magic manifested

Saw the premiere of The Closest Farthest Away tonight. One of the most innovative projects I have ever witnessed. The perfect marriage of cinema and theatre and technology - where the interaction between live performance, live video feed, and pre-recorded imagery/narrative was not only clever but actually enhanced both the symbolism of the story and visceral resonance of the experience. This shit is SEXY.

The Closest Farthest Away trailer from aleigh lewis on Vimeo.

On a broad, larger scale - I am pointing my finger at this and saying "THIS.  This is how theatre moves into the 21st Century.  This is how theatre stays relevant and reflective of who we are and how we are changing."  The story of 2 "ocean"-crossed lovers, the theme of identity across/in distance/love/time, the sublime pain of tearing yourself apart in order to make it all fit with another person...these elements are within us and universal and constant and lasting.  HOW we communicate it all is the invention.  

On a personal, intimate level - I witness this product with envy and admiration because it shouts freedom and playfulness with its invention.  Every piece of the puzzle tells of an idea nurtured with patience and curiosity.  What kind of courage and perseverance does it take to explore any and all of the questions and possibilities?  Where does that kind of faith in oneself come from?  To take an object/a thought/a text/a theme/a concept/a trick/an obsession and continue entering it from every possible angle - to *insert verb* it - and let IT flex and stretch YOUR imagination in ways you could not even have dreamed of...I think that is artistry.  That is what I want to practice.  That is what I strive for.

***favorite moment of the day: a television screen gets slowly pushed across the stage - as it moves, the image on the screen pans across the scene in the same direction at the exact same pace.  genius.