FringeNYC 2013: Morning to be Changed from the Morning to the Morning or Belly of the Whale

A Portrait in 24 hours or 25 frames. Fragments of a broken Self journey through the hours of a day. 5678910111212345678910111212345 But who are these people? What is it in their language that is so contagious? Don't they recognize each other?

Official production website
Show details/ticketing at FringeNYC

Venue: Teatro Circulo, 64 East 4th Street

Review by Lillian Meredith · August 9, 2013

The game young creators of Morning to be Changed from the Morning to the Morning, or the Belly of the Whale: A Portrait in 24 hours or 25 frames have made a piece of theater. Unfortunately, I have almost no idea what it was actually about. Based on the title, the program notes, and a post-show conversation with fellow theater-goers, I can surmise that it chronicles the progression of a day and a night in what may or may not be a womb. The characters, dressed in white dresses with black stockings wrapped around their heads, may or may not be sperm. Or eggs. Or figments of my imagination. There are calls made on an old rotary phone to an unseen mother, questions of gender and cultural identity, and abstract dance sequences. I think. I can’t be entirely sure.

In the end, The Million Underscores (as the fledgling company is called) have created a show that might seem innovative, unless you have even a passing knowledge of the last forty years of avant-garde theater. The piece is more of a recycled version of a Richard Foreman play than anything else, something I would have picked up on even if I hadn’t noticed that both the sound designer and the director have recently worked on pieces with Ontological-Hysteric.

This isn’t a problem in and of itself; young artists have always learned through imitation. The real issue with the piece is exemplified in the fact that the three actresses were bra-less and of course, inevitably, took off their clinging slips in a (admittedly mesmerizing) totally unnecessary moment of exhibition. This sounds like a small, personal quibble, but it brings up a larger, more problematic point, which is: why? Why was that choice made? Call me old-fashioned, but I believe you have to think long and hard about why you are asking young actresses to expose themselves, especially if you are a male director. And this moment was just the pinnacle of a series of moments that seemed to be done for no other reason than provocation, with the pure purpose of saying “look! look how avant-garde we all are!” And that is the only message I ultimately walked away with.

But this is a young company, and there is no reason to think that they can’t grow into a group with a more mature, more unique voice that speaks to a wider audience than their classmates from the Experimental Theatre Wing at NYU. There were multiple lovely stage pictures, and a rather marvelous revelation of space to end the piece, that I think speaks to an exciting future. I only hope that next time they’ll all have a clearer idea of what exactly they’re trying to accomplish, which will, in turn, give the audience more of a stake in the narrative, whatever it may be.

Preview: Interviews with Artists from Morning to be Changed from the Morning to the Morning or Belly of the Whale

We're asking artists from each show to answer questions about themselves and their work to help our readers get a detailed advance picture of the festival:

Journey to FringeNYC · Ethan Fishbane (Other)

What are some of your previous theater credits? (Be specific! Name shows, etc.)
I was recently seen in Palissimo's Theatre Dance Piece, "The Painted Bird" at La MaMa. I was also seen in "Lady Han" at Incubator Arts in February. My own show ASBA played at Dixon place this year preceded by showings in Indonesia and South Africa. My site specific series, "i lived in this woman, once" will play Dixon Place on Monday, August 5 and I am in the midst of developing a new show about North Koreans.
If this is your first appearance in FringeNYC -- why did you want to be part of this festival? If you have appeared in FringeNYC before, tell us what show(s) you have done here previously. What about your prior experience led you back to this festival?
This is my first time at the Fringe. I think it's a great way to not only be a part of new work, but to get to see other pieces of new work and share it as part of a larger festival.
Have you seen a lot of fringe shows in the past, and what have you learned from them to help with this show?
This will be my first time at the Fringe!
What was the most memorable/funny/unusual thing that has happened during the development and rehearsal process for this show?
Reliving certain moments over and over again.
Which cartoon character would most like this show – Bugs Bunny, Marge Simpson, Charlie Brown, or Casper the Friendly Ghost?
For some reason, I would have to say the Road Runner from Looney Toons.

Many Faces of Theater · Nicolas Norena (Director)

What type of theater do you like most to work on?
Theater that exists on the premise that theater is a language, and therefore finds a unique realm and can touch what can't be said by words on a book or conveyed through oil on canvas or moving images in films etc.
What is your signature style or aesthetic as a director?
I don't really know, a few days ago I realized I liked people grouped in 2s or 3s in little islands having their own interactions while other things are happening, but i don't think that answers the question, come see the show!
Are audiences in New York City different from audiences in other cities/countries where you’ve worked? If so, how?
I think they are, New Yorkers are accustomed to diversity, fast pace, rapid changes of states of mind etc. but I might be generalizing.
Where would be your ideal working environment: New York in 2013, Shakespeare’s Globe, the theater of Sophocles and Euripides, Stanislavski’s Moscow Art Theater?
I think here, right now, even though I do sometimes wish I had been here in the 60s and 70s when the city wasn't as expensive and there was more space and people like Jack Smith were still alive etc. but again, I like the possibilities that exist today because of those people and that time.
Groucho, Chico, Harpo, or Zeppo?
Ya I guess Zeppo

All About My Show · thedmzl (Actor)

Complete this sentence: My show is the only one in FringeNYC that...?
carries the audience through a trance
Tell us about the character or characters that you portray in this show.
Io sono Silent Acrobat, ti voglio baciare, voglio sentirti sulla mia pelle, haven't you heard them at night? I held my breath so they wouldn't hear me, but...(slides her dress off her shoulder, bend in the knee)
What moment or section in this show do you really love to perform? Without giving away surprises, what happens in that moment and why do you love it?
Powder powder powder DING powder powder powder DING a metaphorical crossword puzzle in the morning to prepare you for materializing in the streets.
Which school or system of acting has been most useful to you in your career, and why (examples: The Method, Uta Hagen, Viewpoints, etc.)?
Imagined Life, Diana Castle
What's your favorite pastime when you’re not working on a play?
Visual art making, writing, designing projects

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