Let’s Anablog* with the director of Analog: Neo-Futurist ensemble member Tif Harrison. (Warning: Tif miiight rip your emotional jugular out with this show. But don’t worry, it’ll be thrilling.)
I suggest that you get to know Tif by reading this post over a cup of coffee. Then I suggest that you buy tickets to see Analog while you still can, because theater is ephemeral – rooted in the present – so you won’t be able to catch this show in re-runs.
Quick! First five words that come to mind when you think of Analog
time, writing, isolation, health, worry
What people / experiences / artists / inspired you the most in directing the show?
Well, I’m really inspired right now by Marina Ambramovic’s most recent piece, The Artist is Present. Her commitment to time and endurance resonates with me, especially in regards to Analog and Kurt’s experiences that led him to create the piece. There’s other stuff, but I’m at work so all I can think about is emails and shredding documents.
What has been the most exciting or stimulating part of the Analog creative process?
Working with Tim, Lizi and Hank. I’d never had any sort of artistic relationship with the three of them. I learned a lot. Also thinking of how the show visually was going to look. Kurt and I tend to have similar visual aesthetics, so it was fun to really dive into that stuff.
What has been the most challenging part of the Analog creative process?
Being a director and not a writer on the project.
Yes, I went to school for Acting. Yes, I took directing classes. But, I would never call myself an actor. And directing is something that I feel just comes out in my own writing. Trying to be a creative voice in the room while also keeping a distance from the creation of the work was a hurdle, to say the least.
Do you believe in fate?
About four years ago I worked at a coffee shop with a man. He had dirty blonde hair, just like me. He had blue eyes, just like me. He attended Columbia College and wrote poetry, just like me. We were both born on June 27th, 1985 at 10:48pm.
I don’t think I believe in fate.
What kinds of artistic experiences do you tend to enjoy the most?
Visceral and immediate.
What turns you off big time?
Cowboy Theater.
What are you listening to right now? Reading? Watching? Eating? Drinking?
I’ve been listening to Talk Normal. I’ve been watching Girls. I’ve been eating garbage. And my library book is almost overdue.
Are you a righty or a lefty?
Righty.
Tell me something about yourself that would surprise me:
I used to tell people that I had a lazy eye as a kid, but that my body corrected it.
*Editors comment: apparently I think this pun is a verb now. And I am a perpetrator of puns. So that’s good.
