CHOICE
Place, Poetry and Romantic Facebook
The beautiful scenery of the Lakeside district has a white cottage. A famous Poet. Romanticism. William Wordsworth.
What about it is not this place? Yet there is poetry. And an urge 'to speak from a man to other men'. To call on the beauty of nature. To spread the same words in another era. How would that sound?
I invented a Poet.
He is struggling with social media.
Stop hiding. There is no choice.
Up! Up! My friend, and show your skill
Are you hiding away that shy?
Up! Up! My friend, and post until
You find your reason why
They wait for you on their digital scroll
There seems to be no choice
Post! A video or two below
And give a louder voice!
Mass media. It is an endless strife,
Leave it from your attention
How sweet the music in your life
There are songs to ease your tension
Then. The earth in a new round.
Repetition of time. Decide.
Let out a burst in visual and sound
And go the joyful ride
Go for the encore!
Of which the world needs more!
If there is an ultimate cure
Post a thing as literature
On Facebook’s Heaven of words: there is potential in the immature
You can decide - or really not - it is life
Hiding away is no option to strive
Old Man Travelling
As a setting this story has a bus ride. And quite some.
I took the poem 'Old man travelling' out of William Wordsworth Lyrical Ballads (1798, revised version year 1800). This poem reveals in the end exactly what is revealed here in the first scene.
A dialogue with respect of old age, of seeing life as a journey, about its meaning and its mortality.
O, I did have some fun adding 'young' remarks to it.
It is a lighthearted story about enjoying life and imagination. A lot of that. Maybe up to a crazy amount. Be warned.
Was it for this
For ACT 2,
I have found references from The Prelude (1798 and multiple versions in continuous revisions throughout William his life).
It is considered his Masterpiece starting with his childhood and education as well as his love of nature. It is an autobiographic manuscript of some sorts, though highly intensified and full of symbolism.
It has been published after his death to support his family financially (in1850) and because of his carefully planned life's work - I find it has a certain calmness to it.
About beauty and fear both present in nature. And life questions:
'Why did it become me?' and the very first words of his most famous manuscript: 'was it for this'.
I was inspired by his ideas on SPOTS OF TIME, most meaningful moments in childhood that are only to be recognized much later in life.
The picture above comes from a light spectacle I have seen in the caves of Han in Belgium, the artist for these projections is Luc Petit. To me this light is a visualisation of a SPOT OF TIME.
Up! Up! My friend, and
This project is written and envisioned for both theatre and film. It has a rich story world design, as well as a rich text. Characters are full and this piece has big themes on mortality and reasons to be alive.
This play is published on NPX and available to be used in workshops or any collaborative project.