Pitch

This is the story of an aging tap dancer steadily losing his audience who becomes eclipsed by a rising young tap-dancing star, then finds new inspiration to recover his mojo.

The format will resemble a blend of silent-movie and theatrical technique, with dialogue presented on projected supertitles, and action divided into conventional scenes between blackouts.

Character Relationships

1. Main character ‘Dancer’: aging tap dancer.
2. Foil ‘Rising Star’: upcoming young tap dance star.
3. Secondary characters: audience members.

Dancer is despondent that he can no longer command acclaim, and he feels deeply that his best days are behind him. He sees himself in the Young Star, and so feels a mix of respect and envy. The theater is his home, and he doesn’t want to leave it, but he fears being forced to retire.

Rising Star feels the energy and competitiveness of youth. He recognizes the history of Dancer, but doesn’t give him much thought or see him as competition. He isn’t disrepectful, just neglectful as he tries to keep on top of his game.

The Audience just wants a good show.

Beats

The story follows a conventional linear scene sequence:

• The Dancer finishes a number on stage to sparse applause, then slumps in despair as the curtain falls.
• The Dancer sits in his dressing room, remembering the past, then hears thunderous applause in the distance.
• The Young Star on stage performs dramatic flourishes to loud acclaim.
• The Dancer passes the Young Star in the hallway, and attempts to talk to him, but the Young Star brushes past.
• The Dancer is again on stage. No one applauds.
• The Dancer retreats to the wings. He watches the Rising Star go on stage and start his show.
• Watching the Rising Star perform, the Dancer tries to copy his steps offstage.
• Moving with increasing complexity and confidence, the Dancer starts putting on a fantastic show alone.
• Cut to the Rising Star in the middle of the show, starting to appear distracted by the sound offstage. He stumbles once, then exits to the wings.
• The Rising Star approaches the Dancer and beckons him onto the stage. The Dancer is surprised by the contact, then follows the Rising Star.
• Cut to an empty stage, the audience murmuring. The Dancer comes out, followed by the Rising Star. The audience quiets.
• The Dancer performs a chorus, then the Rising Star, until they are moving in counterpoint. The audience goes wild.

Realization

The primary challenge is producing precisely rhythmic movements of robot feet against the floor. The two main characters are machines with the same overall design, but the Dancer is clearly more world-worn and ‘dressed’ slightly better. The machines could be free-standing two-legged machines with actuation to ‘kick’ down and make the foot click against the floor. If that doesn’t work, each could be a puppet mounted on a black-painted pedestal which supports the ‘body’ weight.

The text will include simple ‘dialogue’ presented as projected supertitles in an antique font evoking silent movie intertitles.

The sound experience will include recorded jazz music synchronized tightly with the movement. The robots will create rhythmic sound.

The stage itself will be represent the stage of the text. The ‘Dressing Room’ will be evoked by adding a prop table with robot tools. The ‘Hallway’ will be suggested using lighting effects.

Questions

• Can the Dancer achieve an illusion of despair through the contrast of movement and stillnes?
• Can two similar robot bodies convey the illusion of age and experience versus youth and energy solely through movement?
• Will the audience accept the artifice of the supertitle? Will it be perceived as more natural than synthesized dialogue?

These questions might be answered qualitatively via audience survey.