So, this is going to sound awkward, but A few weeks ago, A community theater group asked me to be a part of a series of sketches about life and death. Well, I did the play already, but this question has been dogging me since we did the play.
Now, this was a tough choice because the director gave me free reign as to what I wanted to play for my "Suicide" song. I try to be enough of an actor to evaluate why my character is doing what he is doing and tried to find a song that would have matched it.
The guidelines I set for myself regarding music was that I:
1. Keep it happy sounding, but not so happy that it distracts.
2. Nothing too slow or depressing, as that would take away from the dark comedy of it all.
3. The audience would only hear 30 seconds or so of it.
4. Try not to use songs people hear all the time.
5. Have a song that might be an answer, but still tell you nothing.
I chose about 6 songs, all varying in tone.
The songs I ended up choosing were "Wishing" and "Sea of Love" on the 1st and 2nd night, respectively.
Now, I made my choices already, but I would like to ask you all, the Escapist community. If you were the director or actor and you had to choose what song I had to go out on, what song would have have chose for me?
I would request that you try to find a song matching the criteria I set up for the play. If you choose not to, What song would you play if you were going to kill yourself?
I realize this post is rather macabre, but I have yet to see a post like this come up at the same time, so what would you say?
The sketches varied between dark humor and actual drama (about as much as community theater performances go), and I was cast within three sketches (out of 6 major ones).
Now, for the interesting part of it all. In one of my sketches, I played a guy who was trying to commit suicide. My character has no reason to kill himself, and though the play never answers as to why, the closest thing resembling an answer is his wife. Anyway, I sat in a bathtub, listening to a prerecorded sound clip from a book I had called "Time to Die", done in a very comedic 1950s educational video style of sound. After the tape ended, I down a bottle of pills, contemplate relaxation by the tape's suggestion and put on a relaxing song, shortly after the song starts, my wife screams for me.
Now, for the interesting part of it all. In one of my sketches, I played a guy who was trying to commit suicide. My character has no reason to kill himself, and though the play never answers as to why, the closest thing resembling an answer is his wife. Anyway, I sat in a bathtub, listening to a prerecorded sound clip from a book I had called "Time to Die", done in a very comedic 1950s educational video style of sound. After the tape ended, I down a bottle of pills, contemplate relaxation by the tape's suggestion and put on a relaxing song, shortly after the song starts, my wife screams for me.
Now, this was a tough choice because the director gave me free reign as to what I wanted to play for my "Suicide" song. I try to be enough of an actor to evaluate why my character is doing what he is doing and tried to find a song that would have matched it.
The guidelines I set for myself regarding music was that I:
1. Keep it happy sounding, but not so happy that it distracts.
2. Nothing too slow or depressing, as that would take away from the dark comedy of it all.
3. The audience would only hear 30 seconds or so of it.
4. Try not to use songs people hear all the time.
5. Have a song that might be an answer, but still tell you nothing.
I chose about 6 songs, all varying in tone.
"I'd Love you to want me" by Lobo, "Thirteen" by Big Star, "Hello, it's Me" by Todd Rundgren, "Sea of Love" by Robert Plant and the Honeydrippers, "Wishing" by Electric Light Orchestra and "You're Only Lonely" by J.D. Souther
The songs I ended up choosing were "Wishing" and "Sea of Love" on the 1st and 2nd night, respectively.
Now, I made my choices already, but I would like to ask you all, the Escapist community. If you were the director or actor and you had to choose what song I had to go out on, what song would have have chose for me?
I would request that you try to find a song matching the criteria I set up for the play. If you choose not to, What song would you play if you were going to kill yourself?
I realize this post is rather macabre, but I have yet to see a post like this come up at the same time, so what would you say?
