STANFORD UNIVERSITY a Btu NEWSLETTERA NOTE FROM THE CHAIR BY BRANISLAV JAKOVLIEVIC This year, we are celebrating the frst cohort of four undergraduate majors and minors who en- tered the program after it had been renamed from the Department of Orama to Department of Theater and Performance Studes, Four years ‘ago, the facuity felt thatthe new name would more accurately indicate the esearch, teaching nd creative work that fs actually taking place in the department that houses one ofthe top fraduate programs in the fed of theater and performance stuies in the US and beyond, Now that we are promoting the fist generation of stadents since the name change, it cleat more than ever that the new name communicates not only the transformation that took place aver the ast few decades in the academic eld of theater stale, but aso the change in the way in which ‘we study and make lve performances at Stan- ford. Our undergraduate students are leaving the rogram with an expansive idea of what theater is and what it could become, and our graduate Students ae entering the fel asa new crop of performance generalists, equaly comfortable Ascussng, researching, and teaching radional Arama, performance art, dance, intercultural per- formance, and other areas of Ive art This breadth of interests reflected nour teach- ing productions, and extracurricular activities “This year. our faculty initiated a range of new classes, trom Diana Looser's "Performance and Migration’ to Jsha Menon’ “Transnational Sox- uaies® to the new core graduate seminar on Dramaturgy. The season opened with fox miner forest. a theater and dance piece devised by our araduate students Rebecca Chaleff and Rebecca ‘Ormiston, and performed in Fost Amphitheater. Inthe Winter, Lese Fil and Helen Pars mount ed a rarely seen production of Oh, What @ Lovely Wor, an unerthodx musical devise by Joan Lit tlewood and fst performed in her Theatre Work shop in 1963. This work memoriazes the Great ‘War (1914-1918), but also paints to the unter rupted current of violence that spans over the Century that separates us fro tis epochal event Reflecting on the experience of performing Oh What @ Lovely War in Memorial Hal, 2 builing that commemorates Stanford students and faculty who took part in WAM), Madeline ine, 2 rising ‘setior and a ast member, invited us to “ght cs: osablity fot lives] by standing ad peretuam for those who struggle aganst violence, clssism and ‘the erasure that es inthe shadows of memoriam” In this years Carl Weber lecture “Divas, Darings, and Dames: Women in roadway Musicals ofthe 1960s" which took pace onthe set ofthis show, the distinguished scholar of musial theater Sto ‘y Wolf fom Princeton University, reminded the packed house of Pigott Theater about the amount and intensity of seemingly efotless labor behind the success of any great musical. The issues of dlversty, identity, and knowledge came across ‘powerful in our graduate students’ winter pro ‘uctions: Karina Gutiertez The House an Mango ‘Steet, Thao Nguyeris WHITE POWER: A Comedy, and Alex Johnson's The Duel. This year we had ‘one ofthe strongest Capstone Project offerings in ecent memory: from an experimental staging of ‘Shakespeare's Macbeth (Andre Amaotico, Noemi Berkowitz, Lev Jennings), to Tess Mecarhy's org inal work Seeing Devin and Exc Eichelberger' Bot tom Bald, to anal ferale cast n Cary Church Top Gis in repertory with an all-male cast in Da vid Mamets Glengarry Glen Ros (Elizabeth Kear, ‘Analyssa Lopez, Lous McWilams). Final, this Spring ou department offered a superb produc tion of Cherie Moraga's new play The Mathemat- kes of love. We are concluding the season vith the dance preduction Spatial Shit: Four Dances in Four Stages, choreographed by ou acuity Diane Frank, Alsta Hayes. Alex Ketley, and Robert Mo ses. We offer special thanks to Robert, who has served on our dance facuity ince 1994 a le turerand Artist in Residence ‘This year was marked not only by the commen ‘ration of past events, but even more with a ticipation of what is soon to come. This summer, ater tvee years of renovations the department ‘will move Back Into Roble Gym. Stating in the Fal, ourstudentswill dance gain in the big dance studlo, and enter a new dance studo that was bull next tot Next season, we wl perform ina ‘ew fenibe black box theater that replaced the ‘ld gyn, n accordance with this revitalization of ‘the old Roble Gyn, we selected 'New Worlds" 35. ‘the season theme for the year. This theme does ‘ot pertain ony tothe reconstructed facies, but also the renewed way in which we want tO support stusent theater on campus. We trans formed the Nitery theater into a student-run ‘theater. TAPS undergraduate and graduate stu dents onthe Managing Board of the Experimen {al Nitery Studo wl build the season, schedule performances and rehearsals and experience re Sponsiblity and excitement of operating a heat «And ioking further, beyond the yearin which ‘we celebrate the reopening of Robe Gym, we put together the Artistic Vision Board charged ith ‘the dvesication of our season. These are only ome ofthe iiatves that we started ths year ‘Cura to make TAPS a sate pace for our stu dents to explore their creativity, ther Kents, theiratste obsessions and scholarly curiosities, and help them build confidence in ther art.5015-16 AT»STANFORD REPERTORY THEATER SUMMER 2015 Nol) 7.121 INASP 1) >) eral SUMMER THEATER FESTIVAL BY RUSH REHM, Founded in 1997, Stanford Repertory Theater brings professional thea eto the Stanford community year-round, presenting challenging plays in 3 fresh ively andinformed manner. We afford Stanford students the op portunity to werk with theater professional in a meaningful colabore ton involving design, performance, technial support, pully, summer festival management nd administration, celebrating what the theater and university ean bring tothe cultura ite ofthe community. Sis 2015 summer festival (our 17th) celebrated the wor of Sir No Coward. Playwright, actor, director, songwriter, painter, and novel Coward emerged as a performing "Renaissance man” wo shaped im portant aspects of Erish and American culture fromm 1920 - 1970, ‘Our main stage production, Hay Fever, directed by lynne Soffer, proved i 2 cial and audience hit. Starring SRT company arst Courtney Walsh ‘as Judith Bs, the diva with a penchant fornon-teirement, the cat also included AEA guest artist Deborah Fink (Myra Arundel} Richard Carton (David Bis, Rush Rehm (Richard Greatham), Catharine Liedtke (Clara), ‘Austin Caldwell 15 (Simon Bliss, Kiki Bagger "15 (Sorel Bl), Andre ‘Amarotico 16 (Sandy Tyrell, and Kathleen Kelso "18 Uackle Coryto ‘With costumes by Connie Strayer and sets by Annie Dauber '13 (2014 ‘TBArnominee for RT's Maby Dick - Reheorsed, Hay Fever received three ‘nominations from the Bay Area Critics Cice: Best Production, Costumes (Connie Strayer, and Supporting Actres (Kathleen Kets). Following Hay Fever, SRT presented our Coward Caboret,acomplation of ‘songs and repartee from the Coward treasure trove directed by Brendon Martin 13, vith a cas including Dante Bellet 14, Samantha Willams "17, Andre Amarotco "16, Ellen Woods "8, and pianist Makulumy Alex ander Hils'1éSRT's Coward Festival also featured a free film se Fies showeasing, Coward as director, screenwriter, tnd actor. Films were intraduced by Stanford fe: Uy including Peter Stansky (For Which We Serve, ‘oblas Wott (Our Man in Havana Willa Edelman (Blithe Spi) Rush Rehm (Bunny Lakes Missing), SRT fmographer Roselyn Halt (Private Lives), Stanford graduate student Alex Johnson (Bef Encounter), and San Fancio Chronicle film eric Mick LaSalle (Ca lead The festival also featured a community sympos- um, No! Coward: Art, Style, and Decadence, with 4 splendid keynote address by Professor of English ‘Nichols Jenkins, lectures by TAPS Emeritus Pro fessor Wiliam Eddelman and SRT Artistic Director Rush Rehm, a winning workshop approach to det. Ing Coward by Art Manke, and scenes from rarely produced Coward plays, inluding Post-Mortem (a cating crtaue ofthe “Great Wr) and Nude with Violin (a delightful satire on the absurdities of the modern art markt) SRT received wonderful support from its many Sponsors and campus partners, including the de Dartments of TAPS, Muse, Art and Art History, nd English the Divison of Literature, Ctr, and Lan guages: Modern Thought and Literature: the Stan ford: Humanities Center, Stanford Ars Insitute the School of Humanities and Sclences, Most sig nificantly Stanford Continuing Studies funded the Symposium and fm series, andthe Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education provided a research grant that supported 13 Stanford undergraduates forthe 2O-week summer festhal, including TAPS students lan Anstee 18, Analyssa Lopez "16 Lillan Bornsteln 18, Annabel Ostrow '18, Paty Kim Hamilton "16, Brigite Witmer ‘16, Victor Spielberg Verde ‘15, Andre Amarotico 16, Astin Caldwell 16, Kathleen Kelso", and Kiki Bagger "15.ae 1A an UUs Deane Td Bes ae eee Presa ne ene og ee eee Pee ied te reer eee ny ene ee eer ee tee ee eet ena ee ten erene eae eerie site eerie eee ne end We began our Fal series with Professor Pegsy Phelan who delivered a lecture entited ee ae erry Be a ena Ceo eve en eo oe ae ae eee ‘uarter ended vith graduate student Angrette McCloskey, who spake about her creative Beene ere get ees anette ee ee CG ne tn eee eee te ee aa eee ee ee Per cee nel eecpree ayer reentrant Pen ee enema nd Pere eer tasty ear a eee rat te Winter presenter was Professor Matthew Smith, who shared work trom bis forthcoming book Theatres of Sensation: 19th Century Neuroscence andthe Birth ofthe Modern Stoge ceo eer een eg ee gee recA Le ee cen eens Meee ee eae et eee eae) ‘Thao Nguyen shared insights about the creative processes behind thei respective produc tions: The Huse on Mango Steet, The Duel, and WHITE POWER: A Comedy. In May, Professor Caer teen ieee teeter Future Geographies of Oceanic Performance” presenting her new research an how ait ee ee err ee et) Ree ee ea ea teen ee ee re ie ee ear eee Se ee eae ee) Eee ear nent aan en ae ree increase in both number and diversity over the course ofthe year, and we hope to cary this See eee ee oe es pena erent ee ees Professor Diana Looser presents ‘(Disloppearing Islands: Climate Chong and the Future Geographies of OceSETTING THE STAGE FOR ‘PIPELINE’ THIS ARTICLE ORIGINALLY APPEARED IN UNDERGRAD ASSISTANTSHIP BY NOEMI BERKOWITZ Atthe end of October, assisted director Leah Gardiner on Anna Deavere Smiths Potine Project. In this one-woman show, Anna er bles 19 diferent characters, mainly peo ple whom she recently interivied bout the school-to-prisanpipetine. Noemi Berkowitz and Leah Gainer From teachers to students to in rates she tells the distinct story of ache Alen Bullock, a protesto a ‘ested in Baltimore for voting after the murder of Frese Gray. Arnold Petkns, mentor, and Leticia Desa tiago, mother, who both have trong, ‘opinions on bay pants. Judge Dan ie Anders, who led wien he sen ‘enced a bay, someone who he be lieved te system had failed Photo ‘As we hear their stories, The Pipe: PG line Project paints a picture of how ‘ur education and incarceration systems are inextricably intertwined in the lives of fa ies, educator, and administrators, We see hhow disproportonately they punish people lof color, something that remains true before and ater the performance. ‘What struck me most about working on The Pipeline Project was how immediate it fl. t STANFORD LIVE'S “STUDENT VOICES" was during our rehearsal process that the vdeo ‘of 3 police ofcer fling and dragging 2 black irl in a classroom at Spring Valley High School went viral. Since, we've seen protests at Yale University and the University of Missour about sterically racist incidents on our campuses. ‘nna has made anartistc career of creating con ‘vetsations around social justice through theater, courtesy Noor Berkowitz and in our current climate, this work fels vita Itdoesnit ask ora suspension of bel, much theater does, but rather a bli in-and an en agement with-hard truths, It was inspiring to work on this plece in are hears room with so many accomplished and talented women. Anna. Osavere. Smith, of course, has been nominated for many awards T {for her one-woman shows, recently wining the National Humanites Medal and giving the 2015 Jefferson Lecture. Jule Baldauf, the stage manag «just ished work on the Tony Award-snning Poin revival, one of her many Broadway credits. ‘And Leah Gardiner, the director, whe has won 20 ‘Obie Award and worked in New York and across the nation at regional. theaters, showed me so much about strong ‘ection and leadership in a re hearsal room, We only ha nine ays, in which she fecused on bringing all the detals and le rments-lights and set transitions and more-together to tell a co herent dramaturgical story. Her strength of vision and creativity propelled this amazing work tothe meaningful performance It was at Bing Concert Hal, ‘We takabout using theater to cre sate empathy, reflet society, com- fort the disturbed, and distur the comforted. The phrases are seemingly endless ‘The Ppeine Project's one of those shows that ac- tually address some of the most serious matters affecting our society today. fm grateful to have gotten to work on this show with Incredibly t= tented theater artists who use their work t tlle about important issues. Il cary this experience with me as I strive to imbue my future werk with these qualities.MAIN SEASON PRODUCTION BY BECKY CHALEFF ‘One thing that Becky and | always knew about fox minor frst was that itwould be a site-specific pece. Another thing we always knev about fox ‘mor forest was that it would take place during and shorty after sunset ‘We knew that we needed an enormous space because we knew that we needed to work both aver avast distance and in intimate proximity to the Audlence. We aso knew that our demands for space were not going to be ‘easy to fulfill Lucky, we were granted access to Frost Amphitheater: the rests history. There was simply no way to anticipate how spectacular the space would look or how purely magical the piece would fel when the wall came crashing down and the lights unveiled the field and foliage Becky and | began working on fox miro forest log distance. She was In California writing, and I was in New York choreographing. This structure was not foreign to us: over the years, we have become accustomed to ‘working this way, exchanging letters that now document the closeness ‘of our separation. Indeed, the intimacy of distance became a central the matic idea ofthe plece. Yet the distance we explored stretched not only {cross space, but across ime. We explored memories, feelings ofthe past, lives lost that stil seemed presen. skin that stretched across time and stil, somehow. touched us. We exchanged videos of choreography and ‘excerpts of writing allowing each element of the plece to grow In tan dem, influenced, but yet stil independent of ane another. We had time and space to allow our many conversations about the piace to settle into the movement and the written text, and We had faith that our esponses ‘through diferent mediums would inevitably appear cohesive together. Becky tld me a great deal about the characters of the pay, and told her a great deal about the characters ofthe dance. These are foxes, I would 5, but they cannot move just ke foxes: foxes ae too sneaky to appear 25 themselves. Inthe studio, my collaborator Kyle Gerry and would in Drovise around ideas that Ihad drawn from te text: we would create long Dhrases and slowly whittle them down into precise movements with dis tinctive rhythmic patterns. We made solos for ourselves and duets with each other We abstracted ourselves, created landscapes with our gestures land steps Sometimes we made ourselves appear too large forthe space ‘we danced in; sometimes, we shrunk our movement to obscure ourselves {tom interpretation. We developed small tual, detalles letmatis, steps that belonged inthis fox world and no other. Inperfemance, animated by Gretchen Jude's gorgeous, ghostly soundscape, the foxes became ful formed. Up close, we became shadows~sometimes austere, sometimes payfu-that textured Rosemary’ fantastical tries. In ‘he field, we bounded and leaped witha freedom limited only by our own fendurance. Wii! improvsations became realzed thrush unprecicable risks, soaring its, tender unisons, and precarious balances. Farther away, we came closer o our alence filed the world ofthe pce more rabusty, and stretched over the many spaces and times of fox mor foes.BY BECKY ORMISTON ‘There were also things that we did't know. ‘When 1 wrote fox miner frst, | decided to write to Becky about my suring, as many artists who wish t0 ‘eate something with abit of integrity ora least ith ‘some intensity often aim odo, Fearful that myreteling ‘would overwhelm the both a us, wrote a comedy. Butby then no longer knew what was funny anymore. Everything full of mith fet forced. Becky noted the funny parts by writing haha next to the words that Worked. Her marnalia comforted me: Lauzhter was my buoy in rehearsal. twas the ony way ould get through it sometimes I wont speak fr Becky. I erote lines where, when | ead them, thought knew ‘what I wanted to cnvey, but when people said them in the rehearsal room, |'no longer understood what ‘The people saying them did not understand either. ‘We considered viether to salvage these words, o give upen them, orto persist and gure out away to recover. Inrote sentences that people misunderstood, We ted thelinterpreation more and we decided to proceed with this renewed fath nthe performers cay n reading In other words. learned to forget what we meant. ‘These were the moments where performers read nes lke ribbons wrapped around presents But then It would al take a rather macabre tun, and the performers would present their work holding out these ribbons, looking up and wondering what the ges ture ofthat unraveling might say about them, Orrather— Iwate sentences for people who feared that the se ‘iment beneath what | wanted them fo say reflected something unseting about my perception of them. Part of the rehearsal process, then Involved a discus Sion of character, and sel- deception, and how we in ‘ston pretending, nd son Orrealy Ihwrote words that made Becky laugh. We said lines to people who were not there. |hwote lines that | knew people would love to say. ‘We wrote wits forthe actors we thought we knew Becky told me which words to Keep and these were ‘often the words that | wanted to hide from, gave the words that frightened me tothe people who oul say them instead, (Ouractors gave us words when we had none (Ouractors gave us better words. For many of us, this play was apaimpsest. We repeated these words to ane another inthe room. ‘We sid the words that we needed to recoverFOUR YEARS OF FIELDWORK COUN nS eta With the gracious support ofthe TAPS department, FileWeork has now been running for four consecutve years, since its founding n 2012 by TAPS grad eee ee So ee oe Bree ee ea et ea ened ad Peepers em reer mnT i eee eee eee oe ee eee eee eee ere ees troup discusion on that months performance excursion, Og ee ee of operation, one new adjustment this year has proven particulary valuable Peer eet as eter aes eee teen aes ee aeons ona ten er ee reer rs ounced show during winter and sping quarters. A streamlined nomination and voting proces has resulted in an opportunity to see cutting-edge werk this year, Doug Eacho nominated Taylor Mac's 24-Decade History of Popular earete ae Create eee eee Pere oered Mere mee et er to Poste of Space), fom the ene-weman comedy of Marga Gomez (Pound) £2 Peon eer see een se Ta Ware tney reer eT ncaa a the Samura, One particularly fruitful dscussion followed our attendance of Pe eee ree yey tee eer Pree rete eee een eee es oe ren ney So ee ere aes ee a ee eee i ecat eee eee eve acesUNDERGRADUATE FIELD TRIPS UNDERGRADUATE INITIATIVE This year, wth the generous support of Stanford Ans, TAPS initiated a series of undergraduate field trips to attend professional theater produc tions around the Bay Area With trivng theater Industry just off campus, the aim was to facitate student increased exposure tothe high caliber ‘work of local professional theater. Al the logs ‘were taken care ofbyTAPS~productions selected by Department Char Branisa akovhevie tickets secured, transportation providedt0 make the experiences as accessible as posible. We Wicked ff the year with Rude Mechs The Method Gun at ‘pace, fllowed by The Cutting Ball Theater's (Ondine, which featured several recent TAPS a: tums. In Spring. students saw Berkeley Repertory ‘Theatre's production of Mocbeth and Crowded Fie Theater’ Cll My Brohers. Tis new empha sis on student engagement with local profesional theater was widely considered to be a highlight ofthe TAPS program this year, and we hape to Continue these fel is indie. Rude Mechs’ The Method Gun Reflection by Meredith Charon 16 In Novernber 2015, ventured with the TAPS de partment Into San Francisca to see Rude Mechs, fan experimental performance group based in ‘Austin. TX perform ther original show The Meth ‘od Gun, The plot centered on a theater company In the 19705 preparing to perform their bizare rendition of A Steetcar Named Desi, aversion inwhich Stanley, Stl, Blanche, and Mitch are omitted, and only the minor characters speak and appear on stage. The Method Gun takes the audience through the ridiculousness of theater Culture, and the cl-ke dependence that artists have on ther instructors and traning. | am £0 tatefl thatthe TAPS department provided me With the resources to see ths unique production, and withthe opportunity to dscus the work in length with TAPS faculty and stents, ‘The Cutting Ball Theater's Ondine Reflection by Anayssa Lopez ‘16 "dont think many departments encourage youto engage with what youTe earning in real fe the ‘way that TAPS does. Unable to attend the oxi fal date set to see Ondine, expressed interest in Secing the show a diferent date andthe fl tip ate was changed-alowing me not only to see the show but ta see itwitha TAPS cohort Watch Ing Stanford alums involved inthis show (acting, sistant directing. and production managing) ‘was unlike any opportunity Ive been afforded in my undergraduate career. Here were people "knew and loved, doing the thing | loved, pro fessinaly! Even more rare was the opportunity to discuss the show with some of my professor and classmates atervard, ina restauront ar from ‘ampus, with no pressure of classes weighing on 1s youl told me that declaring my TAPS major ‘would mean geting the chance to see Amy Freed ‘order asilytooking frozen drink or Erik latino {asking about plans fr postaraduation over a Plate of pasta, don think would have believed you. But fam so thanktlit di Berkeley Repertory Theatre's Macbeth Reflection by Noemi Berkowitz 16 Growing up in Nebraska, | dnt have many chances to se large-scale professional theater ‘But in the Bay Area we have LORT theaters ike Berkeley Rep, where we saw Macbeth featuring Frances McDormand and Conleth Hil. To be honest, many of us dit love the production. ‘The design was certainly Imposing and impres: ive, with incredible sound and moving projec tions and Game of Thronesesque set peces. But itfelt ke the production rested on that, as wells. the lures of ts leads, instead of cing deeper into the language or paying with new and exit- ing staging St there were many exiting things te anaiyze and discuss onthe ride back with Levi Jennings '16 and Eas Mooring ‘18. im grateful ‘or the opportunity to engage with this produc- tion and professional By Are theater Crowded Fire Theater's! Call My Brothers Reflection by Noemi Berkowite'16 Dynamic, poetic. stereotype-busting. ensem- ble-based, relevant, and funny, Crowded Fires production of Jonas Hassen Kemi’ Call My Brothers demonstrated the full extent of what small-scale theater can accomplish. The story 23 day in the lite of Muslim-Amerian Amor after 3 «ar bombing in hs ty as he goes about his day trying to exchange a dil. He tries to blend in, engage, fd out what others think about him talk to his dead grandmother and get over his ex ge friend—the scenes brought to life by the talented four-person east. Director Evren Odcikin com bined precisely choregraphed staging and spoken wort to create a riveting 90 minute production. ‘Atorwards, Brgite Witmer 16, Patty Hamil ton ‘16, and | debated the ambiguity regarding whether oF not there was @ chance that Amor ras responsible for the car explosion. Was the play just about paranoia, or also about the way endless suspicion can change a person? Brigette reflected, “it made me think about racial profi ing trom the perspective of those who have been targeted and wat happens when you question Your own innocence. AS great theater does, this production posed many questions ale us, the fudience ying to puzzle out the answers? iUNDERGRADUATE CAPSTONE PROJECT BY LIZ KNARR AND LOUIS MCWILLIAMS. Choosing to tackle not on, but two plays for our senior project seems ‘more ambitious in retrospect than itd atthe ime. When we fist, Started talking about doing our senior project together, David Ma met’ Glengarry Glen Ross felt ke an obvious choiee. i was a show that we bath had an attachment to, emotional and thematically, and we knew Ie was a show that ators on campus would be excited about being’ part ofA show about masculnty and self-worth in the bus ress word, it seemed particularly relevant to us and tothe startup ‘utr and business drive that many Stanford students get caught up intoday. But when we reazed that we could put thi shovrin conver. sation with Cary Churchill Tp Girl, both plays took on entirely new meaning. The juxtaposition ofa male-dominated business world with that ofa female one brought up new explorations of gender roles in the workplace, the balance between work and family and the difer ‘ent ways that people seek to prove themselves ‘Attempting to do beth ofthese shows justice required the talent and ‘edication of our entire cast and crew in many ways, as theater Is wont to do, this project took over our lve. AS with mast student theater, asthe show date comes closer, oles become les and less defined, and everyone starts to-do every Job. From pulling props and sathering costume pieces to organizing ticket reservations and build ing the set every member ofthe cast and crew had their hand in mak ing these shows come together. For us, that dedication and love was the crx of this experience the Ite hours and sleepless nights were the soul ofthis project, and without the unwavering dedication of alof the amazing students we worked with nether ofthese shows, would have been possibleStudent theater productions are labors of love. They are not perfect. They lack acer tain sheen, a production value that most are used to when they step inside a dark theater, Unlike the neay delineated roles and uniform working hours that define the professional worl, student productions Ste fluid and unstructure, investments of tine, courage, enery, and emotion, pro ‘cess raught with more fllre than success, Emotions snap. Tables break Budgets bend and flendships are formed and questioned between people who share a passion and a desire. On some days, we want to cll our selves artist; others, we despise the term, But atthe hear of the turmol lesa lve of theater and 2 pursuit of something bigger than ourselves Picasso i reputed to have sd, "If they took my paints away, Fa use pastels If they took my pastels away, I te rayon, It they took my crayons away 1 use a pencil. I they stripped me naked and stuck mein a cell a pit on my finger and draw on the wal? Student theater can often fel lke siting on your finger and drawing on the wall itis Ue collaborative passion and belief of a dedicated team that caries the projects and relationships to new heights and keeps us coming back time and again, Because afterall whats more fun than finger panting?GUEST VISIT & MASTERCLASS BY AINE JOSEPHINE TYRRELL ln November, TAPS had the privilege of welcoming performance ats Ste Tare to Memorial Auditorium. Among Stlars better known works ae his performances "THIRD HAND: with third robotic hand; EXOSKELETON: ‘vith 3 6lepged robot; “EAR ON ARM In sihich he had a cell-grown eat Surgically Implanted on fs forearm: and for hs suspension series In which he suspended his entire body via lage hooks inserted drecty into his skin He is curenty a Distinguished Research Fellow and the Director of the Alternate Anatomies Lb, School of Design and Art at Curtin University in ‘Australia, Stlare vas ivited to Stanford University as part of “Artin the Digital Age” a serles co-hosted by the Office ofthe Associate Dean forthe ‘Advancement of the Ars, the Department of Art and Art History, Computer Science, and TAPS. This initiative was very generously sponsored by the Stanford Ars Institute so a f introduce Stanford students to the word's most influential and innovative art practitioners, Stelacs vis began witha public lecture entitled “Zombies, Humanaids and Hybrids: The Creepy, the Uncanny, and the Contestable” and culminated ina special workshop for Stanford TAPS graduate students and ft History IMFAe. This second, more intimate event was called “Affect and the Body: From Butoh to Performance Art The workshop wasn essence, an invest ation into how being lve ciferent from alveness. Over the course of the ‘workshop tear guided us through a selection of videos and images of his Favorite performance at works. Begining with Japanese Butoh, he vaced | fascinating genealogy from Sumo wrestling though Yoko Ona and Marna Abramovie to Marcell Antnee Roca. Our aiscussion ofthis media pro Vided swith ameans of engaging with and understanding his view ofthe human body 25 an alternate anatomical structure. Indeed, these mater als became a fascnating context for understanding his experimentations ‘with avatars, suspensions, and body modification ‘The passion and energy with which Stelae spoke about the power of ‘technology was thoroughly aripping. He encouraged each of us to chal: lenge and to question his werk throughout: each question we posed was an opportunity fr him to elaborate upon his complex understanding of the biological. Highlights of our discussion included, but were certainly not mite to his provocative and fascinating personal anecdotes on the ‘experience of being suspended ‘Overall, Stlar’s etic insights into performance art were illuminating forall of us who hope to pursue a career in academia anor the ats ‘today. Whether or not one agrees with his reconceptualization ofthe bi ‘logical body or whether ane can stomach his suspension performances, the daring and vision of his research and work are truly inspiring. As an artist and researcher, Stelarc seta phenomenal example forall he TAPS “Students presen: he fan individual wo dares to push the boundaries of the possible so a8 to re-envision the word around him, and, afterall nt ‘that what Art iallabout?| PREFACE: THE CREATIVE PROCESS | NEW COMPANION SERIES Under the direction of Chat Branislav Jak foulevc, TAPS launched new production companion series, "Preface: the Creative Process” This ongoing series of events aims 1 provide TAPS faculty, students, and staff with an in-depth, inside look atthe creative processes behind our main stage produc fons. The artiste and scholars leading each Drodictlon present the aramatut= Bical, artistic, and practical work behind their nal product Sched ed prior tothe performance run Preface provides valuable context {for TAPS audience members. Graduate students Rebecca Chalef and. Rebecca Ormiston led Fall quarters inaugural Pre ace on their production fox ior forest. 2 ste-specite production that took lace outdoors in Frost “Amphitheater. This original work Wwas co-created and co-directed by both Beckys, written by Becky Ormiston, and choreographed by Becky Chaleff. They provided background on the conception of the project a= well asthe unique and int ‘mate artistic process of building the perfor ‘mance. They shared hand-written eters they ‘mailed to each other wile writing and cho ‘eographing the piece, told anecdotes from rehearsal that shaped the text and director: al choices, and described some ofthe practical logistics that went into producing a November production in an eutdoor space rarely open to theatcal events, In the Winter, Professors Leslie Hill and Hel: en Paris and graduate student Jessi Piggott ‘Shared the extensive research they conducted in preparation forthe production Oh, What 2 Lovely Wer! Directed by Leslie and Helen with cramaturgy by Jess, Lovely served as this years ‘Connie Strayer, Dane Frank, and Erik Flatmo at Spatial Shit's Preface Undergraduate Performance Project. The Pro Ject-an Intensive and immersive experience for undergraduate actors culminating in a main stage performancerequies all cast members to enrol in a companion academic course st nts thus spend classroom hours investigat Ing the shows scholars and dramaturgs, then spend evening rehearsal hous on the practical act of mounting the show. Over the course of an hour, they not only chronicled the historca and Socal context of Lovely and its orignal production byloan itlewood and the Theatre Werkshop, but ako detailed the current rehearsal process, which Included workshops on Stanslavskl, Meyerhal, and drag performance. Their presentation aso featured snippets of songs from the show sung by ‘cast members Charlotte Dubach- Reinhold 29 and Hannah Mile 19 Finally, we heard fom Dance lecturers Diane Frank and Alta Hayes as represent tives of this Spring's Spatial Shit: Four DDancesin Four Sages. They spoke tothe Inspiration behind thelr pieces and gave Context to the dance elements of their work. elaborating on haw they per: Sonaly defined the concept of space, fs well 2s their inivdual methods of buildin choreography inspired by their ‘efntions In adaition, members ofthe creative team descrbed their desien process, including “Spring Charrette” ‘acer Natalie Sanchez "16: space con sultant Jamie Lyons (Ph. 'O7) cos fume designer Connie Strayer set de signer Erik Flatmo: and lighting designer Stephen Hitchcock '18. Cora Ciburn 19 and Mindy Phung "12, dancers from "Branch, Tend Vine” aso per forived an excerpt rom the piece. Preface proved a wonderful companion to TAPS's production season, ultimately enriching our expe: Fence with each performance. We look forward to Continuing Preface in future seasons.MACBETH reek aor ad BY NOEMI BERKOWITZ See ee ee ieee ete ene rennet oe era een o ee a a 2) Cee Ree au es fors as spectators, and audiste members as popsicle sticks. % Ce eee re re Deer ns oyna er Utara tees eee ep eee a ete laboration with a talented production team, designers, and pore teen eee ee aT technology throughout process and performance, Fora play that focuses so much on the comuption af pow Pere vomeernt rer nme er eens Deer ee veer meee eee chose to incorporate parts ofthe darkly funny, brutal, and ‘ass focused 1972 adaptation by Heiner Miller (ansated Into English by TAPS Emeritus Profesor Cari Weber, The a eee ee ee ets ee ee nny Ce ee eee eee eet eee an Pree eaniees a errr ces eee rere ete Cee ee eee eee ee ee a prereset eee ee a et ee er Tens Cee en ee Le)Ly Lamboy, Ph.D candidate in Political Science, and more. Fra ofthe eacitng experiments ofthe production, discovering the truth of these re Tatonships was atthe heart of Macbeth urexploration of gender came along with the creation of those relation ships, Thanks to Michae’s closet (for some unknown reason, our entie Cast seemed tf nto the clothes of a6 foot tall man) and costume de signer Hope G. ¥i'27, we created a dark and androgynous militaristic look forthe court. Femininity was ielevant forthe genderess thanes AE the ame time, asthe ultimate constraint and vial for Lady Macbeth When Macbeth decars,l’smen, woman, that this worl hasbeen made by. and its only men who can shake it structure tothe core” he rlects her an therefore cuts off her power, which remains tied thm. as in portant for us to depict this inherent inequality in their lationship while ko creating a production that celebrated and elevated many ofthe tl ented female ators on Stanford's campus The witches (Lev Jennings, Jannah Brady 26, and Colette Brannan were crucain controling the design and creating the word ths Macbeth “They became industrial technicians, manipulating objects and people pay ing the murderers, and inctng violence onto smalscale puppet figures, toys, and objects created bythe wonderful Nk Uleha, They manipulated Thode! ofthe ene theater atthe end, audience members represented by faces on the pope sticks they'd enoyed at intermission. The fantasti Sound al projection design by TAPS lecturer Michael St. Cli were cuca in creating and expanding that worl, and Levis work as master carpenter allowed us to complete the homemade esthetic ofthe show. In producing Macbeth, | wanted to find anew and intresting way to tell 2 familar story. Taking that chance ws risky, but created an extlarating process that aways cose the excting option over the safe one. Inthe end Budiences appreciated cur "pushing and creating limits” with’ callber of Acting talent rarely seen in such high concentration on Stanford stages" The Stanford Arts Review) and the “non-traditional sual stimulating formance’ that “blr the line between reed and Violence” (Stanford Daily. We could take many risks only because ofthe utter commitment of Michael and the cast andl designer. fm arateful for Andre's and Lex increible hard work and trust ae calaborators on 3 journey wise path never stopped twisting in anew direction. As Michael Hunter put taking 2s witha group a ling and comand as ths s somehow nota risk stall‘ o P1015 GRADUATE PROJECT Ege) era eae ke Meena eben ems teens eT aes re ec ree ers Cee er na Pye ent nye fe Pree ths eet edhe ca eee nee) ere eee asta ee ere ec rare eee ee ee een ny ee em Sone a the starights came ona the end andthe music eck er panei ero a ete eet nme Poteet eres Perea ttn ere os Femember bes. orget most of what happened eet ts Cee Ee Leena ns Sete ee pobre eas See ees ee ees eee a eres Drocess of creating it that felt miraculous to me teen eae ers Senne eet ier en, would never, uni some heroic calaborator ore eee perfec and set the whole thing right agar eee es en ea ans Po ee aT Coen oe eae erent een enna rey cee ar eer ets SES ema ae and somebody ese stepped up: When people eter eee Pe eee eects cee a rer Reet? ea ee eee Pope core a eames Tro ec ens Se ee ees eee ec eae sere ree et eran Tonner ag ers reenter Lees eee ead Pe eae ats nee oe Le ect Set eet Mas popes eres\ AL

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