Tthe original idea for "Dig" arose from a set of questions and images that Woodson explored in a series of courses related to improvisational theater, including "Bruss Reader," "Amusing the Muse" and "Bodies of Memory." Her original script combined student interest with the course-related research of archetypal figures who disappeared at the advent of Christianity.
Woodson re-worked and expanded the original script and choreography through collaborations with designer Kathy Couch, composers Janna Goodwin and Stephen Katz, videographer Dan Keller, lighting coordinator Michael Baumgarten and the performers. For the fall version, Woodson chose a completely new cast, which includes Five-College students and professionals, with original music and video images. Woodson complimented her talented cast for their dedication and creativity in five weeks of intense rehearsal.
This semester's "Dig" is fully scripted, in contrast to last spring's production, which relied heavily on improvisation.
"The project from the beginning was large in scope," said Woodson, "and we decided that it would need time to mature. With so much interaction between media and between different collaborators, it is very difficult to know how everything will come together until you see it in front of a live audience. There is so much material that we were interested in taking it further, seeing where it took us if we had another occasion to see it in the theater in essentially the same community."
After the May production, Woodson and her colleagues assessed their own opinions as well as critical feedback to make changes to the script over the summer. They also altered some of the visual elements and choreographed scenes. Woodson stressed the importance of video, which is a vital element in "Dig" because it creates a moving environment, setting the background and scene with images that can become very complex and filled with lines and abstractions.
"Our desire is to create a piece that allows the audience to also make up their own stories or collages, or find their own images from the material, rather than 'get' one overriding narrative or point of view. We feel that working with different media allows the piece to speak to different senses," said Woodson.
In dress rehearsal, the most immediately striking aspect of the production is its playfulness; there is a constant, witty, conversational interplay in the movements of the performers. In some parts, the characters mimic and mirror each other, ricocheting and playing off one another's actions. Another repeated trick uses call-and-response between individual and group. A solo character will be in vivid motion while the group stays frozen. As soon as the character stops, the group will begin moving. For example, in one scene James Orraca-Tetteh '02 is the central figure and draws attention because of his wide gestures and sharp body movements. As soon as he stops moving, the group behind him begins walking around the stage. Many of the characters circle around each other, and their phrases play off of each other. Questions are asked and answered, back and forth, between the characters.
The entire production is continuous. The scenes are all interrelated and transition smoothly from one to the next. The music also contributes to the cohesiveness of the production, as the songs tend toward minor keys and often involve chanting. Another repeatedly employed sonic device is the gradual branching from monotone into harmonious chords, as the action on-stage ebbs and flows in response.