HISTORY

The Discordia Project debuted
Experiment #2 - Icarus Unbound
on April 20th 2007
at Fowler Family Center
Bethlehem, PA.



(click here for original 'in progress' page)

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 A DVD copy of the performance will be available this winter.

For now, enjoy a preview video.

Structure for Experiment #2 :

There was a new type of structure for this experiment.

We created several action scenes, where the characters had to move the story in a certain direction, but could determine their path in the scene, the musicians would react to the actors.
We then had scenes that were guided by the music, in which the actors would react freely inside of structures such as 'Secrets' or various movement pieces.
All of these scenes were jamed together into one long, continuous thread of a story.



The idea here was the these scenes could be reordered to tell the same story in different configurations, from different perspectives, under different circumstances.

Special Thanks
Mustard and Cheese Drama Society, ArtsLehigh, Paul Peirpoint and the Fowler Family Center, Community Artists of Bethlehem, Lehigh University Department of Theatre, Brendan Burke and The Shadowland Theatre, Touchstone Theatre, Dylan Jamison, Chris Hallenbeck, Drew Francis

Experiment #2 - Icarus Unbound

Original story by Josh Tonkay
Directed by
Andra Dindzans and Josh Tonkay

Actors
Deanna Cerullo - Ariadne
Justin Howe - Daedelus
Andrew Lustig - Theseus
Caitlin Shenk - Naucrete
Tim Syciarz - Icarus
Alex Thompson - Minos

Band - The Fates
Gelsey Bell - Piano, Vocals
Jason Headeye - Synth
Ben Miosi - Drums

Production
Set, Sound, Lights and Projection - Colin McGurk
Costume - Colin McGurk and Josh Tonkay

This show integrated a lot more technology than Experiment #1. There were important elements like wireless mics so the actors could be heard, and a soundboard to get better mixed audio. And then there were the frills like projections. The result was a show that felt much more like the ultimate concept.
There will definitely be major technology integrated into upcoming experiments, despite the headaches it can bring.

The Lessons and The Next Steps

  • Lead in with more music to get the audience into that rock and roll mentality so they want to be more active.
  • Figure out how to get larger variations between performances.
  • Figure out how to change structures so that the actors improvise more with scripted sections rather than falling into a rehearsed pattern
  • Figure out how to inset variables into scripted scenes.
  • Figure out how to tell the story with fewer lines from the actors by integrating a larger, slower song and movement structure.
  • Actions in Experiment #1 that were generated in the spirit of the moment were often eerily insightful and beautiful. There was an element of truth in them that could not be scripted. We need to figure out how to return to this.
  • Our audience was far more useful in guiding the story with Experiment #2. There were noticeable differences in the paths they chose based off the story we were telling in each performance.
  • Get individual operators for sound, lights and projections. It turns out one person CAN do it all, just not very well…