The Cadets - 2014

[wallace]

Jeff will call it like he sees it. Cadets over Coats or Coats over Cadets. Cadets need to be sharp..

A lot of other judges could learn a lot from Jeff Prosperie. #integrity

Edited June 27, 2014 by wallace

[2000Cadet]

You know what I love the best about this show?

It's not the amazing narrator.

It's not the corpsgasmic brass.

It's not the ridiculous battery.

It's not the fabulous pit.

It's not the killer guard.

It's the fact that there's little to no rolling around on the ground or MMs prancing around the turf like deer in a field of periwinkle (or vampires on a football field).

I like the word corpsgasmic.

[jordsterr]

Facial hair. Discuss,

[jjeffeory]

Facial hair. Discuss,

It's super!

[Brutus]

Again... your insistence in condescension negates any valid points your posts might contain, which begs the question....

My analysis is intended to clarify and focus the design elements in this show, to purify the show, and align it with the original artistic purpose of the piece, The Lincoln Portrait. Forgive my condescension.

1) The platform has become a hiding place for the narrator and soloists. It's become a masked backstage area which is antithetical to the nature of the piece. A backstage area suggests artifice and theatrics, hidden motives. It pulls focus. Why do the narrator and soloist hide under it for so long? Why don't they want us to see them? In fact, the narrator is so tall that he has to duck under it in order to fit underneath it. I'd rather see the narrator listen to the music. Sit and relish it during the entire show. Think about the words. Stand and speak when he feels the need, just like the Lincoln Portrait is usually performed. His words spring up in a germaine way from the music. But a backstage area is artificial and indicative of "play acting." But this piece is Brechtian. We see the performer. He's not pretending. He's not playing a character. He is himself. He is Everyman. Let us see him as he watches the corps. There are no theatrics here. The script is as bare bones as you can get-- there's no play acting, bombast, theatrics or artifice here. "This is what Lincoln said. He said..."

2) What is the narrator's relationship with the corps? Right now, he seems to ignore the corps. Is the corps generated from his imagination? Can he watch the corps and relish it? Can he join the corps at the end? Present the flag he's carefullly unraveled and planted? The corps seems completely separate from him. And that's artificial. When the Lincoln Portrait is typically performed, the speaker is among the orchestra. In this case, he can be down center, but he should at least watch the corps and feel the music and be a part of it for the entire piece. In the Lincoln Portrait, the narrator becomes the music and vice versa. He doesn't exit from the middle of the orchestra when he's not speaking.

3) Can the soloist shake the hand of the narrator when the solo is done? Can they just touch base with each other for a second as the build this piece? Can they interact like that for a second as they combine the words and music? How about the drum major and the narrator? Can the narrator and drum major do a fist bump, or maybe a hand on heart acknowledgement, or shake hands before or during the piece at an appropriate moment?

[brichtimp]

Some interesting thoughts, although it is obvious that the narrator and anyone else within a couple of city blocks will be 'relishing' the Cadets (unless they have cotton in their ears). I'm thinking it makes sense to be a little patient to see what additional adjustments are made to the show and its staging in the next few weeks. I'm just enjoying the fact that the Cadets already have a level of execution in the music and drill that some other corps would kill for in August...IMHO.

[chaddyt]

My analysis is intended to clarify and focus the design elements in this show, to purify the show, and align it with the original artistic purpose of the piece, The Lincoln Portrait. Forgive my condescension.

1) The platform has become a hiding place for the narrator and soloists. It's become a masked backstage area which is antithetical to the nature of the piece. A backstage area suggests artifice and theatrics, hidden motives. It pulls focus. Why do the narrator and soloist hide under it for so long? Why don't they want us to see them? In fact, the narrator is so tall that he has to duck under it in order to fit underneath it. I'd rather see the narrator listen to the music. Sit and relish it during the entire show. Think about the words. Stand and speak when he feels the need, just like the Lincoln Portrait is usually performed. His words spring up in a germaine way from the music. But a backstage area is artificial and indicative of "play acting." But this piece is Brechtian. We see the performer. He's not pretending. He's not playing a character. He is himself. He is Everyman. Let us see him as he watches the corps. There are no theatrics here. The script is as bare bones as you can get-- there's no play acting, bombast, theatrics or artifice here. "This is what Lincoln said. He said..."

2) What is the narrator's relationship with the corps? Right now, he seems to ignore the corps. Is the corps generated from his imagination? Can he watch the corps and relish it? Can he join the corps at the end? Present the flag he's carefullly unraveled and planted? The corps seems completely separate from him. And that's artificial. When the Lincoln Portrait is typically performed, the speaker is among the orchestra. In this case, he can be down center, but he should at least watch the corps and feel the music and be a part of it for the entire piece. In the Lincoln Portrait, the narrator becomes the music and vice versa. He doesn't exit from the middle of the orchestra when he's not speaking.

3) Can the soloist shake the hand of the narrator when the solo is done? Can they just touch base with each other for a second as the build this piece? Can they interact like that for a second as they combine the words and music? How about the drum major and the narrator? Can the narrator and drum major do a fist bump, or maybe a hand on heart acknowledgement, or shake hands before or during the piece at an appropriate moment?

Interesting points and suggestions + accessible/inquisitive tone = an invitation for dialogue.

As brichtimp pointed out, we should give this time. Cadets, probably more than any other corps, have a habit of continually tweaking, adding, dropping, and changing various elements of their show throughout the summer. We've only just passed the 1-week mark of the competitive season, with very few full-panel reads from judges, which is what guides most of these changes.

I fully expect the ramp to get more use, and I know that what we see now from the narrator is not what I'll be watching on the blu-ray.

But as I said in an earlier post, George Hopkins does read this forum, and I think you have some worthwhile things to consider and some interesting ideas they should try testing. He's also generally candid in regards to direct contact. You might consider actually emailing him with some of this stuff and see what he says.

[theCHEZman]

Facial hair. Discuss,

This Cadets corps is just bursting with testosterone. Facial hair just happens.

[2000Cadet]

This Cadets corps is just bursting with testosterone. Facial hair just happens.

He's trying to take the focus off how good the corps is this year.

[MikeN]

Those are actually good ideas to further integrate the narrator. I kind of agree now after seeing the show - he can become the narrative focal point of the production, if they stage it right, and that would make the whole thing even tighter.

Mike