Les Subsistance

Just testing out the space. I hope everyone enjoys reading about our big French adventure. We'll be sure to make it as interesting as we can!

Robert Paterno
MFA Acting 2010

Brandon Sterrett
April 3, 2008; 12:45 US;

The sun rose ahead of us about 15 minutes ago. I got video of the corner of the sun rise because we are flying directly into it. I bet that that is one of the most beautiful sights in the world. What I wouldn???t give to see what that pilot is seeing right now. I also saw stars for the first time from above the clouds. I have to say that they were not any more beautiful than they are on a clear Texas night. Stephanie???s bobbing her head up and down next to me. She???s wearing her sleep mask and has forgotten to put her pillow around her neck. If I thought I could do it without waking her up, I would put her pillow behind her head for her. I???ve almost given up on having enough French to be terribly useful, though I intend to spend the entire train trip working on numbers and a few other essentials. I feel mostly completely useless when it comes to saying anything other than ???What???s your name??? and ???Speak slower, please???. I can???t believe I am about to fly into Europe. I really never thought that this would be something that I would get to do, but here I am flying directly into the emerging sun and trying to catch the corner of a European sunrise from the window of an eastbound 767. The clouds are a beautiful carpet of white tinted by shades of baby blue. I hope that they will part just long enough for me to be able to see the ocean. There are tracks of wind through the clouds, like the subtle currents of a stream, but much broader. Just outside my window on the level of the wing there is a brilliant streak of color, it started as a deep pink fading into an even deeper purple below and has gradually brightened, revealing tangerine shades that fade to soft pinks, to indigo, to a light and majestic purple. They???re bringing breakfast out now . . . and not a bit too soon. It looks like we might be getting croissants. My stomach is already gnawing at itself; I hope they start serving us lowly economy class passengers soon. It is now 1:05 am US time and the sun has washed the horizon in a bright tangerine shade that is most concentrated in a streak on the horizon. The pink has given way to clear, sky blue and the majestic purple that so saturated the clouds below us is gradually relinquishing its intensity to the bright white of the clouds. I smell breakfast sausage, so it???s time to close my journal for the day

Today was our first day actually in France, though it???s a little hard to think of this as a new day, what with the time change, nine hour flight and all. Honestly it feels more like I got up this morning in my dorm room and then just experienced a common temporal anomaly that extended one day into the length of two. Now I am in France, a common spatial anomaly, rather uncommon to middle-class Texophiles. I learned today that the reason French cars are so much smaller than American cars is that French people have simply never thought of cars as disparate from the average pedestrian ??? which is supported by the fact that pedestrians do not fear getting hit by cars and drivers do not fear hitting pedestrians ??? so they rarely think to make them very much bigger than a pedestrian. The concept of a sidewalk-road division (as well as that of the crosswalk) seems to have been an afterthought in France. People walk, skate, and bike in the street as often as they eat pain (that???s French for bread), which they do often. They treat their fellow pedestrians in much the same way. After walking around Lyon for a few hours today, I came to the conclusion that the quickest most effective way to look like a native is to never yield to any other moving object ??? be it mechanical or bipedal. Also, if you happen to cross a pedestrian who does yield, swerve immediately toward them in order to force drastic course correction; they are probably a tourist. I also learned that the relationship of French toilet paper to American toilet paper is remarkably similar to the current relationship of the Euro to the Dollar: it can do twice as much with same amount of material and really hurts Americans where it counts. On to what I did today. Well, actually I did quite a bit, so I???ll just pick a few contrasting highlights. A group of us went looking for food at around 5:30p. The woman at the front desk of our hotel suggested a bagel place down the street, adding that all the real food places would not be open until after 7p. We went to the shop and discovered to our chagrin that it was an ???American??? cuisine shop. Naturally none of us wanted to eat there, but Cecil had told us that it was generally very rude to walk into a store without buying something, so I engaged in a complicated endeavor to order a simple bagel with cream cheese that I did not even really want. Well, the ordeal worked out, but not until after I had made two attempts to get the clerk to order for me ??? I figured she could already read the menu, knew what was good, and also knew how to order it, so I just attempted to cut out the middle man ??? and all but one of my friends had left to find Frenchier, easier fair. Eventually I caught up to them outside this nice, very French looking caf??, but now I had a bagel whose uneaten state rested entirely on me to correct. Fearing further non-communication fiascos, I opted to sit outside the caf?? and finish my bagel before entering the caf?? so as not to risk offending the owners. Unfortunately I happened to sit in outdoor seats belonging to the caf?? I was attempting to not offend. Short story made even shorter, I was kicked out of restaurant I had not even been in. Well, I didn???t know how to explain myself to the owner, and so just began walking. This at first was a little nerve wracking because I still hadn???t figured out why everyone kept swerving toward me, but I eventually stumbled upon a courtyard dominated by a classical sculpture that loomed two stories tall. After being stunned by the beauty and power of the piece, and discovering the character of the French pedestrian, I set out toward the Hotel. I decided to blend in with the natives and began walking as if the only thing that interested me was my destination. Unfortunately I was still a little wishy-washy on where exactly that was and became lost. Now I had to do a complete change of direction without losing the appearance of a confident and slightly perturbed Frenchman, it was a little spotty but I think a pulled it off. Before long I had found myself again. I went back to my room and listened to the sounds of Lyon through the balcony window, until what I considered to be sufficient time for the caf?? owner to forget me had passed. Then I returned to the caf?? and found the rest of my party peacefully wrapping up their vin and chocolate. Later I returned to that caf?? alone (sans cream cheese bagel) and successfully ordered a ham and cheese sandwich and one caf?? au lait without once telling the waitress to just order for me. As I left the restaurant, I got the distinct feeling that I could imagine the caf?? owner and I were now fast friends, so I did imagine it. It was fun. Perhaps next time I go in I???ll imagine that we are now such fast friends that she gives my usual free of charge, just because it???s my birthday. That might be fun.

April 3, 11:40 AM
Well. were here.
I dont know that its possible to have a nice or comfortable overseas flight. I mean, considering that I was in the air for 10 hours with very limited space and less than desirable food, I guess I should be happy that I got about 3 ?? hours of sleep. However, this does not change the fact that it is currently 4 AM for my body, and I can practically feel the knots that were formed all along my back during the flight.
Ok, im done complaining, because IM IN FRANCE!!!
Im currently sitting in the airport, waiting for our train to take us to Lyon and writing to you fine people. The weather is quite beautiful outside, about 60 degrees and slightly cloudy. Everyone is just lounging around, snacking and talking and napping. We still have another hour before the train leaves.
I think the plan for most of us tonight is to stay up as late as possible (which should only be about 8 or 9 PM, by my guess), eat dinner, and sleep. Tomorrow will be full of exploring and touring, Im sure. Not much more to say Jusqu' la fois suivante!

Friday, April 4
3 PM
Today has been quite eventful so far. I woke up at around 8 AM, after a wonderfully long sleep, and went for a run along the river. It is about a block from our hotel, and it was wonderful just to take in the city and atmosphere. Afterwards, I came back to the hotel, where I ate the best continental breakfast ever! Soft-boiled eggs, fresh cheese, ham, croissants, fruit, hot tea, and juice completed the meal. It was free, too, which made the whole thing even better.
At about noon, we set off to explore the city. We noticed on arrival a huge beautiful cathedral that sat on a giant hill overlooking the city. We decided to hike to the top. Let me tell you, it was the kind of calorie-burning that I wish I had back home! We walked for about an hour up the hill, and the view from the top was absolutely spectacular. Then we explored the inside of the cathedral, which was breathtaking, as well. Afterwards, we wandered over to a giant outdoor theater that was built in approximately 15 BC. It was unbelievable to walk the steps and be able to hear someone clear as day at the very bottom on the stage.
After our exploring, we stopped at a small kebab shop for lunch. Who knew that 6 Euro could get one of the best gyro-type sandwiches I have ever had? And do not worry, friends. They have plenty of Diet Coke here.
More soon!

Robert Paterno
MFA Acting, 2010

We arrived in Lyon yesterday around 4:30 pm (9:30 CST). We landed around 2 pm, but then took the train, which gave us a chance to sleep off the nine hour flight to Paris. The rooms are quite nice, if a bit small if you have to share. I'm not too worried, unless I find out Chad likes to punch and kick in the middle of the night. So far, so good.
Lyon is a great town: Clean, very walkable, and full of American-friendly locals, provided you make an effort to communicate the French you forgot the minute you stepped off of the plane (Je regrette, Madame Gwen!). We ate at a Scottish pub for dinner last night (I know, I know) and went straight to sleep. The jet lag hit pretty hard, especially after a few drinks : )
Cheryl, Morgan and I all went jogging this morning. It appears that the French jogging culture isn't as prevalent as it is in America, as I saw maybe 5 other runners. I realized later, however, that they don't have to run because walking around town is a pretty good workout in and of itself. The good news is that the breakfast bar at the hotel is tres bien and I gorged myself something fierce before we left the hotel. Good thing, because we climbed eleventy billion steps (give or take) to get to the highest point of the city, but it was totally worth it. We saw some neat churches, and two awesome ampitheatres. Hopefully I'll be able to post some pictures in the next day or so. We had a pretty fun walking tour, and then I peeled off from the group for about an hour and a half and took on the mean streets of Lyon all by my lonesome. It's amazing how far a well-placed 'Merci' and a smile will get you. I did some people watching and visited a puppet museum, which was a bit frightening at first, especially the giant clown puppet. Yikes. And then walking down to the basement, with all the motion-activated lights turning off behind you - let's just say that you may want to have the toddlers wait outside, unless you're a fan of long-term psychotherapy. It was cool to learn about the marionette history and Guignol, the First Puppet of France.
That's been the extent of my adventures so far, so please don't judge my blogs long-term on my lame first day. I promise to find a way to push the envelope of French-American relations before we leave (Dean Bowen, I kid). I can't wait for the first night of the festival tonight, and to see more of the city. Until then, I continue to take too many pictures, smile politely, and look puzzled when speaking to the locals.
Au revoir!

The flight from Dallas to Paris felt a lot longer than it was. I hadn't gotten a full night's sleep in more than a week, which was not a good a idea. The flight over was far from sold out. Lydia and I sat next to each other on the plane, and we had three seats for the two of us, which was good, but we were so restless about 6 hours in that we wanted to scream. I survived, in no small part due to Lydia giving me a wonderful back massage.

As soon as we got through customs, I went on a desperate search for a "pain au chocolate". (By far my favorite pastry when I lived in France) Its a perfect creation of croissant style bread, with two strategically placed strips of chocolate baked into it. For those of you who haven't had one: Its Heaven!

We all went out last night for a drink at a Scottish pub called Le Wallace. And I was able to drink a Strongbow on tap! It tasted so much better than the cans in the US. We came back and I went to bed around 10, but I woke up a little after 3 AM as if it were morning. I finally got back to sleep at about 5 with a little help from Tylenol PM.

Today has been really great. Speaking French again is so wonderful. Its also really nice for some of my closest friends, who have heard me talk so often about how awesome France is, to get to see it first hand and understand France's charm.

I have often heard that Lyon is like Paris but smaller, but I'm not quite sure I agree. Lyon, for me so far, has a much slower rhythm than Paris, which is nice. We walked the streets for 3 or 4 hours today. We visited a wonderful Cathedral, Le Basilique Fourviere, that sits upon the highest part of Lyon; the view was amazing. We also saw two Roman theatres that were built around 15 B.C. Tonight we are going to the first night of performances at Les Subsistance. I imagine we are going to see 3-5 short shows which will most likely be in several different languages. Its sure to be very interesting.

A bien tot...

April 4, 2008

Well, I didn???t make it to that caf?? again, but I did experience my first French market. The produce was probably the freshest and best tasting I have ever had. I got a wheel of some kind of soft cheese, a baguette, a box of fresh strawberries, an apple, some carrots, and a bottle of water for 5,35 Euros (about $8). Then we went to this beautiful park and ate an incredibly good picnic lunch. That picnic may be the highlight of my trip (I hope to find other things to match it though). I have to admit it is pretty frustrating to not be a native speaker here. Knowing that I am going to go into a place and have to look like a fool in order to just get a piece of cheese or something makes me wish I didn???t have to deal with it. My propensity is to always be prepared and in control, but there is just no way for me to be fluent in a few days. I???ll just have to embrace my own imbecility and hope that, as Robert has experienced, a few ???Merci???s, ???s???il vous plait???s, and ???de regrette???s will keep everyone smiling back. This difficulty had an effect on my experience of the theater we saw tonight: the one that I enjoyed the most was the one with the least language. There was a man who spoke a little French, but then he began singing in what sounded (to me) like gibberish. A woman, a man with a feathery fern for a head, and a white fuzz ball, came out and danced/moved on a white fuzz ball floor after that. It was extremely confusing until about the last two minutes, when I finally discovered an interpretation. The dichotomy between the human ability to communicate either with language or our bodies and the impulses that drive both forms is what I eventually got out of it. I imagine that the piece really is designed to be extremely open to interpretation. Well, I really want to keep going but I???d rather have some more developed ideas before I try to share them with the world, also I would have to describe a piece of theater that really is pretty inexplicable unless you have seen it. One more thing before I go to bed . . . ummm . . . today the pedestrians I encountered were much nicer, I???m not really sure what the difference was. Maybe because I was walking less like a tourist they were less tempted to run into me, or maybe my tourist heebeejeebees were causing me to see something that wasn???t there. We also went to a couple of really cool museums, both of which made me wish I knew more French ??? I still say the coolest super power would be to be able to speak fluently any language upon hearing or reading any fragment of it (perhaps I would choose Rosetta Stone as my super identity . . . or maybe I would spend some more time thinking up something a little less lame). The museums were a silk museum and a print history museum. I would like to go to one that is more conventional art tomorrow. My video journal is going quite well, I can???t wait to edit and view it. That was definitely more than one thing, and it is definitely 1:40am here now. Au revoir.

Robert Paterno
MFA Acting 2010

We saw our first round of shows of the Theatre Festival at the school last night, and it was awesome. Although I wasn't a huge fan of every piece that we saw, it was great to see all of the different aesthetics. The first piece was a movement/dance piece with a live musician and seemed very strange to me. I think perhaps that I tried to read too much into what was taking place. The movement was very intriguing in and of itself, so I'll leave it that, I suppose. The second production, however, was INCREDIBLE. It was a fusion of actors, puppetry, live music, miniatures, and video technology that was totally out there and fascinating. I couldn't understand all of the opening monologue, but I could clearly tell that there was a story being told and that the performer was active and engaged with the material. Even though I couldn't make a direct translation, his energy kept me engaged and interested. And the rest of the show was just amazing. Live musicians on stage, miniature scenes blown up on the big screen, actors manipulating puppets and multiple cameras with perspectives of the stage action, including close-ups of the miniatures and puppet perspectives. I really appreciated the transparency of the whole production. There were no blackouts or curtains; the stage was completely exposed to the audience from start to finish. You could see the puppeteers and all of the manipulation of the miniature scenes, and I think it was very compelling. Nothing was contrived for the sake of the illusion. It really provided the audience an investment in the story and an intimacy that is often lost behind a curtain. And the miniatures were great. They really illustrated what we learn in Sarah's movement class about what's big is big, and what's small is big. Every tiny movement or sequence, especially when shown on the video screen, was important and compelling. And the whole thing was just fun and interesting to watch at every moment. I was amazed at how the puppeteers gave so much life and personality to each puppet, and told the story so clearly, without any dialogue or heavy story plotting.
As I watched, and I as I write in this moment, all I could think about is how to integrate this into my own aesthetic and create new immediate art like this. I haven't seen much avant-garde theatre, but I'm realizing more and more how powerful and immediate it is, and how you can utilize it to tell important stories while engaging audiences in new ways, challenging them and meeting them where they are rather than adhering to conventional modes of theatrical production. I have friends in Cinema Television (Sarah, Juan, I'm talking to you!) who would be fascinated by the kind of work that we saw last night, and I hope to find ways to collaborate to create some really cool stuff when I get back. Hopefully there will be opportunities for C/TV and other divisions to participate in this program in the future; I think there's so much to be gained. And I'm told that we'll be taught by this group from last night, so I cant wait to start class and integrate this into my process and aesthetic. I'm already thinking of ways to tell classic stories using these mixed media, applied movement and new perspectives. I feel like I'm already reaping great benefits from this trip and we've barely started!

I'm excited about tonight's shows. Updates to follow soon. Stay tuned.

Seacrest. Out.

Last night we saw the first round of shows at Les Subsitance. The art at the compound was full of life beauty and ingenuity that I have never experienced in the states. Americans are just scratching the surface of expression with our need to have cohesive cognition within the confines of realism. What is happening here is a blend of media infused with live musicianship and movement with a dash of puppetry. I don't speak French well enough to understand the depth of what I saw but it was moving. I think this is the best place to learn that a unified meadows department is needed to bring the splendor of creation back to Dallas. One medium done alone is not enough for a modern audience. One medium is fine for training but not breaking the rules. I experienced tonight what the world is trying to say and viewed how many artistic ways it can be done at once. Music, dance, media, puppetry, movement, lighting, and the geographical local of the piece all tell their own story to unify into a fully endowed creation. Lyon is romantic and euro doesn't go very far for a college student. I have already learned to live on baguettes. Dean Bowen needs to get two individuals from each discipline and make them collaborate on brand new piece landscaping the troubles with some American current affair. That would be something to see, besides our need to give homage to the classics for learning the tools from the past. This is giving us the opportunity to make marks in our present cultural cloth. The other thing is the mixture of languages the artists have. I have heard yiddish, pharcee, English, French of course, dutch, and spanish interspersed throughout the night. I feel I am experiencing virtuoso's at their craft and they all have a message to be heard through major avant-garde stories. The piece that hit me the most was a puppet based piece with rock and roll, and video cameras. The word "jerre" was one of the wonderful themes to this production, which translates into the verb "to stray from." The music was straying, the painting were laughing, the cars were getting snowed on, and the puppets were pulling tangled wire and hiding in bomb shelters. I think it was a comment of how man has strayed from nature and needs to be reminded that we are not God. My opinion. I cannot wait to see the shows to come this evening but am completely inspired. Too bad bush doesn't believe in art driven creation like the europeans do. And if he said he was into supporting the arts he is just doing it to appease those who oppose him. The government here isn't cutting the arts any time soon. They are giving Lyon a nest of creation. Americans need to open up and communicate and stop living such isolated lives. Enough of my ranting....I need to go eat some food before another six hours of great performances. Peace out-kk

April 5, 2008
2 PM
Last night, we got our first glimpse at the craziness that is Les Subsistance. And, let me tell you, what a glimpse it was. I think I suffered from what many would call a sensory overload. There was just so much going on, and it was all so different from what I???m used to. I don???t even know where to begin. I guess I can begin at the beginning, as they say.
As we walked in, I was at first impressed by the beauty and magnitude of the place. Originally a convent, later a military base, the facility is made up of large stucco buildings, all painted in yellows, pinks, and corals. There is a large courtyard area in the center of the buildings, where other attendees of the festival were already milling around. There is a small caf??, which we learned was to provide our lunches for the duration of our stay.
In the center of the courtyard, there was a large cylinder filled with water???probably about 12 feet tall and four feet in diameter. Throughout the night, different artists would play in, around, and above the cylinder, all dressed in different kinds of radical garb. I personally had no idea all the improvisations that could come from a giant tube of heated water. It was really neat. For those of you reading from SMUT, it was definitely up Bill Lengfelder???s alley!
The first production we saw was one that didn???t require me to know much French, but that does not mean that I understood all of what was happening. It began with a really awesome bohemian-looking dude playing a guitar on the ground while singing. Don???t ask anyone in the room what he said, though, because he was speaking what we guessed later was a mixture of Farsi, English, and gibberish. The part that stood out, however, was not what he was singing, but HOW he sang it. He was completely and fully committed to telling us a story without words that we understood, which was a huge learning opportunity for me. I really appreciated how much harder it is to communicate a thought through words that no one understands.
Anyway, after he sang for awhile, the lights came up on what would best be described as a huge, square, white bear-skin rug???enough to cover the majority of the stage. Then, out came (just go with me on this one, guys) a girl dressed in overalls, a guy in a burlap sack-type of outfit with a huge head-covering made of peacock feathers that covered his face completely, and another guy in a suit made of the same material as the bear-skin rug. You couldn???t see his face, either. What followed for the next hour was a conglomeration of dance and movement between the two artists. I???m not sure what I was supposed to come away with, but I did feel a huge sense of intimacy and commitment from everyone involved.
The second production was by far my favorite. It is very difficult for me to put into words what I saw, but it involved puppets, miniature cars, live music, video cameras, large projection screens, and a myriad of other elements. At one point, the camera angle switched to one that was facing the bottom side of a glass-top table. The puppet accidentally broke an egg of the table-top, then proceeded to clean it up with a towel. Incidents like this throughout the performance really made me realize how interesting the smallest happenings can become when looked at from a different point of view. The puppeteers were extremely engaged in inhabiting the entire body of the puppets, so that their seemingly neutral-painted faces would suddenly take on whatever mood the puppet was experiencing. Overall, this production proved to me that there are so many ways to say something WITHOUT using one language or another.
The final production really stumped me (and, I think, most everyone in the room). To sum up, we watched a 20-minute film about a guy buying some cheese from a woman living on a mountain top. Then, this guy gets up, wheels a fog machine onstage, and proceeds to fill the entire room with smoke. I mean, to the point where you can hardly see the person next to you, let alone the movie screen. Then, the lights came up and it was over. Don???t ask me, I???m just a stupid American. Maybe I missed something there.
Anyhow, by the end of the night, I was completely wiped. Now I understand what our French teacher Martha was trying to explain to me yesterday morning at breakfast. Being submerged in a language where you understand nothing going on around you is extremely exhausting mentally. You find yourself working so hard to try to comprehend what???s being said. Needless to say, 5+ hours of it left me frustrated and exasperated, but all the more eager to learn to communicate. I only hope that I can stay patient enough over the coming weeks, so as not to hinder any progress I might make.
Keep me in your thoughts and prayers, guys. It???s a jungle out here!

Robert Paterno
MFA Acting 2010

Saturday morning was a pretty typical one: Gorging at the hotel breakfast bar (by the way, am I the only one who didn't know that yogurt is freaking great? I've wasted my life!); watching the ladies shop for clothes; haggling with a local shop owner in broken French (Saved $5.50 American - Holler!); and searching for the perfect Man Bag (i.e. purse) with mon cupain Joshua (Jansport is making a KILLING in Europe, y'all - $120 American for a backpack. Deal with it). Then about 5 pm we met at Les Subsistance for Round 2 of the festival, and I was not disappointed. We had a short discussion, which will continue everyday, about our opinions and perceptions of what we saw yesterday. There was a lot of great insight from everyone, and it was nice to process what we saw with the group. Many of us really enjoyed the piece I spoke about in the previous blog (puppets, cameras and guitars - Oh My!), and a discussion began regarding the use of technology, and I must say that I have a bit of a dissenting opinion from Cecil's in that regard. I really felt like the use of the video and changing perspectives created a much more intimate and readily accessible experience for the audience; I know I was completely engaged the entire time. I agree that one can fall in love with 'tricks of the trade'. So long as they are in service to the story, however, I think that anything you can do that makes sense in the world of the play and/or the aesthetic of the production and that can draw the audience more into the experience, the better. I see video, live music, and any other such device the same way I see costumes, lights, sets, or anything that we create for a production. The more we can do to enhance the reality of the world of the stage for the audience, without doing so for the sake of the novelty, is A-Okay in my book. I know Cecil was not making a blanket statement regarding the use of such devices, but I feel pretty passionate about the subject. So there you go. Take that for a walk, see how it feels. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised : )
As for the shows from tonight, they continue to open so many doors of possibility for my art and how I can use it to (enter cliche here): change the world, or at least somene's world. I still believe that one can use these tools and inspiration in the service of bringing classis stories to the world. I feel more and more strongly that the theatre must continue to grow and evolve, as it always has throughout history. If that's not true, then all we'd ever see are Oedipus and Lysistrata (which are great, don't get me wrong). I'm just excited to see how this experience manifests itself for each of us when we return and go out into the world.
And I am more and more excited about the prospect of the physical training we will receive here, especially after having had time to process the first movement piece we saw on Friday and the dance piece we saw on Saturday night. I'm ready to tackle whatever they bring to us in the next two weeks. It's all in service of the art and telling stories in a clearer and more engaging way. Bring it on. Perhaps it has already, in fact, been broughten. Hmmm....
I'm still processing everything, so i'll save some for after tonight's shows. Hope everyone's keeping it in check back in the States.

Stay tuned.

Seacrest. Out.

4-5-08

Hello, everyone! Well today was less intimidating as far as language barriers go. I decided to commit to taking new risks in conversation and took my handy "Conversational French in 7 Days" book along, which turned out to be very useful. I was supposed to meet Ozi and Stephanie at the grad's hotel, but got kind of lost on the way, went to two hotels before I bumped into our French teacher who pointed me in the right direction. When I finally found the hotel, I discovered that the entrance was locked. Luckily I was able to tailgate into the building and find Kevin eating an amazing breakfast. Chad and I went out later, walked through a really cool open air food market, and then visited the Musee de Beaux Arts, which was incredible. Chad and I then went to get lunch at a kabob place. The owner of the restaurant saw my book, told me that French was impossible to learn in seven days --to which I gave a hearty "Oui" -- and then told me the most important words to know: Bonjour, Merci, and Merdre. Okay, enough junior high diary crap. The performances tonight were even more astounding than last night's. Unfortunately, I am too tired to type it up right now. I'll do a video journal on it and then either translate it to text or post it online. Good morning to all you stateside! I'm going to sleep.

My deep thoughts from the seat on the last row next to the bathroom:

I'm on the plane on the way home, and reflecting back on the whole experience. Regardless of my varied opinion of the pieces, I just feel incredibly lucky to have experienced all of this. And I do think it has had a lasting effect on me.

I wanted to respond to what Morgan had said in our last meeting before the shows on Sunday about the French craving this kind of theater that Americans don't crave in the same way, but I didn't quite have my feelings articulated. But I think I have summed it up in my mind, and in doing so have summed up what I am taking away from this experience.

I want to produce theater commercially, so I watched the festival both as a theatergoer and also from this career perspective. I went into it thinking that maybe it could show me some new kinds of theater that aren't yet on the mass market that I could look for in the future: a new innovation or idea. But I think my lesson was bigger that that. Les-subs taught me that even though in my chosen career, much of what I do will be market-driven (which I enjoy), and what I choose to produce will be determined largely by its potential commercial success, I can approach this in two ways. I can either just bring people what they want, which is what I had planned to do in the highest-quality way possible, or I can take an even bigger risk and bring people what they don't know that they want. It helped me to realize that a good producer makes his or her job revolve around knowing what resonates with people and why. If this is present, even though it's an art and not a science, the market should follow. And that is how great new theater finds a loud voice, and how producers of my generation can hopefully halt the seemingly endless parade of jukebox musicals on Broadway.

I think it's the most enjoyable lesson I've ever learned!

3:30 PM
Wednesday, April 9

If anyone is wondering why I (or any other of the grads, for that matter) haven't written in a couple of days, it is because we haven't stopped since Monday morning. In fact, the only reason I have time to write is because I seem to have caught a small cold, and am resting for the afternoon. Don't worry, though, because the European Healthcare System has taken very good care of me. I just paid less than 10 dollars at the pharmacy for a Z-pack, and I didn't have to use insurance of any kind. Wouldn't that be nice in America? But this is a conversation for another day. :-) Anyhow, it will be pretty difficult to sum everything up for you, but I'll give it my best shot.
We arrived at Les Subsistance early Monday morning, where the first order of business was to record our fingerprints at the security booth. The entrances to all buildings here use a fancy keypad that recognizes your finger. Pretty high-tech, huh? Right after this, we immediately sat down in the classroom for our first French class.
Let me just stop right here and talk about how great Martha (our French teacher, who came with us) has been. Her class is interactive, and by that I mean that she is just a naturally gifted teacher, who has introduced several different methods and interactive ways to make the language alive and useful for everyone. Because we are all on such different levels in our speaking ability, she definitely has her work cut out for her, and is doing a fantastic job. I'm picking up more and more French every day, and am finally beginning to understand bits and pieces of what's being said to me.
Ok, where was I? After French class, we moved into the residence hall, where we were delighted to find that we unexpectedly got our own rooms! The facilities are more than I ever hoped they would be. The rooms hallway itself is about 12 feet wide, and all the doors are really small and old-fashioned. They've really tried to keep much of the original architecture intact, which still gives the entire building that whole "monastery" feel. The kitchen is big and bright, with ample space and enough dishes to comfortably accommodate all 11 of us. Our rooms are spacious, each with its own bathroom and large closet. It's pretty much like we're in one big house together, and everyone has enough privacy if they need. It's been great so far.
After we moved in, we walked across the courtyard to the restaurant that provides our lunch every day. And, let me tell you, I need not go anywhere else in Lyon to get the perfect French cuisine experience. The food in this restaurant is to die for...and at roughly 20 euros (about 35 American dollars) a head at every sit-down, we are all extremely grateful to be eating this amazing food for FREE.
At the beginning of lunch, this charming little Frenchman comes up to the table and begins introducing himself. We learn that this is Daniel, the director/actor from the local conservatoire who is to be giving us a lecture that afternoon. As he joined us for lunch, he wanted to know what sorts of questions we had about "the process" of theatre in France. He would formulate his lecture based on our questions. We also learned that four French students from his school would be joining us every day in our workshops for the next two weeks, which was a pleasant surprise for all of us. Elsa, Simon, Arnaud, and Charles soon followed Daniel, and I must say that they are a delightful and funny group of people. They are learning English as we are learning French, and all conversations thus far have been held in wonderful mix of the two languages.
Daniel's lecture about the way French view theatre left me completely awestruck. Everything here is about COLLABORATION...funny thought, huh? There is no "boss," and no right or wrong. Even the director does not have the same role here. Everyone is working together for the good of the whole, and this is something the Europeans find very important. In general, the artistic culture here is much more prevalent than at home. The GOVERNMENT runs all the theatre schools and conservatoires, and the directors report directly to the Minister of Arts...this shows you how integral the French think theatre should be. It is absolutely unbelievable to be in a place that highly values the arts and its impact on one's life. Just as an example, Les Subsistance (where we are studying) operates alone on the over 2 million Euros it receives from the Government, and uses this money to constantly create new art. Many will say, "Yes, but doesn't this all come from taxpayers' pockets?" The answer is YES, and I don't think that's a problem. The problem lies in our country's unwilling-ness to financially support art, because most do not understand the importance of art to the quality of life. And don't worry, the French people definitely get their butts in the seats to view these productions. Nearly every show we saw at the Festival this weekend was packed, mostly with locals who wanted to spend their weekend watching people CREATE. Why don't we Americans work this way? Why do we sit on our butts watching television instead of supporting something that is good for mankind? You may be shocked and dismayed to find out that only a sad 1% of Americans attend the theatre on a regular basis. I think this can definitely explain many of the problems with our society. Ok...I'll get off my soapbox now.
Tuesday and today have been wonderful, if not extremely tiring. After French class yesterday morning, we walked to the studio to meet Xavier, our very kind (and very attractive) teacher who was to run our acrobatics workshop. I won't go into all of the things we've done (walking horizontally along a wall being one...don't worry, I have pictures to prove it!), but I think it will suffice to say that I can hardly move after only a day and a half of working with him. My body is sore and my limbs (and hipbones) are bruised and banged-up, but the work has been so challenging and fun that it hasn't mattered. We've learned so much, and Xavier has been such an excited and patient teacher. It was some comfort to us, as well, to find that the French students were just as sore as we were this morning. :-)
Ok, I think this entry has been long enough. Tonight we're going to a local theatre to see a show, and I'm excited to see what's in store. It's been really invigorating to flex new muscles (in my body AND mind) when thinking about my chosen profession. There's just SO MUCH MORE outside of the "box of theatre" the American culture has created.
More soon!

Robert Paterno
MFA Acting 2010

So it's been over week since the last blog entry. Working under the conceit that people are actually reading these things, I will attempt to recap the events since last Saturday.
So the festival ended last Sunday, and it was amazing. I actually went to see two of the shows again, Stille Nacht and Turak. I just couldn't get over the integration of so many performance elements into these shows with such specificity and without ever sacrificing the story. I was sad to have the shows end, but so excited to start the workshops.
Our first day we had a lecture with a French theatre professor, Daniel Hannivel who really enlightened us a great deal about theatrical life in France, and in Europe in general. Morgan covered much of it with detail in her recent blog, so I'll save us all the anguish and hit the high points for me. The focus on developing the creative actor versus the interpretive actor, which seems to be our SOP in the U.S., is quite exciting. Our training is just not as focused on creating new work. Les Subsistance is a theatrical lab whose mission is to nurture and develop new works. They have a 2 million Euro budget, of which 70% is artistic!!! Mon Dieu! And all of the arts schools are government supported, either federal or local. That's a double-edged sword, but it's fantastic that the arts are such a high priority. And the thought he left us with, about how we must always reinvent, is certainly something to always keep in our hearts and mind and artists. If we're not creating and finding new ways to tell stories, then what ARE we doing?
Our next two days were spent learning acrobatics with this incredible physical performer, Xavier Kim. It was like the movement work we do at SMU with Bill and Sarah to the Nth power. We waked on walls, did improv and contact dance, and just had a great, physically-exhausting time. Xavier is a physical freak, and really got us excited about movement and how to make it part of our personal aesthetic. It also reminded me that I still have a long way to go to re-habituate myself. The same issues that plague me in Dallas have followed me to Lyon, and it was reflected in my acrobatic work. I felt more comfortable in the work because of what Sarah and Bill have taught us. I'm pretty sure my issue is more one of confidence than physical ineptitude. This reality is both liberating and humbling. It means that I need to get outta my head and into whatever space I'm occupying and do the work. I plan to really bust my derriere in weapons hour and during the summer at Great River to really start to live in and utilize my instrument with less fear and more proficiency.
I'm out of time for tonight. On tomorrow's show: The magical puppetry of Turak; A jarring Metro incident; and the musical stylings of Weezer. Thanks folks; you've been great. Drive safe.

Seacrest. out.

Robert Paterno
MFA Acting 2010

So on Thursday and Friday of last week we had the privilege of working with Laurent Bastide of Turak. They do some really amazing work with video, miniatures, and, most importantly, puppets. We got to work with the same puppets that they used in their performance during the Ca Tchatche festival, and was simply amazing. Laurent is such an great teacher, and he made us really focus on specificity of intention and action and helped us to hone our listening skills, both aural and physical. It's really interesting how working with the puppets forces you to be so precise and attentive to both your partner and the audience. And the work that we did was so simple and focused on action, it reminded me of how often I forget that when doing theatre work. The text and the action are one and the same. The puppet work is so different from acting and yet they share so many of the same principles. It was really hard work, but I gained so much from the experience. This was the work that I was most looking forward to, and I was not disappointed. I only wish we'd had more time with them, but I look forward to bringing both what I've learned to my stage work and seeing how I can manifest this into new works or retelling old stories that are still relevant.
And so on Thursday night we hit the suburbs of Lyon to see a dance show (which was, at least technically, amazing, especially seeing a lot of the same things on the stage that we did in Xavier's class). The most interesting and frightening part of the night, however, happened on the train to the theatre. While we were on our way, some young French guys started to harass some members of our group, both male and female. I'll save you the gory details for now, but I will tell you that one of the guys actually hit one of our professor's in the back of the head. At that moment I felt everyone person in our group get their hackles up. They kept exchanging words with Russell and Chad, who both kept their cool and made us all really proud. Eventually, we all moved to separate parts of the train and the guys lost interest. In the moment, however, it was pretty scary and we were all at a bit of a loss. This has been my only ugly experience of any kind since I've been here, and it could have happened just as easily in Dallas or Houston or any place in America, probably more easily. It was just a bit sobering, I guess. I've had such a great time and met so many people since we've been here, and it brought me back down to reality a bit too quickly for my tastes. Nonetheless, we continue to enjoy our few remaining days here in France, and I know I'll miss it when we start that long long LONG plane ride home. Jet lag, take me away...
We've got homework, so I'm outtie for now. Stay tuned tomorrow for my Parisian hijinks and other sundry doins'. Everyone have a great night!

Seacrest. Out.

Robert Paterno
MFA 2010

So I know I said that the Parisian Excursion would be the topic of discussion today. I also said that would blog yesterday, so that just shows you what my word's worth at this point. Well, here's the quick and dirty of Josh's and my trip to Paris:
Lyon
Train
Paris
Married chicks
Brazilian dance club
Wall walking
4:30 am
Typewriter
Do you speak English?
Chibekia (Holler!)
Good people
Frog Pen
Montmarte
Love the British
Eiffel tower
Soaked
Train
Lyon.

On to the next order of business. We started a really awesome workshop on Monday with Eric Masse and Guillaume Marmin doing theatrical work incorporating multimedia and camera work. We're writing what's called Auto Fiction, which is exactly how it sounds: pieces that combine autobiographical and fictional material. We have had to come up with a piece that runs about three minutes, which was difficult. Our entire time here is focused on identity and our pieces are focused specifically on scars or physical parts of our body with which we have some kind of emotional attachment. I chose my spine, since I still have yet to learn how even sit down comfortably, much less stand up straight on stage without effort. Everyone has chosen really interesting and personal stuff, and I can't wait to see how it all turns out. We will present our pieces to an audience tomorrow, and we had our first 'tech rehearsal' today. Eric and Guilluame have really great instincts and have really found a way to make the most out of all our pieces in a very short time frame. And we've leaned a lot of really great physical listening exercises through this workshop that I will definitely incorporate into my teaching next year. We also worked with a Dance artist, Alex Roccoli, who taught us a very interesting method of dance that is along the lines of the physical listening and organic dance done by avant-garde groups like De La Guarda. Some really interesting things came out of the group work, and I learned a lot about different ways to move through space and abut teaching. I admit that I was a bit confused by the methodology and that caused me some frustration, but the final product ended up being very interesting.
I'll post more tomorrow after our pieces with Eric and Guillaume tomorrow. It's hard to believe that we've only got two nights left here in Lyon. It's been pretty great so far. I'll definitely give a full processing and recap when it's all over. Hope everyone is doing well back home. Have a great night!

Seacrest. Out.

Hey guys...needless to say, we got pretty busy over the rest of the trip. I recorded entries in my journal, and have transcribed the remainder here all at once. Enjoy!

Friday, April 11, 2008
I don't think there are many ways to describe the experience most of us have had over the past two days, but I personally could try to sum it up in two words: life-changing.
We worked yesterday and today with Laurent, who works with Turak, the same group that presented the work with the puppets that all of us loved so much at the festival last weekend. He introduced us all to a new way of working with objects and puppets that produced some interesting, thought-provoking, and fascinating results.
We started the morning with two lines facing each other from across the room, each person partnering with the person across from her. He explained that we first would learn the technicalities of working with these particular puppets in order to improv, discover, and play with them later.
I suppose I should stop here to try to begin to explain the semantics of the puppets. Each one was made of a man???s suit jacket with special holes cut into the backs of both sleeves for the arms to slip in through. Attached to the top of the jacket was the neck portion of a man's dress shirt, and attached to that was a head with a face made of latex. There was a hole in the back of the head for a hand to slip into, and a wooden rod in the center for the hand to grasp. There were no movable features on the face of the puppets, which means (you guessed it) that the only way for them to express any motion--or emotion, for that matter--was solely through the movements of the operator.
But before we could even take out the puppets, Laurent wanted us to grasp exactly how difficult our task would eventually be. He had each set of partners work with only their hands at first, using just a fist to symbolize the head and the other arm as their puppet???s arm. This exercise proved way more complicated than I think any of us ever thought it would be. You find yourself keeping several balls in the air at once. While making sure the head is always looking on-target at the audience with a life of its own, the arm must also have very specific and direct movements that match the personality you have created. On top of it all, your legs become the puppet's legs--or at least it seems--so you've got to constantly pay attention to your walk.
After doing this for awhile, with frustrating results, we then did an exercise that would end up helping us later, as there would be more than one person operating a single puppet. One person stood apart as the "puppet" while four others stood at a short distance, each of the four holding an ink pen. Each person holding a pen controlled a different part of their ???puppet???s??? body: eyes, head, and each arm. After awhile, something really interesting started happening. Instead of it appearing disjointed, like four people each controlling their specific body part, everyone began working together. The result was that the person playing the puppet began to take on a life of his own--completely controlled by four other people. This taught us all a huge lesson in listening to each other without necessarily speaking, and about paying attention to the physical result of our interactions with each other.
It was then time to get out the puppets and begin to play. Laurent paired us up in twos and gave us a puppet. Some chose to have one person work the head and one arm, while the second worked the other arm. Others chose to have one person use both arms, while the second operated only the head.
After a few hours playing and improvising, we all finally began to get the hang of things. Each person eventually found a partner that he interacted well with, and the next two days became a time of intense play and exploration. I quite accidentally got paired up with Elsa, one of the French students working with us. I say "accidentally" because Laurent originally wanted us to pair up with someone of a similar height. After others chose their partners, Elsa and I were the only ones left. Thus, the girl who was not five feet was combined with the girl over a foot taller than she. I think the results surprised everyone--especially me.
Unlike anything I've ever experienced, these puppets started to teach us huge lessons in the basics of acting. For me, working in this new medium spoke volumes to me. When operating these puppets, I couldn't hide behind my voice or facial expressions. In order to be successful, every ounce of my energy had to be completely focused on the way my body moved, so as to give a piece of cloth and a latex head a fascinating life. This experience taught me to pay attention to my partner. It taught me to narrow my focus of attention. It taught me that the simplest and most direct movements can often be the most interesting. Most importantly, it taught me that I am not only capable of using my body in an effective way, but that I can be quite good at it.
In short, I think the two days with Laurent forced us all to directly confront one "acting demon" or another. We walked away inspired.
Needless to say, this was my favorite workshop so far.

April 14, 2008
After a relaxing and eventful weekend in Lyon, we met today with Eric Masse, the artist who's been brought in to help us create the final project that we will present at the end of the week. Before this, however, we met in the morning to warm up our bodies and our minds.
We did several exercises with disassociation, when a part of the body is doing one thing, and a separate part is doing another. For example, we would do the old "pat the head and rub the stomach" routine, then he'd tell us to continue, only without the hands touching the body. To complicate things further, he'd have us switch actions, so that our hands were doing the opposite action of what they'd done before. We did several exercises like this and, believe me, they are definitely harder than you'd think! We continued the morning by playing several "theatre games" that forced us to work as a team, stay on our toes, and communicate. I definitely came away from my experience with Eric with some concrete ideas of exercises I plan to do with my class next year when I teach.
In the afternoon, he introduced us to Guillaume, the video/multimedia guy who would also be helping us with our final project. They explained their basic idea, which was loosely based on the writings of a French guy named Federman, who wrote what Eric called "auto-dramas." Each chapter contained stories of a specific body part (or scar) that was special to him. He talked of what made each body part special, and the excerpts we read were filled with humor, sensitivity, and just plain old good storytelling. Eric explained that some of what is in an auto-drama isn't always entirely true, that Federman wrote for artistic/entertainment purposes, as well.
They then laid out their plans for our project. Similarly to Federman, we would each choose a specific body part that held special significance to us and write an auto-drama about it. With Eric and Guillaume's help, we would come up with a creative way to present this story using video and images, then piece all of our stories together to create one collective "body."
At lunch, we all couldn't stop thinking and talking about what we wanted to do. We were all very excited about the prospects of this project. I immediately chose my eyes, for reasons that will be revealed when you read my auto-drama. :-)
The afternoon was filled with writing and planning. Guillaume took us one at a time to an area where he photographed each person's chosen body part. He explained that he planned to stitch all of these together to create a literal image of what the form would look like if all of our body parts were combined. I don't know exactly what that will come of that, but I think it will definitely be interesting!
In short, I'm pretty sure I can speak for most when I say that were are incredibly stoked about our final project. I can't think of a better way for us to express ourselves in a creative way that will combine our English and French skills.