Nightswimming’s Pure Research - October 22, 23, 24, 2010
Voicing Pain and Suffering -- Report by Lois Brown I decided to write a report on the Pure Research project I was involved in, to complement the formal report that project leader Mary Walsh has submitted as requirement of the project. I made this report because my reason for participating in the project falls outside the experimental/research question, and I found in my previous experience with Pure Research that the report is a valuable part of the research process. In the report below I considered the outcomes of my participation and the value of the research – or, not the research so much as, the research process itself. Editor’s Note: Please read Mary Walsh’s report first for context on Lois’ experience as a participant and performer in the research.
Mary Walsh told me about her intention to apply to Nightswimmimg’s Pure Research program in early 2010. I asked Mary to include me in this application and make me a part of the research process, not because I was specifically interested in the question, know Francis Bacon's work as she does or am even as affected by it. I am, however, affected by Mary and her work, and by the idea that words get in the way of the experience that they are trying to deliver, and that as theatre artists we are most able to explore this issue. I asked to be a part of this research project because I wanted to examine Mary’s approach, to further my own understanding of acting and performance. As an established director and acting teacher myself, there are few opportunities to pursue this kind of professional development and at this challenging level. What follows are some notes from the three workshop days. They are not conclusions or discoveries. They are what I noted down as we progressed through the work. At first I had intended to take notes that would be part of an analysis and development of a thesis or way of unifying and understanding what we did. I found as I went along, however, it wasn’t possible to do that because the work was too involved and demanding to be present and be reflective at the same time. Notes from the research sessions Day 1: We read Joyce’s text aloud multiple times. Sean quoted Shakespeare: “And tomorrow, and tomorrow…” (MacBeth) as an example of the experience being in the cadence and rhythm of the delivery. Mary: What can we do with text to make it serve us better? Sean referred to Pinter: “the language that doesn’t mean anything.”