{"id":9545,"date":"2018-01-09T10:15:00","date_gmt":"2018-01-09T18:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/Becomeimmersed.com\/?p=9545"},"modified":"2019-11-11T17:43:01","modified_gmt":"2019-11-12T01:43:01","slug":"ceaseless-fun-agnosia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/becomeimmersed.com\/ceaseless-fun-agnosia\/","title":{"rendered":"Ceaseless Fun’s Agnosia Explores Where One Person Begins and Another Ends"},"content":{"rendered":"

Agnosia, the new immersive show from LA-based performance and arts production company Ceaseless Fun, examines the impact of a loss, aiming to \u201clook at what is left in light of what is gone.\u201d Haunting talks to artistic director Derek Spencer about this first\u00a0installment\u00a0and what is to follow in their thematically linked season of three episodes,\u00a0The Outline of a Human<\/em>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Inspiration<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\n

\u201cAt no point did I sit down to make a show about loss. I think I was always more interested in a show about how a person can come to define themselves through what they see in another. I wanted to explore a duality: where does one person begin and the other end? It just so happens that loss is a great mechanism for asking these questions.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Ceaseless Fun\u2019s goal is to \u201cpresent critically engaging and socially-activating work in ways that excite, haunt, and mobilize our audiences.\u201d And\u00a0The Outline of a Human<\/em>\u00a0certainly fits within this remit, allowing Spencer to \u201cmake work that prompts dialogue and challenges assumptions.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The first in the trilogy, Agnosia, grew from ancient poetic roots, into a tree with diverging branches: \u201cOriginally, I was just interested in devising an adaptation of the Epic of Gilgamesh. As I started digging into the text and outlining and reading, though, I felt a number of distinct ideas and concepts separating themselves from each other. What started as one of many pitches for our adaptation turned into a sort of prologue piece, which in turn became a standalone show. It shares themes with Gilgamesh, but no longer draws on that text.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Agnosia<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

An <\/strong>Individual Experience<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Agnosia is an immersive experience that patrons will journey through alone, and as such, raises the question of the level of agency to be expected. Spencer describes this as \u201ca challenging prospect.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes there\u2019s an urge to give the audience as much agency in as many ways as possible. I\u2019d like to think that I make these decisions based on what format will best suit the themes and ideas we\u2019re interested in exploring.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t necessarily say that we are exploring the audience member\u2019s identity and narrative here, though I certainly hope we give them perspective on their own experiences! As any immersive actor can tell you, though, the energy and responsiveness of an audience member can have a profound impact on the tone of the show. We\u2019ve been working in the rehearsal room to tune in to each audience member\u2019s presence, and to use that energy as the actors see fit.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAll that being said, this show allocates the most narrative power to the audience member of any show I\u2019ve worked on. The audience will make several choices that impact the narrative beats of the show.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Expectations of Space<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\n

\u201cThere is \u201cnarrative\u201d to be found in any action that happens over time, but audiences should not expect a traditional story.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Spencer promises an \u201cintimate\u201d show, which \u201cwill definitely involve touching and non-verbal interaction.\u201d And with little to no reliance on technology, \u201caudiences should expect themes and effects to be conveyed through performance, movement, and interactivity.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re thinking conceptually about negative space, so it\u2019s not always going to be something physical. In the instance of this show, two key examples are the absence of a person, and by the absence of light. I think it\u2019s worth pointing out that there is \u2018negative space\u2019 inherent in so much of what is there and what we do: the things we don\u2019t say, the people we don\u2019t see, the distances between us all. I think the project isn\u2019t so much about creating negative space, but reckoning with the negative space already in front of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Space is also important in terms of the locations in which Agnosia, and the following two shows, are to be housed: \u201cI\u2019m as interested in site-responsiveness as I am in immersion, so it\u2019s hard to pass up a chance to work in a new space. We hope to keep finding poetry in the use of new and interesting spaces. Without giving too much away, the upcoming shows will be in some pretty unique spots.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

An Exploration in Three Parts<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\n

\u201cAttacking the same core issues from three very different angles seems like a good way to push the post-show conversation into a critical, productive place.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Agnosia is to be followed by They Who Saw the Deep, which returns more closely to the source material of Gilgamesh, before moving onto the final chapter, The Stars. Although connected, Spencer promises that \u201ceach show will stand independently and without much reference to one another.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t say that we look at different aspects of the human condition in each, but I would say that we\u2019ll use a different lens.\u00a0Agnosia\u00a0kicks the series off on a microscopic level. We’re taking a fine lens and looking at the most basic way in which we know ourselves: in relation to the other. From there, the series will slowly scope out.\u00a0They Who Saw the Deep\u00a0will look more broadly at the foundations of community and the ways in which our own personal narratives and goals constitute the identity of the collective. And finally,\u00a0The Stars\u00a0will look at society as a whole — our identity as it can be deciphered through consumption, and the space we fill in the very system itself.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI like to think that, together with my collaborators, I\u2019m creating a world with multiple perspectives and access points. It\u2019s up to the audience what meaning they\u2019d like to make out of this experience.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Agnosia<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Agnosia<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Agnosia, a short form experience, asks a single audience member to step into a home turned upside-down by\u00a0loss. Memory, recognition, and even sensory-experience all become unreliable as the audience is asked to examine how unexpected tragedy is absorbed into one\u2019s own identity and narrative.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WHERE:\u00a0Lincoln Heights<\/p>\n

WHEN:\u00a0January 18 \u2013 January 26, 2018<\/p>\n

RUNTIME:\u00a020-25 minutes<\/p>\n

TICKETS:\u00a0$20, available at\u00a0agnosia.bpt.me<\/a><\/p>\n

Directed by:\u00a0DEREK SPENCER<\/p>\n

Featuring:\u00a0DAKOTA LOESCH,\u00a0EMILY YETTER,\u00a0SCOTT MONAHAN<\/p>\n

Produced by:\u00a0MEREDITH TREINEN<\/p>\n

Designed by:\u00a0LIAM MOORE<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For more information on immersive events in your area, check out Haunting’s event map<\/a>, calendar<\/a>, and catalog<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Agnosia, the new immersive show from LA-based performance and arts production company Ceaseless Fun, examines the impact of a loss, aiming to \u201clook at what is left in light of what is gone.\u201d Haunting talks to artistic director Derek Spencer about this first\u00a0installment\u00a0and what is to follow in their thematically linked season of three episodes,\u00a0The…<\/p>\n

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