H-E-L-L-O! Show Volume 3: The Wrap Show

The last dress rehearsal before Maura and Mark take the show to a festival in Austria 4th May! Tonight's guests featured: Amelia Morris, Drew Deboy, Jon, Laura, and Steve.

The Wrap Show featured more Fluxus events like "An Homage to Christo" in which Laura unwrapped something in the giant wig I wore last week (based on Jeanne-Claude's hair - the object was a bottle of cayenne powder). Maura also went through her laundry describing how each article was dirty after Yoko Ono's original performance piece. In addition to the usual "underpants," t-shirts, and socks, there were a lot of washcloths.



After a dinner of delicious homemade mac and cheese, salad, bread, and giant strawberries, it was back to the costume closet. We were in search of covering Jon in costume from head to knees. These two versions would eventually come together as one in the performance "Stage Fright." The fake butt returns in the form of boobs.





Laura in her pink grandma sweater (other fascinating aspects of her costume include a fake beard worn as a garter and plaid tights). She also had a pair of bikini bottoms on over the tights.



Here's Drew in a dress and one of Laura's wigs with Larry in the kitchen.



In addition to cutting up a coat length wise in the performance "Fashion," Amelia also operated the camera, participated in two telephone skits, and sang.




The music intro with Jon, Drew, and Mark.






The first telephone fluxus event featured another over-the-top performance from Jon saved by Amelia on several occasions. Jon's task was to call random phone numbers and ask who he was talking to. Once he got a name (it took 4 calls for someone to reveal Steve), he would then call someone he knew and ask for Steve.



The second telephone performance was treated like a panel discussion. Maura, Amelia, Drew, and Laura called someone they knew and asked them to describe what they were wearing. The unexpected part of this was when Drew's brother and Laura's friend asked the same question back. The audience then heard Drew describe his dress with fringe, wig, and plaid underwear and Laura in her sweater, tights, and beard garter in a nonchalant manner. High on the amusement scale.



Behind the scenes preparing for "Stage Fright." Steve, Mark, and Amelia led Jon, Laura, and Drew in front of the camera. They were unable to see due to being completely costumed from head to knee.



Jon, Drew, and Laura then fumbled around on stage for the duration of a polka song.



The most fun performance of the evening to watch (hearing was another story) Jon, Steve, Drew, Laura, Mark, and Amelia singing a song that they all knew the most lyrics to at the top of their lungs. Renditions of the Beach Boys, the Itsy Bitsy Spider, and Happy Birthday were among the choices.



The music outro featured Steve as a keyboard table for Drew (he asked us all to call him Papau afterwards since he was the senior member of our group that evening).



In the meantime, stay tuned for more cakes!

H-E-L-L-O! Show Round 2: Chance

I'm noticing that one of the beauties of this project and working with Maura is the email instructions we receive the day before (see below). It changes a little bit depending on who shows up. Jon bailed this week but Laura and I were there. Maura and Mark's neighbor Nathan came later in addition to his mother Robin and stepfather Steve (the "locals" as Maura calls them).

This week it worked! Unfortunately the "mystery skype guest" went to bed early and missed his part of the show. It recorded (yay!). It was only 14.5 minutes long but much improved over last week.

"The Chance Show:

Tonight’s show will feature selected event scores by Eric Andersen one of the first fluxus artists. It will also include a call-in guest via “Skype” who will perform one of the scores with the group.

EVENT SCORE: The Chance Show (tentative)

1. Intro(mov) : Cut with live feed of music intro

2. Music Intro Live (Mark & Jon) Play whatever they like for as long as they need.

3. Text Feed: welcome inserted simultaneously over the M & J

4. Opus 46 (1963): (Everyone) 5 sec approx

5. Larry and Dave Take a Walk (mov): Cut to video 1 minute

6. Opus 9: (Steve) ?

7. Local Ad (mov): Cut to video 30 sec

9. Opus 11: (Laura)

10. Song with picture (mov.): 2 min Maura’s choice

11. Skype Guest: Intro name, occupation, where are you? Tour the room you are calling from. 4 min

12. Opus 21 (Maura & Jacinda) We will flip a coin to see who gets which letters

13. Diploma From Home (mov) 1:30 min

14. Opus 21 (everyone & skype guest) (TBD)

15. Poem performance Nathan (maybe)

16. Music Out (Mark & Jon)"


Reviewing the program CamTwist and everyone's Opuses with me before starting.

Opus #17 with Maura:

Opus 17: (1961) Eric Andersen

1. Two persons are situated on the stage.
One of them pronounces the sound "A'

2. (optional)) The person who started with the sound "A" is only allowed to pronounce the sound "B". The other person is only allowed to pronounce the sound "C".

3. The performance is finished when one of the persons pronounces the sound "D".

We flipped a coin and I won the toss. My sound of "D" sounded like "duh."


Sound Check: the lights were really bright tonight.


The order of events....


Costumes again! Gotta love Laura's tights (Larry does).


Laura loaned me her poofy wig (wow gravity).


Blending in.


Waiting for the others to come up to the attic.


Laura's Opus #11 featured getting rid of a dead plant and substituting it with a live one.






My favorite photo of the evening (I was quick to realize that I cannot operate Cam Twist, the video camera on occasion, and my Canon so out pops the i-phone yet again). Unfortunately, I did not get any of the group photographed or Steve and Robin performing. There was too much to operate at the same time.


Polka song (note: this week Mark's tail is Laura's missing tight).




Maura and Mark made vegetarian pasta with asparagus, tomatoes, and capers in addition to chili for the meat eaters. After the broadcast, Mark and Steve are hanging out in the kitchen discussing how badly Larry will have diarrhea that night due to Steve feeding him meat and beans.


"... but that's okay," says Steve. He brought some Tums in a glove because he was out of sandwich bags.

H-E-L-L-O! Live from Muncie in Maura and Mark's attic

Wow! I participated in a live performance/experiment/variety show Saturday night called "H-E-L-L-O!" brought to you by Maura Jasper and Mark Perretta. This was the partial email I received from Maura about the evening's events:

"Thank you for participating in this first test run of Hello! The tentative theme for tonight is "The Unknown", costumes are encouraged, diy is our guide, and we will also have ample costuming, craft material for spur of the moment decisions. Music, Interviews, Skits, Panel, with Pre recorded "Cut Aways"."

After feeding us pasta, wine, and PBR, Maura outlined the plan of attack.



Then Jon Faloon, Laura Hruska, and I (as "special guests") visited the costume closet.









Additional "special guests" included Cricket and Larry.





Maura in her nylon body suit underneath a rain coat eventually completed with polka dot shoes. Note: Larry is wearing polka dots too.



Mark as a character from "Sha Na Na." Note: Mark is wearing a BP headband.



My role was learning the program that would cut from one camera to "cut aways" (featuring earning a diploma from home, a fisherman painting an image of Bigfoot, etc.) to another camera. Maura and I shared this scary job because it has so much potential for screw-ups especially when broadcasting LIVE.

Here are Jon and Mark during the Music Intro:



The Panel Discussion on the "Unknown"(yes, I did whip out Goldie the I-phone and took pictures in the middle of the panel discussion). Note: Jon is wearing Maura's MFA graduation gown.





Mark during a sound test (after our skit "Unseen Investigation" featuring an unknown entity underneath a rug). Note: Mark is wearing a nylon stocking over the BP headband and wig on his head previously seen as a tail during the music intro.



Resting after the skit (Laura and Larry recreating a Wizard of Oz moment).



This was the most fun I've had on a Saturday night in Muncie since.... Whoever knew dancing to music from The Price is Right could be so much fun? Stay tuned... I'm on call to work on this until Maura and Mark take the show on the road to Austria next month.