David Shepherd believes that our expectations of the future
can be explored through a myth from the past. These proto-stories, which reside in every
one of us, become relevant when improvised by a group and shared with the
community.
In early 1981 at Pace
University in New York, David developed “Faust in the 21st
Century,” which projected the myth into the future, to explore what use Dr.
Faust would make of the Devil’s powers in his relentless search for pleasure
and knowledge. Each scene was a separate
improvisation, often based on an Improv Olympics event, such as Time Dash,
Space Jump, Emotional Hurdles and Sound Swim.
Players remained in the same character throughout, but they had to
create a new “where” each time they walked onstage.
Later that year, in a loft in the South Street Seaport district, David worked with a group of teenagers from the Bronx to discover what Don Juan meant to them. Out of that, sprang "Donna Juana." Encouraged by two successful experiences, David returned to Chicago to work on his next project, "Jonah Complex," where the part of God was played by his new co-producer,
Charna Halpern. Again, David employed events from the Improv Olympics to explore these myths and
performances were frequently shaped by audience suggestions.
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| Improv Olympics events |
When David returned to New York in 1983, he composed several improv
manifestos, including one on exploring myths for the future, which I’m sharing
here. He is convinced that any group of
committed individuals, whether they are professional improvisation players or
not, can develop in detail any myth for the 21st century. All they need is a skilled improv coach.
I hope this encourages you to create a myth for the future
with your group.
WHICH MYTHS ARE FOR
THE FUTURE
By David Shepherd
In the past, myths helped people to understand where they
were coming from. But, as Walter Benjamin points out in “Illuminations,” news
has preempted the function of story. The 21st century will arrive
any day now, and neither the news media nor Hollywood seems able to prepare us. I see a
need for myths today – this time to find out where we are going.
A man is asked by God to warn a city that it will soon be
destroyed. The man refuses to carry out this mission until God forces him to
confront the leader of the city. Its inhabitant’s reform, but the vengeful
prophet continues to look forward to the city’s doom until God finally sends
him home. This is the story of Jonah, a
public myth.
A woman believes that her family or the “system” will take
care of her and takes steps getting involved in the legal and social structures that
support her. When the “system” collapses, she suddenly discovers she has only
one real support – herself. This is also the story of Jonah, a private myth.
I believe that myths are not legends about times past but
prophecies about our lives today and tomorrow. The beginning and end of the
world, transformation, conflict and resolution, the striving for a new level of
consciousness – these are all myths for the future, each spotlighting an area
in which our culture will either continue into the 21st century or
be transformed.
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| David Shepherd (center) in Jonah Complex - Chicago, 1981. |
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| Handbook for Faust in the 21st Century |
Michael Golding is a writer, director and
improv teacher. He can be contacted for
workshops, festivals and private consultations at migaluch@yahoo.com. Michael participated in the evolution of the
Improv Olympics & Canadian Improv Games. Artistic director of the Comic
Strip Improv Group in N.Y. & created the Insight Theatre Company for
Planned Parenthood, Ottawa. He is a faculty member at El Camino College
in Los Angeles,
working with at-risk teens and traditional students. He wrote and co-produced the documentary
"David Shepherd: A Lifetime of Improvisational Theatre" (available
for free on YouTube). His book, Listen Harder, a collection of essays,
curriculum and memorabilia on improvisation and educational theatre, is
available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and CreateSpace. Michael holds a BFA
degree in Drama from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts & an MA
degree in Educational Theatre from NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture,
Education & Human Development.
David Shepherd's "manifesto" (as set out in this blog) is sublimely brilliant. It is short, but profound. I encourage any improv group to try to do what David suggested 30 years ago. The result should be an ultra modern take that sheds light on the present by exploring the future or vice versa.
ReplyDeleteShepherd has always had a keen sense of the future. In 1980 for instance, I was mulling about David's improv loft/lab in NYC when a Look magazine caught my eye. I thumbed through the magazine, and found an interview of David in it. In this 1960 article, David spoke about a future in which everyone would walk around with a camera, make up their own stories and share them with one another. In other words, in 1960 he foresaw the world Steve Jobs' iPhone and YouTube would create. I think this "manifesto" is equally insightful. Try it and you might just create a revolutionary form of theatre.