This is an experiment in art, living, and performing. Everyday an editable script of the following day will be available on this site until 11:59PM PST. Anyone is free to add, remove, or change the script – giving me stage directions, specific lines, scene or costume instructions, writing themselves in, etc. The following day I will live/perform my life according to the script as best I can.
FAQ
How can I edit the script?
Tomorrow’s script will be available for editing until 11:59PM PST each day. In order to edit it, click the [CLICK HERE TO EDIT] link at the top. You will be directed to a wiki page where you can make your edits. Feel free to create an account or edit anonymously.
Add setting/character descriptions/stage directions in italics.
Add lines in the format CHARACTERNAME: Speech.
You can write specific line by line scenes, or more loose stage directions which I will interpret. See Past Performances for examples.
How do I know you are really following the script?
I will use the video camera on my phone to record short videos throughout the day of key scenes and post these to the Past Performances page at the end of the day. However, I want to prevent the documentation from interfering too much with the performing/living so this will be a largely experiential piece. The best way to observe me following the script is to write yourself in and then perform it with me the next day.
Will you memorize all your lines?
No. I will have a copy of the script on my phone which I can refer to in order to remember my lines.
Will you do anything not in the script?
Yes. Like any good actress, I am open to the beauty that can come from improvisation. However, at the minimum, everything in the script will get performed.
So, I can make you do anything I want?
Not quite. The script is a collaborative wiki page open to anyone that wants to edit it. This means that I, as well as others, have the ability to change or remove your additions. However, this project is about engaging in some of the normally unconsidered possibilities of each moment of life, and I will really only remove things that seem impossible, dangerous, or hurtful. I also want to figure out what my limits are with this and why, so please feel welcome to challenge me.
How long will you do this for?
I don’t know. A while I think. I guess until the script terminates itself.
Why are you doing this?
I was having difficulty deciding how to live my life so I decided to get outside input. I am interested in the idea of blending fiction/performance/reality, in collaboratively creating the future, in control, in the possibilities of technology, in the infinite possible actions that I often forget while choosing a limited repeated subset of them to actually engage in each day, in the potential transformations or outcomes that could come out of this just by me or someone else deciding that they will. Also, I think it will be nice to have a screenplay of my life at the end of this. Hopefully, it will be adapted into a Broadway musical.
How can I contact you?
You can of course write our interaction into my script. You can also email me at laurmccarthy at gmail or visit my website www.lauren-mccarthy.com to learn more about my work.
