Name: Dr ML Godin
Dr ML Godin (writer, director, costume designer,host) is a writer and performer whose autobiographical treatment of Helen Keller's time on vaudeville called The Star of Happiness is proud to be one of Horse Trade’s touring shows. She received her Ph.D. in early modern literature from NYU’s English department in January 2009 and has taught many classes on poetry, literature, and the great books of Western Civilization. When she is not teaching and writing she performs at comedy, storytelling, and variety shows such as Tell Your Friends, The Liar Show and Alter Ego. She is a proud winner of the Moth Story Slam and the faithful sidekick of Sideshow Goshko! The Spectator & the Blind Man is Godin’s first ensemble piece and her debut as a director.
What’s your show about?
The Spectator & the Blind Man is about the history of the
invention of braille, which starts with a sideshow spectacle and ends with
revolution as told by six actors who are more or less blind to the parts they
play.
What inspired you to write it?
When I first arrived in New York, it was as a grad student. I was
interested in the relationship between metaphorical
light and blindness and their literal counterparts. I read books on the
history of the education of the blind and found some very interesting little
stories that did not fit neatly into the grand narrative, but that nonetheless
kept popping up in all the otherwise dry histories of progress, for the good reason that they
were good stories. After obtaining my PhD and finding a new life in the
performance world, I finally hit upon my approach to these stories. It would be
through first person narratives that are embedded in but do not mirror, the
grand historical arc. These little stories of triumph and degradation reveal shimmering microscopic views that
complicate the history in which they play.
Who else is involved with the show?
I am so flattered to have so many talented artists get on board for this splattering of my inner
landscape on stage! Most of them I've met through the downtown performance
scene where I have often witnessed their talents as writers, musicians and
comedians. Some are collaborators and coconspirators of long standing with whom
I have thought deeply about the creation and execution of art. And several of
us have a strong academic background which gives this project its deep and
nerdy roots in source material.
Who is your dream audience for this show?
This is a dark and humorous work inspired by my research into the
history of the education of the blind and informed by my own degenerative eye
disease. It is for the metaphorically and literally challenged, which means
that no one escapes the gentle finger pointing!
Our target audience would be readers of history and philosophy, lovers
of speculative fiction, nerdy intellectuals with a steam punk aesthetic as well as those
interested in the visual arts. We have one painter, one dancer, one conceptual
artist, one filmmaker, and one art
historian all working to make the show spectacular.
Who are your biggest influences?
The great thinkers of western civilization, authors of speculative
fiction who write with a sense of humor about histories great and small, as
well as the scrappy artists and
performers I have seen and worked with in the East village performance scene
and its surroundings for almost a decade.
What other shows are you planning to see at FRIGID?
I am looking forward to My Box and Sisters Grimm as these are
shows of friends who I have watched and learned from for several years. I am
also hoping to rope in a verbally adept sighted friend to go with me to A Day
in the Life of Miss Hiccup so that I might experience that show!
What's next for you after FRIGID?
I will finish this
collection of stories of Seeing &
Not-Seeing. I have twenty in various stages of completion, six of which are
featured in this stage production.
The first story "How I Became a Cyclops" inspired my
dear friend Nellie to make a painting of The Cafe of the Blind. We
plan to take the show to San Francisco, where I and Nellie are from, and make an art/theater spectacular!
Lightning round
Paper or plastic? Igor GuideDog and I find at least two uses for plastic each day
Comedy or drama? Tragical comedy with a touch of horror
Beach or mountains? Splendidly craggy gothic
Alps!
Black box or proscenium? We have a deep black box
heart with a vast proscenium point of
view!
Glee or Smash? Brain smash!
Cats or dogs? Lap dogs and other useful canines!(please see also above
'paper/plastic')
Musical or straight play? Epic embedded in lyric
The Spectator & the Blind Man plays at The Kraine Theater on the following dates:
Feb 25, 10:15PM
Feb 27, 10:15PM
Mar 02, 8:25PM
Feb 27, 10:15PM
Mar 02, 8:25PM
No comments:
Post a Comment