Onme Acts, by Janet Kuypers 07/0609

July 6, 2009 (07/06/09)

On July 6th 2009, Janet Kuypers performed her first feature at Waiting 4 the Bus (W4tB is an energetic, eclectic, electric poetry powerhouse that fires up on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month, hosted by Buddah309... Right by the Loop in downtown Chicago at Jaks Tap — the back room, 901 W. Jackson, Chicago IL 60035). This 7:30-10pm evening (starting late because of poet-time) had Kuypers as the only feature for the evening (when there are usually two features at Waiting 4 the Bus). After seeing one acts of play performances in Chicago 05/17/09 (where one was of a single man saying a story, like a prose poem), Kuypers realized that this show is exactly that — a series of “one acts”.
For this performance, Kuypers not only pulled a number of older never-read-before pieces of poetry and prose (including poetry and prose from 1991), but she also re-worked poetry to incorporate either “waiting”, or, more usually, “buses”. In addition to this altering of classic writings of hers (including poetry from the “He Told Me His Dreams” series), Kuypers wrote a number of brand new pieces of poetry and prose poetry for this show, including an extensive prose poem about conflicts with the United States and Russia (originally stylized while considering the Carolyn Forché poem “the Colonel”) for this show.
Not only is there brand-new written material for this show, but she also opted for using not only a new projection screen and the projector for showing off her artwork in this performance, but she even opted to “meditate” at a bus stop for this show (video from her meditating was also shown in this performance).



Kuypers meditating at a bus stop in Chicago 05/20/09

Kuypers also released a chapbook of the poems
and prose “one acts” (sorted in the order read).

the ONE ACTS chapbook

During the live performance at Waiting 4 the Bus, Kuypers had two computer screens and two photo image frames with rotating images in them (along with The Key To Believing Bear), displayed below the large projector screen of images related to the performance. While wearing her husband’s Marine Corps dog tags, Kuypers performed both poems and prose oems while both iamges and video clips were displayed on the projected screen. Also included in the live show were backgrouns noises of buses running. Each piece also started with the sampling of the words “Get on to the bus” from “Bus to Beelzebub” by Soul Coughing (off thealbum Irresistable Bliss)... and during the second part of the last piece in the show (Hurry Up and Wait), meditation music ( “Sante Dei,” sampled from a Meditation Music CD) played.

One Acts show image

Underneath the projector in this photo, the small images left to right are of: (1) water going up stairs in Venice, (2) Gettysburg PA mass graves with unknown names, (3) the Hollywood sign in California, and (4) columns imbedded in a building side in Rome, all underneath the video playing of Kuypers talking (originally from the video Anything for the Liquor Fix) for the poem In the Projects.

Although lighting was dark for the performer to be well viewed on film, you can see samples of images (and hear the full performanceas well) with the links below.

...on to the show:

view the Full Performance
One Acts full show camera 1

videonot yet rated Watch the full show (from camera #1)
This film is from the Internet Archive

One Acts full show camera 1

videonot yet rated Watch the full show (from camera #2)
This film is from the Internet Archive

get the chapbook ONE ACTS
see the projected images from this live performance
see some of the random art displayed on the small screens below the projector during this live performance
One Acts, some random art displayed

video View a video of some of the random art that appeared in smaller frames under the projector during the show
This film is from the Internet Archive

Waiting for a Sign(poem)
Order the LIVE track on CD 8 from the CD set Live
(an extensive 13 CD 2010 CD set)
iTunes link to the CD set LIVE  (2:56, live 07/06/09)

(Because of the extensive size of this CD set, the easiest way to find the track in iTunes is to open iTunes, go to the iTunes store and search for Janet Kuypers and the title of the track, and it can find the track for you)
video Camera #1 YouTube video not yet rated
video Camera #2 YouTube video not yet rated
Order the STUDIO track on CD 8 from the CD set Live
(an extensive 13 CD 2010 CD set)
iTunes link to the CD set LIVE
(2:47, studio recording 06/11/09)
(Because of the extensive size of this CD set, the easiest way to find the track in iTunes is to open iTunes, go to the iTunes store and search for Janet Kuypers and the title of the track, and it can find the track for you)
Rather read it? Then check out the original writing
get the chapbook ONE ACTS
One Acts, some random art displayed

video View a video of some of the random art that appeared in smaller frames under the projector during the show
This film is from the Internet Archive

A Select few images appearing in the laptops and digital picture fames below the projector include: a Pyramid in Rome, a 1976 Anniversary Edition mgb convertible, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Oscar Meyer Weiner Car on display at the Milwaukee Art Museum, a statue of painters on a side street in Georgetown, Giant Tortoises at the Highlands at Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos Islands, a finch in flight leaving a cactua at the Charles Darwin Research Station at Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos Islands, one of many houses after Katrina in New Orleans 12/31/06, Old Faithful erupting at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, the front of the Milwaukee Art Museum, a diorama of the moon landing at Cape Canaveral, lamps along a building at the Jade Buddha Temple in Shanghai (China), and an image of a basketball net (used in a project to show terms for women and sex with them, as “score”).

Leaving for Work(prose poem)
Order the LIVE track on CD 8 from the CD set Live
(an extensive 13 CD 2010 CD set)
iTunes link to the CD set LIVE  (2:27, live 07/06/09)

(Because of the extensive size of this CD set, the easiest way to find the track in iTunes is to open iTunes, go to the iTunes store and search for Janet Kuypers and the title of the track, and it can find the track for you)
video Camera #1 YouTube video not yet rated
video Camera #2 YouTube video not yet rated
Order the STUDIO track on CD 8 from the CD set Live
(an extensive 13 CD 2010 CD set)
iTunes link to the CD set LIVE
(2:14, studio recording 06/03/09)

(Because of the extensive size of this CD set, the easiest way to find the track in iTunes is to open iTunes, go to the iTunes store and search for Janet Kuypers and the title of the track, and it can find the track for you)
Rather read it? Then check out the original writing
(which was altered slightly for this show from the original writing)
get the chapbook ONE ACTS
One Acts, some random art displayed

video View a video of some of the random art that appeared in smaller frames under the projector during the show
This film is from the Internet Archive

A Select few images appearing in the laptops and digital picture fames below the projector include: a dragon statue at the Summer Palace in Beijing (China), the Capital in Washington D.C., a church in San Juan (Puerto Rico) 12/16/03, the Hiawatha Train at Milwaukee Art Museum, a guard in Stockholm (Sweden), a Utah national park lake near mountains, and Pompeii ruins.

Fire Alarms(poem)
Order the LIVE track on CD 8 from the CD set Live
(an extensive 13 CD 2010 CD set)
iTunes link to the CD set LIVE  (:48, live 07/06/09)

(Because of the extensive size of this CD set, the easiest way to find the track in iTunes is to open iTunes, go to the iTunes store and search for Janet Kuypers and the title of the track, and it can find the track for you)
video Camera #1 YouTube video not yet rated
video Camera #2 YouTube video not yet rated
Order the STUDIO track on CD 8 from the CD set Live
(an extensive 13 CD 2010 CD set)
iTunes link to the CD set LIVE
(:44, studio recording 06/03/09)

(Because of the extensive size of this CD set, the easiest way to find the track in iTunes is to open iTunes, go to the iTunes store and search for Janet Kuypers and the title of the track, and it can find the track for you)
Rather read it? Then check out the original writing
(which was altered slightly for this show from the original writing)
get the chapbook ONE ACTS
One Acts, some random art displayed

video View a video of some of the random art that appeared in smaller frames under the projector during the show
This film is from the Internet Archive

A Select few images appearing in the laptops and digital picture fames below the projector include: a globe statue in front of a church in Omaha (Nebraska), and graves at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl Cemetery, Omaha, Hawaii).

One Acts show image

In the Projects(prose poem)
Order the LIVE track on CD 8 from the CD set Live
(an extensive 13 CD 2010 CD set)
iTunes link to the CD set LIVE  (1:24, live 07/06/09)

(Because of the extensive size of this CD set, the easiest way to find the track in iTunes is to open iTunes, go to the iTunes store and search for Janet Kuypers and the title of the track, and it can find the track for you)
video Camera #1 YouTube video not yet rated
video Camera #2 YouTube video not yet rated
Order the STUDIO track on CD 8 from the CD set Live
(an extensive 13 CD 2010 CD set)
iTunes link to the CD set LIVE
(1:38, studio recording 06/03/09)

(Because of the extensive size of this CD set, the easiest way to find the track in iTunes is to open iTunes, go to the iTunes store and search for Janet Kuypers and the title of the track, and it can find the track for you)
Rather read it? Then check out the original writing
(which was altered slightly for this show from the original writing)
get the chapbook ONE ACTS
video
videonot yet rated


Watch this
YouTube video

(of the no audio projected video that was playing during this reading)
One Acts, some random art displayed

video View a video of some of the random art that appeared in smaller frames under the projector during the show
This film is from the Internet Archive

A Select few images appearing in the laptops and digital picture fames below the projector include: Joe walking on a tower along a Pasadena California mountainside, part of a statue in Salzburg Austria, Michael Stipe (of REM) in Urbana Illinois, an urn at Summer Palace in Beijing China 03/11/04, and a train station welcome sign in Munich Germany.

Walking Home From School(poem)
Order the LIVE track on CD 8 from the CD set Live
(an extensive 13 CD 2010 CD set)
iTunes link to the CD set LIVE  (2:01, live 07/06/09)

(Because of the extensive size of this CD set, the easiest way to find the track in iTunes is to open iTunes, go to the iTunes store and search for Janet Kuypers and the title of the track, and it can find the track for you)
video Camera #1 YouTube video not yet rated
video Camera #2 YouTube video not yet rated
Order the STUDIO track on CD 8 from the CD set Live
(an extensive 13 CD 2010 CD set)
iTunes link to the CD set LIVE
(2:47, studio recording 06/03/09)

(Because of the extensive size of this CD set, the easiest way to find the track in iTunes is to open iTunes, go to the iTunes store and search for Janet Kuypers and the title of the track, and it can find the track for you)
Rather read it? Then check out the original writing
(which was altered very slightly for this show from the original writing)
get the chapbook ONE ACTS
One Acts, some random art displayed

video View a video of some of the random art that appeared in smaller frames under the projector during the show
This film is from the Internet Archive

A Select few images appearing in the laptops and digital picture fames below the projector include: the tomb of Marie Laveau in New Orleans, Bamboo in Oahu Hawaii, a silo in Pennsylvania, the top of a building at the Forbidden City 03/10/04 in China, a and a “teenage dreams” drawing.

Down the Drain(poem)
Order the LIVE track on CD 8 from the CD set Live
(an extensive 13 CD 2010 CD set)
iTunes link to the CD set LIVE  (:52, live 07/06/09)

(Because of the extensive size of this CD set, the easiest way to find the track in iTunes is to open iTunes, go to the iTunes store and search for Janet Kuypers and the title of the track, and it can find the track for you)
video Camera #1 YouTube video not yet rated
video Camera #2 YouTube video not yet rated
Order the STUDIO track on CD 8 from the CD set Live
(an extensive 13 CD 2010 CD set)
iTunes link to the CD set LIVE
(:53, studio recording 06/03/09)

(Because of the extensive size of this CD set, the easiest way to find the track in iTunes is to open iTunes, go to the iTunes store and search for Janet Kuypers and the title of the track, and it can find the track for you)
Rather read it? Then check out the original writing
(which was altered significantly for this show from the original writing)
get the chapbook ONE ACTS
One Acts, some random art displayed

video View a video of some of the random art that appeared in smaller frames under the projector during the show
This film is from the Internet Archive

A Select few images appearing in the laptops and digital picture fames below the projector include a “teenage dreams” drawing and a mural painted on the side of a building on Montreal.

Park Bench(prose poem)
Order the LIVE track on CD 8 from the CD set Live
(an extensive 13 CD 2010 CD set)
iTunes link to the CD set LIVE  (1:49, live 07/06/09)

(Because of the extensive size of this CD set, the easiest way to find the track in iTunes is to open iTunes, go to the iTunes store and search for Janet Kuypers and the title of the track, and it can find the track for you)
video Camera #1 YouTube video not yet rated
video Camera #2 YouTube video not yet rated
Order the STUDIO track on CD 8 from the CD set Live
(an extensive 13 CD 2010 CD set)
iTunes link to the CD set LIVE
(1:48, studio recording 06/03/09)

(Because of the extensive size of this CD set, the easiest way to find the track in iTunes is to open iTunes, go to the iTunes store and search for Janet Kuypers and the title of the track, and it can find the track for you)
Rather read it? Then check out the original writing
get the chapbook ONE ACTS
One Acts, some random art displayed

video View a video of some of the random art that appeared in smaller frames under the projector during the show
This film is from the Internet Archive

A Select few images appearing in the laptops and digital picture fames below the projector include: a mural painted on the side of a building in Montreal, old and new architecture at Confucius Temple (March 2004) in Shanghai China, the tomb of Marie Laveau in New Orleans, Michael Stipe (of REM) in Urbana Illinois, the top of a building at the Temple of Heaven 03/10/04 in Beijing China, a boat in Venice Italy, a Tower on Paradise Island, a tower in old San Juan Puerto Rico, and a marine iguana at the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos Islands.


examiner.com
Vittorio Carli, Chicago Poetry Examiner Vittorio Carli
from “Bits and Pieces ([including] Kuypers)”

Janet Kuypers, the driving force behind SCARS publications, [performed] at Jak’s Tap at 901 W. Jackson (the quasi religious leader, Buddah 309 is the host). Kuypers is a dynamic and theatrical performer especially when she is reading her own poetry.
When she performed at one of my own big Megapoetry readings (I have been doing them twice a year at Mercury Café), I thought she was going to burst into tears on stage during one particular poignant piece (I think the performance exists on video somewhere). She also has a delicious, husky voice and a come-hither Mae West influenced vocal delivery style that helps put her work over.
Janet likes to give multimedia performances that are tailored to her specific venues and/or shows. Since Janet will be performing at the Waiting for the Bus venue, she will be doing a series of poems about (surprise) waiting for the bus (I have a poem about riding on the bus.) In a Cagean move she will utilize various sounds such as water and meditation music along with projected images as part of the performance.



Leather Jacket(poem)
Order the LIVE track on CD 8 from the CD set Live
(an extensive 13 CD 2010 CD set)
iTunes link to the CD set LIVE  (1:31, live 07/06/09)

(Because of the extensive size of this CD set, the easiest way to find the track in iTunes is to open iTunes, go to the iTunes store and search for Janet Kuypers and the title of the track, and it can find the track for you)
video Camera #1 YouTube video not yet rated
video Camera #2 YouTube video not yet rated
Order the STUDIO track on CD 8 from the CD set Live
(an extensive 13 CD 2010 CD set)
iTunes link to the CD set LIVE
(1:47, studio recording 06/03/09)

(Because of the extensive size of this CD set, the easiest way to find the track in iTunes is to open iTunes, go to the iTunes store and search for Janet Kuypers and the title of the track, and it can find the track for you)
Rather read it? Then check out the original writing
(which was altered slightly for this show from the original writing)
get the chapbook ONE ACTS
One Acts, some random art displayed

video View a video of some of the random art that appeared in smaller frames under the projector during the show
This film is from the Internet Archive

A Select few images appearing in the laptops and digital picture fames below the projector include: the ceiling of a building at the Temple of Heaven 03/10/04 in Beijing China, a diorama of the moon landing at Cape Canaveral, and a marine iguana at the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos Islands.

He Told Me His Dreams 1(poem)
Order the LIVE track on CD 8 from the CD set Live
(an extensive 13 CD 2010 CD set)
iTunes link to the CD set LIVE  (1:25, live 07/06/09)

(Because of the extensive size of this CD set, the easiest way to find the track in iTunes is to open iTunes, go to the iTunes store and search for Janet Kuypers and the title of the track, and it can find the track for you)
video Camera #1 YouTube video not yet rated
video Camera #2 YouTube video not yet rated
Order the STUDIO track on CD 8 from the CD set Live
(an extensive 13 CD 2010 CD set)
iTunes link to the CD set LIVE
(1:14, studio recording 06/03/09)

(Because of the extensive size of this CD set, the easiest way to find the track in iTunes is to open iTunes, go to the iTunes store and search for Janet Kuypers and the title of the track, and it can find the track for you)
Rather read it? Then check out the original writing
(which was altered slightly for this show from the original writing)
get the chapbook ONE ACTS
One Acts, some random art displayed

video View a video of some of the random art that appeared in smaller frames under the projector during the show
This film is from the Internet Archive

A Select few images appearing in the laptops and digital picture fames below the projector include: an elephant statue at the Temple of Heaven 03/10/04 in Beijing China, Columns amongst ruins in Pompeii, the Las Vegas skyline, a boat in Venice Italy, and a Frigate bird in flight at Darwin Bay on Genovesa Island in the Galapagos Islands.

One Acts show image

Jeremy, or Stallion?(prose poem)
Order the LIVE track on CD 8 from the CD set Live
(an extensive 13 CD 2010 CD set)
iTunes link to the CD set LIVE  (2:50, live 07/06/09)

(Because of the extensive size of this CD set, the easiest way to find the track in iTunes is to open iTunes, go to the iTunes store and search for Janet Kuypers and the title of the track, and it can find the track for you)
video Camera #1 YouTube video not yet rated
video Camera #2 YouTube video not yet rated
Order the STUDIO track on CD 8 from the CD set Live
(an extensive 13 CD 2010 CD set)
iTunes link to the CD set LIVE
(3:01, studio recording 06/03/09)

(Because of the extensive size of this CD set, the easiest way to find the track in iTunes is to open iTunes, go to the iTunes store and search for Janet Kuypers and the title of the track, and it can find the track for you)
Rather read it? Then check out the original writing
get the chapbook ONE ACTS
One Acts, some random art displayed

video View a video of some of the random art that appeared in smaller frames under the projector during the show
This film is from the Internet Archive

A Select few images appearing in the laptops and digital picture fames below the projector include: the pyramid of the Louvre in Paris France, Greek Ruins in Agrigento (Cicily, Italy), a 1976 Anniversary Edition mgb convertible, Bamboo in Oaho Hawaii, many red flags in Tiananmen Square 03/10/04 in China, a boat in Venice Italy, a diorama of the moon landing at Cape Canaveral, the Seattle Space Needle (Seattle Washington), the statue of Iwo Jima in Washington D.C., a journalism photo of the Take Back the Night Rally in Urbana Illinois, spanish moss hanging from trees at Louisiana (near Florida), a Frigate bird in flight at Darwin Bay on Genovesa Island in the Galapagos Islands, a statue of a man near the Loop in downtown Chicago, a motorcycle at the Highland House (in Highland Park Illinois), and an inverted church on Wright Street in Champaign Illinois.

Warring Nations(prose poem)
Order the LIVE track on CD 8 from the CD set Live
(an extensive 13 CD 2010 CD set)
iTunes link to the CD set LIVE  (5:55, live 07/06/09)

(Because of the extensive size of this CD set, the easiest way to find the track in iTunes is to open iTunes, go to the iTunes store and search for Janet Kuypers and the title of the track, and it can find the track for you)
video Camera #1 YouTube video not yet rated
video Camera #2 YouTube video not yet rated
Order the STUDIO track on CD 8 from the CD set Live
(an extensive 13 CD 2010 CD set)
iTunes link to the CD set LIVE
(7:48, studio recording 06/03/09)

(Because of the extensive size of this CD set, the easiest way to find the track in iTunes is to open iTunes, go to the iTunes store and search for Janet Kuypers and the title of the track, and it can find the track for you)
Rather read it? Then check out the original writing
get the chapbook ONE ACTS
One Acts, some random art displayed

video View a video of some of the random art that appeared in smaller frames under the projector during the show
This film is from the Internet Archive

A Select few images appearing in the laptops and digital picture fames below the projector include: a stop sign in Mexico (reading “alto”), a female lion in front of the Forbidden City 03/10/04 in China, a building in Amsterdam (the Netherlands), a statue of Jesus Christ behind a church in Jackson Square (New Orleans) with a light shining up on it for everyone in the French Quarter to see, the Aurora Borealis in Fairbanks Alaska, the Seattle Space Needle (Seattle Washington), Bamboo in Oahu Hawaii, a statue of a man near the Loop in downtown Chicago, the Reichstag in Berlin, Gettysburg PA mass graves with unknown names, an airplane photographed in Naples Florida, the top of a building at the Forbidden City 03/10/04 in China, a Mozart statue in Salzburg Austria, a boat in Venice Italy, Sequoia (the cat) in a bowl, a motorcycle image, a marine iguana at the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos Islands, a Chicago Bulls and Baseball mural painted on a building you could see in the I94 (Kennedy Expressway) commute toward downtown Chicago in the 1990s, some of the ceiling at the Forbidden City 03/10/04 in China, bamboo at el Yunque Tropical Rain Forest in el Yonque Puerto Rico, a car at the Highland House (in Highland Park Illinois), and trees on Paradise Island.

Kuypers meditating at a bus stop in Chicago 05/20/09

Hurry Up And Wait(prose poem)
Order the LIVE track on CD 8 from the CD set Live
(an extensive 13 CD 2010 CD set)
iTunes link to the CD set LIVE  (3:15, live 07/06/09)

(Because of the extensive size of this CD set, the easiest way to find the track in iTunes is to open iTunes, go to the iTunes store and search for Janet Kuypers and the title of the track, and it can find the track for you)
video Camera #1 YouTube video not yet rated
video Camera #2 YouTube video not yet rated
Order the STUDIO track on CD 8 from the CD set Live
(an extensive 13 CD 2010 CD set)
iTunes link to the CD set LIVE
(4:01, studio recording 06/03/09)

(Because of the extensive size of this CD set, the easiest way to find the track in iTunes is to open iTunes, go to the iTunes store and search for Janet Kuypers and the title of the track, and it can find the track for you)
Rather read it? Then check out the original writing
get the chapbook ONE ACTS
video
videonot yet rated


Watch this YouTube video

(of the no audio video of static and counter footage to a discordant background projected and playing during this reading)
video
videonot yet rated


Watch this
YouTube video

(of the no audio close-up meditation video projected and playing during this reading)
video
videonot yet rated


Watch this YouTube video

(of the no audio far away bus stop meditation video projected and playing during this reading)
One Acts, some random art displayed

video View a video of some of the random art that appeared in smaller frames under the projector during the show
This film is from the Internet Archive

A Select few images appearing in the laptops and digital picture fames below the projector include: Greek ruins in Agrigento (Cicily, Italy), an inverted church on Wright Street in Champaign Illinois, a set of red doors to an entranceway in the Forbidden City 03/10/04 in China, a Giant Tortoise at the Highlands at Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos Islands, New Orleans doors, a copula in old San Juan (Puerto Rico) 12/16/03, church spires in Montreal, leaves at one of the Puerto Rico (Guernica, Boqueron, and San Juan) 12/17/03 Dry Rain Forests, a stop sign in Mexico (reading “alto”), an Asian setting of tea and dishware (with bamboo in the foreground), Eugene in an arch in Arches National Park in Utah, the Statue of Liberty in New Jersey, and the Colosseum of Rome

As the first round of applause started, additional images appeared on the screens, including a modern building in Bruxelles (Belgium), and a distance view of the Great Wall of China (plus others).

Kuypers meditating at a bus stop in Chicago 05/20/09