Ancient Stuff (and more food)

There's nothing like keeping a blog to make a person feel like things are spiraling out of control!  I've just spent the last two days workshopping my play, which went well!  The only problem with workshopping something and trying to document it at the same time is that it's hard to think and take pictures all at once.  I did get some photos, I think, and I will post them eventually.  Today, however, I want to share some photos of Ancient Roman Theatre sites, mostly for my own viewing pleasure.

Theatre site in Ancient Roman Aventicum



I have been able to do a  bit of traveling, mostly for research purposes, but also for fun. Generally I drag my traveling companions along with me for side trips to theatre and performance-related excursions.  For instance, the Alpers just took a tour of the puppet museum in Munich with me.  No pictures allowed in there, but it was very thorough and had a lot of puppets as well as whole puppet theatres.  And the kids enjoyed it, too, as long as we kept them out of the wax museum/grand guignol/death mask room and didn't let them get too lost in the abstract expressionist toy theatre  movie, which made the 2 year old just about start to cry, until she saw the Punch and Judy video (which is actually really violent), which both the kids loved.  Go figure.

While there weren't any ancient theatre sites that I was able to see while in Munich (I'm sure they exist, but I had a limited amount of time), I did get to sample some of what they do have in abundance at this time of year:

Spargels!

And spargel season is just beginning!  They were just as good as the vegetable that was (and probably still is) in season in Rome when I was there a couple of weeks ago:

Artichoke!

These were delicious served marinated and steamed or marinated and fried.  We had to sample each variety multiple times to make sure that they were both equally good!

But I came here to talk about theatre, as well as the food.

I recently read The Hunger Games, which is a sort of post-apocalyptic gladiator story, so amphitheatres have been on my mind.  We saw one interesting Roman amphitheatre outside of Basel, but my camera batteries had died by that point.  Good thing I went to Rome so I could see the:

Colosseum!

Which was very exciting, because you could see the labyrinth that was underneath the floor.

In this picture, not only can you see the labyrinth, but you can also see the part of the floor that is currently being reconstructed.

It was just as interesting to see ancient theatre sites that were  not smack in the middle of Rome, which is so cram packed with ancient things I can't even begin to decide which pictures to post! 

For instance,

An obscure fountain grotesque,

OR

Trevi Fountain

OR

An ancient Roman theatre (in Rome) that is now being converted into condos

?

Speaking of Ancient Roman theatre sites, we did make it out to Ostia Antica, which has a very impressive ancient theatre site,



Theatre from the temple grounds.  It's missing the third tier of seating.

As well as a lot of cool mosaics:

Double fish mosaic in the marketplace, also in the center of the city, along with the temple and theatre ruins.

Although the ancient sites in and around Rome were impressive, I thought that the remains of Roman cities in Northern Switzerland were just as interesting.  Perhaps it is because they are in varying states of ruin/reconstruction, so you can see a sort of archaeological history at work (for more information about that, go visit Doug's History Equals Place blog).  Also, the city ruins in Switzerland, unlike Ostia Antica (which is the remains of an entire city preserved because it was completely submerged in river silt for hundreds of years), sprout up amidst the contemporary cities and farm landscape.  Which is certainly true of Rome, as well, but was unexpected for me in Switzerland:

Medieval castle rising over amphitheatre seats in Avenches, Switzerland

Also, I really liked the way that the remains in Roman Aventicum (in and around Avenches) just looked so perfectly like the diagrams I draw on the chalkboard in my theatre history classes. It's just like in the history books - AMAZING!

Just heard a lot of thunder rumbling outside.  Guess it's a sign to get off the computer for tonight.  Especially considering that I think I've finaly completely fried the kitchen wiring (no lights in the kitchen since last Thursday - a good thing the days are getting longer...).



The Magical Mystery of Intragna, and M-Theory!

Today I went on the most beautiful hike I've been on since my arrival in Switzerland.  I hiked up a familiar path towards Pila, then turned left instead of heading back the same way.  It's spring.  The sun is warmer a little higher up and out of Intragna.  Lilacs are in full bloom, bees are buzzing, lizards are leaping.  It's absolutely gorgeous!  AND, I found the most picturesque bridge ever built, nestled in a crevice where three paths and a few waterfalls meet.  It's the one on all of the postcards.  Some lucky family has a cottage in the sunny bit, waterfall behind, stream beside, bridge across the water, complete with a water wheel and a kitchen garden.  They must be a very fit family, since the closest place to park a car is about a 45 minute hike down, or up, depending on your perspective (although I did notice a special funiculare fairly close by that seemed to be devoted to hauling stuff rather than people).  And, of course, I forgot my camera.  So I guess I'll have to go back!

I do have a few pictures of my work in progress masks and puppets that were included in the Dimitri School's recent symposium, Commedia dell'Arte:  Old Traditions/New Horizons?  It was a great way for me to assemble some of the physical pieces of my work on 'Particle Play'.  One curious observer who read all of the signs while I was putting the piece up the night before the Symposium noted, "It's a little bit crazy, isn't it?"  My only response is, yes!  String theory (or really M-Theory, which unites 5 different versions of String Theory) and a lot of theoretical physics IS a little bit crazy.  Or at least I think so.  And almost all of it is still very theoretical, which is why we don't learn about the Standard Model in high school physics, according to Kristina Yancey, another Fulbrighter here in Switzerland.  But it's interesting and exciting territory to explore.

Other presenters at the symposium included Richard Weihe, who had some interesting things to say about the evolution of the Arlecchino figure in German theatrical traditions and the subsequent demise of masked theatre 'North of the Alps;'  Etienne Champion shared his wooden masks, my favorite was a simple wooden clown nose - for some reason so much more appealing than plastic or latex; Alessandro Marchetti performed his La Maschera e il Volto; and the masters students from the Dimitri School performed the final performance of Anfitrione Divorato, which has been in development all year.

Although 'Particle Play' is not at all related to the Commedia dell'Arte, my training has certainly incorporated elements of the form, and masks are an important aspect of the piece.  We figured that it would be a good way to share some of my work and to spark interest in my upcoming workshop.

Warning!  You are about to enter a Planck Space!  Please put on a pair of Dante's 11-D glasses to help you adjust.

A quark in its bucket

Irregular masks

I did have a lot of fun helping people pick out the right pair of glasses, which is funny, since my dad is an optometrist.  Often, people found that the first pair didn't quite fit.  I found myself handing them another pair, saying, "Here, how does this pair work?"  The response was generally, "Better!" 

What do your 11-Dimensional Glasses reveal?

Later that day...

Monday at Fasnacht is a very long day, since it starts at about 2:30 AM.  Even with a mid-morning nap between parade courses, we were completely exhausted by the time we made it back to what we affectionately referred to as our 'pit' at the hostel (what else can you call a hostel dorm room with 12 stinky sleeping people in it?) at the end of the day.  It was a nice pit, and our lovely innkeeper gave us a great discount, so I'm not complaining!

But about Monday afternoon!  The parades started again at 13:30!  These sort of resembled the Guggemusik (good musicians playing badly) bands of the Bellinzona Rabadan, except not at all.  Because these groups, like the fife and drum cliques from the wee hours of the morning, also had satirical themes which were demonstrated by their costumes, masks, and floats from which the Waggis (a traditional Fasnacht character) threw confetti, fruit, and flowers.

This Waggis wanted to give me a flower, but I was too busy taking his picture so I missed his float.  There's a metaphor for my life somewhere in that sentence...

The guggemusik bands were really exciting after an early morning full of piccolo playing (which was also really exciting).  I liked the guggemusik masks because they had holes built in where you could put your horn! 

Guggemusik marching band!

But just because there were guggemusik groups out there doesn't mean that the fifes and drums went away.  Really, for three days, around every corner were more piccolos!  As the days progressed, and more of the 'wild' groups came out, the meetings of piccolo/guggemusik groups became more and more frequent.  There would often be two groups walking in opposite directions, towards one another on the street.  Neither group would ever back down, but they kept marching onwards.  I'm surprised more piccolo vs. trombone fistfights don't sprout up.

Waggis throwing confetti from a wagon



In addition to Waggis on wagons, there were some wild ones, running around throughout Fasnacht.  Their job is to stuff confetti down your shirt/jacket/scarf/whatever if you are not wearing your blaggedde:

Fasnacht badge

The blaggedde is basically your ticket to Fasnacht.  Proceeds from the sales of these pins help the official cliques organize for next year's celebration.  As far as the wild waggis chasing un-blaggedded people around, I think that's just an excuse.  Seemed like a lot of people wearing their pins were accosted as well!

I was surprised that entire cliques would just leave their masks, lanterns, and gear out on the street while they were taking breaks in bars and restaurants.  It wasn't uncommon to see a whole group's masks just lined up, apparently unattended throughout the day.

Masks and drums taking a break

The political commentary of this festival is not limited to the lanterns, which are impressive.  Throughout the days, many politically-themed cliques roamed the streets.  Also, the tradition of Schnitzelbanggling takes place most evenings of the festival at private parties.  We caught a glimpse of some unofficial Schnitzelbangglers on Sunday evening (before anything was supposed to be happening!) and I'm glad we did.  Although we searched, we couldn't find any on the evenings they were supposed to be happening.  Not that we would have understood much anyway.  The commentary is sung entirely in Swiss German by a masked singer, accompanied by illustrated placards.  Mostly it's local politics that are up for grabs, but, as with the lanterns, global events and issues also make it into the year in review.

Parody of a parody - a 'Schnitzelbanggler' marches in the Guggemusik parade.

A float featuring BP workers instead of Waggis handing out flowers

Marching Miners

And it wouldn't be Fasnacht without a few traditionally masked piccolo players...

That's all for now... More soon!