Concluding Purple Assessment

Has it really been a month and a half since we debuted 'when the purple settles' at William and Mary? Has it really been that long since the intense rehearsals, chaotic backstage run-ins, and Williamsburg controversy? Purple was definitely a journey that will remain important and significant to me throughout the rest of my college career, if not my lifetime.

One of the most important aspects of Purple to me was my new understanding and realization of the rehearsal process that goes into putting on a show. I have never before been a part of a production where there was so much creative freedom and independence, and individual actor's input used in the final outcome of the show. While at first this was unsettling and confusing, I began to realize the importance of actor participation and input into the show in order to turn Purple into our show, to make it unique to this banjar. So I began to realize Francis's vision in a new light, his desire to take this piece of art that he spent so much of his life creating and putting himself into, and transforming it with this specific group of people to make it something significant and poignant to everyone taking part in the show. By having all of us work on the show at the level of interaction that we did, the show became much more important to every individual in the show and somehow became a part of their own artistic expression, rather than just regurgitating the artistic desires of a single director. The show became a collective project that reflected all of our stories told through the main story of Francis's life. As I said before, this was all very unsettling for me at first, and led to some frustration and confusion. I had never been in a show (other than small collective one acts or others of the sort) where it was up to the cast to actually create pieces in it. When we were told to figure out the hip-hop, for example, most of the posse was confused and somewhat angry at the expanse of our freedom. It ties in a lot with the 3D art class that I'm taking right now, where I have found that the more freedom I have with a project, the more challenging it truly is. When there are boundaries made and structures set to follow, we are able to push the boundaries to an extent or work within them to our liking, but when we are given so much artistic freedom and limitlessness, the work becomes overwhelming and intimidating. With Purple, I think this is why everything seemed to be moving so slowly and tediously at first...we had not really melded as a group and didn't know how to truly work together and create together, and thus it was not until very near the end that things really seemed to click and work and come together. Once we understood how to work together artistically as a group and how to focus our artistic energies, we were able to create something beautiful.

Audience reactions to the show were, of course, another extremely significant thing to me. I have many friends who are involved in the theater department or take a particular interest in theater, and it was my first time being on the actor end of a mainstage show and hearing their reactions to it. Responses and reactions were constantly mixed. Pretty much everyone that I talked to said that the sound was just too loud - everything from the music to the individual mics was just at an uncomfortable volume that set the audience on edge and probably detracted from the experience. Although a huge point of the show was to be abrasive and in the audience's face, most people I talked to felt that this was accomplished by the show itself and didn't need to volume at such an intense level. The levels of discomfort that most people I talked to felt from the show seemed to be the correct things that we strove to make the audience feel. They were overwhelmed and yet deeply touched, they were confused and shocked, they were disgusted and appalled. Most everyone that I talked to in-depth about it also said that they felt it was the type of show that needed to be seen more than once to truly appreciate it. I completely agree with this...the first time someone sees this show they probably come out with an overall feeling, an overall dumbfoundedness and some confusion. It is the second time seeing it that someone can truly appreciate and delve into the show. Since they have a general idea of what's coming from seeing it the first time, the audience can then pick up on the finer details of the show and more greatly understand it. While having our dramaturgy up outside of the theater was helpful in giving the audience some background to it, it did not truly prepare them for the upcoming show.

One of the most significant parts of Purple for myself was getting to know and be a part of the story. The most important part of any show is just simply telling the story, sharing that with the audience. By being a part of the show and a part of this class, I was able to understand it on a level that would not have been possible otherwise. My complete lack of knowledge about the Philippines and Philippino history has been completely changed because of Purple. The realization of how recent this story is and how real all of the pain and suffering from the show is became so much more clear because of this class. The documentaries we watched, the discussions we had, the blogs we looked at...all of these brought the play to a point of realness that I would never have otherwise known. My realization of my own inept knowledge of the present world was shocking and disheartening. One day of class that really sticks out to me is the day that we youtube'd videos of self-flaggelation and crucifixion and how shocking and appalling that was to me. First, the realization that I had such a skewed and Westernized view of what these self-flagellation ceremonies were like, and then the coming to terms with my own Christianity and the relationship of my religion to these people and these moments, and finally the stark reality and blunt videos of seeing the blood, the pain, the suffering...it gave me an entirely different type of motivation on stage during that scene and throughout the entire show.

Overall, the Purple journey this year has been such an awe-inspiring and mind-altering experience. Not only did I meet and become friends with people at WM that I'm sure I would otherwise never have met or become close to, but the show itself greatly affected me. After every show I have been in there has been that bittersweet moment at the end that comes with the realization that those moments and that community will never again happen or be the same. Somehow with Purple that moment did not feel the same. I think the fact that we all put so much of ourselves into the show and production itself brought all of our relationships to a level of intensity that is not that common in large-cast shows. Our final moments didn't feel empty and like a conclusion, rather like a new breath of air after letting go of a painful time in your life. I hope that another time in my life I will be able to experience something like this that turns people's worlds upside down and leads to so many self-explorations and questions. Thank you so much Guru Francis and Purple team for being such a significant part of this wonderful experience.

Love,
Ellie

one more week...

It is pretty unbelievable that the show is going up in a week. Rehearsals are intense...everyone is freaking out a little bit and tension is high. I guess this is all pretty normal for the week before the show goes up, everyone feels unprepared, everyone snaps at the smallest things, and nerves begin to set in. All of this is pretty necessary to insure that the show gets completed and put up in time with the whole thing feeling solid. Techs are going to be a nightmare with this show because of the complexity and dependency on technical elements in the show. Once we get the lights, sound, movies, etc all figured out and running smoothly, we will all have such a better grasp on what the show will truly be like. I am excited to see how it all works out and hope that we don't run into any significant problems. Everyone is so enthused and dedicated at this point that I am sure things will go well and the show will just explode wonderfully once we get it all together.

Notes from Class

Aeta: indigenous people of the Philippines

Babaylan: like Momma; Virgin Mary is revered most
-how has femininity been co-opted for patriarchical society
-matriarch and healer

water boarding: torture

KAPAMPAGAN
mata: eyes
mga: the (pl.) ("ma-nga")
titi: penis
kiki: vagina (or "kengkeng")
bobo: dumb
susu: boobs
mo: mine
aa: poopoo ("ah-ah")
oo: yes ("oh-oh")
baba: down
mimi: pee

Philippines Documentary

These are my notes from the documentary that we watched in class:

President Ferdinand Marcos: 1970s
-anti-government protests when Marcos tried to keep power
-Plaza Miranda bombing
-CPP: 1968 - New People's Army (NPA)
-Ferdinand Marcos: imposed Martial Law - military rule

-mass arrests of supposed Marcos opposers
-New Society: Marcos building it up to replace old everything in the society
-called his rule "constitutional authoritarianism"
-14 years dictatorship
-Ninoy Aquino: assassination
-People Power: beginning of the end of Marcos regime
-President Ferdinand Marcos ordered mass execution
-ASSASSINATION AQUINO
-People Power: broke into palace, mass chaos
-Marcos died in Hawaii 1989: still not buried, can be seen in casket still

-REVOLUTION: 1986 - when Marcos leaves

PURPLE!

We are starting our classes for Asian American Theatre and concentrating on 'when the purple settles'....I'm excited for this class because I think it will really give the whole cast a better grasp on the social and political context of the play which are completely integral and one hundred percent necessary to truly know and understand the show. Since I literally know nothing about Philippino history this class is so vital to my understanding of the show and really being able to grasp it. For us to take this story and make it really come to life we all need to understand the context to be able to live it.