Fwd: onstage jam project

[Richard Zvonar <zvonar@zvonar.com>]

This just appeared on the theatre-sound list.

>Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2001 17:14:25 -0400
>From: Robert Kaplowitz <rubiksnd@HOTMAIL.COM>
>Subject: onstage jam project
>Sender: "Discussion list for people working in sound for live theatre."
>  <THEATRE-SOUND@LISTSERV.AOL.COM>
>To: THEATRE-SOUND@LISTSERV.AOL.COM
>Reply-to: "Discussion list for people working in sound for live theatre."
>  <THEATRE-SOUND@LISTSERV.AOL.COM>
>
>I'm in the theoretical stages of dealing with a play that would love to 
>do a
>scene that works essentially as follows:
>
>lights come up on the 3 principals, who are either on the couch slowly
>rocking out to a beat, or up at their instruments already.  An incredible,
>improvisational jam session follows (the script calls for 2 guitars, a
>keyboard and a drum kit onstage at all times.)  This jam session is the
>cathartic moment in the play, and wants to be done completely live,
>flexibly, and open ended nightly.  When things get to a certain point, the
>actor/musicians put their instruments down, and the jam (magically)
>continues, AND CONTINUES TO DEVELOP as they dance all around the stage.  
>At
>its utter high point, it all ends, leaving some sort of ambiant tail as 
>the
>actors drift away from one another and back into utter isolation.
>
>So the question is - is there a DJ or live rock'n' roll mind out there 
>who's
>done things like capturing the multiple tracks (4, to be precise) on the
>fly, and shaping them into sample loops that could be combined with
>prerecorded sample loops (of a great variety, of course) so that the piece
>could evolve organically on a nightly basis?  My work with the Akai has 
>been
>all about preprogramming, or only capturing one set of sounds at a time 
>when
>doing live improv in the studio.  I'm thinking there's maybe a software 
>out
>there or some sort of a perc jam box (I remember hearing something about a
>"Jam Man" which captured a given number of loops...)
>
>We did this show this summer, at the Playwrights Conference, with a
>prerecorded track (Godspeed's "One" to be precise), but the show is headed
>to the pro theatre, and I may (or may not) continue on with it... so I
>thought I'd do a bit of surveying.  Of course, if the playwright and
>director are okay with starting with a beat before the actors pick up 
>their
>instruments, it would ALL be much easier...
>
>I do know one thing - it will need an incredible foh mixer, whatever the
>technology is...
>
>Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
>-robert kaplowitz

-- 

______________________________________________________________
Richard Zvonar, PhD
(818) 788-2202
http://www.zvonar.com
http://RZCybernetics.com
http://www.cybmotion.com/aliaszone
http://www.live365.com/cgi-bin/directory.cgi?autostart=rz