A special thanks to the Oudeis team for providing information about the
project and thought that I'd, in turn, provide information from my side of
things. I hope this will give you an idea of where I'm at.
Schedule
January 15th is the next board meeting for my organization (Studio Z). At
that time I will present to the board all the information on the Oudeis
project as well as our progress to date. I will then get a definite answer
on whether the organization will be a part of the project or not. Really
not sure what the verdict will be.
Personal thoughts
I keep thinking about this project and so I thought I'd just let you know
what's going on at this point.
Hesitations:
Curious beginnings
I guess I was a little confused by the beginnings of this project. I really
liked the inclusive nature of the list but at the same time wonder and think
from time to time who is really on the team? Who is not? It is easy to talk
about the creation of a show but production and the time it takes to bring
about a show is another thing. Also I can't help thinking that the stages,
the sites for the show (when identified) should really have a lot of say in
the creation of the performance plan.
Writing by Committee
I'm always a little hesitant about creating by committee. Especially if the
committee is not clearly defined. The show seems to have many technical
requirements and considerations so it's hard to know where to start on the
creative process if you don't know exactly who's on the team and you don't
know the stages you're writing for. Maybe the audience is clear - Internet
audience, live audience in Vienna and live audiences in other stages.
Work plan
While we have a schedule of sorts I am unclear on a work plan. How will the
performance plan/script be worked out? I assume that Kis. Productions will
ultimately act to shape the final product? I thank GOD we don't seem to have
any possessive types. I have encountered many times situations where things
go to hell because everyone claims rights to the show! (everyone wants
future production rights, publications rights and all the things that bring
in armies of lawyers). I assume all will get some sort of credit and that
creative rights can be worked out amicably later on. Frankly I think the
project needs more definition at this point before a production date should
be set. I have noted that the production date has already been moved back
once. Give yourself some time to further discuss and work out details then a
production date will become clear. Seems to me the project is still in the
creative planning stage.
Possibilities
First of all let me say I've been intrigued by this project ever since
Monika mentioned it to me. Given the technical requirements and other
connections, the Studio (if it were involved) would probably have to do the
show in association with a University. There are a number of connections
that could work for Chicago. Obviously this means a lot of work both in
developing contacts and bringing together the resources and talent. The
project does have the potential to be something very big!
Observations
What intrigued me about the project was the idea of this classical story
being told now. The idea of Odysseus in Chicago or Odysseus in Australia
really sparked my imagination. One of the first lines of The Odyssey just
blew me away:
"He saw the cities of many men, and he knew their thought"
I couldn't help but see the journey of Odysseus as one of traveling from
Vienna (the city where this idea originated) and then out to the
cities/stages of the world. A different story in each city. A story from the
Odyssey that really relates to that part of the world, to that live
audience, and to the larger audience who will gain insight not only about
the characters but also about the setting of the episode and its
contemporary stage. The story of the Odyssey has endured because it still
moves us. We can all relate to it but coming from different countries we may
relate in different ways. Certain episodes/stories in the journey may really
suit a certain country. Then moving from one city to another the audiences
comes to visit another unique stage along the way and gets another part of
the story. I guess I didn't see it as a whole performance in each location
but rather each location providing a piece to the story. Each site telling
its story in its own way but fitting into the larger story. In effect,
passing the story (the performance) from one stage to the next in a journey
that tells the story of a journey. Of course doing this effectively with the
Internet is not easy but this is what I saw.
Thanks for reading and looking forward to more discussion.
Dan