He’s breaking out of the glass, Glass Mind Theatre that is. Recently, GMT co-founder Alexander Scally has begun his own exploration into the realm of multi media performances centered on collaboration.  Last month marked the premiere of his latest project entitled “Fragments, or the dangers of safe living”.  Playing the roles of director and M.C., Scally leads his audience through a series of snapshots from the lives of his characters.

“Spam Filter: A cragslist Tale” is the title of his first focus. “It’s about the idea of missed connections,” Scally says.  “Part of it was originally produced for ‘Please Flag With Care’ a Glass Mind Theatre production from 2010.” In the production actors Francis Cabatac, Samantha Nelson, Mike Smith, and Ashlyn Thompson portray hopeless romantics searching for lost loves.

Each piece pulls on a different aspect of times most people have either experienced themselves or at least heard from someone before. There’s a middle-aged woman seeking companionship in the onset of empty nest syndrome and a diner who’s hope is that newfound love would be the amuse-bouche delivered by his dashing waiter. There is even a man that is just looking for someone to laugh like a duck, much the way his former lover did. “I know it sounds ridiculous,” he would say, “but I think this strange, but very polite request would give me the closure I need.”

Scally also interlaces his work with musical performances apt for the subject matter. “Spam Filter” showcases the music of Baltimore group Jabberwocky and Talktopus.
This October Scally will be premiering  “Fragments, or how to lose your map in the jungle,” at Dionysus located in Mt. Vernon. “The theatrical portion of the show is called ‘Apply Within’ and is about human interaction in the work place,” Scally says. “It’s about the process of being hired, working, and then either being terminated or leaving. So it’s a little snap shot of what it means to be a working individual.”

The “Fragments” series is the type of production for those who like to see theater, spoken word, music, and visual arts all in one show. It will debut new performances every three months and encourages any artist to reach out to them for potential collaboration.

Scally concludes each production with a spoken word piece by either himself or another writer. Below is what he performed at the end of “Fragments, or the dangers of safe living”. Entitled “The Baltimore Undead”, it is a spoken word poem shining light on the dichotomy of being an artist from Baltimore and the constant reminding we need to give ourselves that, although much progress has been made, there is still much work to be done.

THE BALTIMORE UNDEAD

BY ALEXANDER SCALLY

This is the city.

With aristocracy, mockery, and full of mediocrity

It’s based on the philosophy

To be what you ought to be

And Not WHO you ought to be

An absolute monstrosity

And I believe that this city

Believes itself to be the butt of

Understanding of the joke

Of the Maryland city that

 

It’s thought to be

And we’re taught to see the love and diversity

Yet we cannot read those who cannot be read

With their tattered threads

The ones who break the bread

But who is being fed?

The politicians, the living dead

And the poverty spreads

Along the land where we lay our heads

The Baltimore City-bred

Can’t stop til they move ahead

This city, full of dread

The Baltimore Undead

The Baltimore Undead

 

And we see the blood on your neighbor’s shed

You know the one, his name was Fred

They took him from his bed

Tied him up, left him on the cul-de-sac

And, in his life, fulfilled the tasks

Filled with harassment

And I’m asking if, and when, will it next hit?

And they said, “The war will not be done, til we run out of caskets.”

The Baltimore Undead

The Baltimore Undead

 

And now we crown our city

With the award of Resurgence

That which is urgent

In the city you were birthed in

And now we will work to fight

Those who are given strife

In exchange for the lives

Of those whom we despise

And it’s no surprise

The city is going to rise

Into a beautiful enterprise

Of Baltimore energized

By education and moralized

To the degree that they will survive

And this city’s essential prize

Will grow to become the place where Art may just save a life

 

And the artists will mesmerize

With hope, love, and open eyes

That to “Be more.” is to thrive

Under the conditional ties

And that we will soon rise

To defeat the crimes and lies

And the stolen merchandise

That we called the jewels of our lives

And to B-more, we strive

To become greater than

the Baltimore Zombified.

We will fight and survive.

The Baltimore Undead

The Baltimore Undead