Needles and Opium response

1. Research the director/ company of the show
a. what is their primary philosophy?
b. development of the performance?
c. what do you think their intended goal was in terms of the audience response?

2. write a description of your first raw impressions
3. describe any and all scorched moments
4. provide descriptions of elements of inspiration imitation influence you might use in your development of your play analysis/directors n.b.
5. specifically describe elements of mis en scene you might able to use in your own design

Robert Lepage is a French/Canadian creator. He is known for his extensive work with technology in theatre and the company he works with is the Quebec based Ex Machina. One of the main philosophy's of Ex Machina is finding the harmony between performing arts and recorded arts. Hence, Ex Machina is a truly multidisciplinary company that brings together artists and creators of all kinds. Directly quoted from the EX MACHINA website, "That there must be meetings between playwrights and scientists, set painters and architects..." According to Connecting Flights which is a book based on an interview with Lepage, one of Lepage's key philosophies in directing is that the performance is a constantly living entity and is ideally never truly "complete." This is an inspirational thought because it reflects Lepage's wise perception of art as a living, breathing, and constantly dynamic event that is unique in the presence of every different audience.

In terms of Needles and Opium, the intended goal of Lepage and Ex Machina was many, but the main job seemed synchronous with their main philosophy which is to tell a story in the most meaningful way possible through both performing and recorded arts. I found it particularly interesting how Lepage used collective creation and combined elements of history with a universal theme of love and pain and the ultimate comparison of love to addiction. I think that it was the indirectness and layered quality of vertical theatre that makes this show so likeable. Because of this concept I felt like I was traveling through mind and space. The low key lighting, mellow music, fake stars, and pitch black box, all created a beautiful cosmic feeling that allowed the audience to feel like they were time traveling.

Raw impressions
I realized how ignorant I was in terms of everything the second the box started rotating and opening with a pitch black vortex. It felt so amazing to be shocked like that and...I could only imagine how much more I haven't seen in the theatre world and felt both sad and excited. It was a very good humbling experience as in I was very wrong about thinking that I wouldn't be THAT impressed with "theatre technology." It was something I've never seen before and what I initially felt like watching was a new genre of art that has the power of both film and theatre.


Scorched moments
I'd almost like to say that the entire show except for that one scene with the extended sexual moans was a scorched moment...(I actually think the reason Lepage let that awkwardness go on for so long was because he wanted to make the audience actually feel just as annoyed as the person would have felt.)  but ...

1. The opening scene
This has to be a scorched moment because it's the scene where the boundaries of the "world" the audience is about to watch is established. More specifically, the box opens up like a dark void with stars and Cocteau starts to gravitate after he shows the acupuncture point jacket and the audience realizes that it is within this "magic" box that everything is going to happen.

2. When the box morphed with Miles David music playing in the background
like the opening credits of a movie...it totally set the mood right off the bat

3. "There are three things that acupuncture can't cure. A broken heart, lack of self confidence, and anguish."
By saying this one line, Cocteau immediately reaches out to every single person in the audience. Everyone has felt some form small or big of the three mentioned which is why this has to be a scorched moment. The constant feeling of "oh me too" combined with the savvy technology makes needles so powerful.

4. When Miles Davis slides around the box, lifeless.
My mom told me she started crying at this point. Firstly, just the fact that those characters were iconic figures during her generation already puts her and those in the audience of her age on a different emotional level than students like me. So although I can't relate to that extent, I still felt the impact of that scene because of how helpless and literally literally "done" he looked. The box kept moving, the music kept playing, and it was utterly empty. It was only him and his emptiness that was there which was so powerful to me because I really believe that when people are in difficult times everyone is in an isolated box galaxies away from others just like the box in needles.

5. big projected needle scene.

There are so many elements I am inspired by to use in my solo project. The use of low key lighting, shadows, film, projection, and music. I like the idea of a tangible object that makes a boundary within normally limitless things (ex. the cube transcends time and space.) <-- element of absurdism (?)...normally it doesn't make sense for people to float around in a box and the box to tell three different stories and still make sense. The box basically behaved like an everything-thing and I think its crucial to have that concept when using Le page as an inspiration.