Where (we) Live - Finally

Over the past two years, I’ve written a few essays on “Where (we) Live,” So’s latest collaborative project. 

The project has surprised and impressed me in so many ways.  All we really had to go on from the beginning was a process:  to trust that we could bring many voices into the room, more than we ever have before. 

We premiered the piece last night in Minneapolis.  Here’s what I think I’ve learned:

Within a home, family, or community, it is possible to create a discreet world, to radically re-define the rules.  It is the sum of its parts, and any thought otherwise is our own illusion. 

This takes an enormous amount of effort.    

Understanding Cage better:

“Where do we go from here?  Towards theatre.  That art more than music resembles nature.  We have eyes as well as ears, and it is our business while we are alive to use them.” 

To create space for others is necessary.  

Understanding my friend Bobby Previte better:

“Our purpose is not to make things ‘work.’  We’re not making chairs: human beings aren’t supposed to work.” 

If you always remember that we’re barely capable of understanding each other, it’s easier. 

Your ability to perceive the world is hopelessly limited.  When asked to step outside the boundaries of your understanding by someone you trust, commit fearlessly. 

Find people to trust.  Make sure they are capable of showing you things you don’t already see.  This process is life-long.  Be grateful if you have the extraordinary luxury to pursue it in a school, but don’t compartmentalize the periods of your life into utility functions.   

As far as I can see it: the purpose of performance is to build and enact a ritual for exploring life.