One of the more interesting thing about attending festivals is seeing how different performance pieces speak to one another. In their second week, the Fusebox Festival line-up included some interesting offerings at the intersection of performance and technology. Michelle Ellsworth’s performance piece, Preparation for the Obsolescence of the Y Chromosome, is a meditation on a world without […]
Play a Day: Technical Difficulties; or, Screens
A woman, center stage, sits at a desk and opens her laptop. A blinding flash of light emits from it. The woman shrieks, covers her eyes, and falls to the floor in the fetal position. Lights down. Act curtain closes. A man in an old-timey suit and top hat enters stage right, carrying a stand […]
Play a Day: Warmth
A woman sits by a fire, ripping the pages out of a journal and tossing them one by one into the flames, while basking in its glow.
Time Management
I read an article recently, which I cannot find, which gave reference to the idea that time management is impossible under capitalism. That it’s a trick, basically. That it is a Sisyphean task which we will never actually be able to accomplish. I think I am starting to believe that. Already, I’m not spending as […]
Play a Day: Flower or Gardener?
An individual in coveralls and a straw hat sits on a bench, head in their hands. A watering can sits unattended beside them. Another individual wearing a flower costume enters stage left. The flower attempts to get the notice of the gardener to no avail. No amount of posturing, throat clearing, pretty posing, allowing sniffing, […]
Play A Day: Time Sensitive
A room with a window through which the moon can be seen. A large clock on the wall. It is 10pm, say. A woman sits at a desk near the window working. Lights down. Lights up. 11:15pm. The woman is watching a show on television. Lights down. Lights up. 12:30am. The woman looks at the […]
Play a Day: Waiting
Two men dressed as vagabonds sit on the stage, a la Waiting for Godot. Instead of a tree, there is a large stone, like that which might be rolled away from a tomb. One of the men is munching a carrot. As in the Wizard of Oz, a deep voice booms from off-stage, “I said […]
Play a Day: Why Pet Owners Live Longer
A woman sits at her desk, working on the computer. A cat lies on the adjacent couch, napping. The woman looks up from her work momentarily and sees the cat. She sighs, thinking how lucky it is, and returns to her work. Moments pass. The woman looks over at the cat again. She closes the […]
Purvi Patel and the Fight for Reproductive Rights
On average, 15-20% of verified pregnancies (a woman who wasn’t trying to get pregnant, missed a period, and took a positive pregnancy test) will end in a miscarriage. That means roughly one in six pregnant women will miscarry. That’s a significant number, but it’s still not something we talk about. And in a culture where […]
Austin’s Fusebox Festival: The Measure of All Things
There are times when I’m reminded that performance can be a transformative event, and am honored to witness the magic uniquely found when a group of individuals come together to share their time, energy, and attention with one another. The opening night of Austin’s Fusebox Festival proved to be just such a moment. When I […]