There's been rather a lot of interesting discussion in the forum, the last couple of days, about beliefs, frauds and exposure. So inspired by that, and by another post or two I've come up with this apparently lame seance routine with a twist. Hope you like it wiggys, as it's certainly not my intention to make light of your very real dilemma. I call it 'The dyspeptic skeptic'.

Seance time again, and there's another skeptic present. Lots of muttering, and eye rolling, and tutting etc.. You explain that you're not a spirit medium, and that you do not contact the dead. However, you know of several procedures that can raise certain entities, and that the entire process is perfectly safe as long as everybody abides by certain rules. Most importantly, you say, when the seance begins, nobody must leave the room, under any circumstances. You offer people the opportuntiy to leave now, and then you begin.

A table is moved to the centre of the room, and chairs arranged. People sit down and you draw a magic circle around the perimeter of the room. You do this seriously with holy water, or chalk, or burnt feathers. But don't strive to be too wonderful just yet. You start off slightly lame in this one. The skeptic 'Bah humbugs' some more as you bring out the classic paraphenalia of the parlour seance, luminous trumpets, bells etc, and he/she says 'I thought you were raising an entity, not contacting Aunt Ethel'. You keep quiet, but look uncomfortable, and less than impressive. Then you say, 'And now we join hands to channel our energy'. The skeptic barely surpresses a chuckle. You writhe and groan for a bit, but nothing happens, and so you say, 'I believe it would be better with the lights off. Some entities are rather shy'. Cue derisive laughter. But the lights are eventually switched off. More groaning, and afetr a time the bell sounds. The skeptic mutters. Then the luminous trumpet levitates in the dark.

This is the last straw for the skeptic, and he/she gets up and says 'Time to end this pitiful charade, and expose it for the sham it is!' He/she switches on the lights, and to everyone greats surprise, not only is the circle of hands unbroken, but the trumpet does appear to be levitating unaided above the centre of the table. You come out half sleepy, half startled out of you trance, and groan as the trumpet clatters back to the table. Then you say, less pathetically, with an insistence born of knowledge, 'Switch the lights off, you'll draw them here'. This is too much for the skeptic, who's also not too happy about the genuine levitation he/she's just witnessed. So with a final 'Bah humbug', the skeptic heads for the door. Suddenly you realise that the magic circle is about to be broken, and you leap violently to your feet to try to stop this. But the skeptic crosses the edge of the circle, and opens the door.

Several things happen very quickly. Framed in the doorway, as an awful diabolic shriek/cackle sounds, the skeptic is hit by something invisible. Hair and clothes are ruffled, and his/her body folds as something passes through him/her to leave the room. Two seconds later, all the lights go off in the house. And almost immediately, something knocks frighteningly loudly at the front door. Twenty seconds of this, then it stops.

A match/lighter is found, and you make your way to the crumpled heap that is the skeptic. He/she is trembling and covered in cold sweat. You pick him/her up by the lapels forcefully. Now you are transformed. He/she makes to speak, but with an utterly disdainful 'You **** fool, you don't know what you've done', you throw him/her back to the ground like a miserable cur.

Then you do something strange. You go up to each guest, and without an explanation, there isn't time, you grab each head, and holding your match, you stare purposefully into each pair of eyes. Almost, they might infer, as if you are looking for something. Then with a 'pah', when you fail to find it, you stride violently out of the room.

You tour the house with your matches, silently, desperately, looking in every dark corner. Then someone gets the lights back on. 'The circuit breakers had been tripped, that's all', and the mood relaxes for five seconds. Then the terrible knocking starts again. You rush to the door, but almost the moment you fling it open, it stops, and there's no one there. Someone notices an odd smell, maybe of sulphur, lingering in the porch. And the skeptic totters to the bathroom, feeling ill.

The party continues. But so, unfortunately, does the knocking, one or two more times. And each time the door shakes, the porch smell returns, and the skeptic gets, and looks, more and more ill. Eventually, it's time for the guests to leave, but you won't let them go without a good dose of the silent eye staring business.

The guests return to their homes, not sure whether or not they've enjoyed your latest piece of bizarre theatre. In all probability, they're too drained to care. Tiredly, they park their cars, and fumble for the house keys. And it's then that they notice the faint but unmistakeable whiff of sulphur lingering round their front door...



I've always wanted to do a transformation piece where the sudden change in events is mirrored by the change in the central character. In this little number, you should start off Clark Kent meek and useless, and suddenly you grow taller, and broader, as you take control. You should seem terrifyingly powerful. And yet still you can't control the evening's unfortunate events.

The skeptic being physically ill, albeit behind the bathroom door, might be a bit strong for some, but in for a Penny... Also, there are several other poltergeist phenomena you could explore, on top of the door knocking. Gravel thrown at the window springs to mind. You might even want to have the knocking following your guests home .

Not sure this helps the debate, but it'd be fun to do. Any comments, or suggestions?

Regards,

Caleb Strange.

Caleb,

As I find myself saying so often, I love your idea. I think I would up the level
of poltergeist activity, having it take place at random times and places throughout the night. I wouldn't delete the part about the events of the evening following the guest home, but then I LOVE to scare people.

Thanks for sharing.

Dave

Jan 8

As I was thinking about your comments about a transformation piece last night, it occurred to me that the show that I a putting together right now is exactly that, only the opposite of the one you describe above.

My character is an attorney, not a stretch, since I actually am. I begin by telling the story of an old man accused of murder. He was found alone, locked in the room with the victim. The scene was quite grizzly.
This was during my law school days when I was an intern for the public defender in Louisiana. I was assigned to work on the team that was to defend the man. When I went to interview him, he claimed that he was innocent. The victim was killed, he said, by supernatural forces. Of course I didn't believe him. He gave me a journal that describes the various hoodoo rites that he had conducted over the years. I am not sure that he thought it would save him in court but he made it clear that he desperately wanted me to believe in him. Of course I set the book aside. Rubbish. Several days latter he was found dead in his cell. He never made it to trial. The jail gave me his few personal effects, but I was never able to find any family or friends to give them to. Normally under those circumstances they would be donated to charity, but there was nothing here worth anything...

Now, several years later, I feel a little guilty about not having paid more attention to the man. Could I have saved him? Should I have paid more attention to the journal? I am still skeptical after reading it, but open minded enough to try a little experiment. So armed with the journal, a few strange items the man left behind, and the assistance of my guests, I begin.

When the experiment succeeds, no one is more surprised than I. I decide to push on, to try something even more outlandish. Then things begin to go wrong. The experiment works, but not exactly as planned. It is obvious to everyone that I am not able to control these forces. I, however, am drunk with the powers at my command. Imagine, the very forces of life and death. Still I push on.

The last rite to be attempted happens to be the same one the old man was conducting the night of the murder. The result is terrifying, and in the end has -- shall we say-- tragic consequences for me.

That, of course, is a mere sketch of the story. But your talk about transformation had me thinking about my character here. Going from the rational skeptic to the power mad wielder of forces that I can't control may be my most challenging role as an actor to date. I only hope that I can do it justice.

Dave

Dave, I love that scenario! Absolutely brilliant. You know it won't be long before Hollywood cottons onto this forum, and we have to be less openly generous! Great the way the attorney character grew from out of your real life, too. Even people who know you outside your bizarre work might start wondering...

This idea of transformation seems to me very potent for bizarre story telling. It gives structure, movement and drama to our theatre. It reminds us of the myths of journey. And it can chill us, when a situation suddenly changes.

Of course, it's possible for the central character to remain the same, yet still the audience's perceptions and understanding of that character shift. I'm thinking here of Gene Poinc's terrifying Ripper effect, where a kindly old doctor is seen for what he really is.

As for upping the poltergeist activity in my story Dave, you're probably right. Just bear in mind though of all those cold nights you'd have to spend chucking gravel at people's windows! Seriously though, if you could convince a local newspaper that something weird was going on, it would be great publicity. Especially if the poor cub journalist assigned to the story also became troubled by something unseen. And, of course, you'd valliantly correct the situation with some sort of spectacular exorcism.

Regards,

Caleb Strange.

Caleb--
Love the story!


Ellen
harryandersonfan.com
New Orleans or BUST 2003!

Ellen, thank you very much. I appreciate that. You and wiggys got me thinking, so I think you should both take some of the credit

Regards,

Caleb Strange.

just a quick note in thinking about the technical side of your story Caleb, perhaps this would be a good venue to use the airzooka that was the topic of a post not to long ago... I undrstand it has a loud boom when fired but that may add to the atmosphere if timed right and accompanied by the air burst... just a thought. Its a great idea, I truly envy your imagination.

Just my thinking exactly Wil, you read my mind! Like you I was wondering if its sound could be used/adapted rather than masked? What DOES it sound like? I was also wondering about the kind of negative air pressure you get when the front and back doors of a house are open, so that everyone would get a sense of the rush of air. There's probably a methodology in there somewhere, varying air pressures to set mood (And now, as I put on my oxygen mask, you puny mortals will all pass out!) Many thanks for the compliment.

Regards,

Caleb Strange.

Fill a plastic bag with air and tie it shut. But make sure that it is only partially full. Toss it in the air and take a swing at it... This is similar to what the airzooka sounds like, but louder..

I was playing with one earlier today...

I would totally love being there for that kind of performance, really liked it.

Anabelle

Anabelle,

Many thanks for your kind words. I appreciate them very much. FYI Luke and I will be collaborating shortly on a new project, tentatively titled 'The Chilling Room', to perform just such work, and similar stuff. So maybe, one day, you can see this performed.

Regards,

Caleb Strange.

Let me start this post rather obliquely. How many of you recall a Jim Henson movie called Labyrinth? Starring David Bowie and the beautiful Jennifer Connelly? At the end of the movie, Jennifer is dressed as a princess and David Bowie is the Goblin King. Jennifer desperately tries to remember the words that are needed to banish the Goblin King and return to her normal life. In a costume contest, two people perfectly re-created the costumes and the dialogue, but did not win, because too many of the audience were unfamiliar with the movie, and the struggling to remember the words to banish the Goblin King sounded like the actor was fumbling and not the character.

Given this anecdote, I’d recommend that you didn't start off lame. Rather allow the skeptic to outmaneuver you. Every time you start to build suspense, the skeptic speaks up to ask a question, throwing off you rhythm. A mildly condescending attitude in the skeptic’s voice is something you try to overcome rather than allowing yourself to be baited... or did you? Perhaps some of your need to continue is to show up the skeptic, and you trudged ahead regardless of the risk the skeptic represents, and an element of guilt/desperation enters into the your actions when you try to find out if anyone is possessed.

Anyhow, that’s how I’d play it.

- Rob

Rob, you raise an interesting point - just how weak/shy/lame etc. can our character become, for theatrical purposes, before we 'lose' our audience?

In this routine the slight 'lameness' at the beginning is entirely deliberate - it contrasts with your stronger more effectual character towards the end of the seance. The routine is a transformation effect, and you are the one transformed.

However, it was my intention that this lameness was expressive of something more. If you like, the routine is an illustration of the battle between beleaguered spiritualism and an obnoxious variety of materialism.

Therefore, you start off as a hokey spiritualist of the old school (luminous trumpets etc.), no match for the capable but smug rationalist giving you a hard time. Yet, at the end of the evening, you have revealed your true character, and the rationalist has learnt that there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in his or her philosophies.

Now, dramatically, I think this works better if one side (medium) starts off weak whilst the other is strong, with these roles being reversed at the end. The story is neater somehow. BUT, as you point out, this can be a dangerous ploy. You can lose the audience before you start.

I think in this case though, the context is such, that people will stay with you. Also, I think the slightly amateurish nature of the opening helps to make what follows seem more real and frightening. But that's just my view. It'd be interesting to see how both approaches played.

As a personal aside, I should point out that I've nothing against rationalists and materialists, or, for that matter, spiritualists - but I do get uncomfortable when they start preaching or shouting, as some of them do, on occasion. This routine was just my way of expressing and exploring that discomfort.

Many thanks for the feedback,

Caleb Strange.

Caleb,

Always a pleasure to help out.

Just out of curiosity, given the number of ideas you come up with and how demanding they are, how many of them have you actually performed?

- Rob

Indeed many of Calebs ideas are demanding this to me is a good thing. Often when an effect is hard ro time consuming to make many people shy away from them. This is just fine by me as they oftne miss out on great effects.

Myself and Caleb are as he mentioned in the very begining stages of setting up "The Chilling Room" a project that in my mind is unlike anything I've ever had the pleasure of working on or for that matter even seen before.

Also I am soon to publish Calebs book....full of awe inspiring thinking and wonderful effects....brace yourself it will be an amazing journey...

Luke Jermay.

Rob,

That's a good question.

Some of the routines I've posted at the Café I've performed, or things similar. Other pieces, such as 'And I have done a great and terrible thing'
http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......4&24
have not yet been tried, although they are, I hope, grounded in my various performing and writing experiences.

What I like about the Café, and sites such as Doug's, is that they encourages us to think differently and explore theatrical boundaries. Sure, they're great places for practical advice. But they also provide us all with arenas in which we can dream. And I think that this is important, particularly, for us bizarrists, as I believe that we're on the edge of an unexplored territory. Of course there have been several brilliant pioneers, and we are all greatly in their debt. But I firmly believe that most of the terrain is, as yet, uncharted.

As Luke has said, we're working on a project that we hope will draw up our small part of the map.

Incidentally, I can't end this meeting of the 'Luke and Caleb Mutual Appreciation Society' without refering to Luke's upcoming book. Stunning. Absolutely stunning. It was a privilege to read it.

Warm regards,

Caleb Strange.