| Performance Art has a very involved creative process. It isn't as one would think "You just get on stage and do something weird." It can be very involved and take a considerable amount of time. Here are notes that began early in May of 2006 and will continue until it is actually performed on stage or whatever venue is available. Since the September 12th notes the Red Queen Principle has been broken into two performances. This web site has also been created. One of the possible performances of "Red Queen Principle" has now been made into an alternate form. |
May 9, 10 2006
1. Use a chess board (hopscotch boards) for Alice to jump on. Have each square one foot square with a step on ON and a step off OFF switch. Have these hooked up to the green light.
2. Have Alice do hopscotch on the checks after she does the switch thing. She could have one of the (maybe more) switches permanent on until she steps on it again.
3. Combine both the queen of hearts and the queen in chess to do the performance.
4. I need a symbol for the rock????(in hopscotch)
5. Have Alice do simple verses while hopscotching: The red red queen was really green. The red queen goes fast but never past. Green green everywhere except the queen is red my dear. Pick up pegs, pick up rocks, the red queen wore green socks. One, two, three, four, I'll tell you what the red queen wore. Five, six, seven, eight, The red queen danced to the garden gate.
6. Make the hopscotch rock a chess queen with a removable crown. without the crown it becomes a phallic symbol. Have Alice throw the crown (toss) it to the end of the hopscotch board. That way it becomes a hymen and a tossing of virginity.
7. Make the queen chess piece match the fetus egg and penis sculpture but much smaller. Make it out of foam core clued together.
8. To keep it simple I perhaps could just have a green light to stare at and give audience directions. No switches. It could be constantly on and instruct audience to then shift gaze to Alice. Alice set would be mostly white and lit. The red should engulf it.
9. The numbers perhaps could be based on the red queen passage from Carroll.
Since this would be a separate piece from the original concept I would modify it considerably.
1. I would drop the sexual connotations. They were included because of the persistent rumors that Lewis Carroll was a Pedophile. I personally do not believe the rumors to be true but it was written to go with popular culture concepts.
2. The major part of the performance is Alice playing hopscotch. Additions could be Lewis Carroll character writing the Red Queen Principle of Alice in Wonderland. He would write and read aloud. He would throw papers and tear up papers as he wrote and read. At the same time Alice would be playing hopscotch.
3. A problem arises when this is changed from the after image original concept. It is how do we portray the Red Queen? The possibility that comes to mind, at the moment, is that someone would be dressed in red (as a red queen) and constantly move during the performance. This would then require three performers. Additional performers (even the addition of Lewis Carroll reading) always complicate the performance. Simplification is always good if the performance can be done without the complexities of number of performers and props.
Alice sing while doing her hopscotch;
`Hush-a-by lady, in Alice's lap!
Till the feast's ready, we've time for a nap.
When the feast's over, we'll go to the ball--
Red Queen, and White Queen, and Alice, and all!
This is from Carroll but I would modify it as such;
'Hush little lady, in Alice's lap
Till the feast's is ready, we have time to nap.
When the feast's is over, we'll go to the ball..
Red Queen, White Queen, Alice and all.'
Text from the section of "Through the Looking Glass" in which the scene is derived; Chapter II;
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