Devised - The Questions

1) INITIAL RESPONSE - Outline your initial response to the key extract from the performance text and track your performance contribution to the rehearsal process

-voice
-character relationship
-movement
-characterisation
-narrative
-staging



The stimulus I was given for my devising piece was 'Wounds To The Face' by playwright Howard Barker. After a first read through of the extract, the first thing I noticed is that the stimulus I was given was rather dark and harsh in some moments. Another thing I noticed straight away was that there were multiple cases of certain lines written in capital letters, I thought that this could have been done to change the volume and tone for when the actor is performing it or it could show desperation, fear or even weakness in these characters, also it gives a non-naturalistic aspect to the piece.

Another thing I noticed was that all of the characters are nameless (mother, lover, prisoner etc...) which was unusual, this could possibly have been done so the characters are seen as a blank canvas that can be further developed. A common theme throughout this text was the face, age, and appearance, although these are shown in a very negative light and reflects how important all of themes are within society and how it affects people. There were a few monologues in the stimulus which could possibly be interpreted as being non-naturalistic. There were no clear links between all of the scenes apart from the three themes mentioned earlier which all ran throughout. 

There were uses of a lot of pauses in the stage direction, this is usually done to create tension and also to make the audience really think about what they're watching, which is something Howard Barkers aims towards when creating a piece of work. The dialogue seems to be indirect, especially in the scenes including monologues, which gives an uncertain feel to it and makes the audience feel unsettled or uncomfortable, another one of Barkers aims in his work. There was use of a prop mirror in some of the scenes which links to the theme of faces and how you see yourself through your eyes, not anyone else's. The stimulus as a whole seems rather ambiguous and occasionally doesn't make much sense to an audience. 

2) PRACTIONER (KNEEHIGH) - Discuss how your chosen practitioner influenced your contribution to the rehearsal and to the performance.

-What was the practitioner influence?
-How did you practically explore this influence in rehearsal?
-What impact did this have in performance?


Kneehigh are a Cornwall based company who have toured internationally. They focus on physical theatre and are heavily movement focused. They create their work in their 'Asylum' which is a very natural looking environment which links to their love for nature and how they show that in their set designs in most of their shows, they bring the outdoor environment inside. They are heavily influenced by myths and legends of which they base their work off, which usually results in them requiring strong emphasis on visual imagery which is a common method within their company. Other methods they commonly use include live theatre and puppetry. Their styles include surrealism, grotesque techniques abstract themes, epic theatre and darkness (especially within humour and undertones). They tend to be non-naturalistic as they use puppetry and masks. They do not limit themselves when devising a piece as this can prevent potentially great ideas from being used, I will be taking this idea and using it when doing my devised piece as I personally think it's a great piece of advice. Kneehigh's method of creating a show is vastly different to how the majority of other companies create theirs. They begin with an instinct (stories which emerge) and then they explore their natural environments along with music which are both used to inspire the creators and use them as a 'story telling tool'. They then map out the structure of the piece

3) RESEARCH  AND KEY MOMENTS - Connect your research materials to the key moments in rehearsal and state the impact on the performance

-Give a clear example/evidence of research
-Detail how that research was used in rehearsals (key moments)
-Explain how the research had an impact on the performance.

Kneehigh use many different methods and styles that can be identified through watching their work. I  have decided to use some of kneehighs methods and styles in rehearsals and in the final piece. For example, Kneehigh occasionally use live music in their work so to use this in my own piece, I have decided to compose lyrics and music (using props and set to create beats and rhythm) in rehearsals. Another aspect Kneehigh use in their work which I have explored in rehearsal is physical theatre, which is a balance between theatre and dance, in rehearsal I have explored this, especially when trying to take away some of the realism of the piece. Kneehigh also use dark humours and themes and even darker undertones in their work, for example they would include comedy in pieces and hide darkness underneath it. In rehearsal, dark themes have run throughout every scene in the way that the whole idea is very non-realistic and surreal and everything has a general dark theme, especially in movement and dialogue. The costume and set could also show the darkness within the piece, this can be done by dark colour palletes.

3) YOUR CONTRIBUTION - Analyse and evaluate the contribution of your own theatrical skills and ideas made to the performance. 

-Outline specific theatrical skill/idea they used in performance
-Analyse how that skill/idea was developed in performance (key moment)
-Evaluate the impact the theatrical skill/idea had in performance

My practitioner Kneehigh, use a range of styles and methods in their work and I have decided to incorporate some of these styles and methods within my rehearsal process and then hopefully in my final piece. One method that Kneehigh use which I have decided to experiment with in my piece is live music, Kneehigh do this by using instruments and also actor vocalists. In rehearsals I have been playing around with beats and rhythms by using the set and props instead of actual musical instruments. I’ve also experimented with lyrics to fit my piece. Another Kneehigh method is surrealism which is looking at things from different perspectives and stylised which is somewhere between surrealism and naturalism, in rehearsal I have been exploring both surrealism and stylised techniques, I think that the final piece will include a mix of the two styles depending on different parts of the piece. Kneehigh also feature dark humour and dark undertones in their work which I have been automatically doing in rehearsals as the piece has a naturally dark feel to it as the characters seem mentally unstable and unhappy in the place that they’re being kept which is called the ‘Glasshouse’ which has a dark and claustrophobic sounding feel to it anyway. 

First impressions of Wounds to the Face

The stimulus I was given for my devising piece was 'Wounds To The Face' by playwright Howard Barker. After a first readthrough of the extract, the first thing I noticed is that the stimulus I was given was rather dark and harsh in some moments. Another thing I noticed straight away was that there were multiple cases of certain lines written in capital letters, I thought that this could have been done to change the volume and tone for when the actor is performing it or it could show desperation, fear or even weakness in these characters, also it gives a non-naturalistic aspect to the piece. 

Another thing I noticed was that all of the characters are nameless (mother, lover, prisoner etc...) which was unusual, this could possibly have been done so the characters are seen as a blank canvas that can be further developed. A common theme throughout this text was the face, age, and appearance, although these are shown in a very negative light and reflects how important all of themes are within society and how it affects people. There were a few monologues in the stimulus which could possibly be interpreted as being non-naturalistic. There were no clear links between all of the scenes apart from the three themes mentioned earlier which all ran throughout. 

There were uses of a lot of pauses in the stage direction, this is usually done to create tension and also to make the audience really think about what they're watching, which is something Howard Barkers aims towards when creating a piece of work. The dialogue seems to be indirect, especially in the scenes including monologues, which gives an uncertain feel to it and makes the audience feel unsettled or uncomfortable, another one of Barkers aims in his work. There was use of a prop mirror in some of the scenes which links to the theme of faces and how you see yourself through your eyes, not anyone else's. The stimulus as a whole seems rather ambiguous and occasionally doesn't make much sense to an audience.   

Devising Recap Lesson 1

Once we got put into our groups we all put together our initial ideas. Our ideas included the concept of someone being convicted of a crime that they didn't do and being severely punished for it. Another topic we looked into was mental health issues such as PTSD from the war ect.. , obsessive possession and also memory loss. Once we got all of our ideas down we chose our favourites through the process of elimination and our most favourite idea was having a character being wrongly convicted of a crime.


For our set design, we have a vision of having a prison-like setting in the 18th-century Australian jungle as that was where many British prisoners were sent there in that era. The performance would be performed end on but with immersive moments. These immersive moments would be done by using the stairs going through the audience and also performing in the actual audience (keeping proxemics and the audience in mind). We would use sound effects when necessary, for example, nature-like sounds when creating the atmosphere of the jungle and noises such as ancient drums to add a cultural effect.

We came up with a few ideas for characters such as two prisoners, one young and one old, who both experience tough life and treatment within the prison and one of them will have been convicted of a crime that they have not commited.

Devising Research Presentation

A Clockwork Orange reviews

https://www.aclockworkorangeplay.com/ - video clip of the production.


'Burgess’s book and iconic film are here condensed into 90-minutes of sweating, pulsating, frenzied, barbarism that is gracefully and elegantly executed by a cast of nine who are as light on their feet as they are quick with their fists.'


'Davies makes an exemplary Alex, not only creating a physically engaging monster but also giving the audiences glimpses of the troubled boy within. It’s a nuanced, multi-layered performance considering its physicality.'


'The language takes a while to assimilate but it’s spoken with confidence and a certain poetic elegance by Alex and his droogs.'


'Director Alexandra Spencer-Jones has created a turbo-charged, grotesque, darkly comic and menacing masterpiece for the 21st century.' - http://www.stagereview.co.uk/theatre-review/a-clockwork-orange-review/




'The volume to which we are treated with music here is, like the story, violent and in your face but it is necessary'


'The inspired dance and fight choreography is at once balletic, acrobatic, and athletic, robotic, homoerotic, and theatrical (with a nod to the rival gangs of West Side Story). Performed by the perfectly sculpted Davies and the muscular men of the ensemble, we are deluded into seeing beauty in the shocking ferocity and sexual cruelty enacted on stage'


'(they) deliver the stylizations of language and movement with flawless precision.'


http://dcmetrotheaterarts.com/2017/09/28/review-a-clockwork-orange-at-new-world-stages/

As You Like It ISP week 9

As You Like It

What to expect from Shared experience?

From the clips and reviews I’ve read of Shared Experience’s ‘As You Like It’ I’m expecting a completely unique and ‘never done before’ take on Shakespeare’s work. I’m also expecting them to communicate some type of meaning through their modern and political interpretation to the audience, these meanings could be about gender roles or romance, which are themes in the play itself or possibly something political and current. Shared Experience seem to have chosen bright colours in both their setting and costume, this may have something to do with communicating a message to the audience or it could possibly reflect or contrast with a theme or something in the play.

Physical movement and dance styled sequences seem to occur in the play which adds to the dramatic atmosphere in the production as well as being a way to communicate emotions and events. Shared experience is described as being ‘unpredictable’ and are known to keep up constant high energy throughout their productions which holds audience’s attention well.  Shared experience claim they like to use audience participation in their work so there’s a possibility that this could be apart of As You Like It.

The set design seems to be an interesting aspect of this production. A reviewer described the set to have deer trots around the stage, birds flying overhead and a telephone box filled with books and a water cooler among the trees. I’m not entirely sure if these things relate to the story in any way but I’ll find out for sure when I go to watch the production. It will be interesting to see how well Shared Experience pair Shakespeare’s language along with a modern take on one of his classics as the two greatly contrast.

Improvisation Techniques

Improvisation Techniques

We’ve looked into two types of improvisation in our lessons, spontaneous improvisation and prepared improvisation. Spontaneous improvisation is performed without a particular stimulus and without any background. Prepared improvisation is performed with a stimulus and background information of place, character, story ect…

 I personally found spontaneous improvisation very challenging because creating an entire scene without any background or set facts about any characters or storyline is hard to do on the spot and to keep the flow of the scene and ensure that there aren’t any silences which is awkward to be in and also to watch. The accept and add concept made it slightly easier in some ways as it gives you no option but to accept what the other person has said which encourages the flow of the scene.

I found prepared improvisation a lot easier as you have the comfort that you have already committed to a character which you should have given some background too which you should be able to develop quite quickly. You also have an agreed environment between actors and also agreed given circumstances.

In general, old and young characters are given more freedom and options in improv activities as they can get away with saying or doing things that aren’t necessarily normal for a teenager or adult to do or say. Also, I found that whole group improvisation activities are a lot easier as there are more characters to interact with so if something isn’t working between certain characters, you could turn to another character and try something with them, so basically it gives you options. Silences are also more accepted in whole group improvisations as they generally come across as less awkward. 

Theatre company research

THEATRE COMPANY RESEARCH

DV8

-They are a theatre company based in London which was founded by Lloyd Newson, Michelle Richecoeur and Nigel Charnock. The company focuses on political issues through the desire to communicate feelings and emotion. They use dance and movement to get their ideas and points across to the audience. Lloyd founded the company when he became frustrated with contemporary dance and the lack of subject matter within it. Subjects they explored include freedom of speech, human rights, multiculturalism, tolerance/intolerance, gender roles, sexual identity and social class, as well as personal issues. DV8 are known to take risks in their work and they strive to make the audience question their own beliefs and attitudes. They work towards breaking the barrier between dance and theatre.

FRANTIC ASSEMBLY

-Frantic Assembly was founded in 1994 by Scott Graham, Steven Hoggett, and Vicki Middleton. None of the founders had studied the arts previously but were interested and wanted to create their own theatre company. They wanted to create non-naturalistic theatre through movement and music. They say that the movement and music shouldn’t take the focus away from the storyline. Their work can either be ‘brutal and dynamic’ and at other times ‘tender and fragile’. Frantic assembly is about collaboration, empowerment and the ‘constant desire to improve’

COMPLICITE

-Complicite was founded in 1983 by Simon McBurney, Annabel Arden, and Marcello Magni. They use extreme movement to present their work. Their work often involves major technology such as projection screens and cameras and also visually rich stage language. They have devised some of their work from classic texts and adapted them to fit their criteria.

KNEEHIGH

-Kneehigh was founded by Mike Shepard and it’s based in Cornwall. The company is based in barns on the Cornish coast. Their work is often based around mythical tales. Emma Rice was their artistic director. They have performed their work in outside locations such as the Eden Project and the Minack Theatre. They use elements such as puppetry, live music and visual imagery. Kneehigh have taken their work and productions worldwide which shows just how successful they are. Although they are a touring company, they have their own home performance space named the ‘Asylum’.

scene 7 That face