The Drowned Man, Temple Studios (8th visit diary)

Diary of the first seven visits can be viewed from the link below and this short diary of events for the 8th visit contain SPOILERS:

https://christopherhong.com/2013/10/22/the-drowned-man-temple-studios-7th-visit-diary/

First loop follows Faye Greener (Miranda Mac Letten), meeting her in the arcade witnessing Dwayne and Mary dancing on the car. She then continues her loop as describe in the Facebook Spoiler group (shown below). The highlight of the loop is the desert scene with Miguel and Dwayne which is straight out of the film Days of the Locust. Also, the lip syncing to scene at the saloon bar is beautifully done and heartbreakingly sad. The story and the performance by Latten encapsulate the spiral of self destruction, self delusion and despite the occasional show of strength in her character, it is not enough to overcome all the external forces.

The second loop is with Miguel and some of it overlaps with Faye’s loop, ie the desert camp scene with Dwayne, hoedown and dancing with Faye on the street. So the new scenes start when he goes upstairs to his office to put on the scarecrow costume and perform a 1:1 with another audience member. He then moves to the scarecrow funeral and while this other audience member who has an incredible lack of space awareness and consistently position himself right up against the actor. It is awfully off putting as while watching the actor, there is this other person practically attached to him and ruins the scene. So I decide it is best to go elsewhere.

The final loop follows Lila, starting from the sand dune dancing with Miguel. the rest of the loop follows the description written below, again, copied from the Facebook group. This role is varied, requiring good acting and containing some long dance segments such as desert dance with Miguel and solo dance in the woods. It is also one of those rare characters who travel through all four floors of the building. Kath Duggan, who plays Lila on the night, encapsulates someone who remains on the periphery and has a beautifully put upon and submissive demeanour. There is an sadness about her as her focus is clearly elsewhere with her family and only in the studios for the purpose of work. The highlight scene is with the Fool as he tries to cheer her up and Duggan manages to bring a real sense of joy while forgetting her other problems momentarily.

This is an altogether different experience from previous visits as the focus is on the characters and story lines and it brings a completely different perspective to the emotional evolution of the show. The more expressive choreography begins to make more sense as well which shows the level of detail and layers that is around the show.

Faye Greener:
– Sees Dwayne dancing with Mary on car (Street)
– Angry/distraught dance (Outside Trailer)
– Dance with and then spurns Andy (Outside Trailer)
– Seductive dance with barman (Saloon)
– Fought over by Miguel and Dwayne (Desert)
– Goes to saloon (Saloon)
– Miguel returns shoes (Saloon)
– Dances in hoedown (Saloon)
– Dances aggressively with Miguel (through Street)
– Spurned by Miguel (Harry’s Motel Room)
– Get drunk in front of dresser (Harry’s Motel Room)
– Dances upset (Outside Trailer)
– Drinks two shots at bar and lip-syncs Shangri-Las (Saloon)
– Harry arrives and comforts as she breaks down on stage (Saloon)
– Harry sings and put her to sleep (Harry’s Motel Room)
– Wakes from sleeping (Harry’s Motel Room)
– Hears Romola death announcement (Harry’s Motel Room)
– Tells Harry about audition (Harry’s Motel Room)
– Tells Mary about audition (W&M’s House)
– Gatekeeper shines light at she passes through (Gates)
– Directed by Alice towards boardroom (Secretary’s Office)
– Auditions with Claude in front of Mr. Stanford (Audition Room)
– Celebrates with Dwayne and Mary (Outside Saddlery)
– Locker Dance (Studio 2)
– Seduced by Dwayne and given note (Corridor)
– Gets changed (Seamstress Dressing Room)

Lila
– Finds Miguel in sand dune (Desert)
– Long dance with Miguel (Desert)
– Walks through the middle of the scarecrow funeral (Desert)
– Collects toy doll from Mr. Tuttle (Toy Shop)
– Speaks to Mr. Stanford over the phone (W&M’s House)
– Harry Greener tries to sell her something (W&M’s House)
– Gatekeeper dances and toys with her before letting her through (Gates)
– Tips sand from her shoe into bin (Secretary’s Office)
– Studies script and listens to dictaphone (Boardroom)
– Dances with Alice on the table (Boardroom)
– Walks slowly through the trees (Woodchip Caravan Park)
– Cheered up by the Fool (Birthday Tent)
– Tests various sounds (Sound Effects Room)
– Records drowning of the Fool (Sound Effects Room)
– Attends Orgy (Masonic Temple)
– Passes Mr. Stanford distressed (Basement Corridor)
– Examines cabinets (Recorder Office)
– Mr. Stanford scene (Recorder Office)