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12/2/1973 - Dreams by Kenneth Cavander

INSTITUTE OF CURRENT VORLD AFFAIRS KC Dreams St Ronan Terrace Ne Haven Connecticut 06511 December Mr Richard H Nolte Institute Current Afairs Fifth Avenue Ne York N Y 10017 Dear Nolte Last month I I worked score actors responded announcement I placed trades Now I would happened I process stage further At October I eighteen people I thought worth seeln I wanted I serve double purpose searching audition value research So I devised single fairly complex exercise which I several times eighteen tried groups varying people Before I describe exercise orked background IIttle Everyone famLltar feelin ChaC reached Kenneth Cavander Institute Fellow concerned Origin continuing force society individual lives impasse relationship problem solution means known conscious Artists nuclear physicists experience people domestic financial problems And sometimes always certain states whether awake state distracted state state exalt atlon despair dream solution presents itself Not thought result logical process induct deductive Just there Where answer fromT What helps appear What source inspiration could learn touch often These questions faced creative But could posed answered consciously result certain techniques skills developed purpose That starting point exercise I developed month I summed actors saying simplest undeniable thing doing these things hearing these words And certain feelings seBsatlons which reports which definitely because Beyond there indirect sources knowledge opinions values hearsay memories which vague unverifiable Suppose there another knowledge altogether knowledge knowledge which sleeper receives dream which helps solve problem waking Is knowledge available exist could create situation which could touch The exercise followed designed create situation surface particula possible situation which imaginary characters reach impasse point which needs expense needs other neither ground without violating something wants badly himself Then would attempt apparent people found themselves This allowed actors their grasp reality called everyday reality themselves their acting technique alowed press another quality performer stretch aglnatlon exercise powers fantasy intuition It might clear I original situation which started I remind R D Laing Brltlsh psychlarlst called Knos In Knots Latng composed series abstract poetic models suatlons In which people hemselves mpasse I creae lines oneself Here Is I wrote aarller exercise JACK If I allows passive I JILL I because makes controlling manipulating uatlon I JACK If I because controlling situation JILL If I because makes passive because taking because want_ You I The element waking element The actors asked create situation through Improv isalon vlvidly believably concrete posslble There another element though which conssted other actcr spectators scene enacted They given another function They special magic circle marked space special established convention dreams could place The actors watching scene their entire existence dream space certain moment exercise became dreams whose dreams people scene witnessing That moment reached actors improv isins reached point deadlock question there nowhePe They impasse Then mutual agreement often verbal signal stepped dream ground From point ceased behave waking state They allowed themselves become sleepers would dream could dream wanted They their inations reign other actors spectators going enact puppet whatever sleepers asked proviso drsmpuppets initiative could change ransform metaphorical instructions received Imaginations nutttons about scene wltnessed Let pause recapitulate various posslb1tes available There people One Just through emotional experience which identified characters insoluble problem their relationship Their emotions actors should engaged There another people actors watching scene Their emotions would engaged though different Then these people brought together common ground where could allow fantasy problem sharing What would happen Would there solutlons Or would there mirror original impasse Or The first discovered In circumstances ourselves people allow hemselves dream The single greates barrier successful working exercise probably really special apart place which Co Given llmlCaClon however fascnaClng variety things could happening A simplest scale dreams would Co ideallzalon improvisation expression parclpans waned himself other person A variation emotions ChaC In check lmprovlsatlon Co released dream figures would asked enact hostile satrlc versions characters images would become split appeared asked battle Or original couple would alernae scenarios Just happened Then worked longer people began sense possible convention predictable dreams emerged It started physical gestures which often found metaphorical represent ation acted other conscious directions The actors would hands twisted bodies cross purposes Ical entanglement belied verbal instructions being given Then freed their imaginations transformations occurred grotesque unearthly Dream figures would through forest example after series strange shifts locale themselves fountain where dialogue started between dream figure sleeper which dveloped slapstick battle imaginary weapons In another session dreams became projections sleepers overriding emotions monstrous shapes In another acted complete scenario original situation trans located another relationships This acting subtext because follow pattern original rather restating terms immediately communlcable dilemma level symbols imagery Obviously exercise could close exploring depths should Actors three hours which could rehearse beoome totally immersed their knots place wherthe dreams place sufficiently clearly differentiated liberating everyone understood fully required their imagination right preparation undertaken perfect exercise actors All I convinced important productive direction future The dreams should brough In waklng should cound Interpreted eventually integrated Many posslblllties present themselves I encouraged I course month member faculty Princeton Un versity I mentioned letter ducting calls dream laboratory His approach individual throush period meditation concen tration provide place sleep where dream relevant problem facing Then sleeps place which decor helpful images symbols waking asked report dream The model procedure ancient custom sleeping temple Aesculapius where person could spend night visited deity ailment The Princeton experiments sometimes include acting dream often though gaining access images helpful unborn psyche Sometimes dreams explicable detract their value There seems tendency researcher tells dreams readlly dreamer suggests himself service himself community How connects I quite But I mention example synchronous event always interests provides little consolation lonelier moments The sessions I described wound being testing auditioning phase The create specific scenarios which I could invite group actors hopefully early And I shall spending weeks doing Also during December I shall working observing effects based middle eastern legends which I developing This which I referred Newsletter amalgam stories Arabian Nights Sufi teaching fables Hassidc tales In complements workshops I conducting month These legends often dismissed baroque effusions middle eastern mentality actually contain mysterious something valuable suggestion alter native logics perceiving reality But because stories exotic present themselves unnerving combination mystical farcical especially difficult extract For I thought important no__t_t direct I could stand benefit another person imagination This production original stories their twists turns their sudden reverses fortune their leaps miraculous stand their What happen mixture medieval Arabic Jewish twentleh century western technological Performing production There which I should myself Meanwhile interested seeing version progress Manhattan Theatre Club East Street New York December II The title piece MAROUF THE COBBLER OF CAIRO Sincerely Kenneth Cavander Received New York December