the Way of the Showman

This episode will be different. This is the first time you will hear other voices than that of your trusted guide along the Way, Captain Frodo on this podcast. This is because for a year and a half there has been a collaboration cooking. Through the dark of the Scandinavian winter I had the distinct pleasure of going through an incredibly deep and all encompassing creative process with Jay Gilligan on his new and upcoming show REFLEX which opens in January 2022 in New York City.First you will hear me talk about the creative process and a major mind blower of a creative clincher we experienced in the second day of our three day intesive In Real Life creation in Stockholm Sweden. Then you will hear a collaborative recording made by Josh Aviner and Lydsay Magid Aviner. This power couple are the minds behind the Hidaway Circus Podcast and are also producers of the recent outdoor production Stars Above which toured america last summer and also of Beyond Babel, playing New York City at the time of writing this. It's these two superstars who's producing Reflex. The final voice is of the inimitable Jay Gilligan who is an extraordinarily deep thinker as well as a world class juggler not just of traditional juggling but he also puts ART back into the art of Juggling.I hope you like this side trek along the Way.REFLEX plays in New York City from 28th of January till 20th of February 2022 at THEATER MITU580 in Brooklyn NYC.Links:This is the website for the show where you can find all the info you need and its also a really cool looking site!You can buy tickets here. (at least you can until the final date...)Support:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/captainfrodoSupport the show...Now you can get t-shirts and hoodies with our wonderful logo. This is the best new way to suport the podcast project. Become a proud parader of your passion for Showmanship and our glorious Craft whilst simultanously helping to gather more followers for the Way.You'll find the store here: https://thewayoftheshowman.printdrop.com.auIf you want to help support this podcast it would be tremendous if you wrote a glowing review on iTunes or Spotify.If you want to contact me about anything, including wanting me to collaborate on one of your projects you can reach me on thewayoftheshowman@gmail.comor find out more on the Way of the Showman website.you can follow the Way of Instagram where it is, not surprisingly thewayoftheshowman.If you find it in you and you have the means to do so, you can suport the podcast financially at:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/captainfrodo

Metaphoric thinking is fundamental to our understanding of the world. It is by likening one thing we understand to something else which we might not quite understand that we learn about the world. This makes us active participants in the creation of the world. Along the Way we have called this Map Making. They are never perfect but they do illuminate the world.The best metaphores, or in fact all metaphores, are dynamic and goes both ways. If we say someone is like a mountain, then it's not only the person which takes on mountain characteristics, the mountain is also coloured by the human. We learn about both by looking at them with the intent of seeing what each has in common with the other, or the ways which they are the same.When I first started to imagine a way to illustrate the pillars of Showmanship (Showman, Audience, Show and Attention) I landed on a triangle. This has one immidiate shortcomming, as it has three points and the pillars of Showmanship is four. The serendipitous thing about this though was that through exploring the nature of a triangles and what geometry has to tell us about them, I realised that I had landed on a very fruitful metaphore. In this episode we focus mainly on the triangle as a symbol for the process of Showmanship, and next week we shall look into how I found the fourth pillar could be beautifully illustrated in the triangle.Support:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/captainfrodoContact me:Thewayoftheshowman@gmail.comSupport the show...Now you can get t-shirts and hoodies with our wonderful logo. This is the best new way to suport the podcast project. Become a proud parader of your passion for Showmanship and our glorious Craft whilst simultanously helping to gather more followers for the Way.You'll find the store here: https://thewayoftheshowman.printdrop.com.auIf you want to help support this podcast it would be tremendous if you wrote a glowing review on iTunes or Spotify.If you want to contact me about anything, including wanting me to collaborate on one of your projects you can reach me on thewayoftheshowman@gmail.comor find out more on the Way of the Showman website.you can follow the Way of Instagram where it is, not surprisingly thewayoftheshowman.If you find it in you and you have the means to do so, you can suport the podcast financially at:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/captainfrodo

In this episode I explore what the essense of Showmanship is. What is the difference between a Show and Showmanship? How are they related? What are the fundamental aspects of performance? These are the questions we explore today, and for me these are what I found on the next level up, after last weeks exploration yielded that Showmanship is a process. This episode I build on that flowing foundation a structure I believe is fundamental not just to Shows and performing but to all aspects of human experience.Links:Jack London's story To Build a Fire.A reading of To Build a Fire from youtube.Support me:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/captainfrodoContact me:Thewayoftheshowman@gmail.comSupport the show...Now you can get t-shirts and hoodies with our wonderful logo. This is the best new way to suport the podcast project. Become a proud parader of your passion for Showmanship and our glorious Craft whilst simultanously helping to gather more followers for the Way.You'll find the store here: https://thewayoftheshowman.printdrop.com.auIf you want to help support this podcast it would be tremendous if you wrote a glowing review on iTunes or Spotify.If you want to contact me about anything, including wanting me to collaborate on one of your projects you can reach me on thewayoftheshowman@gmail.comor find out more on the Way of the Showman website.you can follow the Way of Instagram where it is, not surprisingly thewayoftheshowman.If you find it in you and you have the means to do so, you can suport the podcast financially at:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/captainfrodo

Now we start looking at the heart of the Way, what is Showmanship. This episode and the next we look into this. The faithful listener might recognise some of this episode from the first season where we discovered that Showmanship is a process and not a thing. This is the flowing bedrock of, not just Showmanship but also, as I see it, the world. From this firm but flowing foundation we shall next week explore the anatomy of Showmanship.Links:-the School of Athens, the famous painting by Raphael of the philosophers of Athens-Henri Bergson on Duration. This is a great introduction to Bergson's concept of duration. (this is a lecture in philosophy by Nathan Hohipuha, who's channel Absurd Being is a gold mine for those interested in existentialist philosophy.)-an example of how little is captured of the Kamikaze Freakshow at the Institute of Contemporary art in february 1999.- a little more about the Freakshow captured on my old blog, the Illuminated ShowmanSupport:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/captainfrodoContact me:Thewayoftheshowman@gmail.comSupport the show...Now you can get t-shirts and hoodies with our wonderful logo. This is the best new way to suport the podcast project. Become a proud parader of your passion for Showmanship and our glorious Craft whilst simultanously helping to gather more followers for the Way.You'll find the store here: https://thewayoftheshowman.printdrop.com.auIf you want to help support this podcast it would be tremendous if you wrote a glowing review on iTunes or Spotify.If you want to contact me about anything, including wanting me to collaborate on one of your projects you can reach me on thewayoftheshowman@gmail.comor find out more on the Way of the Showman website.you can follow the Way of Instagram where it is, not surprisingly thewayoftheshowman.If you find it in you and you have the means to do so, you can suport the podcast financially at:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/captainfrodo

In this episode I share what I see as the essentials of what makes a show. I divide it up into three constituents which helps me to analyse and to understand my own shows and shows that I see. From these constituents I can easily get quite deep quite quickly after even just a first viewing. I immidiately get questions in my mind about where the work is at, what is its focus and where I see room for development. This abstract otological exploration is perhaps THE most practical tool I have revealed, thus far along the Way. This is a core part of what makes up my lens through which I view the world.linksJoseph Campbell and his Hero with a Thousand FacesZirkus Nemo - duck taming, and the world famous Smashing ManHermeneuticsChekov's GunIan McGilchrist The Matter With Things Support:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/captainfrodoContact me:Thewayoftheshowman@gmail.comSupport the show...Now you can get t-shirts and hoodies with our wonderful logo. This is the best new way to suport the podcast project. Become a proud parader of your passion for Showmanship and our glorious Craft whilst simultanously helping to gather more followers for the Way.You'll find the store here: https://thewayoftheshowman.printdrop.com.auIf you want to help support this podcast it would be tremendous if you wrote a glowing review on iTunes or Spotify.If you want to contact me about anything, including wanting me to collaborate on one of your projects you can reach me on thewayoftheshowman@gmail.comor find out more on the Way of the Showman website.you can follow the Way of Instagram where it is, not surprisingly thewayoftheshowman.If you find it in you and you have the means to do so, you can suport the podcast financially at:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/captainfrodo

This episode explores what makes us human in a way that will become a practical tool for asking questions about our work and art. The understandings we will journey through is an important key to my personal way of approaching creation. As I have worked more and more as a director and co-creator with others I have come to understand that the things we talk about in todays episode is part of make my point of view and thus approach unique. First we look at perception then we go on to what I think of as three peak human faculties of thinking, feeling and doing.These things might seem abstract but as we shall see in the next couple of episodes they will in very direct and real, practical ways be tied to what makes up the anatomy of what a Show is.Links:Ian McGilchrist is a very interesting man of considerable wisdom and knowledge. This links to a real short animated overview of the central idea in is monumental book The Master and his emisary. If it sparks interest in you here is a link to more talks by this fine chap.Support:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/captainfrodoContact me:Thewayoftheshowman@gmail.comSupport the show...Now you can get t-shirts and hoodies with our wonderful logo. This is the best new way to suport the podcast project. Become a proud parader of your passion for Showmanship and our glorious Craft whilst simultanously helping to gather more followers for the Way.You'll find the store here: https://thewayoftheshowman.printdrop.com.auIf you want to help support this podcast it would be tremendous if you wrote a glowing review on iTunes or Spotify.If you want to contact me about anything, including wanting me to collaborate on one of your projects you can reach me on thewayoftheshowman@gmail.comor find out more on the Way of the Showman website.you can follow the Way of Instagram where it is, not surprisingly thewayoftheshowman.If you find it in you and you have the means to do so, you can suport the podcast financially at:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/captainfrodo

Today I talk about inner exploration. We look at a few ways of mapping our internal geography and then how to mine it for use in creation. I also talk about developing a sense of ones inclinations and desires to use them like the true north of a compass. True north is not necessarily the same as the course you set for yourself and where you want to go, but by knowing your own natural inclinations you can better take a step back from yourself to assess where you're really heading.This episode and the next couple is heading about as deep into the foundations as we will get. This is not practical how-to advice, this is working of the human aspect of the performer, the Man part of the ShowMan. By taking some steps to explore ourselves in the deepest ways we can build our creations and ourselves of firmer ground. -You can contact me on thewayoftheshowman@gmail.comor find out more on the Way of the Showman website.suport the podcast onBuy Me a Coffee.com /CaptainFrodoSome links:The end of Faith by Sam HarrisJung on Synchronicityan interesting article on synchronicitySupport the show...Now you can get t-shirts and hoodies with our wonderful logo. This is the best new way to suport the podcast project. Become a proud parader of your passion for Showmanship and our glorious Craft whilst simultanously helping to gather more followers for the Way.You'll find the store here: https://thewayoftheshowman.printdrop.com.auIf you want to help support this podcast it would be tremendous if you wrote a glowing review on iTunes or Spotify.If you want to contact me about anything, including wanting me to collaborate on one of your projects you can reach me on thewayoftheshowman@gmail.comor find out more on the Way of the Showman website.you can follow the Way of Instagram where it is, not surprisingly thewayoftheshowman.If you find it in you and you have the means to do so, you can suport the podcast financially at:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/captainfrodo

When we take the two geographies of Inner and outer space seriously we immidiately see that their landscapes are quite different and that to journey within them would need different approaches. Much like we need different ways to travel on sea and in mountains, what is appropriate for one is unsuitable for the other. Today we look a little at the different ways we can most fruitfully navigate these to different terrains.Support the show...Now you can get t-shirts and hoodies with our wonderful logo. This is the best new way to suport the podcast project. Become a proud parader of your passion for Showmanship and our glorious Craft whilst simultanously helping to gather more followers for the Way.You'll find the store here: https://thewayoftheshowman.printdrop.com.auIf you want to help support this podcast it would be tremendous if you wrote a glowing review on iTunes or Spotify.If you want to contact me about anything, including wanting me to collaborate on one of your projects you can reach me on thewayoftheshowman@gmail.comor find out more on the Way of the Showman website.you can follow the Way of Instagram where it is, not surprisingly thewayoftheshowman.If you find it in you and you have the means to do so, you can suport the podcast financially at:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/captainfrodo

In this episode we look at how  being an artist and performer affects both our lives and our livings. These to domains  merge for many of us. There is often very little separation between what we do for fun and because we can't stop ourselves from doing it, and what we do for work. I don't think what we do can be adequately described as being a job. What we do is more than a job, it's a Way of life. Support the show...Now you can get t-shirts and hoodies with our wonderful logo. This is the best new way to suport the podcast project. Become a proud parader of your passion for Showmanship and our glorious Craft whilst simultanously helping to gather more followers for the Way.You'll find the store here: https://thewayoftheshowman.printdrop.com.auIf you want to help support this podcast it would be tremendous if you wrote a glowing review on iTunes or Spotify.If you want to contact me about anything, including wanting me to collaborate on one of your projects you can reach me on thewayoftheshowman@gmail.comor find out more on the Way of the Showman website.you can follow the Way of Instagram where it is, not surprisingly thewayoftheshowman.If you find it in you and you have the means to do so, you can suport the podcast financially at:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/captainfrodo

I believe we find authenticity at the frontier between our inner and outer geographies. Todays leg along the Way explores what that means, and to understand that we have to look at what authenticity means, at least what it means when I talk about it. We also look back at an essay I published in 2012 where I talked about Originality, and I look at that with the hindsight of this leg along said frontier.Links:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/captainfrodohttp://Captainfrodo.comThewayoftheshowman@gmail.comSupport the show...Now you can get t-shirts and hoodies with our wonderful logo. This is the best new way to suport the podcast project. Become a proud parader of your passion for Showmanship and our glorious Craft whilst simultanously helping to gather more followers for the Way.You'll find the store here: https://thewayoftheshowman.printdrop.com.auIf you want to help support this podcast it would be tremendous if you wrote a glowing review on iTunes or Spotify.If you want to contact me about anything, including wanting me to collaborate on one of your projects you can reach me on thewayoftheshowman@gmail.comor find out more on the Way of the Showman website.you can follow the Way of Instagram where it is, not surprisingly thewayoftheshowman.If you find it in you and you have the means to do so, you can suport the podcast financially at:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/captainfrodo