#image from the theatre's website

[fyeahfinnishmusicaltheatre]

A promotional image for Svenska Teatern’s spring 2023 performances of Next to Normal, featuring Anna-Maria Hallgarn (who’s replacing Maria Ylipää in the role of Diana).

Image from the theatre’s website.

[evan-collins90]

Edwards Cinemas - Irvine Spectrum & Ontario Palace locations (Opened 1995 & 1997, respectively)

Built at the height of the 'Decoplex' style in the 1990s, which harkened back to the glamour of the Art Deco movie palaces of the 1920s & 30s, while updating the look with postmodern influences, new technologies, and materials.

Designed by Perkowitz + Ruth Architects

Images sourced from the book, 'Entertainment Destinations' by Martin Pegler & the website of the engineering firm for both theatres, TILDIN Engineering

[malegains]

I use Bing to make my pics. Go to Bing’s website, click images, click create. Make an account if you need to, it’s worth it. You can use a throwaway email. Use naturalistic language, separate phrases by commas, the closer to the top a phrase is the more it’s weighted.

I make this post because I get the strong sense the Bing party will be over soon. Every day the AI cottons on to phrases and chokes on things you used to be able to sneak past. Stuff that was safe and useful a day or two ago now result in a dreaded Prompt Blocked (too many of those and you’ll get suspended, it hasn’t happened to me but it seems the threshold is low).

Safe prompts return four images. Fewer than four mean the missing ones were “not safe.” A prompt that processes but gives no results, or “egg dogs” is not too much of a cause for worry - retool, try again. Sometimes I don’t even change anything, and the one result I get on the second try is such a freakshow that it was worth it.

A prompt that is rejected without processing IS a worry and you should probably abort, as explained. However, keep in mind it’s not just sexy stuff that can trip that wire. I once got a harsh warning because I put “Phoenix park, Dublin.” I deleted that and it ran no problem. Avoid any and all political controversy (sigh. I know).

Recommendations:

Using age, profession, and nationality can influence the look of the model very easily. “French rugby player” is a go to for me, for example. In general, “rugby player” is cheat code for “make him sexy.” The mind of the machine, what can I say.

Use descriptive phrases of action and location to engineer what you want to see. Be creative and be specific. “Reading a placard at a botanical garden,” for instance. It seems this allows more extreme kinky stuff to sneak past the filter. I usually start with “side view” because otherwise you only ever get models looking straight ahead.

Grey sweat pants has become a trigger (they caught on). However, “gray pants” still works and gives some very tasty results.

High social cache locations and activities also seem to help. I got some WILD and EXTREME hyper images from adding “goofing around on stage at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.” Paired with “cast as a fairy in A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and the mega bubble butts and thick thighs were BULGING, as long as you didn’t mind a little tutu and fairy wings (the corny goofy masculine dude having fun facial expression that the earlier inclusion of “goofy” brought really worked in this instance). Most of these freaks were NAKED and I didn’t even ask for that!!! (No dong of course, this is Microsoft still)

Mention of glutes, butts, asses, etc are very dangerous and usually get you in trouble. I found some traction with “gluteal mass” but it got wise, and “bulging lower back muscles” used to be interpreted as glutes but seemingly no longer. “Disturbingly huge hamstrings” or “jaw-droppingly large hamstrings” does work to get That Ass sometimes, I guess because the computer has a fuzzy idea of the posterior chain.

Also, “pecs” used to be safe but is now also on the danger list. “Pectoral muscles” still seems safe, for now.

ALWAYS include shoes or footwear if you don’t want a tight cropped image. Black athletic shoes, sandals, converse sneakers, dress shoes, fluevog shoes if you’re making a fancy beef heap. Avoid boots. “Leather boots” once got me in trouble with the filter all by itself.

Adding a personality or mood descriptor near the top seems to humanize and give vitality to the outcome. Intense, goofy, outgoing, exuberant, shy - these have all done wonderful work for me.

If you’re into hyper / immobile muscle, imagining scenario where they’re constricted by space is useful. A prompt which just (“just”) gives a realistic super heavyweight will give an appalling mockery of the human form if you add “crammed into the front seat of his car.” Get creative. Elevators and doorways haven’t worked well, but cars, trains, planes, busses, subways, and CHAIRS of all descriptions have done well. Also, scooters and bicycles and mopeds really bring out the super freaks for whatever reason.

I write this to encourage you to go create some fleshcrafted sexy abominations of your own while it’s still possible. My sense is this party is only going to last a little while. I’ve already got more than 1000 images to share so, my larder is stocked to supply this blog for a while. But the more freaks we make while the freak factory is still in production, the better.

Get cooking!

[tsintotwo]

Happy Tom at the Osaka Comic-Con.

Quick recap of the panel: He got there from NY the previous night, dove headfirst into Japanese food first thing (had taco wasabi- literally raw octpus- and chicken neck). His fav ice cream flavor is vanilla ('keep it pure')- without any topping on a cone. One of his fav Sandman dialogues is 'I am hope', his fav Dream-Hob era is Elizabethan (we knew this). To build the Sandman figure, 'you eat nothing and work out like you're about to play Thor'. He would never choose between theatre and TV, and if he were a DJ like Carl was in The Boat That Rocked, he would leave the music to people who understood it better than him and air conversations with people he cares about on why they make the things they make. His birthday is Dec 5, 1985. Why is it different on different websites? No clue, no one ever asked him.

I want to say something. This was a 25 minute panel. On the stage, there were three men on his right, one woman on his left. The men read out fan questions in Japanese, the woman translated them to English. Tom answered. The woman translated it back. The men would then exchange a few words among themselves, and/or have something to say to Tom based on his answer which the woman again translated for Tom.

In all this, Tom was extraordinarily attentive and engaged. Of course he gave fun and/or thoughtful answeres to the questions like he always does. But beyond that- whenever Japanese was being spoken, he looked at the speaker and listened, even though he didn't understand a single word. Tom's most common listening expression is the pinched-lipped pout, and in lots other interviews/cons you can see him listening but not loooking at the person speaking. Here, he made a point of looking at them. He nodded and smiled based on their gestures and expressions. He rarely took his eyes off them or lost focus. I posted a clip of him looking confused earlier- that was one of the one/two times that happened. And once he got the idea of how it was working, if his answers were long, he started pausing in the middle to give the translator a chance to take it by pieces. He made sure she understood what he was saying. He didn't stare into space or look impatient when other people on the stage were having a small convo within themselves.

I actually never spent time looking at celeb things like comic-cons before. So maybe this is the norm, and most of the men and women we see on screen are amazing at these events and just great people in general. I have no context. But I just know as someone who frequently gets lost into her own head even in engaging environments, being this dedicated to a space and situation that can't be made completely inclusive probably wouldn't be possible. My attention would get loose, and/or I would decide it's less awkward if I don't engage when they aren't speaking a language I know. But Tom made it seem easy and smooth for himself.

I love Tom, yeah, we all do, but this sort of stuff just gives me so much respect and appreciation for him as an individual. I know fans like to yassify him based on things like his smol-bean/cinnamon roll energy, and while that's cute, it sometimes has the risk of making a person's image into that of a man-child. He isn't that, though. Shy and (sometimes) awkward as he is, this is a very intelligent man, emotionally and intellectually, and I love to see it come through.

[xshingie]

Edouard Character Profile and Analysis: A second look at the man behind the bright-eyed smile.

Introduction/Context:

One of the most difficult challenges when analyzing Edouard’s character is that much of his backstory is enshrouded in mystery. The most we know of him is told through Annette, which necessitates peeling back layers from how Annette would perceive him with her limited perspective. 

However, we can look at history to construct what sort of life Edouard might have had, and what unique challenges he might have faced. By piecing together circumstantial details of Saint-Domingue’s theater culture, we can start to ask the questions: What might have shaped Edouard’s motives, ideals, and beliefs? What motivates Edouard’s character? 

So, let’s embark on a iceberg-level deep dive where I explore a potentially cynical interpretation of Edouard that hasn’t been examined before...

Note: Throughout you will notice certain words enclosed in brackets following the end of a sentence with a number. This references the cited source by author's last name or website name, which is listed in full at the end.

PART I.  Annette and Edouard, Revisited

1.1 Initial Impressions

I initially held the belief that Annette/Edouard relationship was intimately close -- closer than anything, family, perhaps bordering on romantic. There was something implicit in their connection through demonstrated character actions: (1) Edouard saving her from Vaublanc, (2) fighting side-by-side during the Haitian slave insurrection. (3) How Edouard chose to follow Annette to France without hesitation (4) how Edouard’s death affected Annette so deeply.

At the time when I had completed my first Annette/Edouard fic, I had written an in-depth analysis ("On the Edouard/Annette 'ship'") where I posited how deep their closeness must have been, and what they had meant to each other.

However, as I’ve let things sit in the fridge more, certain observations have made me reconsider. I believe they were 'close' in terms of trust when fighting alongside each other, but they didn't truly understand each other on a deeper level.

1.2  Re-Analyzing Sampled Interactions

Richter: Are you alright? You can’t be sure that was him. Annette: Those were his eyes.

At the time, I had thought that Annette recognizing Edoaurd’s eyes in a vastly different form was an implicit indication of their closeness. However, as mentioned in this previous post here ("Exploring The Narrative Significance of Edouard’s Blue eyes"), my stance now is that this speaks more to her own personal perception of how well she thought she knew him, rather than actually knowing him. 

Annette: Edouard believed singing was the soul's way of speaking. That's why, from pauper to statesman, everyone is drawn to music. He'd say that when he was on stage looking out to the audience, he could see the colors of everyone's soul. Mine was pink. He was wrong, though. Green is my favorite color.

When Annette recounts Edouard’s belief about singing and souls, there’s a wistful quality in her tone, sentimental and romantic with a subtle laugh. This scene can be interpreted in multiple ways -- perhaps she felt the notion Edouard held was silly, something she appreciated but perhaps didn’t understand or didn’t quite see it the same way he claimed. Note the visual storyboarding setup -- she is quite literally, reconstructing an subjective image -- her subjective image -- of Edouard as she speaks through memory. 

As I began to research more into Saint-Domingue’s colonial theatre scene, I began to understand on a deeper level what kind of environment Edouard was in. This led me to question why the only things we heard about Edouard from Annette was from a rosy lens. Of course, here I ought to extend some grace. When grieving, it is only normal human tendency to want to remember the best parts of someone. 

Annette: My sweet, beautiful Edouard has been turned into a monster conjured from hell.

But… Annette’s phrasing of “my sweet, beautiful Edouard,” combined with the fact that we only hear only rosy things, suggests me that either (1) Edouard didn’t share much about himself beyond his romantic ideals, and/or (2) Annette didn’t know him as well as she thought, perhaping lacked the capacity to understand him deeper with her framework of understanding at that stage in her life.

Another instance that may hint at this disconnect is when she finds NightCreature!Edouard, she offers to give him penance through killing him. 

Annette: I can make it quick, Edouard. No. pain [..] I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I thought that's what you would have wanted.

This situation, taken in isolation, is not a strong one. With limited knowledge of night creatures, Annette wouldn’t have known that Edouard could be cognizant or the extent he retained his humanity (his case being unprecedented in the animated Castlevania universe). However, this still highlights Annette’s tendency to jump to conclusions and take action first rather than seek understanding.

----

PART II. Who was Edouard, Really? Constructing a Character Profile from History and Headcanon 

2.1 Saint-Domingue’s Political, Social, and Economic backdrop in context of French Colonial Theatre

At the peak of the Haitian revolution, the racial diaspora in colonial Saint-Domingue had evolved into a nuanced and complex one --  with the burgeoning rise of the mixed race population, some of which had amassed wealth and economic influence. Even within the mixed race population, there were nuances and subtleties regarding their rights -- i.e., a gens de coleur that would have been born free, compared to an affranchis, a slave that had earned their freedom. A mixed race person’s circumstances of birth governed mobility in what careers, ownership of property/land, voting rights, and strategic marriages/unions could be pursued (Maguire[3]).

Edouard was shown performing in the Comédie du Cap (also referred to as the Comédie le Cap), which became open to the public in 1764 and experienced a boon/bustle in hosting performances, ushering a peak of French colonial theatre all through the 1780s before the slave revolution sunsetted the end an era.

Background Art from the Portfolio of Mark Adams, Lead 3D Artist @ Powerhouse Animation, where he shares the design inspiration is from the theatre Comédie du Cap.

This theatre was situated in the heart of Cap‑Français. now known as Cap-Haitian. At the time, it was one of the wealthiest cities with its key strategic seaport location and boasting a diverse urban population, and eventually became a key staging ground for the Haitian slave revolt that sparked in 1791 through 1793.

A fun detail comparing the skyline of modern Cap-Haitian (courtesy of Wikipedia) and Cap‑Français as depicted in Nocturne. Note the similarity of the eminence of the peninsula that resembles a "widow's peak."

Note: Detail the specific theatres and setting will be important once I discuss Edouard’s transition from theatre to joining the maroons, or escaped slaves.

The theatre scene in Saint Domingue was complex social, political, and economic space that both (1) reflection of a system that reinforced the French hegemonic colonial presence, but also (2) may have influenced and challenged the complex social structures that arose through the eventual Creole influences in performances -- all the while serving as a melting pot where a diverse body of people convened to immerse themselves (the perception of) high-end French culture and music (Prest[6], Clay [1]).

As discussed, there were a lot of nuanced social ordinances, not too dissimilar to a caste system. The majority of theatre attendees were wealthy plantation owners, businessmen, stationed military, or visiting government representatives traveling abroad on business or behalf of the crown; eventually, gens de coleur and free blacks were admitted. Enslaved persons only of the audience if they were attending their masters, and were only allowed to perform under very strict circumstances (Prest[6]). Theatres also enforced French colonial cultural influence by primarily performing French pieces (as we know, African-influenced expressions of song/dance were greatly suppressed and theatre was no exception) (Clay[1]). Structural rules on theater seating arrangements and social fraternizing by race were also imposed.

With the vibrant diversity of individuals also came varying motives within the theatre’s social scene. People gathered to negotiate business or political deals, exchange ideas/sentiments regarding the current economic and political climate (sentiments that were growning increasingly tense as the revolution progressed). Wealthy gens de couleur saw this as an opportunity to enhance their social standing and economic influence, given Au Cap’s self-touted reputation for French sophistication and culture. It was also a place where less scrupulous motives were afoot, where colonists and soldiers would visit specifically to seek the company of the mulatto prostitutes (Clay[1]); or colored families would strategize in matchmaking for their daughters, tutted in well-spent attire, in hopes of being backed by a white sponsor (Powers[5]).

These details paint a vivid picture of Edouard's position within a broad social circle, ranging from the wealthy and educated, petit blancs, freedmen, and possibly even enslaved persons. By playing his cards right, Edouard could have gained insight into military, political, or business dealings and conversations happening at the time.

2.2 Edouard’s Unique Challenges, Motives, and Ideals

What drives Edouard as a character? 

Edouard clearly has a passion for song, and any opportunity he has to express himself so, he eagerly does. We also know that and he verbally espouses romantic ideals. If the theatre was such a place where people constantly tried to leverage to climb higher within the social and economic ladder, did Edouard ever have any similar aspirations or motivations? Or was he just content with the pure passion of singing and performing?

Edouard openly admits to being relatively privileged due to his birthright and likely enjoyed access to material possessions, given we are shown his inclination to accessorize with jeweled rings and the first thing he says to Annette is, “You’re stepping on my French silks.” As a side note, the theatre scene was also a place where gens de coleur often saw this an an opportunity to flout their wealth and proximity to french culture to up their social standing. Since fine goods (most fabrics in Saint Domingue were muslin/linen) from France would to be imported, and carrying/wearing something like silk in a social setting is to the effect of an opulent display of indulgence.

What other disadvantages or challenges Edouard might have faced?

We must also consider if Edouard faced any financial or economic pressures or constraints. As discussed, opportunities afforded for mixed persons depended on the circumstances of birth and their family's amassed wealth of social network and monetary resources. A subset of gens de coleur had indeed acquired wealth through merchant, administrative, artisanal, or clerical areas of business (Walton[8]). The primary passageway for a nonwhite to live or study abroad in France, i.e. to receive education, would be through sponsorship from a benefactor (Powers[5]). Was Edouard already born into wealth, or did he have to procure a benefactor or sponsor to fund/support his lifestyle? 

During this time, the majority of performers were imports from France during this era (Powers[6]). Since it was a challenge to retain native French performers in Saint Domingue, salary contracts customarily were generous in incentives for these white performers (Clay[1]). If Edouard was a native of Saint Domingue and of mixed-race origin, it is likely he may not have been able to levy a favorable salary contract with the theatre relative to his white colleagues. 

Although there were mixed race and black artists in performances documented in passing mention, the majority of their identities and names were lost (more likely, white people who left written records didn’t care to name them). The individuals who stood out enough to be recorded in history by name often had their talent begrudgingly acknowledged alongside backhanded remarks about their status or skin color in historical records. To obtain the opportunity to be be showcased as a soloist like we see in Edouard performing in Nocturne (i.e., the theatre agreeing to hold a named benefit in concert) especially for a mixed-race person, would have required a benefactor’s backing. The most well-known case was Minette and Lise, two affranchis both sponsored by Madame Acquire and Saint Martin (Powers[5]). This suggests that, given the disproportionate lack of named black performers in written records, Edouard would have faced additional hurdles to gain recognition and credibility as an individual artist. He would have had to overcome social stigma while competing against predominantly white contemporaries -- most black performers never achieved this. Additionally, he likely needed a benefactor to sponsor him to achieve headlining solo performances.

Although the culture of benefactors sponsoring performers is known in theatre settings elsewhere, I have not found conclusive source regarding what the environment for Saint Domingue would have been like -- the why and what constituting these arrangements, and each party’s respective leveraging influence in negotiation. I can only remark on what would be an inherent power disparity due to financial reliance -- it begets the question, what would the benefactor seek in return, and what would the performer be able to offer? (Note: I have written an analysis regarding 19th century opera scene in Paris where is a harrowing example where young female performers were exploited by their benefactors) However, I don't think circumstance have to be that dark -- perhaps Edouard came from a family who was able to leverage a business deal, or Edouard’s talents were remarkable enough to draw in an audience to generate revenue.

What were Edouard’s motivations, ideals, and beliefs? 

Annette: Why do you sing for these people, then? Edouard: I make them happy, and they loosen their tongues. You learn useful information that way.

If we revisit the above exchange with additional historical context, this exchange might be the closest insight to Edouard’s underlying character. It hints of an Edouard who is fully cognizant of these invisible, subtle barriers governing economic/social mobility within the different sub-classes, and is willing to engage in what types of flattery are necessary evils to grease interactions with socialites to acquire a favorable standing. 

Theatre played an important role inculcating the audience with not only French sentiment; pieces normally performed centered on themes of virtues of innocent love, pursuit of pleasure, tranquility and serenity -- a stark contrast to the growingly disparate mounting tensions arising in reality due to the oppressive political, social, and economic climate.  Issues like increasingly non-virtuous behavior of French men toward black and colored women, misery, corruption, and other intricacies of court and city. (Powers[5]) Edouard would have been singing and trumpeting about rosy ideals all the while reality was the opposite.

Edouard: It's in our hearts what matters, Annette.

Yet, some part of me now has to reconcile: to what extent these rosy ideals he spouted were truly ones that he believed? Given his explores to various facets of human behavior that shed a darker light, how can he say something like, "It's what in our hearts that matters”?  

Perhaps he was aware of this hypocritical farce, or perhaps that in spite of certain darker realities, some part of him did continue to harbor these romantic sentiments.

Some part of me can't help but speculate -- did he ever feel like an empty puppet within the society, effectively an empty puppet for the French crown?  Did he ever become jaded, if he ever witnessed greed, corruption, and indulgence?

All these details provide insight on not only the potential complexity of his personal circumstances, but also how Edouard would have required social acumen to navigate around  -- observing both things that would jade him (greed and corruption), but also engaging things that make him happy (enjoying the privileged life, being able to perform his passions). 

----

Part III. Annette and Edouard: Revisiting Their Relationship Yet Again, with Historical Context

3.1 What motivated Edouard to leave stage life to join Annette? 

If Edouard ostensibly was happy and comfortable doing what he loved performing and singing, what prompted him to join Annette to fight in the front lines, putting his life at risk for no good reason? 

This is actually a two-pronged question: Did Edouard leave of his own volition from a true character growth standpoint, or did he have no other choice to leave? Again, the timing and aligning of the history that occurred is a little murky If we look at the excerpted timeline courtesy from (Dayan[3]) as follows:

August 22-23, 1791: Slave Insurrection in the North

Sept 26, 1792: Cap Francais, the oldest, riches, and most densely populated city of the colony, burned to the ground by rebelling slaves.

June 20-21, 1794: Cap Francais again consumed by fires, and white inhabitants desert the island.

We know that the Comédie le Cap likely would have been burned/looted alongside the raid of Cap-Français in 1792 and faced subsequent closure. When Annette and Edouard blaze into the frontlines from the Vodou Ceremonial ritual, there is a shot of the same seaport view we were afforded, now on fire.

We also know that present Nocturne takes place in 1792. I am inclined to think that when Annette recalls taking up arms and Edouard is shown alongside her it would have referred to the August 1791 revolt, meaning that Edouard must have joined before the theater closed down. Maybe he had heard the disgruntled rumblings and saw the writing on the wall through the grapevine. Perhaps he had become jaded with the business of theatre. Maybe something about Annette's honesty, candor, and simple and straightforward nature inspired him to take up arms, too.

3.2 How well did they understand each other?

Edouard’s lifestyle was markedly different from Annette’s, full of subtlety and nuance. Ironically, what drew Edouard to Annette (her simplicity and candor) may also have created a fundamental rift in their ability to understand each other. At the start of Nocturne, Annette’s simplistic approach to situations would have prevent her from comprehending the nuanced aspects of Edouard's life -- a life that both granted him relative privilege and constrained his opportunities.

With Edouard’s background in interacting with various people, he is portrayed as observant, empathetic, and kind, as seen when he inquires about Maria’s connection with her birds. Being naturally emotionally attuned to others, he would have recognize Annette’s short-sightedness and tendency to make overly simplistic judgments without considering nuance. Knowing these traits, Edouard likely contributed less to their dynamic, often following her lead rather than suggesting his own ideas.

In conclusion, although Edouard and Annette were close, I believe there would have been certain things Annette wouldn’t have been able to understand about Edouard; ultimately limiting the depth of their connection before it was tragically cut short with Edouard's death.

----

PART IV. Conclusion, Acknowledgements, and Further Readings.

tl;dr I way over-engineered a potential backstory for not even a side character that had less than five minutes of screentime in total probably 

If you managed to read all of this, thank you! I mostly write these character analyses for personal reference when I find myself struggling writing a character. Because  Edouard’s screentime in Nocturne is lacking, I had to substantiate insight with an unusual amount of research. 

I think I’m ready to tackle a writing story focusing on Edouard perspective now. 

Cheers! - Shingie. 

Citations: Works Referenced for Further Reading

Clay, Lauren R. Stagestruck: The Business of Theater in Eighteenth-Century France and Its Colonies. Cornell University Press, 2013. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctt1xx50x

“Colonial Society.” Traveling Haiti, 23 Mar. 2016, www.travelinghaiti.com/colonial-society-haiti/ 

Dayan, Joan. Haiti, History, and the Gods. 1st ed., University of California Press, 1995. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/j.ctt5hjhnv.

Maguire, Léa. Haitian Soldiers at the Battle of Savannah (1779), 8 Jan. 2018.  https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/haitian-soldiers-battle-savannah-1779/

Powers, David M. From Plantation to Paradise?: Cultural Politics and Musical Theatre in French Slave Colonies, 1764–1789. Michigan State University Press, 2014. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.14321/j.ctt7zt6t5.

Powers, David M. “The French Musical Theater: Maintaining Control in Caribbean Colonies in the Eighteenth Century.” Black Music Research Journal, vol. 18, no. 1/2, 1998. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/779400.

Prest, Julia. Review of Public Theatre and the Enslaved People of Colonial Saint-Domingue, by Julia Prest. The French Review, vol. 97 no. 3, 2024. Project MUSE, https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/tfr.2024.a920002,

Walton, Charles, "Saint Domingue", The Digital Encyclopedia of British Sociability in the Long Eighteenth Century [online], ISSN 2803-2845, URL: https://www.digitens.org/en/notices/saint-domingue.html

. 

[anotherplacemag]

Beautiful Brutalism | Jo Underhill

Beautiful Brutalism is an ongoing project which started in 2011. I have always been a fan of brutalist architecture and concrete as a material, so I decided to explore this by photographing the National Theatre in London. I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to photograph more of these amazing post-war buildings so in between commissioned work I have been exploring and photographing buildings across the UK. Unfortunately, brutalist architecture has not been universally liked or supported. Not all of these buildings were built with the same original design vision and over the years many have been neglected and fallen into disrepair. As a result, public opinion has often been negative and disparaging. In many peoples’ minds concrete has become synonymous with ugliness. In recent years dozens of brutalist buildings have been demolished - Birmingham Central Library, Tricorn Centre, Welbeck Street Car Park to name but a few – with many more currently under threat.

The project has evolved from the early beginnings of simply wanting to photograph concrete and brutalism, to a life–long undertaking to document and highlight the beauty of brutalist architecture in the UK. This project celebrates those buildings that have already been lost and I hope, in some small way, challenges the prevailing view about brutalism by showing how beautiful these buildings are if you take the time to really look at them.

In early 2022 I self-published a limited-edition book bringing together photographs from the first ten years of this project which was designed by Stanley James Press. The book is now sold out but since the beginning of the year I have been collaborating with musician and composer Carl Woodcroft on a soundtrack to accompany the photographs in the book. Carl was inspired by the book and has created a mood and soundscape for each building. It is a mix of sound and vision; the album includes a digital booklet of the photographs featured in the book and notes from Carl talking about inspiration for each track and it is available to preorder now and to buy from Friday November 3rd.

website

instagram

album - highly recommend listening to, and pre-ordering, the accompanying album by Carl Woodcroft... it's fantastic!

All images & text © Jo Underhill

[bunnyinatree]

As soon as the title of this musical was revealed, I thought, “Just like Fire Emblem…” and I have struggled to sift through the Three Houses tag ever since :P

[image ID: the cover art of Fire Emblem: Three Houses, edited so that it says DAVE MALLOY’S THREE HOUSES. Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude’s faces have been replaced with Margot Siebert, JD Mollison, and Mia Pak respectively (photos taken from their headshots on the Signature Theatre website), while the two Byleths have been replaced with full body shots of Ching Valdes-Aran and Henry Stram (images from photos taken on the set of Three Houses). End image ID.]

[sgdlr-asdfghjkl]

Hellooo, sorry to bother you for this and maybe you've already said this but djskjs

Since you are posting all this link click musical content, do you have a weibo account? When you're looking for the content, do you use the app or the website? Cause I don't have an account and I've been looking through it on the browser but I only really find a few posts, meanwhile you seem to have an entire mine 😂 I wonder if there's really a difference or if there's something else I'm unaware of...

I don't wanna miss a single video 😂

But anyways thank you for sharing all the content and the info 🙏🏻❤️

Ayy it's okay, I'm happy to share ^^

No, I don't have a weibo account. I use a website (computer is more optimal for managing files). As for the rest I may have some tips ���

1. Basic navigating tips (I've learnt it like a lab monkey, by pushing buttons, idk chinese): #音乐剧时光代理人# is the tag for LC musical. 2 last tabs on a left matter the most. The play button is tab with videos, first filter (the orange one) is for most popular, the other is for most recent.

The one below play button, a photo, is for pictures. They show from the most recent ones and I think you can scroll through them freely.

*For more convenient browsing and a chance to find extra photos that weren't properly tagged I recommend visiting profiles that posted the pics.

*second tab, the speech bubble one, is for discussion I think, it's sometimes useful for audience reviews etc.

2. If you don't have an acc weibo limits your access to older videos (message belows tells you to sign in to see more)

So I visit this tab just to check if anything interesting happened in the most recent play.

3. Bilibili doesn't seem to limit your access to older content, so for browsing videos use the #音乐剧时光代理人# on Bilibili. You can google translate the website to figure out the layout options, then go back to chinese ver (you must view original ver for clips to show up) and explore from there.

*Tbh I don't keep up with the videos much bc it's all the encore from different days. If anything big happens I learn about it from the photos, then look for the clips from that particular performance.

4. Check @接着奏乐接着舞Musicals (official profile of the musical's company). They post summary clips and photos from the play as well as cast announcements.

5. Check the actors' weibo accounts. A post where I tag and link to all of main trio actors. THIS IS IMPORTANT (my secret of having 200+ pics of LG & CXS actors). I'll use Cai Qi's acc as an example:

a) Go on their weibo.

b) Copy and paste their weibo tag into the search bar.

c) Look for a post with photos of them (can be from other play, doesn't matter)

d) THIS! We're looking for this diamond-shaped tag symbol 🔍

e) Click it and you're home 😌:

f) (ok I have no idea what IS this diamond tag) BUT it looks like a verified vip account, that not all people can tag. I suspect it's something like 'pay to tag your idol'/'highlight my post to a tagged person' twitter subscription kind of thing idk. Edit: It's a person-specific tag, like #, not direct @. What matters is that it has ALL hardcore stans in one place, posting videos, fancams and photos of that one specific actor in chronological from most recent order. Sadly it also limits non-users to newer posts only.

g) For clips with the actor go to the second tab on the top.

h) Third tab is for images. You can browse through the minatures but won't be able to enlarge them without the acc. So go back to the first tab, scroll, find yourself a batch that you haven't seen before, like here and visit OP's profile. It's the most probable to stumble upon a theatre kid who's already been to the LC musical, so you can find more content on there.

i) Scroll until you find the post with photos, click one of them, and then the highlighted option to access the highest quality image aand there you have it ✨

j) If you scroll and reach a user-only limit without finding the post you saw under the vip tag, there's a roundabout way to this >>

k) Scroll back up, and go to the last tab. It's the image albums tab. Look for the album with the theatre/actor photos. It seems the albums have no recency limit, you can see older posts without weibo acc.

(I feel kinda creepy for digging through people's profiles, but I swear weibo seems public like twitter and I have a tunnel vision to find LC content only)

So that was probably a core difference by the way I look for these things ><' Hopefully I explained it well enough. The biggest disadvanages of this method is you're still able to access only the most recent posts. That's why I made bookmarks to check them everyday.

Another thing is that not all actors in LC musical cast have a well established stan community who would post in the vip tag. They mostly do, but actors like Du Guangyi, Cai Qi, Teng Chunpeng, Zhang Jiahao, Wu Yihan or Wang Minhui tend to overshadow the rest by a sheer amount of fan pictures :'>

Hope it was a comprehensible read, and thanks for asking 💝

[mischieffoal]

Ensemble 2023 LotR Musical references

I've been collecting reference images of lots of the cast and characters for my own art, so I thought I'd just share them collected here as well so others don't have to slog through the Instagram and crop images and screenshot videos etc. These are all from the Watermill Theatre Instagram/website/reviews, with most photos credited to Pamela Raith.

Here are the ensemble hobbits, Lobelia Sackville-Baggins/Bridget Lappin, Otho Sackville-Baggins/Reece Causton, Mrs. Bracegirdle/Kelly Coughlin, and other hobbits I didn't catch the names of, Zara Naeem and Elliot Mackenzie

Find them all tagged here: #lotr 2023 references

[fyeahfinnishmusicaltheatre]

Peter Nyberg and Natalil Lintala as Daniel and Lena in a promotional image for Seinäjoen kaupunginteatteri’s upcoming production of Niin kuin taivaassa / Så som i himmelen.

Image from the theatre’s website.

[archinform]

Pickwick Theatre, Park Ridge IL

The Pickwick Theatre is an art deco movie theater in Park Ridge, Illinois.

Designed by Roscoe Harold Zook, William F. McCaughey, and Alfonso Iannelli, the Pickwick opened in 1928 as a vaudeville stage and movie theater. It is notable for its marquee and 100-foot tower. The main auditorium, said to resemble an Aztec or Mayan temple, originally seated up to 1,400 people.

The theater was reportedly named for the title character Samuel Pickwick in Charles Dickens' novel The Pickwick Papers. The theater has been fully restored, with the addition of four smaller theaters in addition to the main auditorium.

Simple, restrained and without superfluous ornament, the Pickwick Theatre building yet frankly expresses its purpose. The mass and silhouette were carefully studied in clay before the detail drawings were made. The exterior is Indiana limestone above a base of Minnesota granite.

The American Architect, December 1929

I took these photos on October 12, 2024, when I attended a movie at the Pickwick.

Pickwick Theatre rendering, c. 1927

Images of the Pickwick were published in The American Architect, December 1929

Photographs from the Ryerson and Burnham Libraries, Art Institute of Chicago:

Pickwick Theatre website

[fitzrove]

cynical musical fan questions! 2, 5, 7, 11, 25?

2. What is the oldest musical you love?

Ohh, tough question!!! Had to go check ALW chronology hahah. I think it's Evita (1976). I haven't actually listened to much of anything Golden Age etc. 🙈

5. Who is your favourite musical theatre lyricist?

Michael Kunze >:) inspirational slay king etc. Alle fragen sind gestellt hits soooo hard, Elisabeth Prolog hits so hard, Schatten 1+2 hit so hard, Für Sarah hits so hard, Kitsch hits so hard, Mozart! Mozart! hits so hard, Was für ein Grausames Leben hits so hard, Der Tanz der Vampire hits so hard... in his interviews he talks about being a cynic in his 20s already (iirc) and that's so relatable and iconic 😭😭😭😭 I think getting rich made him worse at writing musicals and hence the new ones (after Rebecca basically lol) haven't been hits, you don't get the urge to rant sharply about the system when you're an old man living cozily off of licensing fees /hj

7. Who is your favourite musical theatre actor?

This is impossible to answer!! At one point it was Máté Kamarás, then it was Oliver Arno, then it was Aris Sas..... Máté remains the one I have the most Autogrammkarte and terrible original CDs from. (Omg btw, once I move back to Germany my friend will mail me a terrible original Lukas Perman emo pop CD that I bought through her!). Re: women, it's Wietske van Tongeren, Lisa-Anne Wood (mostly as Glinda hahah but I love her as Glinda), Marjan Shaki and Milica Jovanovic (though embarrassingly I've only seen her in POTO and Evita hahah. The ALW saw trap...).

I haven't listened to Máté stuff in a few months but I was so deep into his world at one point (kslsldl reference to defunct matesworld.com website) that I guess I have to pick him :D he slayed severely in Elisabeth and TdV and has an extremely funny public image (he overall approaches things in a really lighthearted way which is entertaining, but can be thoughtful about his characters and creative choices as well, and isn't ever malicious about things. Also, he's the most bisexual straight man of euromusicals. He decided he wanted his stage presence to be like all the famous rockstars, someone told him those people like Freddie Mercury etc were bisexual and he said "ok 📝📝📝" and just implemented that no questions asked kskdkd.)

11. What is your favourite overture?

For sure POTO!!!! It's just so majestic, especially with a full orchestra (FNOB<3). I also love the way they "staged" it for the movie, with the backstage flythrough of the opera house :D

25. What catches your attention in a musical and makes it interesting to you? Is there a subgenre of musicals you especially like?

"Drama musicals", a category invented by Michael Kunze that I don't fully believe to be scientific xD. I like historical settings and goth themes and aesthetics, and good stories w emotional beats that hit home. Orchestral rock scores also always pique my interest (my other favourite music genre is symphonic metal!).

[drawnecromancy]

OC moodboard tag game

Saw @the-stray-storyteller's post about it and here's mine :)

Rules : enter the name of your OC + core on the search bar of pinterest, take the first 9 images that come up, and that's a moodboard now.

Atropa Meria (only her first name was used for the search)

Interesting ! It's a lot greener and lighter than I'd go for if looking for pictures on my own. Both of the pictures that are straight up the plant she's named after are on point though.

Tagging @isabellebissonrouthier, as well @logarithmicpanda, and @the-lightbulb-and-the-octopus (as much as i know you two don't usually do tag games i've seen you do moodboards :p) + OPEN TAG

Here are some reverse image search results on the pictures, because since Pinterest is RIPE with theft and unsourced stuff, I wanted to see if it was easy to figure out where the pics originally come from. I think i'm bad at searching these things though so... yeah.

1 - 2 (couldn't find the exact picture, but reverse image search seems to imply this is a theatre in Munich) - 3 (no dice) - 4 (seems to be a picture of Psyché et l'Amour, can't find the source) - 5 (reverse image search seems to indicate that this is a screengrab from a movie called The Beguiled (2017)) - 6 (couldn't find shit) - 7 (Looks like this picture put through a filter) - 8 (can't find anything) - 9 (a US government website about plants. that's fair, Atropa is named for belladona...)

[feste-de-jester]

Illyria Theatre's Production of Twelfth Night

Above image from left to right: David Sayers as Duke Orsino, Sir Toby Belch and Gentlewoman; Amy Lockwood as Viola/Cesario and Maria; Callum Stewart as Sebastian, Feste, Officer, Valentine and Fabian; MacKenzie Mellen as Olivia, Sir Andrew Aguecheek and Curio; Nick Taylor as Malvolio, Antonio, Captain and Priest.

Still absolutely enchanted by the Illyria Theatre's absolutely fantastic production of Twelfth Night! They are such a talented group of actors, and really outdid themselves in portraying the story in such a humorous and admiring way!

This is the first experience I have had of being able to watch Twelfth Night in a live setting, and I am so glad that it was the Illyria Theatre that granted me this. The company's incredible talent really brought the humor to another level - it was so amazing to see such a broad range of people in the audience connected through their brilliant skill as performers in bringing to life this timeless comedy.

Above image from left to right: David Sayers as Duke Orsino; MacKenzie Mellen as Olivia; Nick Taylor as Antonio; Amy Lockwood as Viola/Cesario; Callum Stewart as Sebastian.

A particular quality that I found absolutely astounding was the fact that the entire play was performed by a total of five actors. Not only was it the fast-paced change of costumes that was incredibly impressive, but also the group's phenomenal ability to give each character unique and memorable comedic traits.

Above image from left to right: Nick Taylor as Malvolio; Callum Stewart as Fabian; David Sayers as Sir Toby Belch; Amy Lockwood as Maria.

Another note, from a viewer's perspective: This amazing experience only proves that Shakespeare's work is definitely meant to be watched, not read. Thus, I encourage you to check out the Illyria Theatre's website at this link and go and enjoy one (or several) of their spectacular performances in the flesh!

An absolutely fantastic performance from the Illyria Theatre! Will 100% be booking more tickets to see some of their other productions!

[florasearlethirdyear]

FMP: Tivoli. LO1/LO2.

Easter Week 3

As I was getting stuck in my head as to how to approach the design of my project, I showed my mum a collection of images I had gathered on Pinterest and from the V&A/University of Sheffield that I thought could be potential visual directions. We begun narrowing down what we thought worked best, excluding imagery that was heavily painterly, such as the vintage Coney Island material. This is because I have to think realistically about what I can make within my skill level-I'm not a fine artist.

Imagery we leaned towards was more colourful and naive in style, in fact, my mum's favourite was Tivoli's posters! For her, it made her think to illustrations present in her childhood (1970's).

So, what is Tivoli?

Tivoli Gardens amusement park in central Copenhagen offers rides, games, musicals, ballet, and major concerts. The park is best known for its wooden roller coaster, Rutschebanen (The Mountain Coaster), built in 1914. It is one of the world's oldest wooden roller coasters that is still operating today.

I selected Tivoli as a point of study as its success is founded in the preservation of its original buildings and rides. Another example of this is Tivoli's Pantomime Theatre, Tivoli's oldest building. It is listed due to its exotic exterior and the unique baroque stage inside.

See how it all links back to Pollock's!

Reflection, LO4:

When trying to research into what Tivoli actually was, I found finding the answer to this on their website to be difficult-in fact, there wasn't a description at all. On 'The Company' section, it talks of fiscal reports and sustainability, and gives no indication into what the place is. The same criticisms were said in response to Dreamland's 2017 campaign, so it is important that I ensure effective communication in my work. The same obscurity can be said for Tivoli's posters, but their playful illustrative execution is something I'd like to bring into my project.

1960's-70's Posters:

House artist Thomas Winkler still embraces the original designs of Tivoli's old posters. He is also responsible for the overall design of the park.

"I have my hands in everything except the plants, whether it's the color of the benches, decorations or the letters above the lawn," he explains. 

[on the 2023 posters]: "It is important to preserve history, but at the same time something new must happen. So a mixture of tradition and innovation," he explains.

Kristensen, T. (2023). Tivoli turns 180 years old. [online]. Available from: https://www.magasinetkunst.dk/Home/Detail/MTU2Njg%3D [Accessed 29/03/2024]

[canmom]

L'Aventur de Canmom à Annecy - Mercredi 4: WTF 2023

WTF (read 'what the fuck' in a heavy French accent) seems to be a kind of annual collection of weird online shit. Titmouse is involved in some capacity, although I don't think they're necessarily the ones who picked the films. And while I did recognise one selection (umami had a film) most of it was new to me and there were some crazy good ones...

... but most of all the atmosphere of the late night screening was amazing. I got in at the last minute and somehow ended up in a reserved seat for Titmouse, since I guess they didn't show? Which meant I had one of the best views in the house. The theatre was completely packed and full of excitement.

So then this guy comes out in the skintight purple vest and cape and rainbow stockings. The boss of Titmouse comes on stage and picked up one of the paper planes to invite whoever threw it to come and bite a balloon in half (which would have been a better bit if the person actually did it).

Then came the directors of the films, mostly to tell jokes ("there's too much business and not enough fucking at Annecy" declared one director, instructing us to have sex tonight). After these guys... some Gobelins instructors came out to throw shirts into the crowd, people went absolutely nuts for these shirts. Then: films.

Actually a bunch of these are available online so... here, watch along x3

To open we had this stop motion earworm, Du vélo à St-Malo, du kayak à St-Briac. By the second chorus, the audience was singing along. The images are a bit lolrandom but I can't deny it's infectious in its editing.

Next up came the debut of David by Patrick Ward, about a seriously injured footballer confronting his rival framed through the story of David and Goliath. Lots of little visual jokes that made it flow even if the overall thrust of the story remained a little opaque to me.

Umami's Safe Mode was a natural fit; if you've seen an Umami film you know what to expect. Surreal character designs and a guy with a monotone voice. Looking forward to more of this series.

The Rubbings of Trajectories by Cheng-Hsu Chung from Taiwan took things in a rather Adventure Time direction in its drawing style, full of wild perspective shifts and morphing. I was a little too caught up in the visuals to take a lot from the voiceover lol.

Insomnie by Paul Utkay leaned on Stable Diffusion interpolation for its surreal shifting visuals. This was I think the only time, besides the one after this, I've seen AI in the festival, and right now the main use of AI seems to be like this, a visual effect.

Following this came Two Gracious Uncles Smooched To The Beat (currently password locked so I can't embed it) by Jon Dunleavy, a completely frenetic sendup of the whole AI art 事件. Rather than being made by AI it's mostly deliberately janky cgi, rapidfire jokes, and wrong subtitles as an extra layer, which made for a fun watch. The thesis was maybe something like, "this is all a bit silly". As a programming move, putting this right after the AI film was kind of genius.

A Kind of Testament by Stephen Vuillemin was simply fantastic, absolutely the highlight of this collection. The framing device is that a woman stumbles on a website created by another older woman with the same name as her, consisting of incredibly elaborate animations based on her social media photos. As we watch more, we learn more about this mysterious animator, who died shortly after the protagonist contacted her. Ultimately though this framing device is just a vehicle for some really tight imaginatively grotesque shorts that gradually start to connect up more and more. I hesitate to call it ero-guro because it's not exactly ero, but it definitely put me in mind of e.g. shintaro kago. the framing device works just right, linking the shorts and providing a certain frame for interpretation - the animator is terminally ill, so jokes about foot killing parasites and regrets make sense - without being overbearing. honestly just a really great film, the perfect level of enigmatic. i hope i can show more than the trailer some day.

Internet Gaga by Reinhild Bidner slammed into a much faster pace, a pastiche of Radio Gaga by Queen with the music video consisting mainly of cutout animation and AI deepfake animation of memes. Two minutes was about the right length for this lol. But yeah, haha, the internet, what a mess amirite

Todo está perdido by Carla Pereira Docampo and Juan Francisco Jacinto Prados was a fascinating oddity though. Stop motion, with these wildly distorted models - built in forwards or backwards slants and birdlike eyes. The story concerns a suburban nuclear family where the mother lays eggs, which they mostly eat, but decide to fertilise one one day, resulting in a baby with a wrinkled head hatching. The B plot concerns their other child who gets a rat inside her skin by accident during surgery. As you can imagine it went for the squick reactions. I can't find an online video of this one but here's a previous project by the same directors.

From this point on things got pretty wild. First up we had Uncle Babysitter 2 by Tung Yin Ng aka Tungwood.

as far as toilet humour goes? This was actually great, just relentless gleeful escalation. I got to chat a bit with Tungwood and his friends after the films, and funnily enough he was very shy and would run up to people saying 'souvenir' and give them a card for the film. It was very funny talking to a group of animators, which in my eyes is like the peak of the world's professions, and have them act impressed when i say I'm a game dev.

Anyway, this was a really fun short about a baby's adventure inside a man's stomach as the man desperately tries to pull him out. The breakneck editing really makes the stupid jokes work, it's kinda Imaishi in that way.

Granny X by DD Sheahan relaxed the pace only barely, telling the story of an old lady in a nursing home having a vivid lesbian fantasy that in the waking world leads to her careening around strangling nurses and stuff. It was fun visually, although the humour seemed generally a little meaner.

Monsterfuckers by the Tohu Animation Collective led by Ori Goldberg was something like a multi animator project with loops contributed by different animators around the vague prompt of monsters having sex. So this one's like, straight up porn but weird porn so it gets to be in here lol. The editing to the music was tight and many of the clips were really creative - but no sign of it online as yet so I can't show you.

We were really on a roll at this point. The final part was the music video for Cool Party by Simon Medard for a band called Cocaine Piss, which pushed the jank factor to maximum. It didn't do a lot for me but it kept the energy going. After that we spilled out onto the lawn outside Bonlieu and everyone gathered in small groups. Not really wanting to just walk away, I inserted myself into conversations here and there, said some nice things to the showrunner, met Tungwood... and then at last time to go home, packed on the last bus like sardines.

Honestly, even if it could have been a little weirder to be truly 'what the fuck', this event was a blast. I mean you know how much I like this kind of thing lmao.

As for Thursday... haha god it's 2am. I'll write about it tomorrow... or maybe on Saturday... but the very short version is that I saw Art College 1994 (solid, donghua with a realist style and richard linklater energy), Kensuke's Kingdom (impressively elaborate adaptation of a Michael Morpurgo story, had a bit of an Iron Giant feel visually), White Plastic Sky (a very compelling scifi dystopian drama from Hungary in a rotoscoped style similar to A Scanner Darkly), stood in line for two hours for Mars Express and still didn't get in, watched a bit of Perspectives block 1 (mostly bad, it's the block for serious social issues rather than compelling storytelling) and then tried Graduation Films 3 (sadly could not live up to Graduation Films 2). So a bit of an unfortunate end to the day but that's how it be sometimes...

Tomorrow I've got another packed day so I'm gonna end up really behind on these writeups but stand by lol. Annecy is amazing, I don't want it to end...