FALLEN STAR(S)
A group of irreverent, clout-chasing influencers get trapped in the famous art piece, Fallen Star. As things start going supernaturally wrong, the streamers have to figure out why they’re trapped and how to get out. Can they get their audience to help them escape—or will they be stuck there forever? FALLEN STAR(S) explores how the faulty emotional connections between influencers and their fans are caused by the sensationalism of social media.
The Process + Take-Aways
FALLEN STAR(S) was created from September 2023 to April 2024, as part of a collaboration between UC San Diego's Theatre & Dance Department and La Jolla Playhouse's Without Walls Festival. The process was led by professors Deborah Stein and Christopher Kuhl, and the devising team included Cyera Ellis, Yuri Kitagawa, Mary Liu, Angela Park, Rumi Petersen, Natalia Demko, and John Soto Jr.
After initial instruction in devising and project selection (where I pitched the initial idea), Yuri Kitagawa and myself were chosen to direct this piece. We used improvisation and a quick-drafting process to create a script centered around our ensemble. While we were drafting, we collaborated with the Stuart Collection to gain access to Do Ho Suh's 'Fallen Star', the setting of our piece. We spent a few days exploring and creating within the space, and then returned to the rehearsal room to block.
Technology was an essential part of this piece, as the characters were livestreamers, and the piece itself was livestreamed on YouTube from Fallen Star to audiences on the ground below, as well as to remote audiences around the world. This was a huge learning curve for Yuri and I, but we ultimately taught ourselves livestreaming and created an efficient workflow that involved many yards of ethernet cable and a laptop.
I primarily served as co-director and writer on this piece, but due to actor illness, I also stepped in as understudy.
Working on FALLEN STAR(S), I learned a lot about devising, the benefits of collaboration and flexibility when the unexpected happens.
Above: Audiences watch the performance from Warren Mall, right beneath Fallen Star.
Right: The team holding our prop banners post-performance.
