Closing night, opening summer!

Ah, the closing night of a show usually has a bittersweet feel - there's often a bit of relief, combined with the sadness of knowing that no matter how close a cast has become, the family is breaking up. And of course, the adrenaline of wanting to make it the best show EVER.
Happily, we are merely closing here in Portland, but the excitement of the tour is building. (I am researching RV roof sealants at the moment! WOohoo!)

The open mics this weekend have been pretty special. Thursday night J--- got onstage (he hadn't signed up, but we had a few no-shows) and asked for a volunteer, and Mary was up for it. They created a beautiful piece of contact improv, coupled with J---'s poem and improvised accompaniment, one willing audience member drumming out a beat on one of the boxes.

Last night (Friday) was totally powerhouse (and probably way too long, but man, there was so much good stuff). D---- started things off with a poem about sacred cock worship, K---- described an incredible night with two lovers, C---- shared a story about fucking his woman with another man, and getting both their cocks inside her at once (whew - it was freaking hot). We had world's cutest couple do pieces back to back that gave us a delightful window into their sex life - including an audience sing-along of The Lion Sleeps tonight, and an erotic softball charade. I know! You so wish you were there!

I am mulling over some criticism I read recently about the show. This particular audience member felt like it lacked eroticism - he felt like he was sitting next to his mom, watching their next door neighbor. And of course, at first I felt that familiar panic of "oh no, I've done something wrong! Someone doesn't like the show! I failed." But I am getting a hold of myself (writing about it helps).
I do appreciate hearing other viewpoints of the show-as you might imagine, I tend to hear the good stuff, and people censor their criticisms when speaking to the shows creator (though given enough time, I will ask for and receive analytical feedback).

My original intention in creating this piece was to explore the feeling of desire - specifically in a theatrical context. As a lifelong theatre goer, I find I can remember few instances of feeling desire while watching a show. I was curious if that is something we block in a public setting, or is it that theatre, ostensibly able to hold the mirror up to humanity, is challenged in creating a feeling of (sexual) desire that an audience can share?

So when someone sees the show and is left dry, as it were, I worry we haven't met the challenge. But
Inviting Desire is an experiment, to see what it's like to portray desire, and to discover if an audience responds. Perhaps that won't be everyone. I think some people relate to some parts and not to others. God knows I have read hundreds of erotic stories that didn't move me in the slightest.

With this version of the show, I do feel that we are more removed from the audience. (I personally really miss the erotic hairpulling segment). I wonder if that keeps some people from actively feeling turned on. But I have heard from a number of people that parts of the show really did do it for them. Perhaps more so when we were right up against them in the church (literally - for those who missed the Fertile Ground version - the audience was at our feet, sometimes we tripped over them- and the venue was an old converted church).

But with this version I think it needed to have some remove. (The venue itself kind of creates that - being in IFCC creates a much more palpable sense of "being in the theatre") - and secondly, it's the version we are taking on tour. We are going to unknown cities in Canada, using venues we have never seen, with an audience that could very well be less than Portland-receptive. The show had to adapt. It needed to become more theatrical, and hense, perhaps less viceral.

And I suppose I don't so much mind the sense that you might be sitting by your mom, watching your next door neighbor. The other part of the mission in creating this show was to open up the topic of sexuality. Guess what, you're mom has sex, and so does your next door neighbor. And if this show helps you to be open and appreciative of that, then super. I didn't fail.