Thrownnest: a proposal for a collaboratively realized play

At my long poem-in-progress blog, Chiaroscuro Metropoli, I have done some thinking out loud about a ventriloquist. That has led me to an idea for a play. Because theatre may well be the ultimate collaborative art, I thought it might be interesting to create a group blog as a platform for the creation of the script. Once you hear my initial ideas, perhaps you'll come to a little fuller idea about why I feel this way.

Here goes….

Each "Character" is a couple or trio belted together, one behind its other, at the waist--

Character A: a male pair belted together facing forward (groin to butt).

Character B: a pair of females joined together same as above.

Character C: a male/female pair bound face-to-face.

Character D: a male/female pair facing forward with female in the back.

Character E: a male/female pair facing forward with male in back.

Character F: a male/female/inflatable doll trio--all facing forward--male in back, doll in the middle, female in front.

Character G: a male/female/inflatable doll trio--male and female facing one another with the doll in between them.

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The play will begin with the Characters arrayed in a half circle. Each Character will work together in a chorus of the whole cast. Each Character will also deliver an individual monologue (or monologues).

In addition to being belted together, the couples/trios will all have marionette strings attached to them. All these strings will come together above them so that the cast as a whole is literally bound together too.

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What I want to work on initially is the various monologues. Each monologue should be understood in its execution to have been ventriloquized, and acted out in such a manner that it is apparent that the dummy is the person in front of the pair or trio, or in the case of the couples facing one another that might get confused.
And it is always possible that the dummy might be smarter than the ventriloquist (a la Charlie McCarthy).

The play, broadly, will be about identity, being, gender, human relations, consciousness and sexuality. It will be, I hope, thoughtful and humorous, provocative and compelling.


I'm looking for serious collaborators/performers to participate in this project. I am looking to work with and learn from others. And I am susceptible to well articulated suggestions. Ultimately, though, I'll function as head writer and director. I'm open to input of all kinds, but the final word will be mine.

Potential participants will need to audition by e-mailing me ideas for a monologue or some other aspect of the project.Specify which couple or trio you would be writing for--keep in mind, though, that multiple writers may well work on one or more of the Characters.

Or if you have other skills to lend-- storyboarding, say, set design, etc., let me know. If you e-mail me, put something in the subject line that refers to this project. If I don't know you, tell me something about yourself.

If your audition is successful, you will be included as a member of this blog, and as a member of the Thrownnest Collective. Work on the project will occur on- and offline. Please don't audition unless you can make a sincere commitment to the project.

I'm looking forward to hearing from you. Whoever you are. Wherever you are.

Cheers.