Day One.

Jessica and I started talking about the Devised Yukon Project last August. We started writing the grants last September and continued to evolve the idea and apply for funding. In May we selected our project participants and today was our first full day of studio work. The Devised Yukon Project has begun!

From left to right: Sam Bergmann–Good, Adele Gigantes, Geneviève Doyon, Sarah Moore, Jessica Hickman, Shaun McComb.

We spent much of the day aligning our vocabulary. Shaun suggested we talk about a show we've seen, something we've done and a training experience. While having this discussion we focused on what specifically jazzed us about what we did or saw. I came out wondering if there is a way to define theatre magic.

The word magic was used multiple times throughout the discussion. I think magic is one of the fundamentals to great theatre. A good production has a balance of science, psychology and magic. Magic is hard to define though. Maybe, it needs to be negotiated on a show-by-show basis, but I, being the great definer that I am, would like to find a general definition to what that magic is.

Maybe magic is related to the feeling of recognition an audience member has when they connect to what the actor is going through. Maybe the magic is about connecting to the universal truth that, as human beings, we just know. I'm not sure, but I plan to continue asking for a definition.

At the end of the discussion I felt I understood better where everyone was coming from in terms of theatre creation. It felt like we were an octopus, we each brought tendrils of different skills, but our core belief in what theatre is was the same.

So, the project has begun. You will start to hear many other voices on this site. All collective members will be posting something at least once a week. We are treating this as a kind of public process journal. You will hopefully read, and possibly see and hear, about successes, challenges and inspirations. It's my hope that these posts spark conversations and interest.