Opening Invocation
The group "Opening Invocation" teaches shared vision and observation through collectively "discovering" one object world. The mechanic — sequential statements following the formula "We see" → "You" → "Thou art" → "I" — tunes the ensemble to a unified theme.
Players
6–8
Full description
Setup and Launch
Arrange 6–8 participants in a semicircle facing the audience. Frame the task: collectively reveal a shared picture of a specific object and its surroundings (e.g., an ice cream cart and everything around it).
Explain the "language" of statements: first the observable ("We see"), then the relation to us ("You"), next — a generalized level ("Thou art"), and the voice of the object itself ("I am"). Pronouns can be substituted for "he/she/it" depending on the object — while preserving the meaning of the levels.
Flow
The group moves sequentially through four levels of statements, then performs a shared transformation to transition smoothly into the first scene.
- We See
- Fix details and facts of the observed world: "We see an ice cream cart...", "We see an inscription...", "We see beads on the cart handle..."
- You Are
- Connect what's seen to us: "You are the memory of a friend...", "You are the joy of a Saturday in the park...", "You are sugar..."
- Thou Art
- Rise to the level of abstraction and meaning: "Thou art separation", "Thou art joy", "Thou art addiction"
- I Am
- Give voice to the object/world itself: "I miss weekdays", "I am cold", "I love rolling through the park"
- Tribal Transformation
- Smooth the transition into action with shared movement/dance, possibly with a sound texture. The impulse may arise in one participant and be picked up by the others (e.g., a flock of pigeons near the cart), then the pattern gradually disperses.
Key rules
The finale is a group transformation with movement/dance and a sound texture; use it as a bridge into the scene.
Allow one participant to start the transformation — the group supports and develops the offered pattern.
As the transformation winds down, two people remain onstage (preferred), three at most; the rest exit to the wings.
The first line of the first scene is spoken at the moment the shared pattern disperses.
Context
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