My new landlord!

I just googled my new landlord!!!!!!!!

http://www.canyonsam.com/index.html

Maybe she can help with something? holla!

dianne.

December to do's

Okay, I am missing working with everyone already....pathetic I know, still thinking about the pieces we created and how honored I am to be working with you guys! Enough cheezeballness

I wanted to post stuff: Shows and movies I would like to see this December...this is my wishlist, just wanted to share in case you guys also want to check out these events around the city.

Thursday, December 11 at 8pm (the play is three hours long!)
ARACADIA $8
SFSU Creative Arts Building, Studio Theatre

Tom Stoppard’s theatrical masterpiece, set in an English country manor, is a funny, poignant and deeply intelligent meditation on love, mortality, poetry, history and the beautiful enigmas of chaos theory.

By Tom Stoppard. Directed by William Peters.

Saturday, December 13 at 8pm
THE AMERICA PLAY $15
The Thick House 1695 18th Street, SF

Through the character of the Foundling Father -- a black man, a gravedigger, and a look-alike for Abraham Lincoln -- and the family searching for him, THE AMERICA PLAY explores the American dream of greatness and the impulse - creative, and destructive - to find one's place in the pattern of history.

Sunday, December 14 at 12:45 pm
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Embarcader0 cinema

1 Embarcadero Center (Battery & Sacramento)

San Francisco, CA 94111

Wednesday or Thursday, December 17 or 18 at 8pm (hella expensive)
ARABIAN NIGHTS
2025 Addison Street, berkeley, ca

Mary Zimmerman’s Argonautika was a sold-out, seven-week sensation. Now she returns to Berkeley Rep with her remarkable take on The Arabian Nights. The Tony Award-winning creator of Metamorphoses made her career by reanimating ancient myths, and here she breathes new life into the legend of the 1,001 nights. To save her life, a beautiful bride must spin hypnotic tales of genies, jesters, thieves and kings—winning her freedom by eventually winning her husband’s heart. As he falls under Scheherazade’s spell, Zimmerman enchants the audience as well with her signature style that transforms simplicity into the sublime. Amidst a thousand tales of honor, revenge and humor, only love emerges victorious.

Saturday, December 10 at 8pm
MACBETH $25
1901 Ashby Avenue, Berkeley, CA

Meet the Macbeths: two young, wealthy hipsters with exceedingly sharp tastes in clothing and insatiable appetites for more of everything. Their empty cradle leaves them unable to make a life for themselves, and their ambitions turn toward more material means of self-definition: money, fashion, fame and power! Macbeth has never looked so good, or killed with such style.

Macbeth runs 2 hours, 20 minutes including an intermission.

December 6 Open Rehearsal Images

December 6 Open Rehearsal Images

Open Rehearsal

Tayo Tayo Open Rehearsal

Saturday, December 6 at 4pm

Bayanihan Community Center
1010 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94103

Artists meet at 12-3:30pm

Show Line Up and Needs

1) Okay, here is the line up as well as a list of what we need for each one:
Remember which costume, prop and music piece you are responsible for.

CLOWN LOVE with Ying and G
costume
pink dress
head gear for braces
pants, vest, bow tie
music
bass

RED CUP BREAKFAST with Mel
costume
black
props
red mug
blanket

WEAVING with Lorna, Aureen, Mel plus additional women
costume
jeans and hooded jacket
music
acoustic guitar

ONE CHAIR with Ava and G
mask characters

COLORS with Dianne, Ying, Gemma and Lorna
costume
simple colors responsibility of actors
props
lamps with colored bulbs cloth

PINK ELEPHANT with whole ensemble
costume
all black
pink elephant mask
music
gurgling sound effect

MASKS
mask characters
each character responsibility of actor


2) Next week: Saturday, December 6

12 noon at Bayanihan
rehearsal 12-3:30
break 3:30-4pm
open rehearsal 4-5pm

Bring food and drinks to snack on, your costumes, props and music pieces.
Bring people you think would be interested in participating or giving constructive feedback.

Sunday Rehearsal--at the Velascos

11/30/08

Hi Everyone,

Here's a list of the work we have done:

Red Cup Breakfast
Wrinkled Hands Weathered
Man Woman Mars Venus
Toy Box Building Blocks
Clown Love
Weaving
10 minute freewrites
Laban Chacracters (Mel/Thurst, Ava/Thrust, G/Slash, Gemma/Press, Lorna, Float)
Colors (Yellow, Twilight, Pink, Blue)
Pink Elephant
Leyte Landslide
Masks

living masks part 2

living masks part 1

our masks

Mask-making @ the Velascos

Hi all,

Here are some photos from our last mask-making venture a couple Saturdays ago. It shows our work with clay, tools, newspapers, etc. What beautiful masks!

Greg in full concentration mode

Gemma using her fingers to make the cheek bones

Christina's pink elephant ears *cue bubble sound*

Mel using asymmetry to guide the contour of her mask - skills!
We look like mask-making masters!
Tayo Tayo!

Sunday Rehearsal--Change of time

Hi Everyone,

This Sunday rehearsal is 9:30-12pm......we can't rehearse at a later time since the building will be closed.

Also next Sunday is Thanksgiving weekend......and we need another venue to rehearse in since the building will be closed for the holiday week...let me know if you have any other suggestions.....L

Rehearsals 2008

Here's the rest of the schedule ahead of time for everyone:
Thurs 11/20: 6:30-9pm Finish Mask at the Velascos
Sun 11/23 4:30-7pm Room 21 (make note of the later date)
Sun 11/30 9:30-12 Room 21 (usual morning time)
Sat 12/6 12pm-6pm Bayanihan (open rehearsal)

We only have a few more rehearsals left before we take a long break. Please make sure you make it to all.

aureen's brain farts

What do you want to watch on stage? (10 minutes)
I am primarily interested in stage work that is experimental and is thinking outside the box. Something that is innovative. I guess the question is what is innovative to me. I think I’ve seen a lot of theaterical works that are innovative in its concept and its presentation but there’s always a fall back pattern to what is comfortable. I have to also admit that I have not seen many experimental theater. Many of the shows I’ve seen are mostly from Bindlestiff or other ethnic based theater groups. I have also seen a few Broadway musicals. Perhaps this is not enough to truly judge the works I have seen. Maybe the question for me is not what I want to see on stage, but maybe why I don’t watch theater.
All I know is I am so annoyed of the same story being told. The immigration story, the identity story, the conflict between US and homeland, the heterosexual love story, all these stories have become redundant and traditional in the “community based theaters.” A more interesting stage play for me would revolve surrealism and dark comedy and no more melodramatic stuff. I cannot sit through sappy monologues. So what if your gay? What about it? So what if you suffered racism? What about it? I am more interested at how we internalize our oppressions and how it affects those around us. Since I am so tired of anything melodramatic, I gravitate towards more comedic plays. Or at least a balance of the two.
Things I really liked: Passing Strange

What can you bring to stage? (10 minutes)
I think I have a lot of good ideas that have yet to be harnessed. I think I have a lot of talents that I haven’t been able to tap into just yet. I think I am funny, I have comedic timing. I usually have some type of social commentary to be made with anything I do. Although I make fun of a lot of things, I am an extremely sensitive and serious with the things I do. I am so tired right now but I just want to get through this ten minutes thing. Anyway what I have to offer is my passion in artistic expression. I am so tired right now, this girl on bart is having a break up moment with her man. Wow, drama. She’s telling him how he owes her money. Women, why do we always suffer the financial burden? I think its all across the board, any women we see this type of thing happening. Is that why we get pimped? But some women do manipulate men to their advantage. Women of color and men of color have an interesting dynamic. There’s a lot more to deconstruct. The levels of oppression complicates the basic love story. Right? I think so. Anyway see, that’s what I have to offer. I think I have a way of translating real life to page and stage. I like to eavesdrop. That’s a skill right? I think I gravitate towards stories.


What is it that is holding you back? What you can do about it? (10 minutes)
A lot of whats holding me back is financial strains. I think when I first started going to the stiff, I was working and going to school. I’m at that same situation now and it hinders my art. I have never fully committed to art because of fear. Fear that it wouldn’t make mmoney or its not prestigious enough. Fear that the art I produce will be ridiculed or be criticized in some way. I think because I don’t have a car, and because I’m always broke has always delayed my artistic growth. I wish that I could just dive in to it. I think there is also a sense of obligation that constrains my art. For example, right now I feel an obligation to the greater Filipino community is much more urgent in affecting change. That’s why I chose to major in AAS. I feel like I want to help people directly as opposed to through art. You know the saying if you want to change the world you become a politician or an artist. I guess I’m conforming to the political side. Is that wrong? I don’t know. All I know is my passion in art will never die out. The fire will always burn. Sometimes I have this pressure to accomplish things while I’m young, but that’s not exactly true or realistic. What else are you supposed to do for the rest of your life if you already accomplished everything in your younger years. An artist always learns. An artist yearns to learn. An artist always wants growth. So anyway back to my schpeal, I want to commit to art after I finish my obligation, but then the question rises, how come I cant have that same sense of urgency in art. Or sharing that urgency through art as opposed to a thesis. I guess AAS provides me the tools to become a stronger artist.

melanie's freewrite

1.  what do you want to watch on stage?

i want to watch something inspiring.  something witha  message. what that message would be, i'm not sure.  i would like to watch a show that gives the audience something to leave with aesthetic-wise; something that causes the audience to say 'hmmm...' and sigh.  i'd like to see colors in the form of lighting and texture.   i am reminded of an OA show before... i can't recall the title of the production, but the movement was so inspiring (it was the one where tone and jasper were helped each other escape/fight against oppressive powers).  the message was clear - it related to pinoy culture.  i would like to see a show that incorporates philippine-based stories, but then again i would like to see something that can relay a message across cultures.

2.  what can you bring on stage?

my confidences decreases - or i am hesitant and unsure of how to answer this question.  i don't exactly know what i can bring on stage.  all i can say is that i am committed to gaining more experience and will bring a dedicated energy to stage.  i can bring music... i can bring drama.  comedy would be a challenge for me, i feel.  i love to laugh and make funny remarks, but when it's staged... it feel unnatural for me to execute it well.  i'd like to say , though, that i can bring anything i practice.  i can bring a playfulness to stage, and i can be serious if needed.  i'd love to bring shadows too.

3.  what is it that's holding you back? what can you do about it?

i have minimal experience/training in movement and theater - and that contributes to my low confidence / hesitations.  i do have a great interest in performance theater,  but i am used to being part of a large group on stage - where i can hide in the crowd.  i've been reading up on movement and theater and i can continue the tayotayo trainings, go to more shows, take time to create, take classes and partake in more productions... and just trust myself.

(sorry guys, obviously i don't use capital letters when i type ;P)

see you guys tomorrow!  i'll be present with all my vague ideas, so i'll really need your help in flushing some concrete work out :)

-me.

Christina's Freewrite and Past three ideas

What do I want to see on stage? I want to see great story telling onstage. I've been getting really frustrated with musicals and their disjointed storytelling and then all of a sudden there is Happy ending. i feel I've become too cynical for musicals, but i find a way to enjoy them. I enjoy things that are a little too tragic. I like to see things that are not by t the book. Thing that are different and challenges what i feel about a particular genre of a show. I like seeing performances that challenge my perspective and help me see things differently then I how i saw them before. A performer can be authentic yet different. I think people need to evolve as performers. I want to see some freaking pink elephants with blue tutus.

What can I contribute on stage and what is holding me back? In most performances I give 110% whether I am performing, producing, or directing. If I hated the show at least I gave my all. It wall authentically me each time therefore I have no regrets about any show that I've done. For most movement dance shows I feel my body responds well for most styles except for things that are extremely ridged such as ballet. I hate ballet, but if I am involved in something that I believe in my body responds well. As a dancer and as a performer that is what I count on the most. My insecurities probably hold me back the most. I tend to step back when I feel intimidated and unheard. I procrastinate and I don't explore new things as much as I should. The changes in my body freak me out. I wish I had the 16 year old skinny and limber body I used to have. I would feel more confident in my stage presence and with experimenting with movement. Its so silly to worry about these things. However, right now I have a perspective on thing so hopefully I will change. I feel a sense of Independence and freedom that I haven't felt in a really long time.

Well what can I do about it? I feel like I am already taking drastic measures. I am applying to three performing arts master programs. Two of them outside of the bay. I know I want to continue to be a part of the performing arts community, and as a leader of the subject in the whelm of academia. I wish I was dancing more, but there are only so many hours within a day. If my laziness and procrastination doesn't get to the best of me then i feel like I can achieve these goals. This past moth I was involved in an alumni performance with my high school color guard/ dance team. I found this new awakening in my body. I was able to do things that I was able to do as a teenager. As long as I continue to not limit myself in my possibilities and potential I'll be fine. I can't let self doubt get int the way of achieving full potential.

First idea. This is from the movement in 06. I wanted to do piece on the Leyte landslide. At first I wanted to make into a political piece when I heard the landslide was created by deforestation, but since those theories have been dis proven I want to make it into a more human piece. Where we start with people laying on the ground with brown cloth over them, and the events of what happened before that would rewind showing what these people were doing before the landslide happened. It would a glimpse of their happiest moments from their marriages, to their birth, and eventually when the trees in their village was planted.

Second idea: This is an idea for movement 07. I wanted to have a pregnant teenage girl who battles with an aswang. Playing on the myth that aswangs eat pregnant women's babies. I wanted the aswang to represent this young woman's struggle of being pregnant at such an early age. Having the aswang echo the doubts and hatred put upon her by her family and her self doubt.

Last idea: A one woman movement piece. Her birth, her childhood, to adulthood, to her death all developed through movement on stage.

The crazy Chinay is signing off! Love you guys.

Mask Making and Rehearsal

Hi Folks,

MASKS: Reminder, this Thursday 11/13 evening at the Velascos. Masks: putting layers and layers of paper mache. 7pm start and hopefully done by 9pm. Feel free to come early as well. I will be home. This is the second step. The third will be letting it dry and then painting. So we will need to meet a third time to finish.

MOVEMENT: Sunday 9:30-12 (tentative date, I'll confirm when we secure a room)
We won't have the masks ready for this Sunday so let's continue the vision workshop. We did mine, so I think Christina and Mel are next? So please post your freewrites before Sunday and we'll work on them both for this Sunday. After Sunday rehearsal, we can go back to the Velascos garage and finish the masks. So, if you can carve another hour and a half into doing this. Otherwise you can bring the masks home after Thursday to finish them yourself and I can give you verbal instructions.

Let me know if you have any questions...just add it onto the comment page....Lorna

Masks

Rehearsal 10:45 am-1:45pm

The Velascos Garage

Please bring your notes for your character and also character sketches.

We'll be working through lunch, so if you get hungry, bring something. I will provide snacks and drinks.

Saturday Rehearsal-NOV 1 9:30-12 ROOM 21

Reminder-rehearsal this Saturday 9:30-12 Room 21 (studio space)

Please load your freewrites if it's your turn to create work. We need to read your writing again so we can review what it is you want in your piece.

Last week's review:

Warm ups include Sun Salute/Laban Cube/Contact Improv

Read through each freewrites, every week will be devoted to each person's vision. Last week was Lorna's vision of beauty, absurd, quirky. We came up with two performance pieces: Weaving and Clown Love.

Next Saturday:

Christina's elephant in pink tutu

Lorna's Freewrite

1. What do you want to watch on stage? In terms of characters, stories, location, visual, sound, emotion etc. What don't you see and would like to see?

I want to see something beautiful, something quirky, the absurd. Off the map, not on the tried and true path. I want to be surprised, enchanted, inspired, to laugh and to learn. I have seen incredible performances not meant to be performed. Whether it’s beautiful Balinese women out in the morning spreading flowers and rice on delicately woven leaves throughout the neighborhood, looking regal or a young boy on top of a crumbling tower tearing pieces from a black plastic bag so when the wind catches them, he’s looking at the black butterflies he imagined and created. Walking down the street with eyes wide open various scenes would unfold. I want to hear stories that are not usually heard, did you hear about the young teacher from one of the toughest town in Manila, Tondo? He took a bus load of his students hostage, not for money or power, but because he wanted to change their lives for the better. It was his protest against the lack of support and funding for young kids living in poverty. After hours of stand off, the kids were delivered to safety and each one of the kids and their parents begged for the police and government to set the young teacher free! They believed in him and what he did despite of the danger the young kids went through. That is life theatre, that is beautiful, absurd, dangerous but incredibly true.

2. What can you bring on stage? We've talked about what is missing, what can you do to fill it?

I need to keep working, wake up every Saturday morning and devote 3 hours of my life to just creating art. Work that I like to do and see what comes out. Carving out a time, tearing myself from the arms of my little daughter, still smelling the sleep on her head and my husband across from me, both faces looking like perfect copies of each other. To lock myself in a room with like minded people and agree on a silent contract to just create and make something. A silent contract, not too much to ask for, when so many other hours are devoted to doing things we may not want or like to do. Filling up a time based on work that we create out of our imagination and life experience. Where every second is new, like traveling to a new place where we don’t know anyone or anything. It’s between performance and a lifestyle. A performance has an audience we cater to, a goal to reach, acceptance from critiques. A lifestyle is when work and pleasure seem to merge. To be able to do something because we know to do it and we have always done it. Given enough time, investment and practice.

3. What is/are the thing(s) holding you back? What ca you do about it?

So many things. Fatigue, the inner censor, the voice telling you that what you are doing is not any good. Getting older, not getting wiser. Other responsibilities. People to take care of. Money. Time. Finding inspiration. Finding a freakin room in this big university. My mom. Your mom. Everyobody’s mom. My body changing.

What can I do about it? Not much really, there’s nothing I can really do to control or wish those things away. They are there and always will be there.

Get over it. Plain and simple, just get over it. At least we’re doing something.

October 25, Saturday rehearsal CHANGE OF ROOMS

Hi....

So for this Saturday rehearsal, still from 9:30-12 but the room was reserved by another group, so we need to go to a different room. Instead of Room 21, we are going to meet in room 134. ROOM 134.

Here's a summary of last week's workshop:

Voice Work. When working with monologues, try different ways to embody your words.

1) Pitch
2) Pace
3) Power
4) Inflection
5) Pause
6) Emphasis

Homework: Freewrite for 10 minutes and answer the following questions:

1) What do you want to watch on stage? In terms of characters, stories, location, visual, sound, emotion etc. What don't you see and would like to see?

2) What can you bring on stage? We've talked about what is missing, what can you do to fill it?

3) What is/are the thing(s) holding you back? What ca you do about it?

schedule conflict

midnight mass is slated to run dec 4-6.

is anyone planning on helping with/doing midnight mass?
(i was actually considering helping with stage)

will this conflict with our work in progress show on the 6th?

what say you?

October 14 Rehearsal SATURDAY 9:30-12

Great work this past Saturday everyone!

Reminder: Next rehearsal is Saturday from 9:30 am to Noon at the Creative Arts Building Room 21 at SF State.

Homework: Bring a one minute monologue.
We are going to work on voice for the most part.

Review of last rehearsal:
-Rudolph Laban History and Contribution to theatre
-Laban cube work
-Ensemble work (walk from 1-5 speed)
-Jacques Lecoq History and Contribution
-Bande Mime

Research: Laban and Lecoq

Hi Folks,

Before our Saturday rehearsal, please read through some of these articles on Jacques Lecoq and Rudolph Laban. They are good introduction to the style we will be learning and also inspiring to read about the works of master teachers.

See you next Saturday!....L

http://www.ecole-jacqueslecoq.com/jacques_lecoq-biographie-uk.php?bg=01

http://home.eserver.org/danzico/lecoq/art03.html

http://www.laban.org/php/news.php?id=20

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Laban

GUNHILD KILDE Guest Teacher

Gunhilde Kilde is a graduate of Oslo University in Dance an d Movement. She is a contemporary dancer and choreographer. She has studied he style of Jacques Lecoq and Rudolph Laban. She is the founder of the Two Dancers Society and has performed in Europe through various productions including A DOLL HOUSE by Anton Tsjekkov and THE GLASS MENAGERIE by Tennessee Willaims.

Next Saturday Rehearsal 10.11.08 9:30am-12pm

Great work this Saturday! It was incredible to see everyone's fearlessness and creativity.

Announcements:

1) Rehearsal Saturday, 9:30 am-Noon, Room 21. Dress comfortably and bring water.

2) Guest teacher Gunhilde Kilde will be coming in at 10:30-12 to teach Laban and Lecoq

3) Homework: bring a walk

4) Save the Date: December 6, workshop show at Bayanihan

Summary of past work:

-Opening discussion of artist and relevance.
-Scene with words vs. Scene without words
-Directorial vignettes (Red Cup Breakfast, Wrinkled Hand Weathered, Man Woman Mars Venus, Toy Box Building Blocks).
-Closing discussion on processes and group work. Continue group processes where each performer is responsible for creating, performing, directing and creating work.

For those at the workshop, please add any other thoughts and ideas that I may have left out.

Rehearsal Reminder OCT 4, SATURDAY 9-12

Hi Folks,

Quick reminder.

First Rehearsal
Where: Room 21, Creative Arts Building at SF STATE
When: Saturday, October 4
Duration: 9am-Noon.
(Room 21 can be hard to find, so I can meet folks in front of the entrance and we can all walk to the studio together. Text me if you are going to be late.)


http://www.sfsu.edu/~sfsumap/southeast.htm

Above is a link to sfstate map that shows you where the Creative Arts Building is.


View Larger Map

Some cool stuff

Annual Pasko sa SoMa Party

Hey y'all, this is T.J.. I just spoke with Angelica Cabande of SOMCAN, and she wanted to extend an invitation to this production to perform a 10-15 minute excerpt at this year's Pasko sa SoMa, an annual Christmas party for Filipino residents in the South of Market district. The party will be held at Bayanihan Community Center on Friday, December 12th. I'll be in the Philippines by the time, but I think that SoMa families will make a great audience. What does everybody think? 

Here are videos from a shadow theater piece a small group of people put together (rather quickly) for last year's Pasko sa SoMa:

P.S. Shameless plug -- please come to Looking Back 36 Years After Martial Law: An Ecumenical Program on Human Rights on Thursday, September 24th, at St. Patrick's Church in Downtown San Francisco (across from Metreon). Program starts at 5:45 PM, immediately following the 5:15 PM Mass. More info here.

a few more pics from the jam

photos from nina's camera

You had me at hello.......

Hi folks...so, welcome to our page....why tayo tayo?
I've always loved this name and I've always dreamed of a group of folks working together to do purely physical theatre work. Physical theatre as you all know is a genre of performance that fuses dance and theatre, but it's more than that. It's a storytelling device that uses physicality as it's main form. Puppetry, mask, clowning, stilts, mime are also part of this. I can go on on on, blah blah blah...zzzzzzzzzzz.

Oh, next steps! After the potluck jam, I looked through the red book and everyone said yes to do a show, ha ha ha. So let's get crackin!

Save the Date
December 6 will be the workshop production, this will be a way to generate interest, raise some money and will be a milestone for us to evaluate our work.
May will be the full show.

We'll start rehearsals in October (Monday evenings and Saturday mornings) this will be mostly training (Laban and Viewpoints) and November will be creating the actual pieces. Then showtime. Break until January.

This blogspot is our community journal. A space to post opinions, questions, ideas, inspirations, images, videos, constructive critiques, reasearch info, homework and whatever else you feel will push the work forward. It's not a list serve so please don't post any chain letters or junk. You can post events that you think pertain to the work that we do, I leave that to your discretion, but please do not advertise irrelevant information, use other avenues to do this.

I think that's it......

Next rehearsal will be Saturday October 4 from 9am-noon...I know it's a Saturday morning and you'd probably rather cuddle....but let's just see if it works. Place to be determined.

Let me know if you have questions......L

Potluck Jam the First

Thank you so much for coming through! And thank you Mel for the great pictures! Great music, great food and great folks....Congrats to Andrea and Judith for being on stilts for the first time. Omz, Greg and Aureen were brave enough to try on the kangaroo stilts.