A Jungian Astronomy Spectacular!
Presented by John Kaufmann and Dan Dennis
October 17-November 9 (Thursday-Sunday)
Performances are at 8pm, with 10pm late shows on Saturdays
No Shows Oct. 25, Nov 2 (8PM) or Nov. 8
Starball returns October 17th in the Smith Planetarium
Starball combines astronomy and theatre in the unique setting of Pacific Science Center's Smith Planetarium. Presented by former Planetarium Supervisors John Kaufmann and Dan Dennis, Starball begins with a tour of the night sky and a demonstration of how our view changes through the seasons. After learning to navigate the night sky, audiences discover the practical logic behind ancient constellation mythology.
In Starball, these old myths serve as a springboard for the creation of new ones. Stars are designated to represent individual dreams, and the group projects personal meanings into the star patterns and movements. As these dreams connect to form original constellations and myths, a unique microcosm of Jung's "collective unconscious" unfolds in each show.
Through original music, play, and darkness, each performance connects to the eternal power of the night sky, while endowing it with new meaning.
Starball grew out of Kaufmann's work with both planetaria and theatre. In five years of presenting astronomy shows, Kaufmann sought to facilitate an emotional, rather than merely intellectual, connection to the night sky.
The Smith Planetarium in Pacific Science Center is one of the few interactive planetariums remaining in the country. It seats 40 people around the perimeter of a domed room with a Spitz 512 Starball in the center. It is an ideal place to locate constellations and observe the earth's motions. In Starball, one also has the opportunity to engage the imagination in the process. Audiences are encouraged to empathize with early stargazers who endowed mythic importance to star patterns, which served as archetypes of birth, death, sacrifice and savagery.
While most planetarium programming focuses on current science and ancient mythology, Kaufmann seeks also to connect to a visceral truth that is essential in understanding the sky. This is a special challenge today, as city lights and ever-present media distance us from a dark sky. Today's grade school students learn about the earth's rotation and revolution, but grow up in a world that discourages direct experience with the slow parade of mythic images these processes provoke.
Kaufmann found that one way to deepen appreciation for the night sky is to cast away, or "forget" previous knowledge and re-imagine constellation names and stories from scratch. In this way, one becomes personally connected with the sky, rather then seeing it as a separate world to be studied and memorized. However odd or inappropriate, the new names and myths become bonded to their originators.
Each Starball audience has a hand in the genesis of an original mythic skyscape, with remembered dream fragments used as inspiration to begin the process. Born under the mantle of stars, dreams provide a window into both personal and archetypal worlds. Starball proposes we connect to the sky by looking into its darkness and seeing ourselves.
Starball features music and planetarium operations by Dan Dennis, who has recently scored music for Book It's Howard's End and Intiman's Servant of Two Masters. Web and publicity design was done by Allison Gerlach.
Kaufmann explored similar ideas in his solo show linger, where life's random moments were isolated, examined and re-connected in a new context. linger looked at life as a string of individual moments, each reflecting a different person. Starball moves the subject into the dark, connecting dreams and archetypes to the night sky. Like linger, Starball aims to involve the audience without putting them "on the spot."
John Kaufmann has performed at Annex, On the Boards, and The Village Theatre, and has developed original productions for Pacific Science Center, The Key Theatre in New York, and Open Door Theatre. He recently developed Christmas in Babylon for The Little Theatre, and played Tony Polar in Valley of the Dolls at Empty Space Theatre.
For reservations call:
206.634.9018