new ideas

i had designed a whole soundscape based on the xylophone, because, you know, it's a childish sort of instrument, but also incredibly versatile. i'd found pieces ranging in tone from macabre to child's play to romance. plus, i had a suzanne vega song in mind, "blood makes noise," as well as a laurie anderson song, "example #22." while i'm as of yet unable to give up the laurie anderson piece, i've pretty much thrown in the towel on the other ideas. this is because my wonderful lighting designer, jonathan hicks, introduced me to "the circus doesn't stop at gove." their music is more violin-based than anything else, at least according to my untrained ear. it's slightly carnivalesque and macabre, also by turns cheerful, melancholy, oompa, strange... oh, i don't know, everything. their song "pinocchio" would make a KILLER accompaniment to wendla's dance, and "house of cards" fits in perfectly with the absurd teacher's dance.

madelyne, my brilliant choreographer, sent me this link awhile ago, not in particular relation to "spring awakening," but just because she thought i'd like it. well, i did, i do, and now i'm totally committed to incorporating this kind of violent youthful cheerful devastation into our choreographic lexicon.

finally, i just found this. kinda neat, huh? kinda like katrina's idea for a topsy-turvy platform path. also, kind of like a prison. there's a lot of overlap between prisons and playgrounds, particularly in the shadows...