Spark Theater Festival Application
Inside the Mind
Tala Schlossberg
Concept Sample 01
Inside the Mind is a multimedia performance exploring an imagined map of the places we visit inside our heads, such as the Picture Collection, the Library of Words, and the Idea Lab. Using a tape recorder, an overhead projector, and handcrafted props, the piece paints a relationship between the person as a body and the thoughts that shape, interrupt, and maneuver our actions.
The work is largely narrated by "the chorus"—an ambient cast of decision-makers, inner critics, advisors, and observers who populate the mind. As they debate, question, and contradict one another, the audience is invited into the invisible process of making choices, imagining possibilities, and constructing a sense of self. Through analog media, live performance, and projected imagery, Inside the Mind transforms private thought into a shared visual and sonic experience.
Section 1: Map of the Mind
The Calendar
The Clock
Introduction to “The Chorus”
The Picture Collection
The Library of Words
The Hallway of Past and Future
The Idea Lab
Piece Structure
Section 2: Problems in the Mind
Getting Lost in the Mind
Getting Stuck in the Mind (Between rooms, outside of all rooms)
Trouble Communicating
Anxiety
Depression (Mental Illness)
Section 3: How to Care for the Mind
Letting people in to your secret rooms
Sitting in “The Meadow”
Managing the Chorus
Leaving the mind
Audio Visual Explorations
Overhead Projector Test
Set Design
Tala Rae Schlossbergis an Brooklyn based animator and experimental artist. She is known for her unique combination of pictures, sounds, and words. Pieces from Tala’s most recent video collection, Field Studies, have been exhibited in Paris, Beijing, Madrid, Porto, and in New York City, projected onto the Manhattan Bridge. Her independent work has been commissioned by The New York Times, The New Yorker, MoMA, Burberry, Herman Miller, and The Mellon Foundation. Tala has created music videos, tour visuals, and sound visualizations for artists such as John Cale, The Rolling Stones, Devo, and Remi Wolf.
Tala regularly writes and animates independent work. Her first independent miniseries You Have Probably Never Heard of Hornita Calypso debuted at NFFTY and led her to join the New York Times Opinion Video team for 3 years. At the Times, Tala authored video essays exploring the intersection of life, current events, and modern irony.
Contact:
tala.schlossberg@gmail.com / 541-968-9474
Supplemental Work
Leaving Home
Night In
June 2026