe practical light bulbs on stands. Perhaps old , exposed footlights exist in the space to be found and turned on. The women have appeared in this space in a much more casual, stripped down version of themselves. Any additional clothing necessary are “costumes” that are nostalgic of Vaudeville stock characters that they can don as they play.
THE GLUE BETWEEN THE TWO - ACT II, Part B – WE CHOOSE TO LET YOU SEE US:
Acting Style & Aesthetic of Act II, Part B: In Act II, Pt A, the ladies learned to do everything themselves with the support of their friends and enjoy it. When they reclaim agency and choose to re-enter Act I world, they must carry what they know back with them. This means that the world of Act II still is visible with all the exposed mechanisms. Elements of the Act II, Part A world that the women CHOOSE to include in their world, they control to come back. NOW we literally see our icons be in charge of the whole production. We have to see them bring that newfound confidence and knowledge of their agency. The ladies now know how to operate the theatricality of life and manipulate the space to be what they need. Anything unexpected is welcomed and counterbalanced.
Tempo of Action: The tempo of world vs. tempo of ladies is now balanced.
WHAT ARE SOME MAJOR (AND FUN) MOMENTS?
Act I
“Adventure, Spectacle, Mystery”-OPENING SEQUENCE - Actor introduces Icon to audience and becomes Icon in front of them . (Establishing’ story within the story’ conceit.)
“Atlantic”, “The Plot”, “The Heat” – DECISION TO RISE TO FAME- Each lady makes the decision to become famous and walk through the door of opportunity and open up her world.
“Lady Lindy” Scene and Song – INTRO OF PRESS as a constant and insidious force.
“Leave it All Behind” (Act I Finale) – CRASHING WORLD – Agatha is in a car crashing, Aimee is in water swimming, Amelia is in plane flying and all vanish. I see this being extremely theatrical, fog encroaching, world crashing, ladies disappearing into the fog. The important thing is that we have complete unraveling of our story.
Act II
“The Plot Thickens”- REAPPEARANCE INTO THIS NEW WORLD - Make the ladies look like they are reappearing into the completely new world – beyond the Vanishing Point. This is a moment of establishing the new world and letting the audience know the ladies have been trying to get back to Act I world but keep reappearing here in a cycle.
“Point A” – THEY LOOK LIKE THEY FLY!!!!!!!!!
PORTAL - MOMENTARY REENTRY - Ladies appear to find the portal in between the two worlds. We see some design elements encroach into the space – glaring lights, cameras. Ladies make decision that they are not ready and they come right back!
FINALE – REWRITING HISTORY - FREEING AMELIA - Agatha and Aimee put together disappearing apparatus around Amelia and her plane and at the end of song, they make Amelia vanish. The actors return to actors to complete the storytelling cycle.
THE VANISHING POINT STORY
A musical comedy-fantasy, Vanishing Point brings these three strong women together on a road trip through time and space, as they recall their past and explore their future. They step in and out of one another’s lives to tell three unique stories and illustrate how everyone is ultimately connected.
Act One biographically theatricalizes each woman’s personal struggle through the chain of historical events that forces their subsequent disappearances: the moment of inception of their big dream, their thrilling rise to fame, their disillusioning loss of agency in the in the drive toward success, their despair over their exposure in the press, and their complete feeling of isolation from everyone around them.
Act Two delves into a performative fantasy of what possibly could ensue when three strong-willed and fascinating women are thrown together in a void of time and space. They methodically search for a way back to their lives, but by making the same mistakes, history repeats itself and they end up back where they started. It is only when they play each other’s parts and teach each other that it is healthy and fun to break the rules can they reclaim their individual agency. With the newly found support system and broadened outlook, they find their way back, control the chaos that once shattered their lives, and rewrite history.
Act One biographically theatricalizes each woman’s personal struggle through the chain of historical events that forces their subsequent disappearances: the moment of inception of their big dream, their thrilling rise to fame, their disillusioning loss of agency in the in the drive toward success, their despair over their exposure in the press, and their complete feeling of isolation from everyone around them.
Act Two delves into a performative fantasy of what possibly could ensue when three strong-willed and fascinating women are thrown together in a void of time and space. They methodically search for a way back to their lives, but by making the same mistakes, history repeats itself and they end up back where they started. It is only when they play each other’s parts and teach each other that it is healthy and fun to break the rules can they reclaim their individual agency. With the newly found support system and broadened outlook, they find their way back, control the chaos that once shattered their lives, and rewrite history.
AIMEE SEMPLE MCPHERSON
AIMEE SEMPLE MCPHERSON (Spectacle-She vies for bigger and better sermons/shows/notority, but struggles with the constant pressure that comes along with being the healer of thousands.): Born October 9, 1890, in Salford, Ontario. Charismatic, dynamic evangelist, first known for her extraordinary faith healing in tent revivals across the country. Founded the Angelus Temple in Los Angeles, where she entertained standing room crowds of thousands with the “Illustrated Sermons”.
Vanished on May 18, 1926, while swimming in the ocean. Reappeared in the desert near Douglas, Arizona, three weeks later, with an outlandish tale of kidnapping. She was investigated, put on trial, but never wavered from her story.
(Aimee’s track also includes: G.P. Putnam, Mrs. Earhart, A Hotel clerk, one of Amelia’s fans,
Col. Archibald Christie, various reporters as indicated.)
***Parts of the Character Descriptions above are courtesy of Rob Hartmann
Vanished on May 18, 1926, while swimming in the ocean. Reappeared in the desert near Douglas, Arizona, three weeks later, with an outlandish tale of kidnapping. She was investigated, put on trial, but never wavered from her story.
(Aimee’s track also includes: G.P. Putnam, Mrs. Earhart, A Hotel clerk, one of Amelia’s fans,
Col. Archibald Christie, various reporters as indicated.)
***Parts of the Character Descriptions above are courtesy of Rob Hartmann
AMELIA EARHART
AMELIA EARHART (Adventure-She lives only for what is just over the horizon and strives always to be first and best.): Born July 24, 1897, Atchison, Kansas. American pilot, the first woman to fly across the Atlantic (as a passenger) in 1928. She became widely known as “Lady Lindy”, because of her resemblance to Charles Lindbergh (“Lucky Lindy”). Married her promoter, George Palmer Putnam, a publishing magnate in 1931. Became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic in 1932. Held many other records, including fastest cross-country flight by a woman, distance and speed record for a woman, and first solo flight across the Pacific.
Vanished July 2, 1937, while flying from Lae, New Guinea, to tiny Howland Island, nearing the end of a round-the-world flight. After her last radio contact with the U.S.S. Itasca, she was never seen again.
(Amelia’s track also includes: Madge, Clara Miller, Robert Semple, A woman healed by Aimee, Kenneth Ormiston, Nancy Neele, A mover, a beachgoer named Dolores, various reporters as indicated.)
Vanished July 2, 1937, while flying from Lae, New Guinea, to tiny Howland Island, nearing the end of a round-the-world flight. After her last radio contact with the U.S.S. Itasca, she was never seen again.
(Amelia’s track also includes: Madge, Clara Miller, Robert Semple, A woman healed by Aimee, Kenneth Ormiston, Nancy Neele, A mover, a beachgoer named Dolores, various reporters as indicated.)
AGATHA CHRISTIE
(Mystery-She yearns for a happy ending, but cannot find it in her own life, even though she is an imaginative problem solver in her writing): Born September 15, 1890, in Torquay, Devon. British mystery writer, whose 80+ novels became best sellers worldwide. During World War I, the woman from an upper-class family worked in a hospital dispensary, gaining a thorough knowledge of poisons. On a dare from her sister, she wrote her first novel, THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT SYLES. Reclusive and shy, but with many suitors, she married Colonel Archibald Christie on Christmas Eve in 1914.
Vanished on December 4, 1926. Her car was found in the middle of the night rolled down an embankment. Eleven days later, she surfaced at a resort hotel in the north of England, registered under the last name of her husband’s mistress. She claimed amnesia and never spoke of it again for the rest of her life. Died January 12, 1976.
(Agatha’s track also includes: Minnie Kennedy, one of Amelia’s fans, an announcer at the Women’s Air Race, a Cameraman, A beachgoer named Ruby, various reporters as indicated.)
Vanished on December 4, 1926. Her car was found in the middle of the night rolled down an embankment. Eleven days later, she surfaced at a resort hotel in the north of England, registered under the last name of her husband’s mistress. She claimed amnesia and never spoke of it again for the rest of her life. Died January 12, 1976.
(Agatha’s track also includes: Minnie Kennedy, one of Amelia’s fans, an announcer at the Women’s Air Race, a Cameraman, A beachgoer named Ruby, various reporters as indicated.)
VISION
“Author Agatha Christie vanished for eleven days in 1926; that same year, evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson vanished for three weeks. Amelia Earhart disappeared during her 1937 round-the-world flight. Amelia was never seen again; Agatha and Aimee never spoke of what happened during their disappearances.” – written by Rob Hartmann and seen on the title page of the Vanishing Point script.
So why this play now? America is fascinated with celebrity. Today’s pop culture surrounds daily doses of gossip, paparazzi and tweeting. We strive to know everything that is being said about celebrities and we watch their every move. Consequently, every famed individual is living under a constant microscope of scrutiny that they must reconcile for themselves. When we do not have the facts about our favorite star, we fantasize what their lives might be. Their mysteries consume us as we strive to live vicariously through them to add adventure, spectacle and mystery into our lives. Their successes give us permission to dream big and hope; their failures reinforce that they are actually human. Their lives seem transparent to us. We even seem to own a bit of them. Interestingly enough, by the virtue of the internet and YouTube, we share the identical struggle that celebrities face to maintain agency of our lives. In this age of information overload, every person is a minor celebrity.
Layering the history of women’s civil rights issues as the propeller to our women celebrities’ struggle, against the background of post-industrial revolution when the mechanical advancements were forging communication ahead at breakneck speed, I hope to deconstruct Vanishing Point’s model of exploded fame in the late 20’s. (MM will talk now about background of Communications and Women’s rights) I want the audience to be engaged in a personal reflection of the their own everyday information over-exposure. Some questions I intend to explore are: How do we reconcile the events in our lives with the perception of our “press”? What is our identity’s vanishing point? How, then, do we reclaim agency of our lives?
Vanishing Point shows us that we can “rewrite” our own history in order to reinvest in ourselves and create the magic in our lives instead of being disillusioned by it. When humans do this, we climb to new heights. We soar.
So why this play now? America is fascinated with celebrity. Today’s pop culture surrounds daily doses of gossip, paparazzi and tweeting. We strive to know everything that is being said about celebrities and we watch their every move. Consequently, every famed individual is living under a constant microscope of scrutiny that they must reconcile for themselves. When we do not have the facts about our favorite star, we fantasize what their lives might be. Their mysteries consume us as we strive to live vicariously through them to add adventure, spectacle and mystery into our lives. Their successes give us permission to dream big and hope; their failures reinforce that they are actually human. Their lives seem transparent to us. We even seem to own a bit of them. Interestingly enough, by the virtue of the internet and YouTube, we share the identical struggle that celebrities face to maintain agency of our lives. In this age of information overload, every person is a minor celebrity.
Layering the history of women’s civil rights issues as the propeller to our women celebrities’ struggle, against the background of post-industrial revolution when the mechanical advancements were forging communication ahead at breakneck speed, I hope to deconstruct Vanishing Point’s model of exploded fame in the late 20’s. (MM will talk now about background of Communications and Women’s rights) I want the audience to be engaged in a personal reflection of the their own everyday information over-exposure. Some questions I intend to explore are: How do we reconcile the events in our lives with the perception of our “press”? What is our identity’s vanishing point? How, then, do we reclaim agency of our lives?
Vanishing Point shows us that we can “rewrite” our own history in order to reinvest in ourselves and create the magic in our lives instead of being disillusioned by it. When humans do this, we climb to new heights. We soar.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
PROJECT BUZZ
PROJECT BUZZ
Adventure, Spectacle, Mystery! This will be an adventure that is the culmination of years of contact building and relationships that I cultivated while I was a career musical theatre performer. I had the good fortune to work on this piece as an actress in an earlier incarnation. Some music remains, the book is completely different. The spirit is the same. The soaring spirit of the show is what has haunted me since that earlier time of developing it with Rob and Liv. Developing New Works musicals is exactly what excites me as a director now. The Vanishing Point creative team of Rob Hartmann (Book, Lyrics, and Music) and Liv Cummins (Book and Lyrics) has committed to be artists in residence for some of the project and tailor it to Carnegie Mellon under my direction. I am excited to announce that Rob plans to come to Pittsburgh in end of April, early May to tailor keys for our actors and begin work with me on an alteration to Act I that will debut here in October.
The project also has ties to my roots as a Vocal Performance undergraduate work at CMU. With involvement from Dr. Robert Page as mentor, a graduate student will be Conductor for the 3 or 4 piece pit. We will all work together to define the instrumentation that will best serve us. Rob then can begin the Carnegie Mellon orchestration based on that determination and add actors’ instrumental talents to a few moments in Act II. Dr. Page will work with me as a liason to the Music Department to engage the instrumentalists we need. Finally, I will be utilizing my background of vocal performance as the Music Director under the talented Thomas Douglas’ mentorship. With all of you on board now as well, I am ecstatic to begin!
Now, let’s talk about the story that encompasses Adventure (Amelia Earhart), Spectacle (Aimee Semple McPherson), and Mystery (Agatha Christie).
THE VANISHING POINT STORY
A musical comedy-fantasy, Vanishing Point brings these three strong women together on a road trip through time and space, as they recall their past and explore their future. They step in and out of one another’s lives to tell three unique stories and illustrate how everyone is ultimately connected.
Act One biographically theatricalizes each woman’s personal struggle through the chain of historical events that forces their subsequent disappearances: the moment of inception of their big dream, their thrilling rise to fame, their disillusioning loss of agency in the in the drive toward success, their despair over their exposure in the press, and their complete feeling of isolation from everyone around them.
Act Two delves into a performative fantasy of what possibly could ensue when three strong-willed and fascinating women are thrown together in a void of time and space. They methodically search for a way back to their lives, but by making the same mistakes, history repeats itself and they end up back where they started. It is only when they play each other’s parts and teach each other that it is healthy and fun to break the rules can they reclaim their individual agency. With the newly found support system and broadened outlook, they find their way back, control the chaos that once shattered their lives, and rewrite history.
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