Have you ever played a dark play on someone or just for yourself?
Give me examples. Thanks!
I love the phrase “dark play” but have to confess that it is not used in English. Do you mean a nasty joke or prank?
not really nasty joke. it is playing for the sake of playing but it is called dark because only you (or you and someone playing it along with you) know it is a play only - the rest (the audience, the public) do not know it. it usuallly is not supposed to harm the other person, but only to deceive without doing any harm.
for example, a dark play may be when you are travelling with your friend on the bus and someone adresses you as a couple (thinking that your friend is your girlfirned) so you take on the pay and you start to play and pretend to that stranger that you really are a couple.
this is just an exmple.
dark play can also mean palying on your4 own, e.g. exposing your life to a dangerous situation - you are enjoyng the play.
example of dark play:
We used to do lots of fun things but I don’t know if you would call them ‘dark plays’
For instance, a while back, a beautiful faux Baroque Theatre in the heart of Sydney was turned into a McDonalds outlet – yes, I know. Fortunately, they were’nt allowed to destroy the building completely so it still looked quite stylish.
Our creative protest consisted of turning up in 1930’s black suites/bow ties – evening gowns for the ladies – and commandeering the front window seats. We spread a white table cloth over the tables, set up candelabras, flowers and wine glasses, white plates, silverware and cloth napkins. We then ordered 3 courses of junk food.
On leaving we pushed the props into the luggage bag and left.
A similar episode happened much later at uni with a different crowd. One of the girls mentioned it was her birthday the following day. Behind her back we decided to have a surprise birthday party and set about preparing costumes, gather props and phoning friends for assistance.
By the time lunch came the next day, we had a full Alice in Wonderland set on the sports oval. Everyone was in costume (I was the Mad Hatter), we had a full table setting and friends who had volunteered to dress up as waitresses, served us all afternoon. Every time someone came up to ask us what was happening, we spontaneously broke out into a loud rendition of Happy Birthday blowing whistles, clicking glasses and throwing streamers in the air. We had a great afternoon.
There were lots of other episodes (not all to do with food) but that will do.
What about you Lenore? Are you a flash mobster?
thank you for your suggesstions.
no, not at all, I’ve never done anything like that. In fact I just leanrned about dark play in my performance studies and I was wandering if the community plays like that are frequent and if anybody does them or if it’s just theory.
yet, when I was depressed I felt like I don’t care about my life so for example when I went too fast by car I didn;t care if I’m going to die - so as if I was looking for some enjoyment in driving fast. I suppose many people have done dark play just the’re not aware of that.
I think to relise that you’re playing can sort of have a healing effect in some cases, when one is depressed and finds some ways of sublimation or escape from thoughts. And then, convincing yourself of something whihc is not real but starts to be real by playing it or role playing can be exciting and creative.
I would like a stylish birthday party , not only in the sense of props, but as you said, when the people present do enact the roles and try to behave in the same way as if they really were Mad Hatter or Alice…
In the 1930s party it can be fun to observe the people who are not involved- it can be fun watching the restaurant staff wondering if you are mad, or maybe they were anxious if they are being filmed for some sort of reality TV show. there’s always a danger taht a police is called in such cases though.
thank you for your suggesstions.
no, not at all, I’ve never done anything like that. In fact I just leanrned about dark play in my performance studies and I was wandering if the community plays like that are frequent and if anybody does them or if it’s just theory.
yet, when I was depressed I felt like I don’t care about my life so for example when I went too fast by car I didn;t care if I’m going to die - so as if I was looking for some enjoyment in driving fast. I suppose many people have done dark play just the’re not aware of that.
I think to relise that you’re playing can sort of have a healing effect in some cases, when one is depressed and finds some ways of sublimation or escape from thoughts. And then, convincing yourself of something whihc is not real but starts to be real by playing it or role playing can be exciting and creative.
I would like a stylish birthday party , not only in the sense of props, but as you said, when the people present do enact the roles and try to behave in the same way as if they really were Mad Hatter or Alice…
In the 1930s party it can be fun to observe the people who are not involved- it can be fun watching the restaurant staff wondering if you are mad, or maybe they were anxious if they are being filmed for some sort of reality TV show. there’s always a danger taht a police is called in such cases though.
I have never heard the term ‘dark play’ Lenore but ‘improvisations’ were quite hip last century
Well that depends on what a ‘dark play’ is. Is ILP with all the actors and charades, a dark play? I think so. I’d like to make a suggestion: why don’t you create a character and register with ILP (or another forum) and improvise with people here? I registered as a 30 something, playful but dignified female on a real time chat site some time back. It was such an eye opener. I’d make a good drag, I think. 
(why no smilies with catseye glasses?)
Yes, I agree. I think breaking the obsessive mental cycle of thinking is critical if one is to ‘snap out’ of depression. If you can do that by playing a role, then you will be able to access feelings and thoughts which are almost impossible to access from the usual state.
I think everyone needs to break out and be embarrassingly silly every once in a while. I don’t think people realise how couped up we are till you do something stupid, for no reason and then feel the exhilaration of letting go.
I’m not too worried about the police here; so long as you’re not rude – and why should you be – they’ll be quite reasonable. The aim is to keep in character and to use whatever is flung at you. That’s why it was called ‘improvisation’