On Making Theatre the BrickaBrack Way

Steve Budd & Glo McDonald in Duck Duck Octopus

Why hello there blog reader and BrickaBrack lover! I’m Glo, one of the new members in the BB company. It sure is nice to meet you, dear reader! I feel like we have so much in common already and I can’t wait until we are sipping high tea, eating crustless cucumber sandwiches, and talking about how much you and I just love all things BrickaBrack. It will be fancy and joyous to be sure. Let me tell you what it’s like from an actor’s perspective to be apart of this cohort of artists. 

I discovered BB by being cast in Duck Duck Octopus, where I was a writer and performer for the show. DDO was all at once incredible, profound, an mind-boggling. I started the show having no idea what to bring to it. As rehearsals progressed, I fell in love with BB. I loved that I had a place where I could express my perception of the world, and see that expression turned into a realized piece of theatre. It’s the most rewarding thing to be walking around some mundane place like the super market, watch a strange interaction between people, then go to rehearsal say, “I saw this crazy thing today, I think it’s a piece,” and have every one else say, “okay, let’s try it.” It’s like the world really is your stage!

Perhaps the greatest joy I found in being apart of creating DDO were the moments when we wound up creating something by accident. My favorite piece in the show was Please, Please, Please Don’t Let Me Turn Into A Zombie Worm...or STUFF IT AND DUNK IT!  Now, I’m always a big fan of an unnecessarily verbose title, but that’s just one small reason as to why I love this particular moment of DDO. This piece came out of a completely different piece we were trying to create. Gabriel (the director) had an idea to make a dance involving sleeping bags. We spent a rehearsal devising a sleeping bag dance but decided to scrap it for time's sake. As we were moving on, a moment of magic happened.

I had to put my bag away and it just so happens the size ratio of my sleeping bag to storage sack is completely ridiculous; I have a gigantic sleeping bag and a microscopic sized storage sack in which to stuff it. It’s a laughable and frustrating ratio to be sure. At this point in the rehearsal, I focused on the impossible task of putting my bag away - every one else has put theirs' away, there’s some chatter happening as we are all waiting on me to stuff mine. I was trying with all my might to get the thing stuffed in its itty-bitty little sack when all of a sudden Steve Budd (another performer in the piece) -- out of nowhere -- comes over to me, swoops the bag out of my hands, looks me straight in the face, and proceeds to stuff my sleeping bag away in about 5 seconds, maintaining eye contact the whole time. He stared at me intently, feverishly stuffing and stuffing away, got the bag put in its sack, and tossed it back to me with a manly, cave man grunt. I gave Steve a very well deserved slow clap and we began to move on, thinking nothing of the moment that had transpired between us. Gabriel and Anthony (our AD) had been watching the entire thing and said, “that’s a piece!” The rest of the cast agreed. We had created a piece without intending to, out of this strange moment between Steve and I. This is how we wound up creating a lot of pieces for DDO, by accident, out of another cast-mate seeing the magic in a particular and seemingly mundane moment and expanding it. 

Yes, DDO was special. I thought perhaps it was just that particular show that had the specialness I’m talking about. But getting to know Gabriel and what his idea for this company is has made me realize BrickaBrack is just as special as that show was. We are lucky to have the space to take ownership of our artistic selves and make our ideas into tangible theatrical experiences to share with you, my dear BB lover. 

Before I go, let me titillate you with a few juicy tidbits about what we’ve got in store: Are you a dancer/actor? Why don’t you come audition for Never Fall So Heavily Again? It’s a new piece about love and we’re in need of great performers for our workshop.

Not one of those? Oh, I see you’re a lover of theatre -- I should have known -- oh and you just so happened to find a few extra bucks in your couch cushions and you don’t know how to spend them? Buy a ticket to our first ever benefit bash, September 28th! Put your money in a good place and use it to make art! We’ll show you bits from shows past and maybe even give you a tiny preview of what’s still to come! 

Well, dear reader I must bid you adieu for now. Here’s to more blogs and more theatre the BrickaBrack way!

Always your friend, 
Glo

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