Theatre: "The Box Show" (with a nod & wink to Samuel Becket)

A person starts surrounded by and covered with boxes of all sizes. These are boxes that must be unpacked for that person to be free.

The boxes contain limiting thoughts, assumptions, cultural restrictions, religious constraints, bigotry, fears - lots of fears, illness, affliction, authority, rules, regulations, anarchy, chaos, regional assumptions, ethnic blurring, ethnic purity, ethnic ethos, ethics, non-ethics, commandments, sermons, skewed exegesis, historical oppression, satire, sarcasm, judgment, broken relationships, damaged relationships, power, powerlessness, pain, lost love, stolen love, broken love, broken promises, broken dreams, forgotten dreams, forgotten lessons learned, forgotten family, estranged family, substance abuse, sugar stars and swings, animal distancing and objectivizing, sexism, racism, greed, slander, lust, deference, danger, risk, confusion, misunderstanding, brokenness, separation, turning away, turning against, ignorance, stagnation, sloth, sorrow, and maybe more.

What is the worst box? What should be done about each box?

Is there a single universal box cutter?

Should some boxes be sealed and forgotten: released?

How does one release?

Can you make money releasing?

Music plays. Choose your music carefully because music changes everything. Or, don't.

And then, and then (another ACT) we find useful positive, powerful boxes: the love of others, the joy of a baby's smile, spring mornings, birds singing, learning to play the guitar, running, swimming, helping others, learning to get a sound out of a flute, learning to get an answer from a person, serving others, releasing, breathing, meditating, praying, redemption, salvation, sanctification, saving, preserving, remembering, faithfulness, dedication, creative flow, courage, compassion, clarity, centeredness, shelter, warmth, relief, rolling into change, a first kiss, a hundredth kiss, endless kissing, kindness, forgiveness, release.

Theatre of learning. Theatre of dreaming. You.

"I was trapped in a box. But, the box was inside another box. It reminded me of a bib that I wore as a toddler sitting in my primitive wooden high chair: it was a picture of a chef eating a massive plate of spaghetti. He was wearing a bib that had a picture of a chef eating a massive plate of spaghetti - and also wearing a bib of a chef eating a massive plate of spaghetti.

"Did this make me enjoy spaghetti more? Or did it distort my sense of time and space? Or did it more accurately describe time and space than anything after which is why I remember it so many years later? What do you think?

"Have you unpacked all of your boxes? Are you sure?"

-- doug smith

This is an open-source, public domain performance piece. You may perform it in any medium and alter it in any way. Please do acknowledge the use with attribution to the author, douglas brent smith. Thanks.

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Transporting The Message Keeper

Transporting The Message Keeper -- collage by douglas brent smith

You Can Be Positive

You Can Be Positive - collage by douglas brent smith.

Spotted Off The Coast of Jersey

Spotted Off The Coast of Jersey -- collage by douglas brent smith

Selecting Changes Using the Logical If

Selecting Changes Using the Logical If - collage by douglas brent smith

Examination of the Numbers People

The Examination of the Numbers People -- collage by douglas brent smith

Attention Paid to the Spiritual Side

Attention Paid to the Spiritual Side -- collage by douglas brent smith I think I've used some of these images in other collages. That happens, sometimes. The context changes the meaning and justifies the redundancy. Or, at least I think it does. I gave some thought to coloring this collage and decided against it. Maybe later, with time on my hands, I'll decide to color it. Probably not though because that process takes many hours and there is so much new work to do. This piece is from 1994. I was a completely differently person then and so were you (presuming that you were even alive then!) We're changing every day. What color do you think that floor is? -- dbs --

instant breakfast dreams

scrambled dreams scattered schemes ideas flashed on the mezzanine the balcony's crowded with narrow scenes colorful dreaming liquid sleep poached eggs dreams wet and fried homage to the dreams that died rules that flutter into melted butter dreams design their own red line fried dreams my dreams your dreams ours evening slips and then devours sheets around us lights dimmed black shadowed visions on our backs your dream is my dream is our dream complete.

Levitating a Small Guitar

Levitating a Small Guitar - sketch by douglas brent smith (probably 1991). "Do you think that he could levitate a large guitar, that is to say, a normal sized guitar as well?" "No doubt. It might take some practice, though." "Does it come naturally?" "It comes with practice." "That is more like a ukulele than a guitar." "Nope. It has six strings. Guitar." "Small" "But he could also levitate a large guitar. Maybe one wasn't available." "Well, you've got to start someplace." "Yes." - dbS -

Worldview Built In a Day

Worldview Built In a Day - collage by douglas brent smith, 3 January 1988

Worldview Built In A Day With Fire

Worldview Built In A Day With Fire - collage by douglas brent smith, 3 January 1988 Something about this collage causes me to page quickly past it, yet if I spend more time absorbed in it there is more to see. I pondered cropping it. I cut out dozens of pieces of pictures that could go in with it, but found it hard to obscure the central image. Worldview? Examination? Built in a day? The hints of mixed media with the pen lines were attempts to draw it all together. Did it work?

douglas brent smith

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