Small Talk 05 - Void Story by Alex Eisenberg

Void Story by Forced Entertainment

Soho Theatre

24^th April 2009

7.32pm – 7.37pm

Unreserved Seating:

Fourth Row – Seat 7/8/9 - (A)

Fourth Row – Seat 8/9/10 - (P)

On Stage – Usher (U)

You can read an introduction to Small Talk here.

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7.32pm

A: Hello…How are you?

P: Are you supposed to sit here?…no…

A: Sorry?

P: Are you sitting with him?

A: No…

P: Oh okay…Sorry I thought you were with him.

A: Oh…I thought you were together!

P: Oh no…[ALL LAUGH]

A: No…I’m on my own actually.

P: Oh okay…

[PAUSE]

A: I’m a bit puffed out!

P: Yeah I just ran here as well.

A: Okay…

So what do you reckon it's going to be like?

P: Probably quite slow…

A: Why do you say that?

P: Cos they often…they can do that sometimes…be very slow…Have you seen stuff before?

A: Yeah I have.

P: But you know…I like it so…

A: You like slow?

P: I don’t mind…well…I kind of like a bit of both…the text is often good so…they can get away with it.

A: So you’ve seen quite a lot of their work before have you?

P: I’ve been seeing them for a long time…yeah…yeah…

A: Got any favourites?

P: ‘Dirty Work’…that’s quite a long time ago. ‘Speak Bitterness’…that’s a while back umm…I like their earlier stuff better actually.

A: Okay…so you’ve been a long time follower and it's 25 years in the making.

P: But I mean…I saw some of that on video…yeah…’Dirty Work’ I saw live…yeah…I did a workshop thing…like a residency with them in ninety-nine…ten years ago now…which was good but…

[LOUD]

U: Hi guys, welcome to Soho Theatre!

If I could just ask you all just to scooch along just a tiny tiny bit…In front of all of you is a number on the back of the chairs in front of you…if you all look at a number and all sit behind one that would be perfect. Because then we can get 14 people to every row…cos we’re completely sold out. Thanks a lot!

A: That was funny! …It is quite squashed in here isn’t it?

P: I think they always have to do this…and they do this speech…

A: They’re used to it…she seemed quite practiced.

Oh right…we’re getting into seat 9 and 10 here.

P: That’s right [LAUGH]

A: It's amazing how much room there is when we all…

P: Yeah…you see everyone wants to give themselves a bit more personal space.

A: Well also these seats, you know they’re quite…

P: Rigid?

A: Rigid…yeah [ALL LAUGH]

[PAUSE]

A: So have you been to anything else in Spill?

P: No I haven’t…I haven’t had a chance…I’m just going to see this and the other one tonight and that’s it…that’s all I’ve been able to…I would have liked to have seen some of the stuff last week but…

A: Oh you are seeing the show after?

P: Yeah.

A: That’s good.

[PAUSE]

A: So…are you involved in the arts at all?

P: Not really any more no…I look after my son now.

A: Oh wow!

P: Yeah!

A: How old is he?

P: He’s two.

A: Lovely…that’s your full time work is it?!

P: I used to do a bit…just marketing stuff…but I have to look after him now.

A: But you didn’t want to bring him along tonight though?!

P: I don’t think I could handle it!

A: Really! Is he a bit of a…

P: Well he’s in bed now.

A: Yeah.

P: He’s normally in bed about seven, seven-thirty. It's how it is with that age.

A: It would be good to go to bed at seven-thirty…

P: I go to bed about nine-thirty…[LAUGH]

A: Oh really! You’re an early sleeper?

P: Well I have to because he gets up at half six…otherwise I…I like my sleep so…you know…

A: That’s being a mum, isn’t it?

P: It's like…going to bed at eleven feels like a late night. Like, I watch a movie and I’m like…wooo ‘late night’. [LAUGH]

Gone are the days of drunken craziness!…Well I still do that occasionally but…you know…

A: Well I suppose you sort of succumb to the schedule of your child…
P: Yeah…they take over…

A: Yeah…It's interesting that…I’m not in that sort of schedule I’ll be honest with you!

P: It's funny…it does take over…I wasn’t before and now… you’re like…wow it's a very different thing!

[PAUSE]

A: I’ve been wondering what it's like to sit up there on those stools.

P: Probably not good.

A: It seems to be going quiet now…

7.37pm

VOID STORY

22.21pm

To find out about Alex's Small Talk click here: Small Talk by Alex Eisenberg

Below are links to the other conversations that I have had:

Small Talk 01 - Inferno

Small Talk 02 - That Night Follows Day

Small Talk 03 - Purgatorio

Small Talk 04 - Saving the World

Alex Eisenberg is an artist making performance. He is helping to coordinate SPILL: Overspill over the course of the festival.

Small talk 04 - Saving the World by Alex Eisenberg

Saving the World by Gob Squad

Greenwich Dance Agency

10^th April 2009

3.09pm – 3.17pm

Unreserved Seating:

Third Row – Seat 1 - (A)

Third Row – Seat 2 - (L)

Third Row – Seat 3 - (C)

You can read an introduction to Small Talk here.

________________________________________________

3.09pm

A: Hello

L: Hiya…

A: How are you?

L: I’m okay, you?

A: I’m alright…had to wolf down a sandwich just before I came in…I came a bit late…I’ve made it.

So what do you think it's going to be like?

L: I’ve got no idea? What about you?

A: Well…I think there are going to be a fair few projections…it looks like…

L: Seven screens…

Have you seen anything by them before?

A: No…have you?

L: Yeah we went to see something last year called ‘Kitchen’.

A: Oh right…how was that?

L: Amazing, amazing!

A: Oh really…

L: Yeah…it was kind of…it was at the Soho Theatre and it was kind of…the stage was a screen but they were filming everything behind the screen and projecting it live and it ended up with members of the audience going behind the screen and participating, and my partner, she went to it twice and actually performed in it once.

A: Oh wow…

L: Cos she was dragged off…by the company. And you know, it was great…very funny…very interesting ideas!

A: Great…

L: And we were totally blown away by them so that’s why we came today.

A: Have you been to any other things in the festival?

L: We went to see Inferno last week and C went to Purgatory as well…yeah, I liked Inferno but the people I was with didn’t like it that much…what about you?

A: I’ve seen things yeah…

L: Any recommendations?

A: Well…everything’s only on for a couple of days.

Hello J…!!

J: Hello Al…you alright?

A: Yeah good…

J: Busy working?

A: Busy…yep…yep…busy working…

J: Saw you talking to them out there…apparently Berlin, Germany…it's the place to be!

A: It's the place to be…this is what I have said…

L: Generally or….

J: And you can live for a fiver for a year!

A: Fifty – you can live for fifty quid a week…

J: Fifty quid a year!

L: Fifty quid a decade!

J: Live on cheese and sausage…

A: Not cheese…!

L: Fifty quid – how would you live?

A: You’d get a nice little flat…you can get…food…bratwurst…

J: You may even get a ‘driver’ for that much…in Berlin, it really is…it's the answer!

[LAUGH]

L: Fantastic…

J: They don’t ask you how you are spending the public’s money…

L: It's the way it should be…

J: It's basically elevated to a social concern, in that a healthy mind is something that should be part of public spending.

L: Yeah…

J: Whereas over here we’ve got the Olympics – so it's healthy body.

L: Slightly bigger bill as well, probably.

J: Yeah…well obesity is more of a hot topic…we’re the third most obese or second most obese after Germany.

L: It's all that bratwurst…they get it so cheap!

A: What do you think of this then J?

J: Absolute gold…I mean those projectors…I could just watch them for a while.

[LAUGH]

L: Yeah…it will probably be a disappointment when they actually turn on…won’t it…it’ll ruin it…

J: Yup…turning on will turn you off!...

[PAUSE]

Right, I am going to my seat now.

L: Enjoy the show…

A: See you….

A: Its not that busy is it?

L: No…no…cos they are doing two evenings…when is it? Last night and tonight?

A: Yeah…so I think there’s one on tonight…

L: It's a weird time for people to come in the afternoon on a Friday.

A: It is Good Friday though.

L: This is true…and we made a day trip of it…we came from North London…

A: Me too…

L: Day trip to Greenwich. We got the bus here.

A: I drove…but I had to stop in Tower Hill, so a sort of two-leg journey.

L: Well we were up at Kings Cross, and we thought, we could get on the tube…

A: You took the bus all the way here?

L: We got two buses, one to Peckham and one to here…it only took…less than an hour.

A: That’s pretty good actually…

L: And it's not often we get down to Greenwich.

A: I’ve been here a few times but hardly.

L: This place is amazing…is this quite a well known sort of dance place…?

A: Yeah…

L: Is it a school or a…?

A: Yeah it's space and support for artists.

L: So where do you live in North London?

A: Near Golders Green at the moment.

L: Yeah…we live in Holloway.

A: I drove through there this morning.

L: Holloway Road looking glorious on the bank holiday morning.

A: Quite empty…which is good for the drivers.

L: Yeah…everywhere was very quiet today…it's one of the quietest days of the year I reckon.

A: You know I didn’t even realise it was actually a Bank Holiday today.

L: You notice it when you get out though…on the streets.

A: You do…it's definitely quiet.

L: Yeah…I think the only place that’s busy today is Greenwich. [LAUGH]

A: What…cos we’re here!

L: Yeah…us…amongst others.

A: Slightly tricky seats, aren’t they? Mine’s got a bit of a dip.

L: They remind me a bit of school seats.

A: Yeah…very stackable.

L: Yeah…good for stacking – not for sitting.

A: Not the best! [LAUGH]

L: So I’m wondering if any people are going to appear?

A: Yeah, me too.

L: Or if it's just going to be….screens?

[PAUSE]

How many are there in the company?

A: About four or five I think.

L: Some from Nottingham?

A: And from Germany…they are a mixture of Germany and England.

You know…I’ve got…hayfever’s coming at this time of the year you see…so I’ve got quite an itchy eye.

L: You taken anything for it?

A: Usually, but I keep forgetting to go and buy them.

L: Hmmmm….I’ve had hayfever for many, many years and I tried last year…

A: The injection?

L: No…just to not take anything…

A: Right…

L: And it was kind of okay, once I got used to it…more comfortable…I think I did last year……C, did I not take anything for hayfever last year? Did I completely stop?...And it kind of worked didn’t it…?

C: I thought you had something for your eyes.

A: Yeah…I have the eyes coming now…

C: Reddy eyes?

A: Yeah…

L: Not much you can do when the eyes come…you’ve got to take a tablet really. You can’t just hope they are going to go away.

A: Every time before I see a show…I sit here and I start scratching my eyes!

L: Wow….

A: I know…

L: That’s quite early…because I think I get it a bit later…it depends on different kinds of pollen…doesn’t it…

C: Do you know what yours is? Is it grass or trees or…?

A: I don’t know specifically…but I do get it quite badly…so I ought to know.

L: Hmmmm…mine’s kind of grassy isn’t it….and then trees…and probably flowers as well…in fact it’s everything!

A: It's pollen! [ALL LAUGH]

L: It's pollen!

A: But…where is the pollen in grass?

L: Ummm…some grass will have little seeds…won’t it? Is there pollen in there?

A: I don’t know? There’s hay…?

C: What about flowers, no…?

A: Cos they say hay and hayfever…?

L: Yeah….hmmmm…

A: Oh…I think it's going a bit more quite now…

3.17pm

SAVING THE WORLD

4.36pm

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To find out about Alex's Small Talk click here: Small Talk by Alex Eisenberg

Alex Eisenberg is an artist making performance. He is helping to coordinate SPILL: Overspill over the course of the festival.

Small Talk 03 - Purgatorio by Alex Eisenberg

Purgatorio by Romeo Castellucci

Barbican Main Theatre

9 April 2009

7.48pm – 7.55pm

Seat E12 - (A)

Seat E13 - (M)

You can read an introduction to Small Talk here.

_____________________________________________

7.48pm

A: Hello…

[PAUSE]

Hi…

M: Just trying to get into a book...[LAUGH]

A: Just trying to get into the book…what is it? [PAUSE] Oh right, okay.

M: Finally republished in England.

A: When was it…oh ’66 was it?

M: That was the last edition…

A: Okay…how far have you got?

M: Not very far! So I’m trying to get some in now…

A: You’re catching every moment you can!

M: Yup…because there is no programme.

A: You can get programmes can’t you?

M: They said they had sold out…

[PAUSE]

A: So what do you think its going to be like?

M: I dunno…nasty I think.

A: What’s that?

M: Pretty nasty, I hope.

A: Pretty nasty…

M: That’s the idea, isn’t it?

[PAUSE]

A: Have you seen any of the others?

M: No, I haven’t, I’ve only just come down…I live in Norwich so…

A: Oh right…

M: I didn’t even get into Paradiso

A: How come?

M: Too late to get a ticket…you have to have a ticket.

A: Oh…

M: So this is it.

A: One’s better than none?

M: Yup.

A: So you’ve just come down today from Norwich have you?

M: I came down two days ago.

A: Okay.

[PAUSE]

A: What’s Norwich like?

M: Sleepy.

A: Sleepy. [BOTH LAUGH]

[SHORT PAUSE]

M: We have our annual excitement, which is the Norfolk and Norwich Festival and it’s really good.

A: What’s that?

M: That’s a proper international festival.

A: Great…

M: Stronger on music than anything else.

A: Okay…

M: And it coincides with teaching…it coincides with my exam period, so I’m always off...

A: What do you teach?

M: English and Drama.

A: Great.

M: That’s why I’m at this kind of thing!

A: Okay. What age group do you teach?

M: Secondary.

A: Secondary school. How’s that?

M: Tiring at my age…

A: Tiring…you been doing it for a while?

M: Uh ha…thirty three years.

A: Wow…so you know what to do then?

M: In theory…

Are you a regular comer here?

A: Yeah I am, yeah. I came and saw the other show.

M: Which was…

A: Inferno.

M: Which was good?

A: Um…yeah.

M: Sort of three star…most of the critics seemed to three star it.

A: Oh, you read the reviews. Did you find them good?

M: I though they were interesting reviews.

A: Did they help you?

M: Well I know what I’m going to get. I’ve been around…

A: So you know his work do you?

M: I’ve looked him up, yeah. Still I hope I’ll see something English here sometime…

[PAUSE]

A: I think we’ve got quite good seats here.

M: This is nice actually…yeah.

A: We are sort of on the bend. A bit of side and a bit of front.

[BOTH LAUGH]

A: Sorry…I’ve completely distracted you from you book.

M: Well I was kind of thinking reading some De Sade would get me in the mood for it.

A: Okay…though I mean it is a tricky time to be getting into a book?

M: Yeah I wouldn’t normally be doing this but…

A: You just got it…

M: It’s just arrived and its been on order for two months…so I’ve been rearing to go. It’s either that or being really poncey and reading the French newspaper. But I won’t be poncey.

A: Are you a French speaker?

M: Yeah…

A: How come you read the French newspaper?

M: I just love France.

A: Oh right…

M: So I go over there…for the festival in Paris during the summer, which is hugely subsidised. It’s 10 euros for the maximum ticket price.

A: That’s fantastic.

M: But I couldn’t afford to go last year. They have bizarre things…if you think this is bizarre…they had ummm…you came out of the theatre in an immense industrial estate and you got in a truck, with a Bulgarian…truck driver…who drove you though industrial Paris explaining what it was like to be an economic migrant.

A: And how was that?

M:I didn’t go…because I was too poor to go…

A: Oh you couldn’t go…

M: They have that kind of theatre. And I saw…I can’t remember what the guy’s name is…ummm…but he does theatre…it’s like twenty five minutes of stage machinery – performing…

A: Oh wow.

M: Yes! So battles between two kinds of ladders…ladders going…

A: So you do integrate this work with your teaching?

M: That kind of thing yes…I’m not allowed to mention this kind of thing.

A: Why?

M: Because it’s a bit explicit and over eighteen…

A: Really…

M: I’ll mention that I’ve been to it.

A: Who doesn’t allow you?

M: My boss!

A: The headmaster or headmistresses.

M: The headmaster.

A: The headmaster.

M: Well it is over eighteen…

A: I suppose.

M: I don’t see why not…I think it would be great if they could see it but…

A: These are nice…

M: Yep…it’s a good theatre…

A: Leather bound arm-rests.

M: I’ve done my back in so I’m glad that I’m at this theatre.

A: Good. Comfortable seat is it, for you?

M: Yeah…I should be going to the Orange Tree in Richmond tomorrow but that’s…that’s benches and my back is so painful…

A: Yeah…these are a bit better than benches. Its kind of different when you are on benches, isn’t it?

M: Yeah [M MAKES STRETCHING SOUND]

[LAUGH]

M: Right, I think it’s going to start soon.

A: Yeah…It’s filling up.

M: Yes I normally sit on the end of a row, but I couldn’t get the end of the row…so I knew it was pretty full.

A: Why do you do that?

M: So I can do things with my back in the middle of the performance.

A: Oh really! Well I’m not going to be worried if you do anything with your back. You can stretch…because I’m a bit of a fidget, I’ll be honest with you…

M: It was either going to the hospital today or coming here…but I paid for this so I thought ‘I’ll come here’.

A: What’s actually wrong?

M: Well I injured it…two and a half years ago – computer printer….and then I carried on working and I was putting lanterns up in the theatre and my back went completely, I couldn’t get out of bed for three days!

A: What happened with the computer printer?

M: Oh I just dropped it [OUCH] for the last two inches…and then my elderly mother yesterday…

A: It seems to be going a bit more quiet now…[WHISPERED]

M: She fell over and I had to pick her up…and I did my back in as we both ended up on the floor…

A: Oh dear!...Enjoy the show…

M: You too…

7.55pm

PURGATORIO

9.13pm