'Freeing Heaven's Secrets' Project Proposal

8/18/2019 'Freeing Heaven's Secrets' Project Proposal

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A Sound Art Performance by Luay Eljamal


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*All images in this proposal are from

workshopped performance in 2014.

Proposal Summary 3

Traditional Storytelling 4

Play Synopsis 5

Blind Storytelling 6

Technology 7

Casting 8

Artist Bio 9

Project Timeline 11

Budget 12

DBACE 13


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Originally workshopped in Canada in 2014, Freeing

Heaven’s Secrets is a digital sound art play I wrote thatseeks to resurrect the ingenuity of sound in theatre. It is

designed for today’s globalised audiences regardless of

their cultural background, religious views or the languages

that they may speak. With this proposal, I plan to further

develop the script and technology, and stage a new

production in London. In the future, I hope to use theexperience of this project to support the development of a

new culturally inclusive, technology-focused theatre

company.

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Storytelling was traditionally an auditory experience. People would sit around a

firepit and listen to a storyteller recount an ancient story. The audience used

their imagination to picture the characters and environments and ocassionally

had to self-correct the images they had created in their minds eye as they

received more exposition. Storytelling in this form was a personalised experience.

The introduction of theatre shifted storytelling from an auditory experience to a

visual one, minimising the amount of imaginitive power required for an audience to

interpret a story. Instead, it asked audiences to visualise a story the way that artists

imagined it, as opposed to giving audiences agency over how they imagined the

work.

Freeing Heaven’s Secrets attempts to ressurrect

the ingenuity of sound in theatre by gradually

stripping away visual elements on stage and

conveying information through the marriage of

physical action and digital sound on stage.

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SchehearazadeScheherazade, a young blind girl on her deathbed, promises her father that

she will visit him in his dreams and tell him what her heaven is like. On her

journey to the other side, Scheherazade passes her blindness onto the

audience, and gifts herself with sight, inviting the audience to experience

her heaven through the element of sound alone, the way that she would

have experienced their world as a blind girl.

Before entering heaven’s gates, Scheherazade learns that she has lost her

ability to speak—her voice belongs with her body, which gets left behind on

earth.

The play follows Scheherazade as she learns more about how to navigate

her heaven and the heavens neighbouring hers, with the intention of

keeping the promise she has made to her father. In interpreting her journey,

the audience is encouraged to question what their own heavens would belike, based on the discoveries that Scheherazade makes about her own along

the way.

The play highlights and explores the commonalities we all have through the

discussion of ‘heaven’, detached from any one particular cultural or

religious point-of-view, appealing to diverse audiences from around the

world.

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View workshop recording at http://tinyurl.com/gvjv785


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Schehearazade

Once Scheherazade enters her own heaven, her and the performers aroundher are the only things that the audience can see. Everything else must be

heard for context.

In this scene, Scheherazade is seen touching something invisible in front of

her. The digital, reactive sounds of a dog barking signals to the audience

that what she is touching is a dog. As she continues to explore her

environments and the objects in it, the audience is encouraged to visualisethe heavens based primarily on the sounds that they hear.

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Freeing Heaven’s Secrets makes use of Ableton Live Suite 9, a music and

sound editing and playback software. This program allows for the sound to

follow the performer’s action, and eliminates the need for performers to

time their actions to a saved track.

Numerous speakers will be installed in the space, in order to localise sound

on stage. Sound will be mapped between the speakers in such a way that

simulates aural movement. Imagine the sound of a bird in flight coming

from overhead, and travelling from one end of the stage to the other; or the

sound of waves at a beach coming from underneath the audience’s seats.

This all adds to the hyperrealism of the performance, feeding the

audience’s imagination.


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Freeing Heaven’s Secrets currently calls for a cast of four.

SCHEHERAZADE

FATHERBOY

MOTHER

Supporting the play’s inclusive and universal premise, the project

exercises the use of blind casting. The role of Scheherazade and her

parents will be played by ethnically diverse actors, reflecting the reality

of today’s diverse families.

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Luay Eljamal

I am a Lebanese-Canadian artist with a keen interest in directing, writing and

technology for theatre. As a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education

graduate from Canada, I have recently moved to London to pursue a Masters

degree in Contemporary Performance Making at Brunel University. My

move to the UK has been the first step in what I anticipate will be the start of

a career in theatre in London

For the past ten years, I have concentrated on enhancing my theatrical skills

in the areas of directing, playwrighting, stage management, and lighting and

sound design. In 2010, I directed a production called The Insanity of Mary

Girard, which was awared with a total of ten awards in Canada, including

“Best Student Directed Play”, “Best Sound Design” and “Best ProductionConcepts”. I have directed numerous plays and musicals since.

I am currently interning for the Finborough Theatre in London, bridging

the gap between the academic and professional worlds of theatre. My goals

are to gain a better understanding of theatre administration and production

roles, and apply my skills towards the eventual development of my own

theatre company.

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For more information visit:

www.LuayEljamal.com


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“WHAT IS ALREADY POSSIBLE ON STAGE CANNOT

YET BE REAL IN REALITY. THE THEATER FLIES AHEAD: FOLLOW IT FOLLOW IT FOLLOW IT”

- Ginka Steinwachs


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Venue/Theatre ResearchResearch potential venues and visit sites

Appeal to Artistic Directors of theatres

Appeal to theatre festivals

Script Development and Sound CollectionDramaturgical research

Refining Freeing Heaven’s Secrets script

Recording and collection of sounds

Building Ableton scenesVenue decision

Promoting auditions & production team recruitment

Casting and Rehearsals Auditions & casting

Begin rehearsals

Continue to edit Ableton senes alongside actor exploration

PromotionPublicity & marketing

Inviting agencies to view work

Pre-Production Technical/dress rehearsalsPerformance recording for archives

Performance for press & publicity

PerformancePublic performances

Press release kit

Lessons learnedPost-mortem document

Overall project estimated at 5-6 months in duration


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Expenses Detailed Description Estimated Price

Equipment XY Sound Recorder, Audio Interface,14 speakers, Ableton Live Software,

microphones

£2,000

Cast & Crew Payment for 4 cast and 4 crewmembers

£4,000

Costumes Costumes for 4 cast members £100

Set & PropsSet furniture & props for

beginning and end ofperformance

£400

Publicity Printed, online and radio advertising £1000

Rehearsal Space rentals £1000

Daily ExpensesStationary, printing, snacks for cast/

crew £500

Contingency £1000


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Schehearazade

Freeing Heaven’s Secrets is a bare-bones performance that just makes sense forthe viewer watching it. However, there is a lot of research, development,

and technology behind making it work the way that it does. Should DBACE

choose to support the project, the startup costs would help get me up on

my feet and begin bringing the Scheherazade’s story to life.

With this project, I hope to start a theatre company that strives to tell new

culturally inclusive stories through the use of mixed media technologies.

My studies to date have taught me a lot about the use of new audio, visualand sensory technologies that have the potential to enhance the innovation

of theatre in the future.

Thank you very much for your time and consideration,


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'Freeing Heaven's Secrets' Project Proposal

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