In
1997, I was living in Memphis working a dead-end job and wondering
why I'd spent those three years (count 'em THREE) in grad
school. I was performing original pieces with Project:Motion,
Memphis' professional modern dance company, fairly regularly,
but that wasn't helping me butter my bread, if you know what
I mean.
I
had a bunch of ideas for performance pieces that just weren't
right for Project:Motion shows. To get these out there, I
was performing more frequently at coffee houses and art openings
and the like, and less frequently in traditional theatre settings.
Like
many people in this day and age, I was findiing the theatre
less and less relevant. I was becoming successful at composing
music and creating sound & lighting designs for theatrical
shows, but I was liking those shows less and less.
I
started wondering what would draw people my age and younger
back into the theatre. At about that same time, I was working
part time in an imrov company that went into local schools
to teach through improv, a la AUGUSTO
BOAL.
Bill
Baker ran this improv company, The Wild Card, and also directed
OUR
OWN VOICE, a Memphis theatre company devoted
to empowering people marginalized by mental illness. I'd done
what I'd considered to be some of my very best work with OOV,
and was interested in continuing to work with Bill.
I
eventually decided to produce my own late-night series of
shows at Theatreworks on Overton Square in Memphis. I made
arrangements with the management there, and despite some scoffing,
started making my plans.
I
originally thought of the show as a mixture of the Jim Rose
Circus, improv comedy, dance performance, and performance
art. The first posters and press releases I made called The
Freak Engine "a variety show from hell." It certainly
was that because I had no idea what the show would actually
be like.
I
was fortunate to find a willing collaborator in Bill, and
we decided that the improv company would essentially fill
in the gaps between the performance pieces.
True
to my vision, I set to work developing a couple of "extreme"
pieces to generate a certain shock factor. One of these involved
playing Marco Polo barefoot on a floor covered in mousetraps.
Another involved a Houdiniesque escape with the very real
danger of suffocation. Great!
In
addition, I cajoled a few of my dance company friends to remount
a couple of sections from an evening-length piece I'd directed
about the work of computer pioneer CHARLES
BABBAGE.
Turns
out that we actually had a show, about 30-40 people showed
up and paid to see it. It wasn't a huge hit or anything, but
it was fun.
Within
three months, the show was SRO, thanks in part to a very positive
MEMPHIS
FLYER REVIEW.
I
ran the show for five very rewarding years, but eventually
had to move on. I left Memphis for LA in late 2001, but the
show is still going strong and continuing to evolve. If you'd
like info, check out the MEMPHIS
FREAK ENGINE SITE.
So
now, I'm in LA, and my adventure continues. I have an industry
day job and I'm making ends meet, so step one is complete.
Now I'm just looking to develop my ideas and see where they
lead.
When
I first moved to LA, I started writing a blog about the things
that happened to me here. That eventually went to seed since
I was spending most of my time looking for spare change, but
I want to continue it in some fashion.
If
you're interested at all, check out the RANDOM
ACCESS pages and get a little glimpse
of real life in LA. I promise to take more pictures.
-Tom
