First of all, I want to apologize to everyone for my late post. I've been very sick since last week and this is the first time I've been able to sit at my desk for any period of time.

I found the Union Meeting very intriguing. For the first time I was able to truly put myself in the miners' shoes. I think you can experience this intellectually and even emotionally as a human without experiencing it as THOSE humans did. The meeting brought me closer to experiencing what they experienced, I feel. Putting myself in a position of someone wanting change but not sure that the union could provide that for them, I was overwhelmed by distrust. I felt angry when George's character started asking me questions. I seriously contemplated leaving at that point, yet, I stayed. I listened to the others' stories which reinforced my desire for change, however, the miners' doubts and the distrust I had for the union organizers reinforced my decision to NOT unionize. When your supporting a family in such an isolated location you can't just pick up the want ads and look for another job - especially if you are only paid in script! That fear hit me in the face when I was sitting there. Although in the end my character decided to join the union even though he was reluctant - I wondered why he would do that - and then I realized that he had already made up his mind the second he walked through the door. He was going to join no matter what - what choice did he have?

Just another quick point to that exercise - I realized that I had tied the red scarf on at the end of the meeting but then felt compelled to take it off and stuff it in my pocket the second I left the meeting.

I felt doubt, insecurity, and distrust were at the heart of the experience.

On another subject, I too have been thinking a lot about an installation/performance piece - especially after the union meeting and the paired performances. I agree with Sinjin's post that we could have the audience or "experiencer" move through a piece but then incorporate places along the way that would be "performances areas".

I have been thinking about a tunnel of tents laid out like a coal mine. We could use projections, shadows and light play on the walls - ex. swiftly moving mine walls moving past the "experiencer" giving the sense of being thrust down a mind shaft, projections of flames like (Em and my performance piece), we could have the tent material change from white to that semi-transparent material and have that tent inside a larger black tent with the miners and their headlamps moving around the "experiencer" like Craig and Ryan's piece a few weeks ago, or a tent made of only a skeleton of a burnt wood frame - again inside a larger tent - where Red Cross workers search the aftermath of the incident and come across the pit - like Em's piece a few weeks ago.

Then, the "expeiencer" could make their way to the center (like Sinjin suggested) where there would be an open area where, for example, a union meeting is taking place. They could sit and listen to the stories of the workers. Move to the corner where company spies are taking notes. They could decide to add their name to the list - or not - like in our meeting exercise. Then work there way back out another series of tent-tunnels.

I think I am leaning towards a more immersive piece because I don't feel a traditional audience/stage separation will do this event justice. Even having the audience sit in one place and making it interactive still feels not powerful enough. Having the audience have to make their own way through this piece, make their own choices, make them actively experience it will have a more personal impact on them.

Anyway, that's all. Hope this makes sense... I'm on a lot of NyQuil.

-Brian