[Newspoetry] eh!

[Kate McDowell]

Here's some ideas about the staging ideas Danielle proposed:

> 1) We place a large flag on the ground and project a diagram of the big 4
> media companies on the wall behind us.  A performer reads a poem for every
> square of the flag going from blue starred box to the bottom stripe (red I
> think).

Do we know how many poems are to be read?

> 
> 2) We simulate the look of a frantic round the clock 24/7 newspoetry room
> complete with "desks" (international, national, local, comics,
> editorials).  People are frantic at most times except when on the air at
> which point they become alert, clear, and slow.  Think of it as a clown
> car.  In between the acts are all the clowns running around the car;
> during the acts the clowns are all piled in driving.  This reverses the
> usually dynamic of readings (pause and quiet between poems, energy during
> poems).

In trying to imagine how this might work and not *completely* befuddle any
not-on-this-list audience members, I came up with the idea of a horn
signaling the beginning of running around.  Or maybe some kind of
news-related sound (i.e. "And now, the news..." to begin, and "Back to
our regularly schedule programming..." at the end.  Or reverse those two
things. 

Running around between, if it's supposed to look like something (i.e.
newsroom) would probably need rehearsing.  Otherwise everyone will just be
shouting at once and it will get really loud in a small space.  Plus it's
likely to go on too long at the beginning (when we're all excited about
running around) and really dry up near the end (which could make the last
few newspoets feel kinda bad). 

What about using sound effects instead to simulate the newsroom thing? 
Maybe there could be one performer (William leaps to mind...) who sits on
stage with a typewriter and types between readings, and the beginning of
the typing signals the beginning of a tape of a newsroom (with the beep be
be beep sounds) and sounds of people running around.

jest thinkin'

Kate

> 
> I welcome additional thoughts on staging.
> 
> --danielle 
> 
> P.S.  I find this kind of preparatory/logistical conversation over e-mail
> to be a very good use of the medium.  It seems much more effective than
> scheduled meetings.  People manifest their presence when they have
> something to say.
> 
> 
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>