Frantic assembly use stylised pedestrian movement. These movements are simple, clean and precise in their delivery. They may appear naturalistic but are carefully choreographed to communicate specific emotions through gesture. When they begin devising a show they feel its very important the initial ideas originate from themselves, even when working with a writer they rely on their own instincts. Ideas are not always straight to stage however, some ideas sit on the shelf until the company feels that the social climate is appropriate for the show.
When curating the show beautiful burnout, 75% of the devising time was spent on movement and this usually came first. This is because "The moves had to be secure otherwise there will be a hesitancy to the text. This makes the movement extremely easy to incorporate into the final performance but it does mean that you might spend most of a week without saying a word of text." They put text in after movement because they believe if you implement it too early then it will feel forced and make both the text and movements redundant.
Frantic Assembly use warm ups to build trust and confidence within the cast. One way they do this is by progressively building the actors ability, on Monday they may have them doing 7 push ups and by Friday they will do 11. This gives the participant a sense of accomplishment and makes them more confident. This kind of warm up is similar to Grotowski in the way that he would have his cast participate in physical exercises to exhaust them. However this was not be to build confidence but rather to bring their instinctual emotions to the surface, as he believed that physical exercise and exhaustion made the actors more in touch with their emotions and more able to channel them while performing.
Another exercise Frantic Assembly use to warm up before a rehearsal is called clear, centre, favourite, door, hug, Ill just call it clear. This exercise begins with all participants walking around the space, the director will then call out any one of these words and all the participants have to react as swiftly as possible.
Clear: all participants must clear the space and hug the walls.
Centre: all participants travel to the centre of the space in slow motion, once they get there they must rest their head on another participants shoulder.
Favourite: each participant must pick an object in the room, whenever "favourite" is called, each participant must point to their object.
Door: each participant must act like they are peeking underneath a door.
Person: hug the nearest person too you, make sure its air tight and intimate.
This exercise is a very effective warm up because it wakes you up. To play the game well you have be completely on the ball. Favourite forces you to be spatially aware, Door makes you use levels and loosens your body. This exercise however has no emotional connection and is purely building a physical awareness. This is where Frantic Assembly and Grotowski differ, Grotowski creates his warm ups with the purpose of bringing the actors emotions to the surface and using this to drive the performance.
I personally enjoyed this exercise as it was a very engaging warm up and definitely woke me up. Once it was over I felt more flexible and prepared to create theatre. However because it was very psychologically disengaged it was easy to lose focus and start to joke around. This may get you into the wrong mindset and find it harder to concentrate on devising. Then again it encourages playing and helps to build an atmosphere that allows actors to play freely.
Grotowski believed that physical exhaustion helped expose emotions that we bury underneath the surface, these can then be channelled into the actors character. He believed acting was a physiological experience. He believed that physicality could be used to portray emotions and feelings like Frantic assembly do, but he thought that the process starts from the inside and then works its way out into physicalization. Where as Frantic assembly start with the movement first.
The physical Grotowski exercise was unpleasant because I was wearing very heavy boots at the time. Apart from that I found it interesting exploring such a radical practitioner. His extreme view of theatre is slightly inspiring and I found it entertaining taking part in one of his exercises. I did feel slightly more in touch with my raw emotions after the exercise but the fact I was in school created barriers preventing me from getting fully immersed. Like being really sweaty, smelly and uncomfortable. However I feel that this is something I will come back to to explore deeper, where as Frantic Assembly exercises are often offer very shallow exploration space.
Grotowski also used exercises to bring out these instinctual emotions. After having his actors were physically exhausted he would get them to remember a moment from their past where they were barefoot. They would have to try and experience the sensation through their feet and then explore the emotions they were feeling in their memory. They would embody their past selves slowly, at first through the feet and then slowly throughout the rest of their body. This exercise helps you become connected with your emotions, preventing you from your vocals sounding like their disconnected. This kind of exercise may help when doing both naturalism and experimental if used correctly, making its application to the devising process flexible.
He would also have his actors work in complete silence, he did this as he believed it would build focus and concentration. He would have his actors run through the forest naked together, he did this to get them physically exhausted but to also build a connection between the actors. He believed actors should experience theatre as a life style, he would usually take as long as two years to devise a theatre show. He wanted his actors to live theatre. This is slightly similar to frantic assembly as they may take a long period of time to curate a show.
Grotowski works from the inside out, asking actors to think psychologically about their characters. Grotowski focuses on bringing emotion to the suraface, one way he does this is through physically exhausting his actors
Sunday, 31 January 2016
Friday, 18 December 2015
Annotate and describe the process of Devising in a restricted space OR Devising from the movement of an element and evaluate what it is beneficial for.
Devising in a restricted space:
This can both benefit and hinder the devising process. The small space can make you as performers be more creative with you're space, but it may also make you have to weary when doing lifts . It forces you to be always spatially aware and cautious. This may be a problem if you are only devising in that space and are performing in a larger space, as it may seem like you are not fully utilising the space. To prevent this you may have to rehearse a couple times in the larger space, expanding your piece if needed. However if you are performing in the limited space, you may want to incorporate it into you're piece, this would make the piece more interesting and engaging for the audience.
Once you find your space, make sure you understand it and know where the audience will be and how it will be staged when performing. This is crucial as you must devise so the audience can see and understand what you are presenting to them.
This can both benefit and hinder the devising process. The small space can make you as performers be more creative with you're space, but it may also make you have to weary when doing lifts . It forces you to be always spatially aware and cautious. This may be a problem if you are only devising in that space and are performing in a larger space, as it may seem like you are not fully utilising the space. To prevent this you may have to rehearse a couple times in the larger space, expanding your piece if needed. However if you are performing in the limited space, you may want to incorporate it into you're piece, this would make the piece more interesting and engaging for the audience.
Once you find your space, make sure you understand it and know where the audience will be and how it will be staged when performing. This is crucial as you must devise so the audience can see and understand what you are presenting to them.
Tuesday, 15 December 2015
Research the theatre company Complicite Make comments and evaluate their performance work, subject material and rehearsal methods. (Minimum 600 words).
BACKGROUND:
When asked whether he could describe Complicite in five words Simon McBurney, the owner, said "no I cant." He goes on to say that Complicite is formed of actors who are not only performing but producing work for the show. Each piece is created from a piece of subject matter, the subject matter is what drives the piece forward says McBurney. They create wildly different pieces in 2010 they had created three differing performances, the first was A Disappearing Number about an American Mathematician, the next Shun-Kin which is entirely in Japanese and the final piece this piece was created in Russian with a Russian composer. Good theatre to McBurney is "not even what you see on stage but is all about the audience and what they imagine."
PERFORMANCE WORK:
A Dogs Heart: In the performance, A Dogs Heart they use puppetry to create a live dog. They have three actors controlling the dog, in this twisted interpretation of Frankenstein. The combination of sound effects and realistic puppetry fixates your attention and makes you look past and forget the actors controlling the dog despite them being very visually prominent. As well as that, the person creating the live sound effects with a megaphone is also on stage, despite these quite distracting figures on stage, you are still engrossed in the dog and its movements, this is because as a member of the audience the dog is more interesting than those controlling it, proving its effectiveness. There is also clever use of lighting, this is used to disguise the changing set, as the play takes place in several locations. This is effective as the play is seamless and fluid rather than stagnant from blunt transitions.
I can also tell how much each of their performances vary, Beware Of Pity includes a quite a large cast whereas The Encounter is a solo performance, demonstrating that Complicite are always experimenting and evolving. Complicite also use lighting very creatively, often projecting images on to actors to communicate an emotion or atmosphere to the audience.
They do not create naturalistic plays, instead frequently using physical theatre and gestus to stimulate and engage the audience. They do this very effectively creating pieces that utilise proxemics to communicate relationships between characters, the staging is equally important to complicite's shows, having tightly choreographed sequences that are beautifully orchestrated.
SUBJECT MATERIAL:
Currently the are showing a piece Beware Of Pity, a show that is based on a German novel called Ungeduld des Herzens and is performed completely in German. They almost always create a piece from text, the material naturally differs completely from piece to piece, they created a more family friendley piece based on the novel Lion Boy. It is evident that Complicite never do the same thing twice.
Complicite choose subjects that will lead them naturally to the appropriate style and form, however they stay open to surprises and reject things that feel forced or aren't working. They choose subject matter sooner rather than later, and allow to see where it takes them instead of waiting for the perfect subject to sprout from their minds.
When researching subject material the Complicite will visit museums, listen to music, find text and pictures and share this research as a group. This helps everyone gain a deeper understanding of the subject material, understanding is essential. When they have hit a creative block, or need material quickly they will improvise something within a defined amount of time, this also builds understanding of subject matter and creates potential show material.
REHEARSAL METHODS:
The rehearsal process of Complicite is devised largely through trial and error, exploring with those your working with using their imaginations as your creating the piece, engaging with peers. Often performers may swap roles in a scene, this may help them understand their character more and at its best may even be revolutionary.
In the beginning of the process they often make use of games. One of these games involves playing ball, the game involves embracing an atmosphere of aggression and competitiveness. This is done to naturally release any negative emotions that actors may have brought in before rehearsals, this energy can also be used to create shows.
An example of a game they play is Cat And Mouse, a game we played in class.
1. Divide the group in two. One group stands in a large circle to mark the edge of the playing area, and to stop the blindfolded players from leaving the space. The other group put on blindfolds.
2. One of the blindfolded players is named the cat and the rest are mice.
3. This game is about maintaining perfect silence and listening. The cat must listen very carefully and attempt to catch all the mice. The players are not allowed to stop moving for more than a few seconds. If a player is attempting to walk out of the circle somebody in the wall must turn them gently
This game forces you to rely on your other senses, making you more aware and in the present moment. It forces you to be spatially aware without seeing the space allowing you to get a genuine connection and feel of the space,
When asked whether he could describe Complicite in five words Simon McBurney, the owner, said "no I cant." He goes on to say that Complicite is formed of actors who are not only performing but producing work for the show. Each piece is created from a piece of subject matter, the subject matter is what drives the piece forward says McBurney. They create wildly different pieces in 2010 they had created three differing performances, the first was A Disappearing Number about an American Mathematician, the next Shun-Kin which is entirely in Japanese and the final piece this piece was created in Russian with a Russian composer. Good theatre to McBurney is "not even what you see on stage but is all about the audience and what they imagine."
PERFORMANCE WORK:
A Dogs Heart: In the performance, A Dogs Heart they use puppetry to create a live dog. They have three actors controlling the dog, in this twisted interpretation of Frankenstein. The combination of sound effects and realistic puppetry fixates your attention and makes you look past and forget the actors controlling the dog despite them being very visually prominent. As well as that, the person creating the live sound effects with a megaphone is also on stage, despite these quite distracting figures on stage, you are still engrossed in the dog and its movements, this is because as a member of the audience the dog is more interesting than those controlling it, proving its effectiveness. There is also clever use of lighting, this is used to disguise the changing set, as the play takes place in several locations. This is effective as the play is seamless and fluid rather than stagnant from blunt transitions.
I can also tell how much each of their performances vary, Beware Of Pity includes a quite a large cast whereas The Encounter is a solo performance, demonstrating that Complicite are always experimenting and evolving. Complicite also use lighting very creatively, often projecting images on to actors to communicate an emotion or atmosphere to the audience.
They do not create naturalistic plays, instead frequently using physical theatre and gestus to stimulate and engage the audience. They do this very effectively creating pieces that utilise proxemics to communicate relationships between characters, the staging is equally important to complicite's shows, having tightly choreographed sequences that are beautifully orchestrated.
SUBJECT MATERIAL:
Currently the are showing a piece Beware Of Pity, a show that is based on a German novel called Ungeduld des Herzens and is performed completely in German. They almost always create a piece from text, the material naturally differs completely from piece to piece, they created a more family friendley piece based on the novel Lion Boy. It is evident that Complicite never do the same thing twice.
Complicite choose subjects that will lead them naturally to the appropriate style and form, however they stay open to surprises and reject things that feel forced or aren't working. They choose subject matter sooner rather than later, and allow to see where it takes them instead of waiting for the perfect subject to sprout from their minds.
When researching subject material the Complicite will visit museums, listen to music, find text and pictures and share this research as a group. This helps everyone gain a deeper understanding of the subject material, understanding is essential. When they have hit a creative block, or need material quickly they will improvise something within a defined amount of time, this also builds understanding of subject matter and creates potential show material.
REHEARSAL METHODS:
The rehearsal process of Complicite is devised largely through trial and error, exploring with those your working with using their imaginations as your creating the piece, engaging with peers. Often performers may swap roles in a scene, this may help them understand their character more and at its best may even be revolutionary.
In the beginning of the process they often make use of games. One of these games involves playing ball, the game involves embracing an atmosphere of aggression and competitiveness. This is done to naturally release any negative emotions that actors may have brought in before rehearsals, this energy can also be used to create shows.
An example of a game they play is Cat And Mouse, a game we played in class.
1. Divide the group in two. One group stands in a large circle to mark the edge of the playing area, and to stop the blindfolded players from leaving the space. The other group put on blindfolds.
2. One of the blindfolded players is named the cat and the rest are mice.
3. This game is about maintaining perfect silence and listening. The cat must listen very carefully and attempt to catch all the mice. The players are not allowed to stop moving for more than a few seconds. If a player is attempting to walk out of the circle somebody in the wall must turn them gently
This game forces you to rely on your other senses, making you more aware and in the present moment. It forces you to be spatially aware without seeing the space allowing you to get a genuine connection and feel of the space,
Monday, 7 December 2015
Discuss the value of actors studying contact improvisation and justify all your comments.
Contact improvisation is valuable because it develops a lot of essential skills actors need to be a good actor. Like trust within your peers, this is needed as unless you're performing a monologue, to create a powerful scene you need to trust your fellow actors will pick up their cues and feed off the energy you bring to them. If they are struggling you also need to be able to help them out, something that contact jams develop, as it builds awareness of your peers and if you are inside your own head while performing you won't be able to interact with your peers or help them if they need it, ultimately hindering the piece.
It builds your ability to depend and fall back on the sub conscious, as when in a contact improvisation, you should only be operating within this space, not consciously thinking of what you are going to next but letting your sub conscious mind take control. This allows you to tune into your natural instincts something that can improve a naturalistic performance greatly. By letting your sub conscious mind take control you are fully in the present moment, not thinking of what happens next, when your cue is, you can totally interact and immerse yourself within your peers and your performance.
It builds your ability to depend and fall back on the sub conscious, as when in a contact improvisation, you should only be operating within this space, not consciously thinking of what you are going to next but letting your sub conscious mind take control. This allows you to tune into your natural instincts something that can improve a naturalistic performance greatly. By letting your sub conscious mind take control you are fully in the present moment, not thinking of what happens next, when your cue is, you can totally interact and immerse yourself within your peers and your performance.
Friday, 4 December 2015
Describe the process and application of combining text with contact.
Usually in my experience the contact part of the process comes first. The contact creates opportunities to implement text and inspires the kind of text that will be used. In our devising process we have an underlying theme and from that we develop choreography with the help of contact improvisation. The theme also helps guide us to finding suitable text for the piece. You also want make sure that the text isn't shoe horned into the piece and that it doesn't feel forced. If it benefits the segment then keep it if you are unsure try the segment with and then without the text and see how the two compare.
If your having trouble choosing where to add text, perform what you have and think about which part feels the most boring or the most bland. When finding text bear in mind what movements you have in your piece and if they need to be adapted for the text. You could also devise a section from a piece of text instead of adapting a segment to involve text. When doing this it helps to have the text being read out while rehearsing to make sure you have timing right.
If your having trouble choosing where to add text, perform what you have and think about which part feels the most boring or the most bland. When finding text bear in mind what movements you have in your piece and if they need to be adapted for the text. You could also devise a section from a piece of text instead of adapting a segment to involve text. When doing this it helps to have the text being read out while rehearsing to make sure you have timing right.
Saturday, 14 November 2015
What sensibilities to you need to develop to be successful in a Contact Jam?
trust: you need to be able to allow yourself to relax and be guided by the group. If you feel anxious or nervous your body will tense up, this could be harmful to you and your peers as you wont be able to take as much weight as you could when your body is soft.
awareness: you must be aware of what is going on in your jam. Do not mistake awareness for thinking about what movements your are going to do as this will only hinder the exercise. Awareness is simply being conscious of those around you so that your are able to respond to their movements. If you are inside you own head, you wont be able to respond and your movements will likely clash and the exercise will be pointless.
fluid: your body has to be soft and flexible, Able to take the weight of your peers. If your body is rigid it will be harder for you and your peers to create natural and flowing movements. Be soft and gentle whilst being a strong support when needed.
switch off: you have to just go with it, don't filter any of your movements and just feel your way through the exercise. The only way to do the exercise wrong is by thinking about what to do. You have to just turn off your brain and be completely immersed in moving with others naturally, fluidly and softly.
awareness: you must be aware of what is going on in your jam. Do not mistake awareness for thinking about what movements your are going to do as this will only hinder the exercise. Awareness is simply being conscious of those around you so that your are able to respond to their movements. If you are inside you own head, you wont be able to respond and your movements will likely clash and the exercise will be pointless.
fluid: your body has to be soft and flexible, Able to take the weight of your peers. If your body is rigid it will be harder for you and your peers to create natural and flowing movements. Be soft and gentle whilst being a strong support when needed.
switch off: you have to just go with it, don't filter any of your movements and just feel your way through the exercise. The only way to do the exercise wrong is by thinking about what to do. You have to just turn off your brain and be completely immersed in moving with others naturally, fluidly and softly.
Why is it important for you do be able to listen and be honest during contact improvisation work?
You have to listen to your partner as responding is crucial to creating an effective contact improvisation. Contact impro only works when all parties are working together and is not a solo exercise. You cannot only focus on yourself because you will miss what your partner is telling you, you will miss opportunities your partner is offering you. You also have to listen because you have to make sure your not hurting your partner. There may be instances where they are taking your whole body weight and if their body is not soft, they may not be able to take the weight. If you are not listening to their reaction you may harm them without realising.
You have to be honest with your movements. Do not filter your impulses and just allow yourself to go with what happens. If you think about your movements they will not be natural or organic. This will lead to a frigid, static and ineffective contact improvisation.
You have to be honest with your movements. Do not filter your impulses and just allow yourself to go with what happens. If you think about your movements they will not be natural or organic. This will lead to a frigid, static and ineffective contact improvisation.
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