Screen Moments: Parable of the Sower: Concert Version - AKA Where to Begin
So this is technically a ‘theatre moment’ being streamed by NYU Abu Dhabi due to the distanced times. It was great to get a chance to see it, due to it being a show I would have flew to it’s staging in Amsterdam if I’d had the time and money last year. It will definitely be a part of this blog for me to make my way through the amazing novels of Octavia E. Butler, as if you don’t know the name you soon will. Alongside this brilliant piece of musical theatre/opera there are a few films in development from a couple of her novels. And about time too! She is maybe the most respected Black sci-fi writer confronting all sorts of aspects of the Black experience through what now would be called Afro-futurism.
Unfortunately, this streamed musical version is not still available to be viewed. What you missed was a concert version of the Parable of the Sower, a sharing of the music if you will, and there also were more theatrically staged versions along the process of development of this piece. Luckily, I managed to get a small clip of the lovely rhythms and harmonies used. The show is created by Toshi Reagon for whom this is a labour of love and you can tell has been working on it for many years.
The inspiring thing from watching and listening to this piece is the fact that all works of art have to start somewhere. For all performing arts that starting point begins and ends in such a vulnerable place which is in front of an audience. Being open to feedback and criticism, then the conundrum of how the next stage will be funded and then onward again.
As with a lot of us artists in theatre, we were on the verge of staging final work or literally just about to step into a room with the team for the first time and that’s now paused indefinitely. Theatre stages and therefore seats may not open again even this year, we have to live in a state of readiness to start back and grief that we may never get the chance again. Watching this staging of Toshi’s work reminded me that an artist’s work can go through periods of hibernation, baby steps and leaps. How many baby steps did all of our work take to get ready for the leaps and how many times before has the work had to hibernate while we looked after ourselves, paid the rent or focussed on health and family. So much is unknown but as soon as we have the assurance that the audiences want to come back we’ll gladly shake ourselves awake.
Casual Thought: I wonder how the techniques of filming theatre will become more sophisticated during this time (obvs it will never replace being in a room with bellowing actors, whispering stage managers, humming lights, superglued props, wardrobe malfunctions and haze so much haze!)
Yeah we’ll be back.
