Capstone Weekly Reflection 3- 1/10/2018

This past week was a bit challenging due to my dealing with illness but beneficial to my overall viewing of the project. Being in a state of physical sickness forced me to slow down and allow myself the moment to slow down and focus on each of my experiences through the day. In doing so, I was able to formulate a dramaturgical structure for my project, based on Adrienne Maree Brown’s book ‘Emergent Strategies.’ Brown’s book discusses the ways in which we can view nature and ecological systems and models for creating structures of collaboration and interpersonal exchange. She also describes the lessons one can gather from natural processes and animal groups in order to formulate alternative structures for engaging in community based organization and activism. For the purposes of my project, which deals directly with folkloric and superhero characters related to the spider, it made sense to create a dramaturgical structure that mirrored the most iconic creation of this animal, the spider-web. Based on the feedback I received on our image impulse exercise with Professor Tsunoda last week, I was concerned that in trying to create a story that is critiquing the ways in which stories of heroism portrayed by the superhero propagate patriarchal notions of masculinity, I was beginning, unknowingly, to create a structure of storytelling rooted in patriarchy. Professor Tsunoda reading recommendation this week was thus extremely useful in coming up with a dramaturgical structure that allows for the critiquing of this mode of storytelling and offers a guideline and framework to consider when developing the written text of this project. Having settled on this structure, I find myself with a bit more flexibility in terms of approaching the kinds of ways masculinity is portrayed in each scene or event of this plays as isolated events or scenes, along with the potential ways the trickster allows for the distortion and transgression these representations.

Also of note this week is highlighting the addition of my two new collaborators, my stage manager, Isabel Rios and my lighting designer, Leslie Gray. Isabel’s organizational prowess, even based on a single discussion, has been extremely enlightening in terms of creating a structure for organizing my work that will allow for deeper reflection and promote synthesis of research into the creative process as I continue writing. Upon her advice specifically speaking, I have begun drafting a weekly list of tasks and goals, which I have classified as my personal ‘capstone syllabus,’ which includes a weekly plan for creative goals, research tasks, archiving assignments and reflection. Isabel has also strongly urged me to obtain capstone studio space, which I am in the process of applying for through the Theatre Program. In terms of my hopes for my collaboration with Leslie, I am attempting to learn as much as I can about lighting design in order to understand what is possible and how I can activate this medium, particularly in thinking of how to translate comic book storytelling devices to the stage. Speaking specifically, the concept of the ‘gutter’ in Scott McCloud’s ‘Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art,’ is of particular interest to me, as is staging the icon of the panel. Leslie is also interested in translating the stylistic feel of comic books, particularly of comics from the 60’s through lighting, something that I had not considered before our discussion Leslie and I have already begun discussing the possibilities for portraying these ideas with live bodies and I am excited to begin experimenting during my first rehearsal this Friday.