research - Associated Student Government, Northwestern University

ABSTRACTphoto by Amelia BellA New Genre of Mythic PerformanceBritt BanaszynskiDEPARTMENT OF THEATREAnnie BeserraFACULTY ADVISORDEPARTMENT OF THEATREBilly SiegenfeldSECONDARY ADVISORDEPARTMENT OF THEATREThe development of ROOTS of EARTH has a longhistory in my creative research and is the primary artisticwork of my current Honors Project in Theatre. Theproject acts as a avenue for the synthesis my training indance, acting, music, choreography, and direction duringmy time at Northwestern University. During the firstphase of the Honors Project, I reviewed the literatureand works of artists who practice these artistic modesin cohesive, multi-media performances. I found thatthese multidisciplinary performance artists (e.g., Bill T.Jones, Blondell Cummings, Joe Goode, Emily Johnson)consistently research their own autobiographies andmemories as a source for incubation of their voices asmulti-disciplinary artists. By engaging with their specificpasts in live performance, these artists transform inthe language of their individual voices. However, theseartists’ works tend to be limited to solo performances,and, almost always, reject dramatic narrative (a story)as a way of organizing and presenting the research.These works, which tend mostly to live in purely felt,non-logical realms, also tend to allow meaning to getlost as its translates from artist to audience. My researchquestions, modeled from these artists’ research, include:How does my autobiography and memory serve as aresource for the creation of original work? How do theelements of live theatre (music, dance, acting, etc.) synthesizeto create an opportunity for cohesive, multi-sensorystorytelling? How can I transfer my solo researchinto an ensemble performance? And, most importantly,how do I, as an artist, make meaning from this researchand how does that meaning transfer to an audience?I have structured my Honors curriculum to build46 NORTHWESTERN UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH JOURNAL