Short Summary
Arken: Searching for Wonder is a musical performance experience, in which audience and performer come together in a participatory ritual in order to create and to recount the story of Arken, a mystical traveler on another plane. I wrote this show in order to frame my performance as a singer/songwriter within a more complex artistic context.
Incorporating theatricality, movement, improvisation, and spoken word, Arken is a performative concert that draws all that are present into a world of fantasy, as we follow Arken on his journey to The Big City and witness his trials, his triumphs, and his transformations. This is a show that involves a lot of different elements, and it is being produced totally independently. Arken is an ongoing project, and we will be presenting the first of what we hope to be many iterations of this show on June 30 at the Ran Tea House. We need your help to make this show a reality and to build upon it so that we can continue to share this unique concept with audiences!
What We Need & What You Get
Costumes/Styling and Makeup
Arken takes place in another world, in another reality, and we are striving to create a visual aesthetic for the piece that is edgy, sexy, and captivating and that will transport us all into an alternate space.
The show's concept is minimalist in terms of staging/scenery and depends primarily on the actors to create the world, so their costuming/styling is key in achieving this visual aesthetic. We have two stylists/costume designers and a makeup artist who have volunteered their time for this project, but we will need money to get the necessary wardrobe pieces and supplies for at least 5 of the performers.
Props
Though the show is minimalist, there are some key props that will be necessary to create the space and tell the story of Arken.
Performers
5 musicians, 4 background singers, and a dancer are lending their amazing talents to this show. They have agreed to minimal compensation since this is the first iteration of a totally independent production. Still, given the number of performers being compensated, the fees add up, so your contributions will help defray that cost.
Sound Equipment Rental
We searched for a bare, open space in which to tell our story, and we found an amazing performance space, Ran Tea House, for our show. It is not yet equipped with enough sound equipment to handle a musical ensemble of our size, so we will have to rent some sound equipment for the actual show and transport it to and from the venue (along with props, costumes, etc).
Rehearsal Space
In order to prepare for the performance, we have to rent a rehearsal space that can accomodate a group of our size.
Promotional Materials/Programs
We want to get the word out about our show, not only so that people will come see it, but so that we can create opportunities to continue performing it. We will also be providing simple programs to help audience participants follow the flow of the show. Other than the printing entailed, we will also hire a cameraman and a videographer to produce materials that we can use to promote the show to other venues in the future.
PERKS
Ok! So here comes the fun part! We're offering a bunch of perks including thanks in our program, free entry to the show, a print of the show's poster, designed beautifully by Butch Creative, traditional Kente cloth imported from Ghana, and much more!
We'd love for you to be a part of making our vision come to life, and we want to show you how much we appreciate it!
The Impact
Arken grew out of a desire to create a visceral performance experience and a safe space in which all of us, audience members and performers, could feel free to imagine something different, maybe a little crazy. It is the coming together of different musical genres, varied disciplines (music, drama, movement, dance, spoken word, fashion, photography), cultural influences (from Eastern philosophy to West African ritual), and wild ideas. At the end of the day Arken is about seeing past division and finding the oneness in all things, and so the coming together of seemingly divergent elements is central to conveying that idea.
We have much more power than we sometimes recognize. Art often reminds us, performers and audiences, of the hugeness of this power we have to create anything, including positive change. My hope is that through the experience of a transitory collective illusion, our eyes will be opened to some of our own private illusions and our hands will be moved to free ourselves from those that keep us from living our highest visions.
Other Ways You Can Help
Even if you can't contribute, you would help us a great deal by:
1. Coming to the show. After all, that's what this is all about. Sharing a transformative moment with you!
2. Telling other people about the show. This will help us get people into the audience and create opportunities to perform it again.
3. Telling others about this campaign. Spread the word! Tell your friends that a really cool show with a fresh take on music and performance could use their help!
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Update - 7/2/13
We just had an incredibly successful first workshopping of Arken: Searching for Wonder on June 30! Images and video soon to come. The audience really seemed to connect with the show. Here are a few of the comments we received afterwards:
“What an absolutely wonderful, beautiful, and inspiring show…I so enjoyed it! Thank you for this experience!”
“Thank you for a beautiful evening.”
“It was totally like a Jill Scott live show…So good.”
“What a well woven journey you all took us on. It was delightful, thoughtful, provocative, sublime, dramatic, soulful.”
