12/20 Update

I have spoken to a few people about Nunc Licet over the past few years. As you can read in this blog, we attempted a presentation at the World Assembly in 2011. There were a few occurrences that took place which were... discouraging. At that time I needed to take a break. I determined that the next production effort needed to take place within the confines of employing the actors to do what they were told, not what they thought they should do. I have A LOT of production experience over the last forty-five years and I have found that volunteer theatre is not an arena that works for me. I won't go into why, suffice it to say I want to pay people to do what I tell them to do without argument or them believing they have a right to impose their opinion into the process.

So now I have a different approach to the play. It is my intention to produce the play in my studio. I have been setting up Image of the Mind Studios, Southampton location for a few years now. My work in the studio is primarily centered on publishing The Gnomes of New Hope Storybook series. All else is secondary until that is completed. 

Part of the studio facilities that is under development is a sound stage with a peanut gallery and a video control booth. So, in terms of Nunc Licet, I intend on building the show to go on that sound stage, which will allow for constructing a show for "little theatre" (16' stage depth x 20' procenium). The blocking on the show will be adapted for that space. If need be the stage size can be expanded to 30' x 20' by eliminating the wings and upstage crossover, but I don't think that will be necessary.

So my goal is to rehearse the show in the studio. I also am setting up a scene shop and costuming, so we can avail ourselves of those capabilities. I already have film, video and editing capabilities, and although they need to be upgraded, they will suffice for documentary purposes.

I will address this subject more later. AG

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A New Approach

A number of ideas have been posed regarding producing Nunc Licet. So that has gotten me thinking. I started a FaceBook page titled "Nunc Licet" with the intention for that to be a place for people who want to be involved to post ideas and discuss various things. These blogs are more for me to post updates than for any interaction the way FaceBook is. So that's a New direction in trying to mount a production.

As I have said elsewhere, the upcoming Assembly is a prime opportunity to mount a production of some sort.

At the last Assembly we conducted a reading, which was nice and very productive for advancing the show, but the next reading/workshop/production needs to be more extensive and include blocking and business. I am also very firm on the position that we need to perform the script as written without any changes (unless it is a glaring error to the anticipated result). The last reading resulted in chopping the daylights out of the script. I can't say I was happy about that. It was only done because if the limitations on time, space and personnel.

The next presentation needs to be documented with a multiple camera video shoot. I have older equipment and we can use that if necessary, although I'd rather upgrade. Depending on the budget, we may have to rent. We did film the last reading, but there are problems accessing the footage from that. The digital files seem to be impaired.

So for now, I am going through the script and changing the font to one that is easier to read when the script is posted on the web. The earlier font was nice and fancy, but not practical.

I guess I'll publish that version and put it up for sale to raise production funds. Hopefully that will work.

I made an effort to encourage a production thru community theatre, but that's not going to happen unless I raise the budget, which is exactly what I didn't want to have to do. So if anybody wants to jump in on the producing team, do let me know!

AG
image.of.the.mind.studios@gmail.com

A Film Version

Part of my plan is to set-up the green-screen in the studio for various purposes. I expect that stage to be a rehearsal stage as well. I had it in mind that we might install a set for "Nunc Licet" to produce a film version.

The truth is that the stage area is smaller than I'd like, but it could work. The plan that began to foment over 35 years ago, was to shoot the film at Cairncrest in Bryn Athyn. Stanley Rose was hot on that idea, in fact he is the one who suggested it. At that time, Carincrest was closed down and needed to be brought up to code. I've tossed that idea around for years and have thought about how to adapt the play for film.

Someone else made the effort to do a film adaptation of the play, but unfortunately it was without my participation or approval. I was distressed about that, so I never really studied her work. But from what she told me, she altered the premise of the relationship between two characters, which, although interesting, created an underlying deviousness that I found unacceptable.

Anyway, if we do build a producing team on this project, the theatre production needs to include documentary film and ultimately lead to a narrative film production. So the producing team needs to be committed to this degree.

AG

Editing the Script

I've been reviewing the script for "Nunc Licet". As it turns out, I am clarifying some of the text, adding blocking and business to areas not so well defined, and eliminating some text and or actions that I think interfere with the flow.

It's funny how this round of refinement is going so well. I guess that is due, in part, to my changing life's perspective, probably some of the responses I got from previous workshops, and from looking at this with a bit more of a cinematic eye, but still primarily theatrical.

I found that other people have conveyed their opinions about changes, but it's clear to me that those opinions are not founded in a solid understanding of the material. Most people skip over the staging instructions and draw their conclusions from the text. There are very subtle emotional and motivational elements that build up to create the drama from the minor text, in terms of both dialogue and staging notes. Inferences in the dialogue and business are critical, while the blocking (including the asides) crafts the dimension of the piece.

There is a limited amount of space on the stage, therefore, especially in a piece with many complexities and a wide swath of characters, it is important to create definitions of time and space that give the piece greater dimension. That is the purpose of, not only asides, but also segmenting the character relationships with an assortment of intimate moments both in the present sense and with an inferred historical sub-text.

More on this later. AG

Script Review

I have been reviewing the script for "Nunc Licet" again. This time from more of a director/writer rather than a writer/technician/director perspective.

I'm amazed at some of the subtle changes I'm making. I'm not altering it from a need to cull it, rather I am clarifying some of the dialogue and action. I'm reevaluating the blocking and sub-plot. Mostly I want to gain a clearer vision of the sub-plot that is manifest by the women. Most of the dialogue was given to the men. I did try to shift some over to the women, but the challenging nature of some of the text does not sit well with the feminine mindset, so I have mostly wanted the feminine elements to paint a backdrop for the maculine meanerings in the abstract ideology. I'd rather paint a picture of the feminine being a stable foundation upon which the masculine intellectual fantasies rest. I see that as being present more in the sub-plot, with only and occasional foray into the immediate action and dialogue of the piece.

The main objective is to make a proposition and then to offer challenge and support of that proposition, thus building a foundation for the larger propositions that rest on those resolutions. You see, the larger propositions must rest on a foundation before they are put forth, otherwise they become absurd.

That is the whole point of "Nunc Licet", to establish a premise upon which certain "unheard of" concepts/ premises can rest.

This allows us to proceed into a whole array of other dramatic circumstances that are conveyed in the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg. Without establishing that foundation, it is, irresponsible, to attempt addressing those circumstances dramatically.

That is the point.

AG

Most recent thoughts about NL

I've sent out some inquiries about Nunc Licet and producing it for the 2020 Assembly in June, when people from around the world will be in Bryn Athyn.

Well, one of the things I have said is that my interest is to focus only on the directing aspect of producing the show.

I have to confess that producing work is also taking place, but I have been reviewing the script from a director's point of view.

I have found that there are blocking and performance items which were not considered before. In all probability I will transfer those notes over to the next revision of the script.

I want to convey that I have included a plethoria of technical notes in the script, under the presumption that future persons will attempt to produce the show (after I'm gone) and will want to know what my intention, as the writer, was for the production of the show.

Being a theatre technician for many years, I came across some very scant scripts, which basically gave no idea what the writer intended, other than what could be presumed. I wanted to eliminate the presumption for future generations. I think George Bernard Shaw made a comment in that regard that struck home with me.

Anyway, I'm encouraged to shift my attention away from producing on this show and over to the real job of directing. I have no delusions about my abilities as a director, but clearly, I have the most familiarity with this piece and can, without a doubt, offer the most pragmatic approach to bringing the vision of this show to the stage.

So in this regard; the last effort was a reading " script-in-hand". It was a heavily edited version of the script. In that regard, I was not very satisfied with what we presented, but I know we were limited in terms of time and we were not able to present the show as intended. We "were not able" for a variety of reasons, but I do not want to attempt a reading under the conditions we were faced with the last time we presented the play.

I am convinced that the show " as written" works. And after further review, I am even more certain if that. The only variable factor there is the audience's span of attention.

I do believe that; that variable was taken into account when structuring both the text and the blocking, but more than that; the sub-text.

During the last reading, we were not able to address sub-text, let alone craft it's a backdrop to the action or the text delivery. So I am anxious to have the  dictates to freedom to craft those elements that are written into the script. In fact, I have to say, I am unwilling to advance into a production effort without the freedom to craft the performances, without the constraints of time limitations or the imposition of external dictates to edit the script.

As I have said, I think that, on average, a two hour sho is tolerable, but I don't know just how long it takes to deliver the due text with the appropriate pauses, music and blocking. I need to find that out, by directing a fully cast and blocked reading, at the very least.

I'll continue these thoughts later.

AG