Timothy David Rey on how his pedagogical experiences inform The Monologue Play
Timothy David Rey with his actors Catrina Evans and John Conrad at the Practices in Proximity opening reception!
Currently on view at the Practices in Proximity exhibition are selections from Timothy David Rey’s The Monologue Play (2017-present), as a 3-channel video installation.
Utilizing the form of the Literary Mash-Up, Tim’s ongoing monologues use found language, religious imagery, pop culture references, and objects of American Worship (like Ernest Hemingway) to revisit and reclaim how we connect to the idea of the story. Rey writes the monologues, but the actors are asked to bring their own costuming, research, and gestures to the pieces in the true spirit of collaboration. The collection of monologues has no specific order in which they must be experienced. Tim writes, “they are roughly stuck together, a comment on America’s continued experiment to form a more perfect union.”
When asked how his pedagogical experiences inform this work, Tim responded, “I began work on these pieces before I started working with CAPE, but CAPE has its fingerprints all over this project in many ways.”
According to Tim, “CAPE’s pedagogy, which I indeed internalized and returned to both as a teaching artist in the classroom and as a freelance writer/ performer, ‘reverse engineers’ the creative process.” This is done “by encouraging the artists/makers to think critically and deeply before, during, and after the artmaking process.”
Inquiring on the ‘why’ of making, Tim states that “the finished product is less of a final step and more of a continuation.” All these aspects are central to his work The Monologue Play, “it has definitely been a process of UN-learning.”
Practices in Proximity, curated by Josh Rios, is on view up until January 17, 2025. Gallery hours 10 AM-4 PM Tuesday-Thursday or by appointment.
