The start of something completely new

Hell yes we are starting our new project THIS WEEK. Working title is:

Space Opera. Nothing quite like the very first phase of starting something from scratch. If any stalkers are interested, you can follow our progress at space.hand2mouththeatre.org. There's where we creators post research, assignments, and converse down 'n dirty about the creation of the show.

And, we've got some concise language to describe this thing for Phase 1 :

What would it mean to escape the anxiety of your own mind into a different reality? You would need to find a place to escape to. A beautiful pink world, a snowy world, the coldness of the desert, the emptiness of space and a little blue dot. What a beautiful thing to be isolated in a vast landscape, filled with wonder, and you don't feel lonely at all.Welcome to Hand2Mouth's speculative performance in 4D. It's more magical if you don't know how it works.

We love you, Seattle!

So, this weekend we took Undine up to Seattle to perform at Theatre Off Jackson. We were hosted by the Satori Group, a young band of upstarts who all relocated to Seattle together in the last year and a half.

This experience was amazing in several ways:

+ I think Theatre Off Jackson may be my favorite venue in terms of performing Undine so far. The space is just the right balance of intimate and roomy. And they have a bar out in the lobby! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the show always goes better when the audience has had a few drinks. The audiences were some of the most engaged I’ve experienced, and it was really fun to perform to/for/with them. I feel like I got my Undine mojo back.

+ Theatre Off Jackson is in the heart of the international district so we got to eat delicious noodle soups and stir fried veggies all day every day, and one night we met this delightful woman whose family owns Ho Ho Seafood, where Bruce Lee worked when he lived in Seattle (and I didn’t even know he lived in Seattle). While we waited for our food she told us all about their famous rockfish and their New York Times review and Bruce Lee’s moves. She made me want to stay and chat for hours, and eat everything on their menu. It was a great lesson in the art of self-promotion. She made it look natural, charming and selfless. And totally un-sleazy.

+ The Satori Group are incredible hosts. They handled all the details (with a ton of marketing help from Mike Pham of Helsinki Syndrome) with aplomb. They have set the bar high for when we return the favor. Which we hope to do with the show they’re working on now, The Making of a Monster. We actually got to see a bit of the wild-yet-focused process they’re using to create it when we did a training exchange with Satori on Saturday, and I’m excited to see the show in June, when it premieres at Northwest New Works, along with Ms. Erin Leddy’s solo show by the way. And Mike Pham’s! Yeeeehaw!

+ Satori set up a panel after each night’s performance to discuss new work in the northwest, hosted by Brendan Kiley of The Stranger. There were so many smart, engaging theater artists on this panel, and the outcome was that after each show we got into passionate, concrete discussions about the nature of new work vs. “old” work (and what the hell that distinction even means), and how we can establish a more tangible touring network in the northwest.

+ Did I mention that I freaking love Seattle audiences? Sometimes I feel like we get a better reception in Seattle than we do in Portland (which may just be the classic “never respected in your hometown” syndrome at play. Or as Jesus put it: “a prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.” Not that I’m saying we’re prophets.) Anyway. And we even got some press, like this preview written by Jeremy Barker.

In any case: I’m excited to do more performance in Seattle, to bring more groups from Seattle down here, and to work together to make a northwest scene for touring new work.

So – thank you, Seattle! Let’s make this a tradition.

Our Second Bite of the Apple

As I write, the ensemble is taking the stage at the infamous La Mama Experimental Theatre Club in New York City. If you are in New York right now, WHY ARE YOU NOT AT OPENING NIGHT!? If you are not in New York, make sure to bug your friends to see the show this weekend. It isn't too often a Portland troupe makes the trip to present in the Big Apple (though might I say that this is our second bite of the apple in the last 6 months! Props to Ms. Helma for breaking the ice). If your NY friends are reluctant to commit to the night out, you can let them in on the not-so-well-kept secret that Hand2Mouth loves to party with audience members after shows. A heartfelt thank you to all those who have supported us along the way, as audience members, donors, friends, enemies, and particularly family members.

La MaMa E.T.C in association with Hand2Mouth presents

EVERYONE WHO LOOKS LIKE YOU

January 8 - 17, 2010

Fridays - Saturdays at 10pm

Sundays at 5:30pm

La MaMa E.T.C.

74A E 4th St. New York, NY

Tickets:

$15 General Admission

Box Office: (212) 475-7710

Online: www.lamama.org

CLICK FOR MORE INFO

So you wanna rock the mic?

In honor of our fast-approaching Karaoke Gala, and because I’ve been promising this for a long time and I don’t want you to take my promises in vain… I present to you:

SEVEN STEPS TO ROCKING OUT AT KARAOKE

+  STEP 1: Do not give a f***. Attitude is the most important thing. If you have a crazy hat or scarf or some other costume element, wear it. The crazier the better. People will love it. Seriously, this trumps singing ability any day. You can be a great singer and bomb at karaoke by having no presence. You can be a terrible singer but rock out by being flamboyant. Presence is way more important than hitting the right notes.

 +  STEP 2: Pick a song you know backwards and forwards and love with all your heart. And if you’re not feeling super confident in the voice department, pick an easy one. There is a reason someone always sings a Neil Diamond song, and it’s because his songs are very easy. Same goes for Phil Collins, Nancy Sinatra and Jimmy Buffett (but please don’t sing something by Jimmy Buffett). You’ll be fine if you pick something you sing along to on the radio or in the shower. Don’t think about it too much, just pick something. And word to the wise: be careful of Pink Floyd, Mariah Carey and Tina Turner. You want to avoid long guitar solos and diva wailing (unless you’re well-prepared, crazy or drunk). And showtunes... I don't know, I'm on the fence about showtunes. Once Jonathan and Erin did an amazing duet of that "Will you light my candle" song from Rent which was all the more amazing because Jonathan had never heard it before. So who am I to say.

 +  STEP 3: Read the crowd. If you’re in a country bar, this might not be the time to bust out the Prince. Are there a lot of old drunks at the bar? They might appreciate some Hank Williams (or they might kick your ass if you don't do it justice... but never mind that). Do you find yourself surrounded by drunk frat boys? Dear god, this is not the time to sing Tori Amos (or maybe it is… I am a fan of the “throw down and walk out the door” technique, myself).

 +  STEP 4: Whatever you pick, sing it with gusto – but not so much gusto that your voice cracks. Keep a tiny bit of yourself pulled back so you can hear your voice and how it sounds.

 +  STEP 5: Work in some moves – turn your back on the audience then whip back around, lay down on the floor with arms outstretched. Again, it’s not precision that counts here, it’s guts and enthusiasm. Which is why people get drunk. Though be careful – this could also get you thrown out. Once my friend was singing “Dr. Feelgood” and he ripped open a bunch of sugar packets and shook them everywhere then tried to body surf on a table. The crowd loved it, but the KJ cut him off and we had to leave.

 +  STEP 6: Don’t repeat a song that you rocked out the last time you were out. You will likely have a diminished effect. And come on, it's cheating. In my opinion, if you don’t bomb half of the time, you’re not taking enough risks. Speaking of which...

 +  STEP 7: What to do if you bomb. Here’s what I say: bomb big. If you realize in the first 3 notes that you don’t actually know this song, sing it loud and sing it proud. Ask the crowd to help you out. Stop singing altogether and launch into a ridiculous dance routine. Go into the crowd and give the mic to the person who is singing along the loudest. Sing horribly, gleefully off-tune. Or you can always try speak-shouting with passion, that works sometimes.

 Things to remember: some of the worst karaoke experiences I have had involved songs I thought I knew backwards and forwards. Some of the best I’ve had are with songs I was totally unsure about going in (or didn’t know at all). Either way it’s done after three minutes and the crowd doesn’t care that much.

And a story to bring this all together: once I was at my favorite karaoke bar – Chopsticks III, the How Can Be lounge – and this girl was celebrating a birthday with a huge party of friends, with a huge birthday cake sitting untouched on the table. A man walked in, and when his name was called he put a chair on the dance floor and proceeded to do a seriously bizarre version of “A Little Less Conversation, A Lot More Action.” He started out sitting in the chair, whispering the song, and he ended up flailing around the room, screaming the song at the top of his lungs. When he was done, he put down the mic, walked directly to the birthday girl’s table, grabbed the cake and walked out the door. Five minutes later the bartender asked if anyone knew who that guy was, because he’d smashed the cake on someone’s car and driven off.

I’ll tell you what… that guy may have been genuinely crazy and he ruined that poor girl’s cake, but that was a memorable effing karaoke experience. So if you can work a prop cake into your routine, I say do it.

See you tomorrow night!

Directions in Portland Contemporary Performance

We were so thrilled with the response to this event and hope to provide more opportunities for discussion and action in the future.  There are still so many issues to address specific to making new work in Portland.

How do we communicate the value of new work as a whole while also articulating  our individual missions?   What  new systems of support are necessary to maintain and grow this community?  What are we doing now that is and is not working?  How can we ensure that when people talk about Portland as a creative, vibrant,  progressive city, they understand the role and potential of the arts, particularly performing arts?


These are notes from the discussion that followed each artist presenting their history and process.

Directions in Portland Contemporary Performance
A community discussion and presentation hosted by Hand2Mouth Theatre
November 15, 2009
Theatre!Theater!

Artist presenters:
Linda Austin (Linda Austin Dance/Performance Works Northwest)
Mizu Desierto (Mizu Desierto Butoh)
Angelle Hebert (tEEth)
Trisha Mead (Fertile Ground Festival/Portland Center Stage)
Rikki Rothenberg and Kathleen Keogh (Woolly Mammoth Comes to Dinner)
Hannah Treuhaft (Sojourn Theatre)
Jonathan Walters (Hand2Mouth Theatre)

Moderator: Tim DuRoche (Portland Center Stage)

WHAT SKILLS ARE NEEDED TO SUPPORT THIS TYPE OF WORK
Trisha Mead: No one has all of these skills in equal measure.  Connect with others who can bring them to the table for you.

1. Translation skills: understanding your work/vision and being able to translate it for others.


2. Social skills: knowing 3 people who will bring 3 friends to your show is more important than any ad you’ll place in the Oregonian.


3. Design skills: ability to communicate your work visually (photos, graphic design etc) and preparing it for publication.

On not being different from everyone else

One of my favorite bloggers is Penelope Trunk. She technically writes about career advice – but what she really writes about is her own life, what she’s learned and how she’s tried and failed and triumphed. She is unusual in that she is willing to be absolutely (sometimes brutally) honest about things that most people – especially people who write about careers – sweep under a smiling, soft focus exterior.

I just came across this post of hers from a while ago, about bloggers and the tendency to think of their field as unlike any other that has come before. She could just as easily be talking about our field – a field so strange and unique I’m not even sure what to call it. Aha! See how I do this without even thinking? I’m so special there isn’t even a WORD for what I do.

Here is what she says about this, and she is right on:

One of the most dangerous things you can do in your career is to think you are different from everyone else. The biggest validation of that idea comes in AA meetings – it is widely understood by this group that thinking you're different is just an excuse not to get help, an excuse to think you live outside what we already know to be true. It's a dangerous way to live because you are reinventing the wheel for yourself and you risk just spinning in place.

Also this:

Very few of us ever have a totally unique career problem. Most problems come down to five or ten situations that happen all the time. I think we get clouded by the specifics of our own story, and that makes us unable to see why we are just like everyone else. Each person's details are different, but the problems we have repeat themselves over and over again—especially in careers. That's why a community of people helping each other with their careers works so well.

Fact is, whether it’s theater or dance or dance theater or performance or live art or conventional or classical or experimental – it’s still

Check back for H2M Guest Bloggers!

In the spirit of all the great artistic social networking goings-on in the Portland blogosphere/twitosphere lately (see this and this and this) we've invited the "experts" to see Everyone Who Looks Like You and they are going to blog about it!  Over the next couples weeks, keep your eyes on H2M's blog for posts from some of our exciting guests:

• Margaret Eichler: Assistant Professor in the Counseling Psychology Department at Lewis & Clark College, she is a Nationally Certified Counselor and her research interests include:  Creative therapies for children and adolescents,  and Relational Creative dialogues in counseling and supervision.


• Jonathan Krebs: Performer and Marketing Coordinator with BodyVox, and all-around cool guy.


• Trisha Mead: P.R. and Publications Manager at Portland Center Stage and Director of the Fertile Ground Festival of New Works. She is also a presenter at the upcoming discussion: Directions in Portland Contemporary Performance.


• Steffen Silvis: Associate Arts and Culture Editor and theatre critic for The Willamette Week from 1996-2005; Writer/ Editor for The Prague Post from 2005-2009. Now Steffen has returned to the northwest and has something to say about our show.


• Gordon Wilson: Portland native and photographer/videographer of countless local dance, theatre, and other performance arts events.  See his photos of Everyone Who Looks Like You here.

And more to come... (we'll update this post with additions over the next week.)
Also, try checking out these other great arts blogs/publications in town; perhaps you can catch some more chatter about our little family un-drama:

• Bloggorhea - Blog of the infamous literary madman genius Mead Hunter


• Neighborhood Notes - A perfect place to visit frequently for information and commentary on great events in all four corners of Portland. They already posted a fabulous EWLLY preview by Eve Connell and photos of the show by Ken Aaron.


• Followspot - As close as PDX gets to an all-in-one-place performance listing, reviewing, and archiving site.  You have something you'd like to add to the conversation about the show? This is a great place to start.


• Culturephile -  This Portland Monthly blog does a great job keeping an up-to-date and well-curated selection of local arts events and bonus: they give insightful commentary.