Prompt #1

One idea that was particularly eye-opening to me from Carlson’s piece was the idea of a performer’s consciousness dictating whether or not they were performing. When discussing the question, “What is performance?” during class, many individuals said that they considered almost every moment of living/being a performance. I didn’t necessarily agree with that, because I don’t consider myself performing when I’m in class or hanging with friends or family. Although onstage one is supposed to place his or her self fully in the moment, I do think it is true that on a certain level one is conscious of the fact that they are on a stage performing a specific piece in front of an audience, rather than just going about their normal tasks in day-to-day life. I was very glad that Carlson gave credence to the idea that one must be aware of the fact that they are performing in order to perform.

This is important to me because it allows me to distinguish my time onstage from the way I behave in everyday life. I’m not attending a university in order to discover how to do my dishes or speak appropriately to a professor during class, but to master my craft-acting. By identifying this difference, I can allow my time as a theatre performance major to wholly help myself improve as a performer, rather than saying that I go to school just to help me function as a human being.

One instance of “performance” that stretches the definition as we know it are the street performers in New Orleans that stay completely still, with only the occasional robotic movement. We often consider performance to be this elaborate show, on a stage with an large audience, however these men and women pride themselves on keeping themselves completely still so that they look like statues. I think that they are definitely conscious that they are performing in front of people because they are often performing in the street to get money, but I would definitely say it’s a controversial performance because these performers most likely have not gone to school for years to develop their craft. Carlson says that one of the things that makes an individual a performer is their skill set, and although it may be a challenge to do what these performers do, I don’t see it as a skill set that they have taken a whole lot of time to develop. It challenges our belief because instead of participating in an elaborate performance, they are merely intriguing passerby by standing completely still.

…here is an example of a street statue in Nola. Although he is conscious that he is performing, he hasn’t worked to develop the skill set that makes one an actor/performer. So in some instance Carlson would say he is performing, but his performance could also be looked at as controversial.

http://www.redbubble.com/people/sandiegomilt/works/4952344-living-statue-guarding-bourbon-street-new-orleans