Todays feedback session returned the following outline:

Scene 1 – Boot Camp by: A.

Takes Aways:

1. Ensure Aaron (and teams’) bodily position effectively engage the crowd.
2. Ensure ranks are clearly establish via two sets of dialogue: Aaron to Andrew; Aaron to Antonio & Issa.
3. When running, mime a circle, a song, exhaustion, etc. (AND – as an extension of #1) keep the audience in mind.
4. Andrew must be wearing his jacket.

Transition – Sounds of battle, light down, flickering.

Scene 2 – Death by: I.

1. Music?
2. Ensure that the quotes used from the poems are spread out. i.e. Antonio will share his quote at the end of Scene 2; Aaron will share his in Scene 3; Andrew will share his in Scene 4.
3. Ensure Andrew’s distance is at a maximum from the group.

Transition – Other poems, and Aaron freshens up.

Scene 3 – Funeral by. Aa.

1. Use a freeze frame during conflict, instead of moving off stage.
2. The funeral scene should have a faster clip than the death scene, when dealing with the jacket. Crisp.

Transition – Light funeral music (perhaps military funeral), and Andrew Monologue

1. Light bar music
2. Acknowledging the ghost via comedy: empty shot-glass, moved glass, etc.

Scene 4 – Reunion by. A.

A bit of a delay in writing this, but Friday’s performance still holds in my memory in a way that most things do not. This form of engagement with both the mind and the body is so unique for me, that it makes me wonder how similar work would look inside of other courses. This class is one I will cherish.

We continue not to rely on any type of script, and the depth of our dialogues continues to feel superficial, though I think what we are able to express as a group is not. On that note: this work feels like it could be significant if it were expressed in the context of veterans groups, or even as a fun – sort of Anne-Shelby style pop-up for strangers.

Overall, I think the Professors have done a tremendous job of creating a safe space to fail, so that carrying out the performance felt natural, easy, and fun.

Having found some poetry that will guide our asides, and parts of the play – we have completed a number of scenes, chronologically:

Scene 1 – Bootcamp | Scene 2 – Death Of A Friend | Scene 3 – Funeral | Scene 4 – Getting Through The Fire

Our central question revolve is: “How to get through the fire; how to persist when things are hard?”
To note some of the key means from each scene:

Scene 1 – Friendship, Laughter, Camaraderie. # With emphasis on a joy as told by Issa?

Scene 2 – Silence, Reflection, Poetry, Sacrifice. # With emphasis on a poem to Boss, as told by Ant.

Scene 3 – Anger, Alcohol, Supports. #With emphasis on a poem or funeral reflection by Aaron.

Scene 4 – Forgiveness, Reconciliation. #With outro and commentary by Andrew

My last reflection made note of the dispositions of the members, but as we have moved away from the passion of the funeral scene, back to a reflective moment where Issa, Antonio, and Andrew went through bootcamp (guided by Aaron) there is a growing connection between us.

Issa also has a strong comedic sense, though in “Bootcamp” the lack of seriousness the permeates, particularly from myself. At the point of the story, every is whole – and we seem some of the underlying exposure to the “dragon-passage” of alchol.

My previous reflection asked questions related to the nature of the war, though it generally does not seem to matter much in this context, though in a more advanced version of the play this would need to be more colored.

As I am in charge of this portion, I do have a craving for the safety of a script, though I am enjoying also Aarons continued emphasis on power…there were too many funny things said, suggested or felt that I wish could have been written down.

What is the moral of this play? I might suggest, the power of reflection and the binding power of shared hardship.

In reflection on the first few meeting with my team I am continuing to find general patterns of disposition. Aaron is very much a leader in the group, and takes charge without much prompting. Issa and Andrew are both more reserved, though Issa is less so than Andrew.

Issa also has a strong comedic, and jovial sense that really came through in our story circle,

Issa: “It was quite the interesting day when Jim-boe died, and it was pretty chill for the most part – except for…when we were in the trenches…unknown to them, the enemy was ready to fire…and unfortunately (Jimbo) the newbie didn’t do too well, he ended up dying.”

As I followed Issa’s cadence, I couldn’t help but laugh. The way he described things as “pretty chill…” was unhinged! But, for my part – there was a strong internal suspicion and pressure, a desire to place blame. How did this enemy know where these men were? The nature of the setting doesn’t allow for much intrigue (spies aren’t normally in trenches?), but my part did lead Aaron to settle on the idea that the main conflict of the story was that each of these men blamed each other.

In the opening scene there is a sense that everyone but Jim-bob came home, in tact – except for my character who lost a leg, and began to drink (to deal with his pain). Though, there is something to be said about the historical context out of which “trench warfare” emerged.

If it 1920s France, did the bodies even get back to America? Are the contestants even American? How do we avoid anachronism, and achieve reach fundamental lesson for our times?

  As you are beginning to structure your community story performance, think about how this group work impacts you thematically.

The question of who dies is probably the most challenging.  Also, which war to act and in what setting will likely be debated.

Where does it impact you? |

As we first started working together last week, I found that there was lot of joy and laughter in this process. That frankly Issa and I are more “comedic”; that Andrew and Aaron are more logical and serious. Though, I noticed that this lack of seriousness could lead to us not getting any work done at all (Aaron seemed to issue some degree of restriction over this).  This does have some impact on me, as I want to be in a space where each person has some creative freedom and time to speak.

How does it impact you in your body?  |

Initially, I found that we were all standing around the central paper; but that by the end, Aaron seemed to have been the only one standing. As such, it seems reasonable that he is to be cast as a leader of some type in the play.

How is your body combined with your mind ?  |

How can the body be used in the space and setting we’re in? The creation of sound, laying on the floor, sitting in chairs or trenching, running, etc.

How is your (mind combined with your) spirit? |

As I’ve been envisioning the scenes, there is a part of me that ask the question: if our group was in a war, who would die? (We had not yet decided who will assume this, role – though death and loss is a key part of the plays conflict). If I had to be forced to choose I’d estimate the order to be Issa, then Aaron, myself, and Andrew. (This is purely speculative, but since it is in our control I wonder: why I think this, and (depending on who we chose) what end does it lead to?

What are some of the things that you’ve noticed that you are drawn to in this work? |

*Sound effect* What’s a war movie without explosions, and being able to sort of generate those sounds may be fun (though I wonder how my energies will be?)

What are some of the things that you are avoiding OR that are challenging for you in this type of group story project work? |

Memory being what it is, this is my attempt to: “review and share how I worked with mapping out a selection of stories”.

The large brown paper we marked on is sitting on one of my desks, waiting to be engaged with. I had thought to add stickers of some sort, or to use it somehow as a background for the game Dragonwood, but nothing has come of those ideas yet (other than the fact that I lost the stickers I wanted to use!)

As I open the paper back up, I thought to bring it back to class on Tuesday; and to have my teammates do the same. The email I sent to that end was:

Meeting on April 17th after class sounds reasonable. Let’s work to remind one another as we get closer to that.

I also wanted to suggest that (if people still have them) that we could bring in our story art, or at least to take a picture of the map. From that,  we might be able to distill something else about the nature and character of our scenes. 

I’m unsure how well this will be received. Overall, I am enjoying the process – and find that there is ample structure and inspiration to draw from to fuel this creative work.

The themes I was able to distill from my journals were are: (1) resurrection and rebirth, (2) personal growth, (3) community memory, (4) power dynamics, and (5) the connection to both history and nature.

QUESTIONS:
1. How do I synthesis these into a final project? | Procedure & Steps
2. Given this final project is like a sliced apple, how do I back-track to a Goal, back to a mission? 3. What is the mission or purpose of this story, who are the target audience I am seeking to impact?

PROCEDURE AND STEPS
{ 1. Complete a summary of themes, stories, and get initial ideas using Gen. A.I. # Idea Generation 2. Select a theme, and write a first draft of the potential story ARC.
3. Act it out, and be observed }

” 1. Resurrection and Rebirth

• Viking Music / Amon Amarth / War imagery: Your connection to resurrection via the physicality of exercise (and the Viking themes in the music you listen to) is powerful. You seem to be exploring the intersection of personal strength, historical legacy, and spiritual experiences.
  • Expansion ideas: You might explore the metaphor of resurrection as both physical and psychological rebirth. Can we draw connections between modern struggles (like personal challenges, societal pressure, etc.) and ancient mythological frameworks (such as Viking concepts of battle, resurrection, or the afterlife in Valhalla)?
  • Potential story arc: The concept of “resurrection” could be applied to the mental/emotional renewal that comes with overcoming personal struggles, with echoes of historical battles — either literal or metaphorical.

2. Setting and Isolation

• Atlas and the Power of Setting: Your reflections about the power of setting seem to underscore the personal significance of how physical environments shape individuals. Atlas’s preference for comfort vs. others’ embrace of discomfort (like snow, cold, or wilderness) seems like a poignant metaphor for personal growth.
  • Expansion ideas: The contrast between individuals who seek comfort and those who seek challenge (or those who are forced into challenge) could be a recurring theme. How does isolation shape resilience? You might also weave in historical or mythological figures who embodied the tension between comfort and challenge (e.g., the myth of Atlas or the figure of the wanderer).

3. Community, Suffering, and Memory

• The Group and Collective Memory: You mention multiple characters, like Ezel and others, who seem to struggle with isolation, suffering, and memory. These stories appear to serve as reflections on the emotional impact of past trauma.
  • Expansion ideas: Consider building a narrative around collective memory and the ways individuals in a community remember or process suffering differently. How do these memories shape their current realities?
  • Potential story arc: Explore a character (or group) wrestling with shared trauma or grief, and their journey toward understanding and healing through the lens of collective storytelling.

4. Power and Society

• Land, Power, and Economic Forces: The questions you raised about the fracking industry, land ownership, and power structures seem to have deep implications. This can tie back to themes of societal manipulation, environmental impact, and personal struggle.
  • Expansion ideas: Dive into a narrative where the protagonist must navigate the moral, ethical, and emotional implications of selling or protecting the land. This could tap into themes of legacy, sacrifice, and the tension between personal survival and collective good.
  • Potential story arc: A character must confront their family’s legacy (perhaps their grandfather’s wisdom), deciding whether to sell land to corporations or protect it from exploitation. The decision will affect both their physical survival and their spiritual well-being.

5. Revisiting the Text and Critical Thinking

• The Power of Language and Interpretation: Your notes also mention critical thinking and the process of interpretation — deconstructing and reconstructing ideas (e.g., through the context of the story circles or the impact of spell check on language).
  • Expansion ideas: How do words, names, and titles carry power? What happens when language is altered or misunderstood? This could connect well with your personal reflections on how language and identity intersect.
  • Potential story arc: A character might be searching for the truth of their identity or a piece of history, but the words or stories they encounter are altered or manipulated, forcing them to confront how language itself can shape reality. ”

In reflection about the work with Shannon Turner I recall most memorably her capacity to reframe. Objectively, one might have seen her first teaching experience as tutor following graduate as a total failure (being let go from any job is never easy!) but the way she ended the story with such an absurd position seems to have really carried forward Jo Carson’s emphasis on being able to laugh at one’s self. I carried some of this forward into my own story telling (I don’t precisely remember a pink umbrella as I reflect, though it was quite a contrasting and absurd detail that makes the conflict laughable). Nevertheless, what seems to have come from this is telling about my character. Why would I have been manipulated by this person, in spite of my friend?

I could then use these questions: 1. Have you ever had something to prove? 2. Where their other instance where I was manipulated in a way that lead me to betray or hurt someone else in the other stories detailed in my life map?

The prompt was to tell about a job that didn’t work out as expected. In my work, there have been more than one job that didn’t work out, and I could use this as an exploration of every job I’ve ever held, though that might be a bit much (the terms story-telling is predatory in nature from Spider Speculations remains in my mind), and I often overshare.

Perhaps, it was my first job at Best Buy? The position was in an entirely different time (~2011), and I hardly had any understanding of economics at the time, but the pay was better than nothing. My work mostly involved stocking shelves. I remember a co-worker that connected with me on games (World of Warcraft comes to mind), and sitting in the white-walled and bland break room. I had no intentions to make the job anything significant, or to commit to it – I was more concern with the local Hookah bar that all the locals visited, women, videogames, and exercise. The job was the only requirement my Dad had for me to stay with them – but the every present distractions and my soften, unfocused mind, ended with a one-way ticket “home”, and the dissolution seemed to be the first string towards an unraveling of my main childhood friendship.