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The Peculiar Parade of Playful Interactions

 The Peculiar Parade of Playful Interactions, 2024  Invited by Berm Magazine to write an article, I decided to write my first play. This play explores the spirit of interaction in art, featuring whimsical characters who engage with each other and the

The Peculiar Parade of Playful Interactions, 2024

Invited by Berm Magazine to write an article, I decided to write my first play. This play explores the spirit of interaction in art, featuring whimsical characters who engage with each other and the audience. Written in playful, childlike rhyme, it celebrates connection through character interplay, props, and audience participation.

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 Set in Whimsyville, the play features 11 characters, a composer, and a filmmaker. Transformative encounters, such as Giggles the Narrator’s announcements, the Shoes of Spontaneity, and the Heart of Harmony, emphasize connection. Props like the Mirro

Set in Whimsyville, the play features 11 characters, a composer, and a filmmaker. Transformative encounters, such as Giggles the Narrator’s announcements, the Shoes of Spontaneity, and the Heart of Harmony, emphasize connection. Props like the Mirror of Mirth and Carousel of Conversations foster joy and dialogue for all.

Each interaction highlights connection and shared experience, culminating in Lark’s message of unity. Wordplay, palindromes in writing and music, and mirrored dialogue reinforce themes of harmony and interconnectedness. The play was later brought to life through a live performance.

26-second video from the premiere of The Peculiar Parade of Playful Interactions at Chess Club, Portland, Oregon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9CGWaxAgK4

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 Ps. The piece takes an interdisciplinary approach with a stage setting description bit that’s in homage to Douglas Hofstadter’s palindromic Crab Canon in the book Gödel, Escher, Bach. Written in the form of childlike rhyme and also in part written g

Ps. The piece takes an interdisciplinary approach with a stage setting description bit that’s in homage to Douglas Hofstadter’s palindromic Crab Canon in the book Gödel, Escher, Bach. Written in the form of childlike rhyme and also in part written grammatically incorrectly, it’s meant to highlight the playful nuances of complexities.

Berm Issue 006 / Published 2024 

CHESS CLUB / 435 NW 6th Avenue, Portland, OR

DAN KIM / Footage

ADAM TORRES / Live Composition

Cast o’ Characters

MIA FERM/Narrator Shell            

ALLIE HANKINS/The Golden Braid    

 KYE ALIVE/Giggles the Narrator 

STEPHANIE SIMEK/Lark            

AARON CHAPMAN/Mus Mus  

MARTHA DAGHLIAN/Heart of Harmony

MEL SHEA/Lupus Wolfie           

MIDORI HIROSE/Bellis Felis   

NÍM DAGHLIAN/Seedling Artist

PATRICIA WOLF/Bloomin’ Baker   

LEIF ANDERSON/Traveling Musician    

ALISON COLE/Local Vocal Teacher

EVERYONE/Chorus of Denizens    

ADAM TORRES/Composer    

SHELBY MENZEL/Filmmaker