Report from Week Seven of Performance for One

The seventh (and for now, final) week of Performance for One is over. Really, it was just one final performance, at the Torn Page Salon, featuring two performers, simultaneously: Yvonne Roen and Joshua Wolf Coleman, Yvonne has of course been with the project from the beginning. Joshua was joining for the first time, and this was the first time he performed. If all goes well, he may become the center of his own run in Boston, at some point.

Joshua was also the first male performer, which introduced an interesting dynamic. Since there is an aspect of the performance that (often , but not always) includes holding hands, the gender dynamic between Joshua and the male audience members felt completely different than any previous dynamic. All the performers, in one way or another, are a stand-in for me, but by having my words spoken by a female performer, it allowed a little more comfort in intimacy for some audience members. Elizabeth Chappel, a performer herself, was an audience member for Joshua, and she noted that having a male performer in close quarters reminding her it was just the two of them could me slightly uncomfortable as well. By the end of the day, Joshua felt that the presentation became, in many ways, about gender.

Also, the set up in Torn Page was very different. Torn Page feels very much like a home, and Yvonne was performing Part II in a room that felt like a bedroom (it is sometimes used as a guest bedroom, in fact). The setting created a whole new site specific sense of intimacy, as a result. Also, many of the audience members experience Part I with Joshua in a much brighter room, then Part II with Yvonne. It very much contributed to the texture of the work, especially as Yvonne was simply continuing the conversation (she began, “it’s nice to see you again”), despite being a different performer.

Overall, it was a very satisfying day, artistically. The audience members were mostly friends this time through, which was also a nice experience. As much as I love having strangers walk in, having a room full of friends on the final day seemed a nice way to end.

Though I suspect we may be returning sometimes soon…