lindap Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 I, for the life of me, cannot figure out the theme of Cavaliers show. I get sports. What's with the platforms? Are they wrestling mats? Is there a story? I don't get it. Last year was simple in your face...this year is out there. Am I over thinking this? The platforms seem similar to SCV's pillows last year. Clever and comical in my eyes. This year Cavaliers have alot of movement motion and emotion in the music. Historically they have a storied story. Forgive me. I'm not very good at expressing my thoughts with words. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Channel3 Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 (edited) Clearly themes and show concepts are not "In the eye of the beholder." That's absolute nonsense. The show coordinator and designers have a clear, specific vision about the show concept they're conveying. Or the good ones do, anyway. They do their best to convey it as clearly to the audience as possible, even if its abstract or imagery meant to work on a subconscious level. Their objective is for the audience to grasp the concept and be carried away with the emotion in it. It's a high-impact performance art meant for big, collective audience reaction, plain and simple. The enormous number of drum corps enthusiasts who say they don't care about themes or show concepts is really disturbing. They're watching a performance art designed with specific intentions and specific reactions in mind. Audiences become confused when the concept isn't relayed clearly, and they become tired of trying to figure a concept out when it's not clear enough. Then after a few unclear show concepts, some give up on the idea of concept altogether. Show designers are active in their thematic intentions, but sometimes muddled and can't convey it. So viewers need to be active in seeking out what designers are saying, and if the concept isn't clear, raise hell with them. Edited July 28, 2015 by Channel3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindap Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 Okay. I love the guard work of the conjoined twins. It's brilliant. I want to see more of it. I want them to be the through line of the whole show. Me too. This show is a delight, an escape from every day. Their ballad is beautiful, in so many ways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Channel3 Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 I, for the life of me, cannot figure out the theme of Cavaliers show. I get sports. What's with the platforms? Are they wrestling mats? Is there a story? I don't get it. Last year was simple in your face...this year is out there. Am I over thinking this? I agree. Cavaliers simply need a framing device to make the whole show make sense and to give the competitors' relationship more depth. I described a specific framing device in another post which would add immediate depth and resonance and instantly add 4 points to their score. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 You had a limping circus clown contemplating suicide, and a black umbrella-toting angel (not God, not clergy) save him. You had Fellini's characters, the pants-less clowns, Claudia Cardinale, and seductive cabaret dancers, present an empty director's chair in honor of his anti-establishment vision of the world. My God. We have absolutely no way of telling from that show that the clown was thinking of killing himself. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlamMan Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 I don't need a show theme. Just give me 3 or 4 great songs. You old timers remember opener, drum solo, concert, production & closer? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallace Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 (edited) I don't need a show theme, and the Cadets' show DEFINITELY reaches people. It doesn't need a storyline or little Geoffreys or Phantom murders or white stick props muddying the waters. People are cheering it because it touches them at a visceral level. It doesn't need that Stalinesque claptrap in it to miraculously make it "artistic." And, BDs dada show was hardly intellectually stimulating. It was ironic, however, in the sense that the perfect example of the establishment in DCI produced a HORRID show that was hardly anti-establishment. LOL! Edited July 28, 2015 by wallace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindap Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 I don't need a show theme. Just give me 3 or 4 great songs. You old timers remember opener, drum solo, concert, production & closer? I'm an oldtimer and I remember. That's a fact and not an opinion. Good night. Oh where oh where did my creative words of expression go? Don`t know? Oh the irony! Scouts have a definite show theme this year. (this post is because I watched Waiting for Godot at live theatre 3 times during my youth, no worries, I`m Ok You`re Ok) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShortAndFast Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 Over in the Cadets thread, it was discussed whether they needed to add more meaning to their show. In order for a show to be successful, does it have to have a lot of meaning and context, with an oerall teme and story/message? Or can a show that isn't very deep or meaningful thrive based on the performance of the corps alone? I assume you are asking about effect scores - theme and message don't have a whole lot to do with who wins the Sanford IMO. If you look at the GE sheets (not current, but similar: http://issuu.com/drumcorpsinternational/docs/2012_judging_sheets_full_set/2?e=1376842/2992110), you'll see that they don't directly talk about theme/meaning. They do ask for "creativity, originality and artistry" and for the performers to embody "character, role, identity, style". But they also want audience engagement, audio/visual coordination and a variety of effects. There are plenty of shows that were very effective, but did not particularly have deep intellectual content or much of a story. To just pick from some recent medalists - Bluecoats 2014 Tilt - Cadets 2013 Side by Side - Cavaliers 2011 XtraordinarY - BD 2010 Through a Glass, Darkly - BD 2008 Constantly Risking Absurdity Bottom line, you don't need a PhD to to design an effective drum corps shows. Sometimes shows with a storyline or lots of intellectual content do well, sometimes they do poorly. Generally the ones that do well also have other things going for them: excellent performance levels, great music, striking visual design, emotional performances, etc. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoyWonder1911 Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 Here are the show concepts and the placement they deserve at finals based on their depth of concept. Notice how the farther down the list you get, the fewer characters and the fewer verbs there are. 12) Cadets - Capricious, random associations about the number 10, generally unrelated to the underlying composer, his philosophy, the era or the music itself. Have to agree. I think it's good for a show to have a strong central theme, but it's also okay for it to be open enough to allow others to find their own personal meaning. Cadets 2000 was such a show for me, and that's why I start to tear up towards the end whenever I do watch it. I graduated in year 2000 so that show has a little bit of personal meaning for me. Themes can be simple, and still be good. As long as the theme is realized. Four Corners, Frameworks, Spin Cycle, Machine, simple but it was all there. Niagara Falls seemed a little deeper. Then you have shows like the BD's Dada show, Cadets' "The Zone", Mad World, E=MC^2, deep shows. But whatever kind of theme is chosen, it's essential that the theme is brought out and realized appropriately. Cadets' show this season just does not seem right. Nothing seems appropriate to each other. It just seems like they picked a simple theme, threw music at it, and made a crazy fast difficult drill to make it seem great. Doesn't seem like anything in the entire program sticks together. Nothing is cohesive. I don't understand why they chose Shostakovich's 10th and play it pretty much throughout the entire show. Just because it's his 10th Symphony? They could have chosen to also play other "10th" pieces of music. Not that there are a whole lot out there...but Mahler did write sketches of a 10th, even Beethoven had some small fragments. There are sonatas, etudes, etc. they could have looked at for inclusion. Seems like 2 different shows. One an homage to Shostakovich and one about...the number 10? It just seems like it's a good idea gone wrong, and their only answer to it is to throw more gimmicks and more crazy fast drill. I don't care about crazy fast drill. Even if it's clean. Sure it's fun to watch but I'd rather see a show that has a strong central theme and is realized really well. I think this is the reason they've been trending down, and I don't see this changing. No amount of cleaning can improve the way the show was written. I think Crown and SCV are the 2 corps at at the top with the most cohesive program this year. I think this is the reason why Crown has been on top lately. Unfortunate that SCV has some dirt and brass problems because this show should/could medal. Haven't seen Ink so I can't comment, but their staff always seems to realize their theme well. I'll have to wait until next Friday. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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