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| Ohio Entelechron | |
| Text Author: | Roger Zahab |
| Date Completed: | November 25, 2006 |
| Duration: | between 1 minute and an evening |
| Instrumentation: | any number of voices, instruments, actors, dancers, video and other electronic media |
| First Performance: | Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, Kevin Noe, music, film & stage direction, July 6 & 7, 2007 City Theatre, Pittsburgh |
| Comments: | Ohio Entelechron, a teleportation utility, promises to provide the Ohio region with "continuous service in all dimensions." |
| Program Notes: | Ohio entelechron is a collection of music (for listening, playing, singing, video, mime or dance), words (for song or recitation), scripted dialogue and actions (which may be performed live or on video), scenarios (for actors or dancers, web sites, video games, virtual reality platforms, and open-ended accomodation to other media as yet unknown) which uses various ideas of Time to explore the connections between identity, history, and community. The choices of items, performers, media, the order and/or superimpositions used in a presentation, as well as the overall length, are left open so that each performance can be tailored to suit the presenters, audience and performance space. It can be made to tell any number of stories or no story at all. The surface should support many levels of entry; I call these entry points 'teleports'. Underneath the surface - or once through the teleports - one may find ways in which the repetition and transformation of ideas create a sense of syntax and form, and beyond that, the illusion of a shared memory. The text incorporates some lines and characters from Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio in 20. afterimage , following a suggestion from director James Slowiak that I look into that great work as a basis for an opera. However, Ohio entelechron has turned out to be something else. Arrangements may be made for any combination of instruments and any, all or only one of the pieces may be presented in any order or superimposed, or performed simultaneously, in honor and memory of John Cage and all our friends who have teleported to some other dimension. Portions of this work were funded by an Ohio Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship for 2005. I am extremely grateful to the Council for their support. RZ |