Don't Miss Your Chance to Be a Living Canvas!

The Living Canvas returns to Naked July in 2013 with a new format and a name that suggests the true intent of this year’s offering: “For the People.” For the first time, Pete Guither and his talented artistic team have invited people who have purchased tickets to any of the shows this summer to attend a workshop during the day at no additional charge, collaborate with the ensemble as they prepare the evening show, and even join some veteran cast members as performers in some of the pieces. Audience participation has always been an important part of all Living Canvas shows, but this is a unique new opportunity for much greater involvement that is not to be missed!

Warming Up and Improvising
Each Saturday morning, the workshop begins at 10:00 am as veteran cast members and ticket holders who have requested admission meet for introductions and some warm-up activities. Workshop participants are encouraged to join all activities as they wish, but they may also choose to sit out if they prefer and simply observe the process. The warm-ups are designed to help the performers loosen up physically, but this session also includes some improvisational exercises to help foster an environment of collaboration in which all ideas and movements may eventually become the foundations for performance pieces. Director Lisa Adams and Artistic Director Pete Guither watch these improvisational exercises carefully as they assess the ways that the performers interact with each other. This entire session is informal and spirited, and the emphasis is on relaxation and bonding.

Individual Performance Segments are Developed
One of the intriguing qualities of Living Canvas 2013: For the People is the fact that each show will be unique. There will be different performers and different performance pieces offered each night, and many of the pieces will be completely new and original—the products of the workshops held during the day of each show. The process is fascinating to watch. Since music is integral to most every performance piece, the cast members start by listening to a musical selection for the express purpose of imagining the kinds of movements, characters, and projected images that best fit the tone and the content of the music. Cast members discuss ideas and then begin to bring their characters to life as they walk through a first “draft” of the performance piece. Lisa Adams and Pete Guither are masterful as they watch the cast members develop their roles, and they offer suggestions that help to tie the movements on stage together and help the performers to evoke all of the energy and emotion that each piece demands. Adams and Guither also do an amazing job of seamless integrating all workshop participants into the performances and find the best spots for those people who have no previous Living Canvas experience. In all, it is a collaborative and creative effort that involves every person in the process.

Final Preparations and the “Undress” Rehearsal
Throughout most of the day, the performers rehearse in comfortable clothes as they develop and refine each segment of the show. During this time, Pete Guither begins to draw from his incredible library of digital images and projects some of them on the stage so that the performers can begin to get a sense of the visual elements and make suggestions for additional patterns or textures. By the time the workshop draws to a close, Guither has assembled enough images to stage a final rehearsal, the first chance to see what the projections will look like on the nude performers in what they jokingly refer to as the “undress rehearsal.” The lights go down, the performers undress, and within minutes, they are “playing in the lights” as they make final revisions on each segment of the show. This may sound daunting to some people, but since the rehearsals have all been predicated on the notions of support and trust and acceptance, the performers all agree that undressing and performing nude is not at all intimidating. To the contrary, they all agree that the experience provides a joyful sense of physical and emotional freedom that is unlike anything they have ever done in their lives.

Preparing the Digital Images
After the performers break for dinner and some rest before the evening show, Pete Guither now faces the rather formidable task of selecting and editing the final digital images for each segment of the show, organizing them to match the movements of the performers and the content of the music, and then preparing a slideshow to project the images on stage. Most images are projected from a stationary LCD projector at the rear of the auditorium, but some will come from small hand-held projectors that create special lighting scenarios that are much closer to the performers. In other pieces, the performers are illuminated only by subdued stage lighting that creates artistic light and shadow effects.

Don’t Miss this Unique Opportunity
There are three remaining Living Canvas shows (July 6, 13, and 20) and therefore only three remaining opportunities to immerse yourself in the Living Canvas experience. It’s easy to be a part of the fun. Just click here to purchase a ticket for any of the shows and wait for the prompt that lets you request a spot in the workshop. If you don’t see that prompt on the screen, just send a quick message to this e-mail address and include your ticket confirmation number: njsummerfestival@gmail.com. For even more fun, why not sign up with some good friends or significant other?  That way, you can share this unique opportunity together.

Whether you have an interest in attending a workshop or simply want to come and enjoy the final performances each Saturday evening, you only have three more opportunities. Tickets for Living Canvas shows often sell quickly,  so be sure to reserve your seats for an experience that is visually stimulating and thought-provoking.