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.
Wednesday, 11 November 2015
Evaluate the benefits of the Ball of Energy exercise. What is your opinion to it?
This process prepares you for contact improvisation as you begin to stop relying on your brain and start using instincts, and letting impulse control your movements, not your brain. You spontaneously devise interesting and unique ways to move about the space, these can be used as material in physical theatre performances. It allows you to explore your body and find interesting and bizarre points to move from, as I started to move from my shoulder blades, which left me slightly confused in the beginning but this then led to me finding a new way to move.
I enjoyed it because your become immersed within your own bubble of consciousness and start to focus purely on movement, making the exercise almost therapeutic. Its a good warm up and makes your body naturally fluid and soft.
I enjoyed it because your become immersed within your own bubble of consciousness and start to focus purely on movement, making the exercise almost therapeutic. Its a good warm up and makes your body naturally fluid and soft.
Describe the process of conducting the Ball of Energy exercise.
The ball of energy exercise requires you to imagine that there is an energy ball moving around the inside of your body. This ball guides you around the space, pulling you along. It can move to any part of the body or any direction, the pace is supposed to vary, speeding up and slowing down spontaneously. You can explore levels also, using the floor whilst being pulled by the ball of energy.
Over a period of time, once I gotten used to the exercise, I was able to find a balance between being aware and acting impulsively. When you focus purely on imagining the ball of energy it almost becomes a reality and you can rely on your instincts to guide you and not have to think about the action. You begin to forget its an exercise. Through improvising this you also find really interesting ways to move in a space, things I would have not have thought of if I had planned the activity. The process is very good for creating material for solo pieces.
Over a period of time, once I gotten used to the exercise, I was able to find a balance between being aware and acting impulsively. When you focus purely on imagining the ball of energy it almost becomes a reality and you can rely on your instincts to guide you and not have to think about the action. You begin to forget its an exercise. Through improvising this you also find really interesting ways to move in a space, things I would have not have thought of if I had planned the activity. The process is very good for creating material for solo pieces.
Wednesday, 4 November 2015
What qualities do you need to be successful at Contact Impro?
To be successful at contact impro you need to be focused and immersed. You need to ignore your mental awareness and criticisms and allow yourself to be completely in the moment. When you do that you will be able to make your body soft and your movements fluid. When find yourself in the present and letting your instincts take control you will be able move with your partner with originality and spontaneity. You will need to be fluid with your movements and transitions, done be rigid. Need to be open with your partner and relaxed with your partner. Honestly responding to their movements, dynamics and tempo. A connection between you as partners that incorporates trust and playfulness.
You need to be aware of your partner and able to respond to them, you must be fully focused to do this as if you aren't you wont be able to pick up and absorb their energy into your own movements.
You need to be aware of your partner and able to respond to them, you must be fully focused to do this as if you aren't you wont be able to pick up and absorb their energy into your own movements.
Who invented it and why?
The form was created in 1972 by Steve Paxton. Steve developed Contact Improv through explorations with his students and colleagues at the time. It was invented because Paxton wanted to create it
What is Contact Improvisation?
Dance improvisation form is based on energy and weight exchange. Physical contact is the starting point for exploration of movement, it is all improvised and nothing is planned. The form is very much in the moment and almost sub conscious. The performers must ignore their mental commentary and focus purely on the instictual movements that occur. Both partners respond to eachother and transfer eachothers energy into their movements. Its used as a proffesional dance form, most commonly used to find material for choreographies. It can also be used as a social art form, strengthening relationships. There is no winner or loser its a mutual relationship between two people in which they create an improvised form of expression. Steve developed Contact Improv through explorations with his students and colleagues at the time.
Wednesday, 14 October 2015
Research the theatre company DV8 Make comments and evaluate their performance work, subject material and rehearsal methods. (Minimum 600 words).
DV8 theatre was created in 1986 and has since been led by Lloyd Newson. The company has produced 19 highly acclaimed dance pieces, which have toured internationally, and four award-winning films for television.
DV8 usually create work about current affairs, posing question the audience, stimulating the mind. They cover very sensitive subjects, such as Islam and freedom of speech these are very complex topics and DV8 want you to think and generate your own opinions about these topics through physical theatre. These topics are also quite taboo, not being spoken about this openly by many other production companies, if any. Saying "religions, like any group of ideas are open for debate. Especially where those beliefs oppress others." They try to ease tensions that have arisen between cultures worldwide. All of these questions and complex topics challenge the audience not simply providing an entertaining performance but changing the way you perhaps see the world. I think to try and create this kind of theatre is very courageous, and I believe that this choice payed off, as it challenged the audience about something that is happening currently.
The performance, Can we talk about this, has clearly made very bold choices about how realistic it intended to be. Fusing dance and physical theatre, the choreography was extremely expressive. This constantly engaged the audience as there was never a dull moment, neither in physicality or in the mind stimulating dialogue. This almost overwhelming information provided for both the eyes and ears was complimented by the minimalistic set, as a bustling background would have been too much and completely overwhelmed the audience. As an actor to approach this play would take a thorough understanding of the topics, as well as all the physical and vocal work also.
This trend of challenging the audience and giving the audience a certain perspective they may have not experienced is a on going trend with DV8. They either do it quite obviously as they have in can we talk about this, or tell a story and let the audience gain their own interpretation.
The rehearsal process is very experimental. They explore countless different ideas and take the ones that work into the rehearsal of the actual production. In preparation for Enter Achilles the explored how they could look at experiences of men in our world and how they could reflect that into their work. They would generate a storyline during the workshops and then begin creating it in rehearsals.
DV8 is a very controversial theatre company, which is a good thing. DV8 is here to challenge how we feel, think and perceive through extremely impressive and creative physical theatre
DV8 usually create work about current affairs, posing question the audience, stimulating the mind. They cover very sensitive subjects, such as Islam and freedom of speech these are very complex topics and DV8 want you to think and generate your own opinions about these topics through physical theatre. These topics are also quite taboo, not being spoken about this openly by many other production companies, if any. Saying "religions, like any group of ideas are open for debate. Especially where those beliefs oppress others." They try to ease tensions that have arisen between cultures worldwide. All of these questions and complex topics challenge the audience not simply providing an entertaining performance but changing the way you perhaps see the world. I think to try and create this kind of theatre is very courageous, and I believe that this choice payed off, as it challenged the audience about something that is happening currently.
The performance, Can we talk about this, has clearly made very bold choices about how realistic it intended to be. Fusing dance and physical theatre, the choreography was extremely expressive. This constantly engaged the audience as there was never a dull moment, neither in physicality or in the mind stimulating dialogue. This almost overwhelming information provided for both the eyes and ears was complimented by the minimalistic set, as a bustling background would have been too much and completely overwhelmed the audience. As an actor to approach this play would take a thorough understanding of the topics, as well as all the physical and vocal work also.
This trend of challenging the audience and giving the audience a certain perspective they may have not experienced is a on going trend with DV8. They either do it quite obviously as they have in can we talk about this, or tell a story and let the audience gain their own interpretation.
The rehearsal process is very experimental. They explore countless different ideas and take the ones that work into the rehearsal of the actual production. In preparation for Enter Achilles the explored how they could look at experiences of men in our world and how they could reflect that into their work. They would generate a storyline during the workshops and then begin creating it in rehearsals.
DV8 is a very controversial theatre company, which is a good thing. DV8 is here to challenge how we feel, think and perceive through extremely impressive and creative physical theatre
How do you perform Impulse work and what is it beneficial for?
Impulse work makes you rely on your instincts as an actor. You have to trust your initial decisions and make them work. We performed impulse work by stopping whenever we had the urge, this helped us allow our instincts to take the wheel and control how we act. This will be beneficial because as actors, especially when performing naturalistic plays, we need to act as if it were the first time experiencing it, not something that has been rehearsed. Instincts can bring a performance to life, and can also help the actor immerse themselves within the character and the subconscious.
If you have a thorough understanding of the play you will be able to lose yourself within the character, Impulse work helps you get there.
If you have a thorough understanding of the play you will be able to lose yourself within the character, Impulse work helps you get there.
Saturday, 10 October 2015
Explain why devising through organic improvisations is different to mentally planning and mention the former’s benefits.
To do this you and your partner must trust eachother immensley. You also need to stay conscious of eachother, reacting to one and others movements, eye contact is usually very helpfull. If you are not completley focused you may misunderstand and clash with your partner. When mentally planning a sequence of movements for your performance you need to remember what you planned, perhaps having you think a couple steps ahead and not being in the moment with your movements, not having your mind fully dedicated to a movement can have negative effects. Organic improv can spontaenously create unique moves you never would have thought if you had created a planned sequence. This will then make you feel more comfortable and condfident with your partner and hopefully you would continue to create unique lifts.
Duet Performance Evaluation
The performance was okay. It could have been much more fluid, we should have practised the transitions more regularly and been more imaginative when thinking of transitions. Our theme was two children playing together, we portrayed this well in our movements, including a jokey handshake at the beginning of the piece and a high five at the end. We used the objective to play, and tried to communicate this threw facial expression and physical movements. However there were times in the piece when I forgot to maintain my facial expression as I was focusing on performing a lift. I could have prevented this by, again, rehearsing our piece more as I would be comfortable in the lift and able to maintain the expression. This lack of expression most likely slightly disengaged the audience.
We should have been more in control of our pace. Pace can also be used to imply emotions, giving the piece a narrative and direction. We should have used it more to our advantage. I also had little control when performing the shoulder rolls as the landing were not soft making the piece feel rigid instead of fluid. When researching how toddlers would play together i watched my little brother and sister for inspiration. Their movements were spontaneous and pure. I tried to replicate this is our performance. We took most of our ideas from things we had learnt in lessons, the beginning of our piece was taken from milling, the two separate rhythms of clapping, fast and slow, and the two different paces, one bouncey and quick the other static.
Overall our performance could have been much better and was moderate.
We should have been more in control of our pace. Pace can also be used to imply emotions, giving the piece a narrative and direction. We should have used it more to our advantage. I also had little control when performing the shoulder rolls as the landing were not soft making the piece feel rigid instead of fluid. When researching how toddlers would play together i watched my little brother and sister for inspiration. Their movements were spontaneous and pure. I tried to replicate this is our performance. We took most of our ideas from things we had learnt in lessons, the beginning of our piece was taken from milling, the two separate rhythms of clapping, fast and slow, and the two different paces, one bouncey and quick the other static.
Overall our performance could have been much better and was moderate.
Friday, 9 October 2015
Duet Rehearsal Notes
I was rehearsing with Kai. Kai was the base for most lifts, as he was taller than me making it more convenient. I lift him also, however one attempt failed, I couldnt take his weight and collapsed underneath him. This was because he was to stiff and not soft, I also leaned to far forward and wasnt a strong and stable enough base. I attempted the lift again, remembering to lower my core below his, stay strong as a base and not rush the lift.
When choreographing the performance we often had a hard time remembering lifts, We had a small selection of lifts to access and thus struggled to make the piece feel fresh, varied and engaging. To prevent this we should do our own research outside of lessons learning how to perform different lifts, this will also differentiate our piece from the rest of the class because it includes unique lifts.
When choreographing the performance we often had a hard time remembering lifts, We had a small selection of lifts to access and thus struggled to make the piece feel fresh, varied and engaging. To prevent this we should do our own research outside of lessons learning how to perform different lifts, this will also differentiate our piece from the rest of the class because it includes unique lifts.
Why do some physical theatre practitioners work with physical objectives?
Physical theatre pieces without objectives can leave the audience feeling unsatisfied, thinking "what was the point." Physical objectives can give a piece meaning and a purpose, things as simple as facial expressions can give the audience a much deeper meaningful, experience. Things like pace, whether movements are soft or controlled can connote so many different things. There are countless opportunities. This all gives the piece purpose and gives the audience a satisfying feeling. Giving the piece a narrative, gives it a sense of direction, where as a series of lifts may make the audience feel as if they are going round in circles.
Explain the need to develop your lifting techniques
Lifts can look very complex but in actual fact be very simple to perform, it is threw understanding of lifts that you achieve effective lifts without physical strain.. By developing lift techniques you will become more comfortable performing lifts and be able to perform more advanced lifts that will enhance your piece. You will also have a wider vocabulary of lifts that you can access, giving you more options when planning your performance.
Thursday, 8 October 2015
Annotate and describe the process of performing a lift. (Mention breath, crossing of centres, timing etc.).
To perform a lift effectively you need to be fully committed and focused. Timing is often crucial and you cannot be precise when you are distracted. This focus also allows you to sync with your partner, at a very advance level you can even sync your breath this increases the control you have when performing lifts, allowing you to effortlessly change the pace of the lift. This can connote emotions making the lift even more effective and giving it meaning. A lift usually involves the more capable of the two lifting the other in some way, it can add meaning, a new dynamic and can engage the audience when done correctly. When picking up your partner, the position fof your central core is usually important, eg: when lifting your partner on to your back you should lower your core below theirs, so you can support the person.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)