We've been working away these past many months, researching and discussing (primarily via skype, which has provided more fodder for the show) how to develop "I'm So Close..." in order to make the show we all imagine.
When we showed the first incarnation of the play last summer, we all felt there wasn't enough meat to the story we were interested in telling. Now back in the room together, we're working on clarifying and strengthening our story. Nicholas Billon, a brillant playwright and collaborator, has been a great addition to this process, working with us as we storyboard our way through what seems to be a world of infinite possibilities... It has been revitalizing to have Nicholas's fresh eyes and expertise (particularly the questions he has been asking us) in the room. This is the first time that we're working as a company with a playwright to devise a show. As we explore what this process is for all of us, we're finding that the less we cling to what we know, the closer we are to finding out who these characters are and what the world of this play, and this collaboration, could be.
We're splitting our time between this work with the story and exploring some visual ideas with another incredible collaborator, Trevor Schwellnus. Throughout the course of the past few months we've been collectively dreaming up many images and visual ideas between the three of us and it has been great having someone with Trevor's knowledge and skills to help explore some of these ideas. In addition to trying out a couple of specific images with projection and some rigging, we've been able to bounce a lot of our ideas off of Trevor and get really specific feedback as to how we might try and realize them. This work has been loaded with practical and applicable insights (and suggestions).
As we move forward with this work and the process is informed by each new collabortor, we're paying attention to the details, especially the small ones.
A quote, which seems to capture one of the main questions of this play--
"It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: what are we busy about?
-H.D. Thoreau
