1 ) What important discoveries were made during the rehearsal?
Within today's rehearsal, our aims were to begin rehearsing Jessie's scene and re-rehearse Amy's scene (linking the two together). I loved Jessie's ideas for the suicide scene! She took the hand replace technique (from frantic assembly) and used this to show the relationship between Claudio and hero- falling apart and difficult. Alongside a soundtrack, this helped both me and George to portray the emotions and struggle each character was having. Furthermore, we also experimented with pace, gradually getting faster each time- this helped to build to the climax point of the suicide.
Alongside the movement, Jess found a poem about suicide/death which she wanted hero to say whilst walking down the steps. Throughout the whole play Hero is a silent character therefore I suggested that instead all other characters (Hero's) could whisper the poem whilst off stage and unseen- this would create the illusion of Hero's thoughts- as though the audience can hear the out loud.
2 ) What led to those discoveries?
Although Jessie was the main director of this scene, the rest of the group helped to direct and input any suggestions or feedback to help us improve. Initially Jessie presented us with her idea, and then let us interpret her ideas ourselves. Whilst using improv and experimenting with these ideas, the rest of the group gave us feedback- positive and negative which helped us improve each time!
3 ) Towards where do those discoveries lead?
Once we had finished learning the suicide scene, we put it into context (using he foyer stairs - as we will be during the final performance). Here we were able to visualise the practicalities of performing in this setting or making any necessary changes, there were also moments when we had to problem solve e.g. How we would use both set of stairs or where I would face ( as the front of the train station).
4 ) Consider questions No. 1-3 except focus on important roadblocks/dead ends.
I think the roadblocks at the moment will be worrying about time and finding time to commit to after college rehearsals- especially as we're getting close to the deadline, we should start putting more hours into our work if we are to produce a good performance.
7 ) Reflect on the journey of one or both of the actors with whom you are working. How’s it going? What needs to happen next?
I loved all of Jessie's ideas for the opening- she used both me and George's performance skills/ abilities in a way that would best compliment the storyline and characters and offered ideas from a different perspective that I hadn't considered.
Furthermore, as a group we were all productive and collaborative- staying focused and on task. This level of focus has been within most rehearsals and therefore is enabling us to produce lots of work, think creatively, and hopeful moves us towards finishing by the deadline!
Monday, 28 April 2014
25th April Lesson Evaluation
1 ) What important discoveries were made during the rehearsal?
Within today's rehearsal we spent the beginning half of the rehearsal devising the opening scene (Becca) and the second part of the lesson devising my scene, the bedroom scene.
Although we didn't have a script, We were talked through Beccas ideas for her scene and put these ideas into practices through improvisation. Through this improvisation we were able to problem solve e.g fixing parts of the storyline (that didn't make sense before or have changed due to the devising on other scenes). Furthermore, we were able to re-rehearse our opening dance, changing this so that all the characters are introduced-, rather than just showing one set of characters, each of us changes from our first into our second characters. This way, all the characters are introduced.
During my half of the rehearsal, I felt as though I was able to convey my idea well ( I was worried that I wouldn't be able to explain it in a way that made sense!). We were able to begin experimenting with the lifts and idea of manipulation- using red ribbons tied round George's wrists. Where moves or lifts didn't work, we had to problem solve around this taking into consideration each of our abilities. I originally had aimed towards just completing all the duets however we were able to progress beyond this and into the group dance (just before the end with Claudio and the death Hero.
2 ) What led to those discoveries?
Within Beccas scene, especially re-rehearsing the dance, helped us to make new discoveries e.g. Introducing more than just our first characters. Through coming back to pieces we have already devised, such as the dance, we are able to develop/ improve things that we hadn't thought of before.
Furthermore, within my scene, we took Inspiration from other dances and performances to help create our piece. For example, we took the idea of red ribbons ( manipulating George) from Megan and Ellie's physical theatre piece, and also the use of powder paint from pinks live performance of 'try'. Through borrowing ideas, we were able to create a relevant piece of movement with all the aspects we needed to portray our stage of grief. 'Its not about re-inventing the wheel, use what you've already got and develop/ adapt it'- quote from Jonathan.
3 ) Towards where do those discoveries lead?
Although we spent an hour each on these scenes, we haven't finished them yet and still have lots of ideas to try and add. For example, Becca needs to write a script for the opening and stage it- show us where to say what when, order of events etc. It will also be useful to try linking this scene onto the canteen scene ( as this is nearly completed).
I still need to finish my bedroom scene, there is a duet at the end of the piece which I am yet to choreograph and there are small changes that need to be made during the duets. These include timing- making sure the duets flow into one another (also saving a slot for Jess) and end in time for the final duet. The dialogue needs to be added alongside the use of powder paint- which would be useful to experiment with at least once before the final performance! I also have ideas for the transition linking into this scene- bingo through till the bedroom scene. As I wanted all the Hero's to start from underneath Claudio's bed ( and somehow creep/crawl out in time for their duet), the Hero's will all have to quickly get changed and be in position ready. As I am the last Hero and have lots of time to get dressed, I can hold the audience in the hub/ bingo scene, giving a short speech or 'trying' to organise things- yet clearly panicking! This could provide some comedy before the intensity of the bedroom scene!
4 ) Consider questions No. 1-3 except focus on important roadblocks/dead ends.
The roadblocks that we have to be aware of at the moment is our attitude towards unfinished scenes. By his meaning, saying and discussing how something will happen yet putting this off so we never get to try it. I know that I made this mistake today through saying about the powder paint and dialogue. We didn't practise with these two things therefore will need to ensure that this happens otherwise we will reach the performance not knowing exactly what we're doing. Similarly in Beccas scene we have agreed and discussed that there will be dialogue ( and have now left the scene and moved on) we need to re- rehearse and ensure that we set a script otherwise the piece will evolve around Improv in the final performance .
5 ) Reflect on dramatic action and conflict. How’s it going? What actions does this suggest?
Within my scene I the music I have chosen ' time' by Hans Zimmer is very emotional - which builds to a huge climax point. With Claudio crying out over the top of this, outnumbered by a powerful force/ presence of Hero's creates great dramatic action and conflict. Furthermore the contrast between the Hero's at the beginning of the piece and the death hero at the end portray the conflicting battle within Claudio's mind- he is still in love and desires the sweet innocent Hero yet he is trying to fend off the guilt and pain that her suicide choice has left him with.
6 ) Reflect on transformational leadership. How’s it going? What actions does this suggest?
Now that we have split the scenes into sections and divided them between us, we each have a voice. I am aware that I didn't have much input at the beginning of the devising process ( and was perhaps difficult/ a problem for the others to work with), I am now able to voice my opinions through this scene and make a useful contribution which will benefit the other performers rather than being an issue to work around or hold them back.
8 ) What is the most important thing that happened (or didn’t happen) in your recent rehearsal? Unpack its importance.
At the beginning of the rehearsal we were made aware of the importance to push forwards with our devising- rather than sitting around discussing what needs to be done! We have three weeks before our final performance. In response to this we started devising as soon as possible, being creative and working through the little time we had to rehearse with. We split this time efficiently - spending an hour on Beccas and an hour on mine so that we could get as much done as possible! Although these scenes aren't finished, it gives us a start and contributes to the 'skeleton' of our piece. So far we have little pieces of performances from different scenes. Soon we will be able to piece these these sections together, giving us a bigger picture of our performance and help us acknowledge what still needs to be done.
9 ) What is the most important thing that could happen in your next rehearsal? How will you shape the rehearsal in order to increase the odds of that “thing” happening?
To continue working as we are. As a group this approach to devising works for us and has enabled us to work through the scenes much quicker than anticipated! Unlike George's marvellous medicine, we are working through the material much quicker and there is less sitting around discussing ideas.
Within today's rehearsal we spent the beginning half of the rehearsal devising the opening scene (Becca) and the second part of the lesson devising my scene, the bedroom scene.
Although we didn't have a script, We were talked through Beccas ideas for her scene and put these ideas into practices through improvisation. Through this improvisation we were able to problem solve e.g fixing parts of the storyline (that didn't make sense before or have changed due to the devising on other scenes). Furthermore, we were able to re-rehearse our opening dance, changing this so that all the characters are introduced-, rather than just showing one set of characters, each of us changes from our first into our second characters. This way, all the characters are introduced.
During my half of the rehearsal, I felt as though I was able to convey my idea well ( I was worried that I wouldn't be able to explain it in a way that made sense!). We were able to begin experimenting with the lifts and idea of manipulation- using red ribbons tied round George's wrists. Where moves or lifts didn't work, we had to problem solve around this taking into consideration each of our abilities. I originally had aimed towards just completing all the duets however we were able to progress beyond this and into the group dance (just before the end with Claudio and the death Hero.
2 ) What led to those discoveries?
Within Beccas scene, especially re-rehearsing the dance, helped us to make new discoveries e.g. Introducing more than just our first characters. Through coming back to pieces we have already devised, such as the dance, we are able to develop/ improve things that we hadn't thought of before.
Furthermore, within my scene, we took Inspiration from other dances and performances to help create our piece. For example, we took the idea of red ribbons ( manipulating George) from Megan and Ellie's physical theatre piece, and also the use of powder paint from pinks live performance of 'try'. Through borrowing ideas, we were able to create a relevant piece of movement with all the aspects we needed to portray our stage of grief. 'Its not about re-inventing the wheel, use what you've already got and develop/ adapt it'- quote from Jonathan.
3 ) Towards where do those discoveries lead?
Although we spent an hour each on these scenes, we haven't finished them yet and still have lots of ideas to try and add. For example, Becca needs to write a script for the opening and stage it- show us where to say what when, order of events etc. It will also be useful to try linking this scene onto the canteen scene ( as this is nearly completed).
I still need to finish my bedroom scene, there is a duet at the end of the piece which I am yet to choreograph and there are small changes that need to be made during the duets. These include timing- making sure the duets flow into one another (also saving a slot for Jess) and end in time for the final duet. The dialogue needs to be added alongside the use of powder paint- which would be useful to experiment with at least once before the final performance! I also have ideas for the transition linking into this scene- bingo through till the bedroom scene. As I wanted all the Hero's to start from underneath Claudio's bed ( and somehow creep/crawl out in time for their duet), the Hero's will all have to quickly get changed and be in position ready. As I am the last Hero and have lots of time to get dressed, I can hold the audience in the hub/ bingo scene, giving a short speech or 'trying' to organise things- yet clearly panicking! This could provide some comedy before the intensity of the bedroom scene!
4 ) Consider questions No. 1-3 except focus on important roadblocks/dead ends.
The roadblocks that we have to be aware of at the moment is our attitude towards unfinished scenes. By his meaning, saying and discussing how something will happen yet putting this off so we never get to try it. I know that I made this mistake today through saying about the powder paint and dialogue. We didn't practise with these two things therefore will need to ensure that this happens otherwise we will reach the performance not knowing exactly what we're doing. Similarly in Beccas scene we have agreed and discussed that there will be dialogue ( and have now left the scene and moved on) we need to re- rehearse and ensure that we set a script otherwise the piece will evolve around Improv in the final performance .
5 ) Reflect on dramatic action and conflict. How’s it going? What actions does this suggest?
Within my scene I the music I have chosen ' time' by Hans Zimmer is very emotional - which builds to a huge climax point. With Claudio crying out over the top of this, outnumbered by a powerful force/ presence of Hero's creates great dramatic action and conflict. Furthermore the contrast between the Hero's at the beginning of the piece and the death hero at the end portray the conflicting battle within Claudio's mind- he is still in love and desires the sweet innocent Hero yet he is trying to fend off the guilt and pain that her suicide choice has left him with.
6 ) Reflect on transformational leadership. How’s it going? What actions does this suggest?
Now that we have split the scenes into sections and divided them between us, we each have a voice. I am aware that I didn't have much input at the beginning of the devising process ( and was perhaps difficult/ a problem for the others to work with), I am now able to voice my opinions through this scene and make a useful contribution which will benefit the other performers rather than being an issue to work around or hold them back.
8 ) What is the most important thing that happened (or didn’t happen) in your recent rehearsal? Unpack its importance.
At the beginning of the rehearsal we were made aware of the importance to push forwards with our devising- rather than sitting around discussing what needs to be done! We have three weeks before our final performance. In response to this we started devising as soon as possible, being creative and working through the little time we had to rehearse with. We split this time efficiently - spending an hour on Beccas and an hour on mine so that we could get as much done as possible! Although these scenes aren't finished, it gives us a start and contributes to the 'skeleton' of our piece. So far we have little pieces of performances from different scenes. Soon we will be able to piece these these sections together, giving us a bigger picture of our performance and help us acknowledge what still needs to be done.
9 ) What is the most important thing that could happen in your next rehearsal? How will you shape the rehearsal in order to increase the odds of that “thing” happening?
To continue working as we are. As a group this approach to devising works for us and has enabled us to work through the scenes much quicker than anticipated! Unlike George's marvellous medicine, we are working through the material much quicker and there is less sitting around discussing ideas.
Thursday, 24 April 2014
23rd April Lesson Evaluation
1)
What important discoveries were made during the
rehearsal?
During a previous rehearsal we planned out all the rehearsal
dates we still had, and assigned each rehearsal to a different scene (so that
each person has an equal amount of time to work on their individual scenes). The
requirements for each rehearsal and individual scene is that they come prepared
to the lesson with a script, ideas for movement and general plan of how they
want to structure the rehearsal. Today we were working on Amy’s scene, the
canteen. She had written a script including the characters of Beatrice, Benedict,
Claudio, Hero, and the extra character of a dinner lady. The script she had
written was appropriate to the style of the piece and was very funny- based the
script around individuals ensuring that she it supported our strengths/performance
skill and characteristics (of each character). Alongside writing a script, Amy
also found a poem/ Shakespearian rhyme for the Hero’s to chant at Claudio.
Most of this scene is based around the dialogue, however as
we were missing quite a few people (main characters!). Therefore we decided to work
on the sections of the scene that we could all be involved in – considering that
this would be the best use of our time. We had Claudio and three Hero’s
therefore we started to work on the poem, using movement and exploring how we
could use the tables in the canteen.
2)
What led to those discoveries?
To begin with, we read through the poem a couple of times in
order to familiarise ourselves with the text and clarify any words that we were
unsure of. We then considered our intention for the poem, what are we trying to
make Claudio feel? We agreed that this would include intimidation and guilt
(the words suggest we are blaming Claudio for our death). Using Alex Packers
approach to devising (starting with something simple and basic which can then
be developed) we read the poem aloud whilst circling Claudio. The effect of
this was to isolate Claudio and make him feel vulnerable- as though we are
crowding his head (everywhere with no escape). Developing this, we experimented
with the pace of walking- running, slow walking etc. which then developed gestures.
To finish the first section of the poem, our circle got tighter until we were touching
distance from Claudio (making him feel claustrophobic) - I remember how Elsa played
Clara in the visit- reaching out to Ill and exaggerating her movements and
expressions to create a patronising and spiteful character. I used this as
inspiration for my own character of Hero in this scene.
Taking inspiration from Hofesh, Claudio clambers to the
table performing Hofesh based movement (as though he is in pain and desperately
trying to escape from Hero). The Hero’s then creep towards him, crawling from
the other end of the table- trapping him in the centre. We loved the Macbeths group
version of ‘the tiger who came to tea’ where they staged the audience around a
table whilst ‘the tiger’ climbed and sat on the table as though it were a
stage. We will be adopting this idea of staging for our own performance.
Although the poem sounded good with intonation, pace and
expression, we felt as though there was something missing (as though it needed
an undertone). We began to experiment with a ‘round’ where each Hero speaks a
line whilst the repeated line ‘Heavily, heavily’ created the beat. With the
extra Hero’s this would further increase the volume. Watching this back on video,
the sound produced as a result of the round was much stronger compared to
unison- it gave us as Hero a greater power and presence in comparison to
Claudio.
3)
Towards where do those discoveries lead?
Now that we have the foundations of the scene, we can continue to
develop- perhaps next lesson finishing the poem (continuing in a round). It will
also be helpful to link the two sections together- both movement and acting. Furthermore,
we had thoughts about the lighting for the movement section- George suggested
that we create two walls of light at either end of the table which traps
Claudio. I love this idea however it will be difficult to create with no blackout
in the canteen. Rose suggested that we could use a single light underneath the table;
this would create a ghostly and creepy effect- only illuminating outlines and
shadows.
4)
Consider
questions No. 1-3 except focus on important roadblocks/dead ends.
Unlike other rehearsals we understood that although we have set a routine for this scene, it doesn’t necessarily mean that its finished and we can move on- there is still so much we could change, develop, add etc. we need to keep coming back to the scenes we have ‘completed’ (alongside devising new scenes) in order to use them as potential for improvement.
8) What is the most important thing that happened (or didn’t
happen) in your recent rehearsal? Unpack its importance.
I think the most important thing that happened in our rehearsal was our
ability to follow the timetable and come prepared to lesson. Before we had this
structure in place, some rehearsals seemed pointless as no one had prepared or
thought about what we could do to improve or devise next. We each know when our
rehearsal time is and therefore are ready for the rehearsal- as a result we
produce lots of work and make significant progress! We need to continue in this
way in order to finish our performance by the deadline.
Tuesday, 22 April 2014
22nd April Lesson Evaluation
Within todays lesson we showed Nicole and Becca the
pieces we had created during Alex’s workshop – five stages of grief motif and
the ‘Hero’s manipulating Claudio’. Once they had learnt and watched this, we
discussed how and where we could fit them in within the performance. As they
are mostly movement based, we agreed that the manipulation section could be
used within a transition- aiming to get Claudio and Hero from the ‘anger’
bedroom scene to the foyer- suicide scene.
We experimented with different ways of doing this
e.g. using the walls, contact work, the doors, different formations etc. in
order to find a transition that would work/make sense and that the audience
could all watch. We have some ideas of how this could work yet need to
re-rehearse this as there is still more we can develop and improve!
This transition will be taking place straight after
the anger bedroom scene therefore my idea about using ribbons would link
together well. Within the bedroom scene the Hero’s manipulate/control Claudio with
the ribbons tied to his wrists therefore we will be able to incorporate them
into the transition- perhaps when trying to lure Claudio to his death?
Furthermore, we have decided that the five stages
of grief motif can be used at random places throughout the entire piece- in all
or most scenes there will be a Hero performing the movement in the background,
representing the five stages of grief Claudio is going through in his mind (about
Hero).
Bedroom scene:
When most I wink, then do mine eyes
best see,
For all the day they view things unrespected;
But when I sleep, in dreams they look on thee,
And, darkly bright, are bright in dark directed.
Then thou, whose shadow shadows doth make bright—
How would thy shadow’s form form happy show
To the clear day with thy much clearer light,
When to unseeing eyes thy shade shines so?
For all the day they view things unrespected;
But when I sleep, in dreams they look on thee,
And, darkly bright, are bright in dark directed.
Then thou, whose shadow shadows doth make bright—
How would thy shadow’s form form happy show
To the clear day with thy much clearer light,
When to unseeing eyes thy shade shines so?
By looking on thee in the living day,
When in dead night thy fair imperfect shade
Through heavy sleep on sightless eyes doth stay?
All days are nights to see till I see thee,
And nights bright days when dreams do show thee me.
Monday, 21 April 2014
Ideas for scene outline- bedroom scene
1) Claudio is alone on the bed- use motif from lovesong ( he is stressed, confused and in pain from thinking about and seeing Hero again in the bingo scene)
2) five love Hero's ( dressed in red) join Claudio on the bed. Claudio will somehow have red ribbons attached to him ( perhaps tied round his arms) similar to Megan and Ellie's dance in physical theatre
3) the love Hero's will use these ribbons to manipulate and control Claudio's movements ( movement is passionate). This is where the love sonnet will be said. Each hero pulls Claudio towards them with the ribbon. They will perform a small section of movement together whilst Claudio speaks a few lines of the sonnet - before he is pulled away by another hero etc. continuous movement.
4) four of the love Hero's will go to stand up and pull Claudio with them ( whilst Amy is still on the bed). Claudio will begin to stand up to follow the four love Hero's
5) Amy will grab Claudio's hand pulling him back down to the bed- perform the love sequence. Here we will use red powder paint
6) death/ revenge hero enters the stage towards the end of the love duet
7) stands separate from Claudio and the other Hero's ( dressed in black) perhaps performing the five stages of grief motif
8) Claudio sees death/ revenge hero and starts to panic- breaks away from his happy illusion with the love Hero's and remembers the reasons and consequences of their broken relationship
9) Claudio stands and stares at the black Hero whilst the remaining five love Hero's try to smother him again, making him panic more and feel claustrophobic. He pushes them away.
10) directs all his anger at the death/ revenge Hero - one line taken from much ado ' she knows the heat of a luxurious bed'
11) death/ revenge hero and Claudio fight duet - movement which shows separation, struggle, anger and pain- whilst Claudio repeats the same line.
12) use of black powder paint ( by the end of this dance, Claudio will be covered in two different colours- red and black which signal the mixed emotions and memory of his relationship; passion and death.
13) as the music begins to fade, each love Hero runs towards Claudio yet he pushes them away in anger - finishes with all love Hero's lying separated around the room- lying in emotional pain
14) Claudio is left amongst them looking around, breathless and in panic.
(Music- Hans Zimmer, Time (inception))
2) five love Hero's ( dressed in red) join Claudio on the bed. Claudio will somehow have red ribbons attached to him ( perhaps tied round his arms) similar to Megan and Ellie's dance in physical theatre
3) the love Hero's will use these ribbons to manipulate and control Claudio's movements ( movement is passionate). This is where the love sonnet will be said. Each hero pulls Claudio towards them with the ribbon. They will perform a small section of movement together whilst Claudio speaks a few lines of the sonnet - before he is pulled away by another hero etc. continuous movement.
4) four of the love Hero's will go to stand up and pull Claudio with them ( whilst Amy is still on the bed). Claudio will begin to stand up to follow the four love Hero's
5) Amy will grab Claudio's hand pulling him back down to the bed- perform the love sequence. Here we will use red powder paint
6) death/ revenge hero enters the stage towards the end of the love duet
7) stands separate from Claudio and the other Hero's ( dressed in black) perhaps performing the five stages of grief motif
8) Claudio sees death/ revenge hero and starts to panic- breaks away from his happy illusion with the love Hero's and remembers the reasons and consequences of their broken relationship
9) Claudio stands and stares at the black Hero whilst the remaining five love Hero's try to smother him again, making him panic more and feel claustrophobic. He pushes them away.
10) directs all his anger at the death/ revenge Hero - one line taken from much ado ' she knows the heat of a luxurious bed'
11) death/ revenge hero and Claudio fight duet - movement which shows separation, struggle, anger and pain- whilst Claudio repeats the same line.
12) use of black powder paint ( by the end of this dance, Claudio will be covered in two different colours- red and black which signal the mixed emotions and memory of his relationship; passion and death.
13) as the music begins to fade, each love Hero runs towards Claudio yet he pushes them away in anger - finishes with all love Hero's lying separated around the room- lying in emotional pain
14) Claudio is left amongst them looking around, breathless and in panic.
(Music- Hans Zimmer, Time (inception))
Research into texts for the bedroom scene
For my assigned scene (the bedroom scene) I will need to find and chose relevant texts that I want to include alongside the movement. These texts don't necessarily have to be from our original play ' much ado about nothing' but can include other Shakespearian plays and sonnets. As seen from my scene outline ( shown in a separate post) I want to include two contrasting pieces of text- one which shows the love that was once present between Claudio and hero (spoken by Claudio to Hero) and one that is spoken by Claudio to the individual death/ revenge Hero. Within this scene I want the audience to witness the love that Claudio and Hero once shared (love Hero's and Claudio) and how this love was corrupted (Claudio and death/ revenge Hero). The fight between death hero and Claudio will perhaps give a further insight as to the reasons why this relationship fell apart and what led Hero to kill herself ( as this is not specified earlier, only suggested).
To begin researching possible texts for the love section, I researched scenes from Romeo and Juliet- particularly the balcony scene. However, this doesn't completely fit or make sense in context to our piece and both characters had a different attitude/ values towards love that wouldn't have been relevant within our modern adaptation. I have also watched and read much ado about nothing to search for possible texts however there were no long pieces of speech ( the comments of love towards Hero don't match what I am trying to achieve in this scene). Finally, I have research into sonnets and have found some possible speeches for Claudio - and their translations! Through doing this, there are also some sonnets which may be relevant to other scenes too which I can share with the rest of the group next rehearsal.
There was a scene from the visit where Ill and Clara are alone in Conrad's village wood, where Ill reminisces of the days they used to spend together when they were young. We staged this so that Ill would talk to one Clara at a time ( whilst the others reacted, giggled and ran around him as though they were still one person- and Ill only saw her as one person). I want to use this idea again for the love Hero's. Claudio will direct his sonnet and attention to one love hero at a time yet the others will still react and 'dance' perform around him.
Sonnet 132- (love section with the love Hero's)
Thine eyes I love, and they, as pitying me,
Knowing thy heart torment me with disdain,
Have put on black, and loving mourners be,
Looking with pretty ruth upon my pain;
And truly, not the morning sun of heav'n
Better becomes the gray cheeks of the east,
Nor that full star that ushers in the ev'n
Doth half that glory to the sober west,
As those two mourning eyes become thy face.
O let it then as well beseem thy heart
To mourn for me, since mourning doth thee grace,
And suit thy pity like in every part.
Then will I swear beauty herself is black,
And all they foul that thy complexion lack.
I love your eyes, and they seem to pity me, knowing I’m tormented by your disdain. In black, they look like mourners at a funeral, gazing at my pain with pretty compassion. And to tell the truth, the morning sun doesn’t look as good in the gray eastern sky, nor does the evening star look half as good in the western twilight, as those two mourning eyes look in your face. Oh, then I hope it would be just as beautiful for your heart to pity me, too, since mourning suits you so well, and for you to pity me with every other part of you to match. If you take pity on me, I’ll swear beauty itself is black, and everyone who doesn’t have your dark complexion is ugly.
Sonnet 71- before Claudio commits suicide or when he is alone in the bedroom?
No longer mourn for me when I am dead
Than you shall hear the surly sullen bell
Give warning to the world that I am fled
From this vile world with vildest worms to dwell:
Nay, if you read this line, remember not
The hand that writ it, for I love you so
That I in your sweet thoughts would be forgot,
If thinking on me then should make you woe.
O if, I say, you look upon this verse
When I perhaps compounded am with clay,
Do not so much as my poor name rehearse,
But let your love even with my life decay,
Lest the wise world should look into your moan
And mock you with me after I am gone.
When I am dead, mourn for me only as long as you hear the funeral bell telling the world that I’ve left this vile world to go live with the vile worms. No, if you read this line, don’t remember who wrote it, because I love you so much that I’d rather you forgot me than thought about me and became sad. I’m telling you, if you look at this poem when I’m, say, dissolved in the earth, don’t so much as utter my name but let your love die with me. Otherwise, the world, in all its wisdom, will investigate why you’re sad and use me to mock you, now that I am gone.
This sonnet is like the acceptance stage in the five stages of grief. Claudio has come to accept his fate and making the final choice- to kill himself and accept that this is the right choice. Considering that the final suicide scene is acceptance, Claudio could say this - perhaps to hero or himself before he dies ( as though hoping hero will be able to hear and acknowledge.
Sonnet 43- bedroom / love Hero's
When most I wink, then do mine eyes best see,
For all the day they view things unrespected;
But when I sleep, in dreams they look on thee,
And, darkly bright, are bright in dark directed.
Then thou, whose shadow shadows doth make bright—
How would thy shadow’s form form happy show
To the clear day with thy much clearer light,
When to unseeing eyes thy shade shines so?
How would, I say, mine eyes be blessèd made
By looking on thee in the living day,
When in dead night thy fair imperfect shade
Through heavy sleep on sightless eyes doth stay?
All days are nights to see till I see thee,
And nights bright days when dreams do show thee me.
My eyes work best when I’m asleep, because all day they look at things I don’t care about. When I sleep, my dreaming eyes alight on you and glitter brightly in the dark, having found your bright image there. Given that your shadowy dream-image brightens even the dark, how bright might you appear in daylight, when your own light is so much clearer? How bright, when your shadow shines so brightly to my eyes blinded by darkness? What good would it do my eyes to see you in the daytime when they already look at your beautiful image in the dead of night, as I sleep? Every day is as dark as night until I get to see you again, and every night is as bright as day when I see you in my dreams.
Sonnet 44- Claudio alone in bedroom or after death hero has left.
If the dull substance of my flesh were thought,
Injurious distance should not stop my way;
For then, despite of space, I would be brought
From limits far remote where thou dost stay.
No matter then although my foot did stand
Upon the farthest earth removed from thee,
For nimble thought can jump both sea and land
As soon as think the place where he would be.
But ah, thought kills me that I am not thought
To leap large lengths of miles when thou art gone,
But that so much of earth and water wrought,
I must attend time’s leisure with my moan,
Receiving naughts by elements so slow
If I were made of thought instead of slow, dull flesh, this wicked distance between us wouldn’t keep me from where I wanted to be. No matter the distance—from the farthest possible regions—I would bring myself to where you are. It wouldn’t matter that my feet were standing on the spot on earth farthest from you: Thought is nimble enough to jump over both sea and land as quickly as it can think about the place it wants to be. But, ah, it’s killing me to think that I’m not made of thought and can’t leap over the many miles when you are gone. Instead my body is made of so much EARTH AND WATER that I have to fill the long time without you with my moans. The leaden, deep earth and slow, wet water of which I am made give me nothing but heavy tears.
To begin researching possible texts for the love section, I researched scenes from Romeo and Juliet- particularly the balcony scene. However, this doesn't completely fit or make sense in context to our piece and both characters had a different attitude/ values towards love that wouldn't have been relevant within our modern adaptation. I have also watched and read much ado about nothing to search for possible texts however there were no long pieces of speech ( the comments of love towards Hero don't match what I am trying to achieve in this scene). Finally, I have research into sonnets and have found some possible speeches for Claudio - and their translations! Through doing this, there are also some sonnets which may be relevant to other scenes too which I can share with the rest of the group next rehearsal.
There was a scene from the visit where Ill and Clara are alone in Conrad's village wood, where Ill reminisces of the days they used to spend together when they were young. We staged this so that Ill would talk to one Clara at a time ( whilst the others reacted, giggled and ran around him as though they were still one person- and Ill only saw her as one person). I want to use this idea again for the love Hero's. Claudio will direct his sonnet and attention to one love hero at a time yet the others will still react and 'dance' perform around him.
Sonnet 132- (love section with the love Hero's)
Thine eyes I love, and they, as pitying me,
Knowing thy heart torment me with disdain,
Have put on black, and loving mourners be,
Looking with pretty ruth upon my pain;
And truly, not the morning sun of heav'n
Better becomes the gray cheeks of the east,
Nor that full star that ushers in the ev'n
Doth half that glory to the sober west,
As those two mourning eyes become thy face.
O let it then as well beseem thy heart
To mourn for me, since mourning doth thee grace,
And suit thy pity like in every part.
Then will I swear beauty herself is black,
And all they foul that thy complexion lack.
I love your eyes, and they seem to pity me, knowing I’m tormented by your disdain. In black, they look like mourners at a funeral, gazing at my pain with pretty compassion. And to tell the truth, the morning sun doesn’t look as good in the gray eastern sky, nor does the evening star look half as good in the western twilight, as those two mourning eyes look in your face. Oh, then I hope it would be just as beautiful for your heart to pity me, too, since mourning suits you so well, and for you to pity me with every other part of you to match. If you take pity on me, I’ll swear beauty itself is black, and everyone who doesn’t have your dark complexion is ugly.
Sonnet 71- before Claudio commits suicide or when he is alone in the bedroom?
No longer mourn for me when I am dead
Than you shall hear the surly sullen bell
Give warning to the world that I am fled
From this vile world with vildest worms to dwell:
Nay, if you read this line, remember not
The hand that writ it, for I love you so
That I in your sweet thoughts would be forgot,
If thinking on me then should make you woe.
O if, I say, you look upon this verse
When I perhaps compounded am with clay,
Do not so much as my poor name rehearse,
But let your love even with my life decay,
Lest the wise world should look into your moan
And mock you with me after I am gone.
When I am dead, mourn for me only as long as you hear the funeral bell telling the world that I’ve left this vile world to go live with the vile worms. No, if you read this line, don’t remember who wrote it, because I love you so much that I’d rather you forgot me than thought about me and became sad. I’m telling you, if you look at this poem when I’m, say, dissolved in the earth, don’t so much as utter my name but let your love die with me. Otherwise, the world, in all its wisdom, will investigate why you’re sad and use me to mock you, now that I am gone.
This sonnet is like the acceptance stage in the five stages of grief. Claudio has come to accept his fate and making the final choice- to kill himself and accept that this is the right choice. Considering that the final suicide scene is acceptance, Claudio could say this - perhaps to hero or himself before he dies ( as though hoping hero will be able to hear and acknowledge.
Sonnet 43- bedroom / love Hero's
When most I wink, then do mine eyes best see,
For all the day they view things unrespected;
But when I sleep, in dreams they look on thee,
And, darkly bright, are bright in dark directed.
Then thou, whose shadow shadows doth make bright—
How would thy shadow’s form form happy show
To the clear day with thy much clearer light,
When to unseeing eyes thy shade shines so?
How would, I say, mine eyes be blessèd made
By looking on thee in the living day,
When in dead night thy fair imperfect shade
Through heavy sleep on sightless eyes doth stay?
All days are nights to see till I see thee,
And nights bright days when dreams do show thee me.
My eyes work best when I’m asleep, because all day they look at things I don’t care about. When I sleep, my dreaming eyes alight on you and glitter brightly in the dark, having found your bright image there. Given that your shadowy dream-image brightens even the dark, how bright might you appear in daylight, when your own light is so much clearer? How bright, when your shadow shines so brightly to my eyes blinded by darkness? What good would it do my eyes to see you in the daytime when they already look at your beautiful image in the dead of night, as I sleep? Every day is as dark as night until I get to see you again, and every night is as bright as day when I see you in my dreams.
Sonnet 44- Claudio alone in bedroom or after death hero has left.
If the dull substance of my flesh were thought,
Injurious distance should not stop my way;
For then, despite of space, I would be brought
From limits far remote where thou dost stay.
No matter then although my foot did stand
Upon the farthest earth removed from thee,
For nimble thought can jump both sea and land
As soon as think the place where he would be.
But ah, thought kills me that I am not thought
To leap large lengths of miles when thou art gone,
But that so much of earth and water wrought,
I must attend time’s leisure with my moan,
Receiving naughts by elements so slow
If I were made of thought instead of slow, dull flesh, this wicked distance between us wouldn’t keep me from where I wanted to be. No matter the distance—from the farthest possible regions—I would bring myself to where you are. It wouldn’t matter that my feet were standing on the spot on earth farthest from you: Thought is nimble enough to jump over both sea and land as quickly as it can think about the place it wants to be. But, ah, it’s killing me to think that I’m not made of thought and can’t leap over the many miles when you are gone. Instead my body is made of so much EARTH AND WATER that I have to fill the long time without you with my moans. The leaden, deep earth and slow, wet water of which I am made give me nothing but heavy tears.
10th April Rehearsal
1 ) What important discoveries were made during the rehearsal?
Within today's rehearsal we had a group workshop with Alex Packer. Within this workshop we made discoveries as to possible transitions (in the style of physical theatre), ways in which to introduce text and movement (combining), and movement motifs relevant to our theme 'the five stages of grief'.
In previous rehearsals, we have really been struggling with the devising and how to approach/start! Alex led some simple activities which then led onto the devising and creating movement or acting from this. An example was with the five stages of grief motif. To begin with, we agreed on five gestures that represented or portrayed each stage (denial, anger, depression, bargaining, and acceptance). We then linked these movements together with music, using pace (fast and slow) to add dynamic. This simple activity has created a motif which we are keen to use as Hero's motif- during scenes or transitions we could each take turns performing this. I will also consider using this within the bedroom scene as it could represent the different emotions that Hero is also experience - what is her intentions for coming back to haunt Claudio's mind? She must be suffering similar symptoms of desperation and loss as she now has to move on (as a ghost) without Claudio there with her, despite being mistreated in the past.
I really loved George and Amy's sequence using mime! They used the text from Claudio's main anger speech (when shaming Hero at the alter). George would speak a couple of lines whilst Amy mimed them, them she would suddenly switch to speaking the lines whilst Claudio mimed. This made it seem like they were both reliving a memory- they had replayed this memory in their mind many times and are now re-living the argument. This would work well within a flashback scene. I want to take this idea of using mime for the bedroom scene - Claudio could repeat a couple of lines that the Hero's mime to, as though they're being shamed again.
2 ) What led to those discoveries?
As mentioned above, we were led to these discoveries through simple activities (using gesture) that were then developed and linked together. This will really help us in future when trying to devise! I now realise that we had been making the mistake of trying to devise too 'big' and 'straight away' (rushing in to devising without any research or source). This method of devising is similar to the frantic assembly physical theatre devising guide- they would each learn 8 different movements (which were created through improvisation tasks based around a theme or emotion) that were then linked together and expanded.
3 ) Towards where do those discoveries lead?
All of us have benefitted from this workshop in the way that we have learnt new approaches or devising techniques, understand how to link text and movement (and have been inspired by this, making it relevant to our own performance), and also have been inspired for new ideas e.g. The Hero motif.
I will be taking these devising methods and some of the movement we created for use within the bedroom scene. Before the workshop I had the idea of using red ribbons (red pieces of material) which all the Hero's used to control and manipulate Claudio. Taking the Hero motif, each Hero could perform the movements slowly (each move has an impact on Claudio- either makes him respond in pain, anger, frustration etc. as he says a relevant line to the text). Each time the Hero's move (onto the next movement in the motif) signals the change from one Hero to the next. The Hero's he disregards e.g. The bed hero, will try and get involved with the movement still, therefore resulting in Claudio pushing them back into the wardrobe.
4 ) Consider questions No. 1-3 except focus on important roadblocks/dead ends.
The roadblocks had been devising and knowing where/how to start! I feel that today we overcame these blocks as we were taught how to work around them in the workshop. If we get stuck in the future for similar reasons with devising, we can come back to this workshop, remembering what we were taught and trying a simple activity (it's better to start small than big!)
6 ) Reflect on transformational leadership. How’s it going? What actions does this suggest?
Now that we have each been assigned a scene, we will individually have a chance to take ownership and lead the rest of the group. This will give everyone a voice and ensures that our performance is a group contribution (we have all worked on it - not just led by one person!)
8 ) What is the most important thing that happened (or didn’t happen) in your recent rehearsal? Unpack its importance.
Personally, I thought that the most important aspect of our rehearsal was the workshop with Alex. We have been struggling to devise and especially now that we are devising scenes individually, it will be so useful to have techniques and methods that will help us!
Also, when researching text for my scene I was having difficulty finding scenes relevant or understanding how I could link this to movement. Originally I had only considered the obvious (just reading the text off a page), however I have now been shown different (and more creative!) ways of using text.
9 ) What is the most important thing that could happen in your next rehearsal? How will you shape the rehearsal in order to increase the odds of that “thing” happening?
Before the workshop, we created a timetable of the next two weeks- planning out exactly what would be happening in each lesson and ensuring that we gave each person the same amount of time to work on their individual scenes. The timetable is as follows:
Week one (after Easter)
Tuesday- the suicide scene (Jess), Wednesday- the canteen scene (Amy), Thursday- the bedroom scene (George) and transitions (Nicole), Friday- the opening (Becca)
Week two
Monday- recap the opening and canteen scenes (Becca and Amy), Tuesday- transitions (Nicole) and recap suicide scene (Jess), Wednesday- depression scene (George), bedroom scene (me), Thursday - bedroom scene (me), Friday- bingo scene (Megan)
Week three
Monday- final suicide scene (Jess), Tuesday - recap suicide (Jess), Wednesday - recapping all scenes and run.
Within today's rehearsal we had a group workshop with Alex Packer. Within this workshop we made discoveries as to possible transitions (in the style of physical theatre), ways in which to introduce text and movement (combining), and movement motifs relevant to our theme 'the five stages of grief'.
In previous rehearsals, we have really been struggling with the devising and how to approach/start! Alex led some simple activities which then led onto the devising and creating movement or acting from this. An example was with the five stages of grief motif. To begin with, we agreed on five gestures that represented or portrayed each stage (denial, anger, depression, bargaining, and acceptance). We then linked these movements together with music, using pace (fast and slow) to add dynamic. This simple activity has created a motif which we are keen to use as Hero's motif- during scenes or transitions we could each take turns performing this. I will also consider using this within the bedroom scene as it could represent the different emotions that Hero is also experience - what is her intentions for coming back to haunt Claudio's mind? She must be suffering similar symptoms of desperation and loss as she now has to move on (as a ghost) without Claudio there with her, despite being mistreated in the past.
I really loved George and Amy's sequence using mime! They used the text from Claudio's main anger speech (when shaming Hero at the alter). George would speak a couple of lines whilst Amy mimed them, them she would suddenly switch to speaking the lines whilst Claudio mimed. This made it seem like they were both reliving a memory- they had replayed this memory in their mind many times and are now re-living the argument. This would work well within a flashback scene. I want to take this idea of using mime for the bedroom scene - Claudio could repeat a couple of lines that the Hero's mime to, as though they're being shamed again.
2 ) What led to those discoveries?
As mentioned above, we were led to these discoveries through simple activities (using gesture) that were then developed and linked together. This will really help us in future when trying to devise! I now realise that we had been making the mistake of trying to devise too 'big' and 'straight away' (rushing in to devising without any research or source). This method of devising is similar to the frantic assembly physical theatre devising guide- they would each learn 8 different movements (which were created through improvisation tasks based around a theme or emotion) that were then linked together and expanded.
3 ) Towards where do those discoveries lead?
All of us have benefitted from this workshop in the way that we have learnt new approaches or devising techniques, understand how to link text and movement (and have been inspired by this, making it relevant to our own performance), and also have been inspired for new ideas e.g. The Hero motif.
I will be taking these devising methods and some of the movement we created for use within the bedroom scene. Before the workshop I had the idea of using red ribbons (red pieces of material) which all the Hero's used to control and manipulate Claudio. Taking the Hero motif, each Hero could perform the movements slowly (each move has an impact on Claudio- either makes him respond in pain, anger, frustration etc. as he says a relevant line to the text). Each time the Hero's move (onto the next movement in the motif) signals the change from one Hero to the next. The Hero's he disregards e.g. The bed hero, will try and get involved with the movement still, therefore resulting in Claudio pushing them back into the wardrobe.
4 ) Consider questions No. 1-3 except focus on important roadblocks/dead ends.
The roadblocks had been devising and knowing where/how to start! I feel that today we overcame these blocks as we were taught how to work around them in the workshop. If we get stuck in the future for similar reasons with devising, we can come back to this workshop, remembering what we were taught and trying a simple activity (it's better to start small than big!)
6 ) Reflect on transformational leadership. How’s it going? What actions does this suggest?
Now that we have each been assigned a scene, we will individually have a chance to take ownership and lead the rest of the group. This will give everyone a voice and ensures that our performance is a group contribution (we have all worked on it - not just led by one person!)
8 ) What is the most important thing that happened (or didn’t happen) in your recent rehearsal? Unpack its importance.
Personally, I thought that the most important aspect of our rehearsal was the workshop with Alex. We have been struggling to devise and especially now that we are devising scenes individually, it will be so useful to have techniques and methods that will help us!
Also, when researching text for my scene I was having difficulty finding scenes relevant or understanding how I could link this to movement. Originally I had only considered the obvious (just reading the text off a page), however I have now been shown different (and more creative!) ways of using text.
9 ) What is the most important thing that could happen in your next rehearsal? How will you shape the rehearsal in order to increase the odds of that “thing” happening?
Before the workshop, we created a timetable of the next two weeks- planning out exactly what would be happening in each lesson and ensuring that we gave each person the same amount of time to work on their individual scenes. The timetable is as follows:
Week one (after Easter)
Tuesday- the suicide scene (Jess), Wednesday- the canteen scene (Amy), Thursday- the bedroom scene (George) and transitions (Nicole), Friday- the opening (Becca)
Week two
Monday- recap the opening and canteen scenes (Becca and Amy), Tuesday- transitions (Nicole) and recap suicide scene (Jess), Wednesday- depression scene (George), bedroom scene (me), Thursday - bedroom scene (me), Friday- bingo scene (Megan)
Week three
Monday- final suicide scene (Jess), Tuesday - recap suicide (Jess), Wednesday - recapping all scenes and run.
9th April Rehearsal
1 ) What important discoveries were made during the rehearsal?
Within today's rehearsal, our main aims were to finish blocking the bedroom + bingo scenes and to explore all the spaces for individual scenes. To begin, we began discussing the bedroom scene and how we could link text from the original - that Claudio could say. We have already agreed that Hero will be a silent character to reflect how Claudio used dominance, force and abuse to 'silence' her within their relationship. From this we discovered that our original song choice 'the way you move' didn't work as the tone of the scene is too serious - doesn't make sense and looks out of place. Further to this, the scene comes near the beginning (straight after the canteen scene). This was also confusing from the audiences perspective as Hero, as a character, has not yet been introduced therefore the audience won't understand that this is a flashback of Hero as dead! To clarify this, we have reordered the scenes in a more logical order- placing the bingo scene just before the bed scene. Here the audience will be introduced to the character of Hero and understand that she is now a ghost- haunting Claudio's memory.
We have also agreed on the use of powder paints to physically show what each Hero represents e.g. Black is revenge, red is love etc. by the end of the dance scene, Claudio will be covered in a mixture of colours- smothered in the different emotions and feelings Hero has now unburdened upon him.
Furthermore, we have each agreed to take a scene to be 'in charge' of. The person in charge of each scene will make the final decisions and provide a number if different ideas and devising techniques that could be used in this scene. The scene I will be working on is the bed scene- dance with all the Hero's
When exploring the different spaces, we tried a short improvisational scene with our characters (at the beginning of the show in the foyer). Here I discovered more about my character as the 'blue coat'. She is false, sarcastic, and has a bad relationship with the manger (they are constantly arguing) whilst at the same time trying to be friendly to guests.
2 ) What led to those discoveries?
Most of these discoveries were made either through improvisation, discussion or though research. For example I have lots of ideas for the bed scene after watching 'Lovesong' and reading through the frantic assembly devising physical theatre guide.
3 ) Towards where do those discoveries lead?
Now that we each have our individual scenes, I feel that our progression will increase. We will have a structured way of moving through rehearsals - can work on each scene at a time and more ideas/material will be offered.
Furthermore, towards the end of the rehearsal we developed the bingo scene through choreographing the dance, learning the song and harmonies, setting the performance where we will be performing and trying short improvisation scenes before and after. Putting this piece into context and developing our ideas from the previous rehearsal helped us to finish this scene (dance) and therefore gives us the ability to move on and work on the acting before and after. Having the bare structure e.g. The dance for the bingo scene, a small section of the dance for the bedroom scene, an improv for the opening scene etc. helps us to visualise the play as a whole and know where to improve/expand next rehearsal.
5 ) Reflect on dramatic action and conflict. How’s it going? What actions does this suggest?
As we have changed around the scene order, we have agreed that the climax scene should be the bed scene! Here, the four different emotions presented through Hero will provide the dramatic action and conflict- Revenge Hero will provoke fear and feelings of vulnerability, love Hero will provoke lust and reminiscence of romance (happiness), innocent Hero will provoke feelings of guilt and regret, and despair/angry Hero will provoke feelings of hate and confusion.
I need to ensure that these emotions are portrayed clearly within the scene. I have considered using images (placed on walls around the bedroom) to further imply what each colour represents e.g. A dark image (using mostly black figures) to show revenge. A mostly white image e.g perhaps a war photograph showing white flags?
I am also going to be using 'Cell block tango' from Chicago as influence - using red ribbons and sequences between the 'murderer' and man. This scene is a perfect portrayal of conflict (as described in stories and shown through their actions) and also dramatic action- as it is also one of the climax points/numbers within the show.
6 ) Reflect on transformational leadership. How’s it going? What actions does this suggest?
As we used today to assign scenes to individuals, we were able to put this into practise with the bingo scene. Megan is leading this scene therefore she was able to direct me and Amy when doing the show girl dance and through learning harmonies. Instead of taking complete control she allowed us to contribute and listened to our ideas - ensuring that we all agreed and had an input. This worked really well and hopefully we will be able to work through all the other scenes in a similar way.
7 ) Reflect on the journey of one or both of the actors with whom you are working.
I though Amy was really good when singing through the harmonies- she just needs to have more confidence in herself! Also, I loved how much enthusiasm and energy she was putting into the bingo dance, I need to try and match this!
8 ) What is the most important thing that happened (or didn’t happen) in your recent rehearsal? Unpack its importance.
Unlike other rehearsals, I feel we got really far in terms of creating performance, usually we end up discussing or mapping out what we need to do next instead of physically improvising or trying out ideas! Furthermore, we each came to the rehearsal prepared with research and new ideas- this was important as it gave our rehearsal purpose and somewhere to 'lead' to.
Within today's rehearsal, our main aims were to finish blocking the bedroom + bingo scenes and to explore all the spaces for individual scenes. To begin, we began discussing the bedroom scene and how we could link text from the original - that Claudio could say. We have already agreed that Hero will be a silent character to reflect how Claudio used dominance, force and abuse to 'silence' her within their relationship. From this we discovered that our original song choice 'the way you move' didn't work as the tone of the scene is too serious - doesn't make sense and looks out of place. Further to this, the scene comes near the beginning (straight after the canteen scene). This was also confusing from the audiences perspective as Hero, as a character, has not yet been introduced therefore the audience won't understand that this is a flashback of Hero as dead! To clarify this, we have reordered the scenes in a more logical order- placing the bingo scene just before the bed scene. Here the audience will be introduced to the character of Hero and understand that she is now a ghost- haunting Claudio's memory.
We have also agreed on the use of powder paints to physically show what each Hero represents e.g. Black is revenge, red is love etc. by the end of the dance scene, Claudio will be covered in a mixture of colours- smothered in the different emotions and feelings Hero has now unburdened upon him.
Furthermore, we have each agreed to take a scene to be 'in charge' of. The person in charge of each scene will make the final decisions and provide a number if different ideas and devising techniques that could be used in this scene. The scene I will be working on is the bed scene- dance with all the Hero's
When exploring the different spaces, we tried a short improvisational scene with our characters (at the beginning of the show in the foyer). Here I discovered more about my character as the 'blue coat'. She is false, sarcastic, and has a bad relationship with the manger (they are constantly arguing) whilst at the same time trying to be friendly to guests.
2 ) What led to those discoveries?
Most of these discoveries were made either through improvisation, discussion or though research. For example I have lots of ideas for the bed scene after watching 'Lovesong' and reading through the frantic assembly devising physical theatre guide.
3 ) Towards where do those discoveries lead?
Now that we each have our individual scenes, I feel that our progression will increase. We will have a structured way of moving through rehearsals - can work on each scene at a time and more ideas/material will be offered.
Furthermore, towards the end of the rehearsal we developed the bingo scene through choreographing the dance, learning the song and harmonies, setting the performance where we will be performing and trying short improvisation scenes before and after. Putting this piece into context and developing our ideas from the previous rehearsal helped us to finish this scene (dance) and therefore gives us the ability to move on and work on the acting before and after. Having the bare structure e.g. The dance for the bingo scene, a small section of the dance for the bedroom scene, an improv for the opening scene etc. helps us to visualise the play as a whole and know where to improve/expand next rehearsal.
5 ) Reflect on dramatic action and conflict. How’s it going? What actions does this suggest?
As we have changed around the scene order, we have agreed that the climax scene should be the bed scene! Here, the four different emotions presented through Hero will provide the dramatic action and conflict- Revenge Hero will provoke fear and feelings of vulnerability, love Hero will provoke lust and reminiscence of romance (happiness), innocent Hero will provoke feelings of guilt and regret, and despair/angry Hero will provoke feelings of hate and confusion.
I need to ensure that these emotions are portrayed clearly within the scene. I have considered using images (placed on walls around the bedroom) to further imply what each colour represents e.g. A dark image (using mostly black figures) to show revenge. A mostly white image e.g perhaps a war photograph showing white flags?
I am also going to be using 'Cell block tango' from Chicago as influence - using red ribbons and sequences between the 'murderer' and man. This scene is a perfect portrayal of conflict (as described in stories and shown through their actions) and also dramatic action- as it is also one of the climax points/numbers within the show.
6 ) Reflect on transformational leadership. How’s it going? What actions does this suggest?
As we used today to assign scenes to individuals, we were able to put this into practise with the bingo scene. Megan is leading this scene therefore she was able to direct me and Amy when doing the show girl dance and through learning harmonies. Instead of taking complete control she allowed us to contribute and listened to our ideas - ensuring that we all agreed and had an input. This worked really well and hopefully we will be able to work through all the other scenes in a similar way.
7 ) Reflect on the journey of one or both of the actors with whom you are working.
I though Amy was really good when singing through the harmonies- she just needs to have more confidence in herself! Also, I loved how much enthusiasm and energy she was putting into the bingo dance, I need to try and match this!
8 ) What is the most important thing that happened (or didn’t happen) in your recent rehearsal? Unpack its importance.
Unlike other rehearsals, I feel we got really far in terms of creating performance, usually we end up discussing or mapping out what we need to do next instead of physically improvising or trying out ideas! Furthermore, we each came to the rehearsal prepared with research and new ideas- this was important as it gave our rehearsal purpose and somewhere to 'lead' to.
Sunday, 6 April 2014
Lesson Evaluation 3rd April
Within today's lesson we realised that we had come to a 'roadblock' within our devising process. With lack of research and knowledge of the original play, it is hard to transform or even base our own adaptation of 'much ado' on something we know little about. Using our research from yesterday 'the five stages of grief' we have assigned each step (denial, anger, depression, bargaining and acceptance) and a section of the play to individuals - where more thorough research and analysis will be shared back to the group. My section include bargaining and scene one, act one.
It is important that we go back to the beginning ( we have skipped an important step) as this will help us in future rehearsals. All of our knowledge/ main source of information will come from the original text which we can now use as a platform to move forwards. My research on bargaining is as follows:
Song- 'running up that hill' (Bo Bruce does a good cover). The lyrics reflect this idea of bargaining 'if I were to go, and make a deal with God, and get him to swap our places...'
This is relevant to how Claudio feels- guilty and wanting Hero back alive. Although we had initially decided that the bargaining scene would be the bingo, it could also work in the packing scene where he starts to regret and miss Hero (we could show this through flashbacks)- As part of his final thoughts/ desperation to do anything and 'bargain' before he takes his own life. Potential to be emotional and portray him as vulnerable- as in previous scenes we will be using humour.
Poem-
Bargaining with yourself
lungs beating back and forth
like wary eyes
scared someone might see
and know you've lost it
gone so subtly that
not even you knew
(until this moment).
Not even you noticed
your anchor's been dragging for miles
But still, a bargain.
Self, I will act as though I'm sane
and in exchange
please illuminate me as to
what the hell has happened.
We'll shake on it.
This could be used as an insight to Claudio's mind. Nicole mentioned previously that we could have pictures around the hotel which gave clues as to what's going in Claudio's mind, his feelings, memories, future etc. perhaps this poem could also be framed - giving an insight as to how Claudio feels in this stage of grief 'bargaining'.
It is important that we go back to the beginning ( we have skipped an important step) as this will help us in future rehearsals. All of our knowledge/ main source of information will come from the original text which we can now use as a platform to move forwards. My research on bargaining is as follows:
Song- 'running up that hill' (Bo Bruce does a good cover). The lyrics reflect this idea of bargaining 'if I were to go, and make a deal with God, and get him to swap our places...'
This is relevant to how Claudio feels- guilty and wanting Hero back alive. Although we had initially decided that the bargaining scene would be the bingo, it could also work in the packing scene where he starts to regret and miss Hero (we could show this through flashbacks)- As part of his final thoughts/ desperation to do anything and 'bargain' before he takes his own life. Potential to be emotional and portray him as vulnerable- as in previous scenes we will be using humour.
Poem-
Bargaining with yourself
lungs beating back and forth
like wary eyes
scared someone might see
and know you've lost it
gone so subtly that
not even you knew
(until this moment).
Not even you noticed
your anchor's been dragging for miles
But still, a bargain.
Self, I will act as though I'm sane
and in exchange
please illuminate me as to
what the hell has happened.
We'll shake on it.
This could be used as an insight to Claudio's mind. Nicole mentioned previously that we could have pictures around the hotel which gave clues as to what's going in Claudio's mind, his feelings, memories, future etc. perhaps this poem could also be framed - giving an insight as to how Claudio feels in this stage of grief 'bargaining'.
Lesson notes 2nd April
1 ) What important discoveries were made during the rehearsal?
Within today's rehearsal, our aim was to begin improvising and experimenting with lifts (Hero and Claudio) for the bedroom scene. Here, we wanted to create juxtaposition (conflicting attitudes and emotions that Claudio has towards his vision of hero). Originally we had decided to only use one hero for the bedroom scene however, we decided to try using all the Hero's (gradually increasing in number as the scene develops- starts with one hero which soon become a trio etc. as more Hero's appear). This reflects how Claudio starts to feel overwhelmed and struggles beneath her power. This becomes evident within the final scenes as Claudio becoming overwhelmed with guilt and the flashbacks of how he badly treated Hero.
2 ) What led to those discoveries?
Our inspiration for this scene was through frantic assembly videos- using physical theatre (particularly in bed scenes) to portray love and anger. There was one moment that we particularly liked- a man and woman duet in a bedroom. Similarly to our piece, the movement signified feelings of love and anger. Each time the movement became more violent and rough, the man would put the woman in his closet/wardrobe. Taking this idea, the Hero's could come out of the wardrobe- one at a time as the scene builds. Therefore the wardrobe could be metaphoric for memories and his mixed emotions/ feelings towards Hero. For example, the first Hero that comes out of the wardrobe could represent love, therefore the movement is gentle yet passionate. The next Hero could represent frustration therefore the movement is more violent, perhaps with bigger lifts and moments of solo dance? Other emotions that could be explored include fear, anger, happiness, joy, hate etc.
Furthermore, we began to use Pinks music video 'try' as inspiration for the lifts. We like the contemporary style of her movement - lifts and dance reflect the same dance idea 'the difficulties of love in a relationship, contrasting between anger and love'. Another aspect of the video that we could use includes paint! Each time pink and her lover fight or end a lift in anger/pain, a new colour paint is thrown at a part of their body e.g. Heart, neck, legs. For each different Hero (who represents a different emotion) they could have their own individual colour of paint. For example love could be red, anger could be orange, frustration could be blue, happiness could be yellow etc. by the end of the performance Claudio is covered in different coloured powder paints. This is a visual way of presenting his emotions towards Hero, rather than wearing his feelings on the inside, he is wearing them physically on the outside!
3 ) Towards where do those discoveries lead?
Although we didn't get very far with the lifts, we now how lots of possible ideas to explore and build on in future rehearsals. We found the lifts difficult as we were trying to recreate them from the music video which presented confusion when working out how to get into and out of lifts. To help us progress with this and perform the lifts safely we are going to research and watch 'how to' videos on YouTube where we will be talked through and demonstrated each step.
4 ) Consider questions No. 1-3 except focus on important roadblocks/dead ends.
Particularly within this scene, the roadblocks will be a combination of mental and physical. The mental roadblocks will be our attitudes towards the dance and lifts e.g. Thinking we can't do something, being too scared to try, not trusting each other etc. whereas the physical roadblocks will include what each Hero and Claudio is physically able and fit to do. We are all at different stages and abilities within dance therefore some people will find certain movements or lifts easier than other. We have to ensure that we consider each of our strengths and weaknesses and construct movement that best suits an individual's capability.
5 ) Reflect on dramatic action and conflict. How’s it going? What actions does this suggest?
This scene especially explores a vast range of dramatic action and conflict- we cover a complete spectrum of emotions! As mentioned earlier, each Hero represents a different emotion therefore the movement within each section will have a different dynamic quality.
6 ) Reflect on transformational leadership. How’s it going? What actions does this suggest?
I feel that we all contributed within today's lesson however I know that I could have been more accepting to trying new ideas - especially the lifts! Despite this however I offered ideas (showing videos) and suggested different ways of trying lifts when we were figuring out how to move into/ out of lifts. Megan seemed to hold the lesson together as she was constantly trying out new ideas and was open to anything new, even if they went wrong! She also kept the rest of the group motivated and willing to continue.
7 ) Reflect on the journey of one or both of the actors with whom you are working. How’s it going? What needs to happen next?
When improvising scenes, I noticed that Amy really understood her character and had a good sense of how this character related to the others (within the original play and our adaptation) and therefore was able to make her relevant to the improv. The amount of knowledge and research she has done into the original play has helped me to realise how important and helpful this is- as it helps us to make more relevant and intelligent decisions. Learning from this, I will watch the film again (including the digital theatre version) and order a copy of the script to annotate.
8 ) What is the most important thing that happened (or didn’t happen) in your recent rehearsal? Unpack its importance.
I think the most important thing that happened was that although we didn't achieve much in the end, we were able to start physically exploring our ideas and discovering what worked/ what could potentially work.
Further to this, we decided to try improvising in character (the beginning hotel reception scene). This didn't work out as well as we had planned - and was a clear indication of the research we still need to do! We didn't completely understand our characters and the improvisation went off topic and wasn't relevant to our play at all! This approach to devising doesn't entirely work with our company therefore we need to accept this and experiment with other methods of devising (once we have done more research into the play!)
9 ) What is the most important thing that could happen in your next rehearsal? How will you shape the rehearsal in order to increase the odds of that “thing” happening?
I think the most important thing within our next rehearsal will to begin systematically assigning parts of the play to different scenes. This will not only help us to research more into the play but will also develop and improve our current ideas for performance- give more substance and 'meaning'/ purpose.
10 ) Consider where you’re at in the grand scheme of all rehearsals. How’s it going? What actions does this suggest?
After today's lesson I have realised that we still have a long way to go! Although I initially thought we were ahead and could start on our devising, i know that I have skipped the most important step- this being 'thorough research'. There is so much more that we could include if we looked deeper e.g. Different themes, personalities and messages hidden within the text.
Within today's rehearsal, our aim was to begin improvising and experimenting with lifts (Hero and Claudio) for the bedroom scene. Here, we wanted to create juxtaposition (conflicting attitudes and emotions that Claudio has towards his vision of hero). Originally we had decided to only use one hero for the bedroom scene however, we decided to try using all the Hero's (gradually increasing in number as the scene develops- starts with one hero which soon become a trio etc. as more Hero's appear). This reflects how Claudio starts to feel overwhelmed and struggles beneath her power. This becomes evident within the final scenes as Claudio becoming overwhelmed with guilt and the flashbacks of how he badly treated Hero.
2 ) What led to those discoveries?
Our inspiration for this scene was through frantic assembly videos- using physical theatre (particularly in bed scenes) to portray love and anger. There was one moment that we particularly liked- a man and woman duet in a bedroom. Similarly to our piece, the movement signified feelings of love and anger. Each time the movement became more violent and rough, the man would put the woman in his closet/wardrobe. Taking this idea, the Hero's could come out of the wardrobe- one at a time as the scene builds. Therefore the wardrobe could be metaphoric for memories and his mixed emotions/ feelings towards Hero. For example, the first Hero that comes out of the wardrobe could represent love, therefore the movement is gentle yet passionate. The next Hero could represent frustration therefore the movement is more violent, perhaps with bigger lifts and moments of solo dance? Other emotions that could be explored include fear, anger, happiness, joy, hate etc.
Furthermore, we began to use Pinks music video 'try' as inspiration for the lifts. We like the contemporary style of her movement - lifts and dance reflect the same dance idea 'the difficulties of love in a relationship, contrasting between anger and love'. Another aspect of the video that we could use includes paint! Each time pink and her lover fight or end a lift in anger/pain, a new colour paint is thrown at a part of their body e.g. Heart, neck, legs. For each different Hero (who represents a different emotion) they could have their own individual colour of paint. For example love could be red, anger could be orange, frustration could be blue, happiness could be yellow etc. by the end of the performance Claudio is covered in different coloured powder paints. This is a visual way of presenting his emotions towards Hero, rather than wearing his feelings on the inside, he is wearing them physically on the outside!
3 ) Towards where do those discoveries lead?
Although we didn't get very far with the lifts, we now how lots of possible ideas to explore and build on in future rehearsals. We found the lifts difficult as we were trying to recreate them from the music video which presented confusion when working out how to get into and out of lifts. To help us progress with this and perform the lifts safely we are going to research and watch 'how to' videos on YouTube where we will be talked through and demonstrated each step.
4 ) Consider questions No. 1-3 except focus on important roadblocks/dead ends.
Particularly within this scene, the roadblocks will be a combination of mental and physical. The mental roadblocks will be our attitudes towards the dance and lifts e.g. Thinking we can't do something, being too scared to try, not trusting each other etc. whereas the physical roadblocks will include what each Hero and Claudio is physically able and fit to do. We are all at different stages and abilities within dance therefore some people will find certain movements or lifts easier than other. We have to ensure that we consider each of our strengths and weaknesses and construct movement that best suits an individual's capability.
5 ) Reflect on dramatic action and conflict. How’s it going? What actions does this suggest?
This scene especially explores a vast range of dramatic action and conflict- we cover a complete spectrum of emotions! As mentioned earlier, each Hero represents a different emotion therefore the movement within each section will have a different dynamic quality.
6 ) Reflect on transformational leadership. How’s it going? What actions does this suggest?
I feel that we all contributed within today's lesson however I know that I could have been more accepting to trying new ideas - especially the lifts! Despite this however I offered ideas (showing videos) and suggested different ways of trying lifts when we were figuring out how to move into/ out of lifts. Megan seemed to hold the lesson together as she was constantly trying out new ideas and was open to anything new, even if they went wrong! She also kept the rest of the group motivated and willing to continue.
7 ) Reflect on the journey of one or both of the actors with whom you are working. How’s it going? What needs to happen next?
When improvising scenes, I noticed that Amy really understood her character and had a good sense of how this character related to the others (within the original play and our adaptation) and therefore was able to make her relevant to the improv. The amount of knowledge and research she has done into the original play has helped me to realise how important and helpful this is- as it helps us to make more relevant and intelligent decisions. Learning from this, I will watch the film again (including the digital theatre version) and order a copy of the script to annotate.
8 ) What is the most important thing that happened (or didn’t happen) in your recent rehearsal? Unpack its importance.
I think the most important thing that happened was that although we didn't achieve much in the end, we were able to start physically exploring our ideas and discovering what worked/ what could potentially work.
Further to this, we decided to try improvising in character (the beginning hotel reception scene). This didn't work out as well as we had planned - and was a clear indication of the research we still need to do! We didn't completely understand our characters and the improvisation went off topic and wasn't relevant to our play at all! This approach to devising doesn't entirely work with our company therefore we need to accept this and experiment with other methods of devising (once we have done more research into the play!)
9 ) What is the most important thing that could happen in your next rehearsal? How will you shape the rehearsal in order to increase the odds of that “thing” happening?
I think the most important thing within our next rehearsal will to begin systematically assigning parts of the play to different scenes. This will not only help us to research more into the play but will also develop and improve our current ideas for performance- give more substance and 'meaning'/ purpose.
10 ) Consider where you’re at in the grand scheme of all rehearsals. How’s it going? What actions does this suggest?
After today's lesson I have realised that we still have a long way to go! Although I initially thought we were ahead and could start on our devising, i know that I have skipped the most important step- this being 'thorough research'. There is so much more that we could include if we looked deeper e.g. Different themes, personalities and messages hidden within the text.
Lesson Notes 4th April
1 ) What important discoveries were made during the rehearsal?
Within today's lesson we began to improvise around the movement in the bingo scene (bargaining) when searching through suitable music for this scene we found Stevie wonders 'superstition'. Although this music contrasts against the atmosphere' originally dark setting ( I had imagined this scene to be dark, scary, unexpected as Claudio discovers Hero's dead body) the comedy in the music works in the way of creating dark humour - the dark and surrealistic nature of this scene is made more prominent through this choice of juxtaposing music. Taking this idea, we also put forwards suggestions for other scenes e.g. Claudio's suicide could be 'that's life'. The audience will be caught up in the humour however his sudden death with shock/ be unexpected and hopefully have a greater impact due to its unpredictability.
Initially we had wanted to work in a comedic style however due to the story line we chose, this was more dark and would therefore suit a darker/ more serious style. Now that we have discovered how to create this dark comedic effect, the dance and music created is also beginning to match this style. For example, we were able to create a dance (using the bingo dauber motif), using a 'show girl' characters, including big feathers, costumes and over dramatic/ melodramatic personalities.
Once we had created this dance, we found a second piece of music which reflected and developed the first section. This is relevant to the mediums within our play with references to 'the cards' which could be the cards with Hero's letters. Here we also experimented with different uses of staging, moving Claudio downstage and performing to a theatre in the round. When performing in the hub, our audience format will be 'theatre in the round' therefore we will be considering this within our dance- how can we involve the audience ( can they be apart of the bingo, set out in tables- so that we are sat among the audience?)
2 ) What led to those discoveries?
As mentioned above, these discoveries were made from the music choice. Because the music choice was contrasting to the atmosphere of the scene, our movement also reflected this style- becoming sexy, 'show girl' and flirtatious. Here we were also able to create further comedy with the characters of the two mediums, Maggie and Ursula. From trying new ideas and being open to any choice (whether it seems right or not) can lead to good decisions and things that work -that we might not have considered before!
3 ) Towards where do those discoveries lead?
Now that we have this idea (and have discovered our style of dark comedy) we can develop and continue working on this scene. As Jonathan said, once we have 'set' a scene or finished devising within that rehearsal, the performance is not set in stone. That's just one possibility or version of the piece, there is much more that we could experiment within it or change - we can't only try out one idea and call it finished! Therefore next lesson we could try working on this again, maybe looking at the staging or playing around with characters.
4 ) Consider questions No. 1-3 except focus on important roadblocks/dead ends.
As mentioned above in question three, there is much more that we can still experiment with within this dance and scene- we don't want to finish it first! As a group we have created a 'car park' where we 'park' all of our ideas, through doing this, any idea we have is stored there temporarily which we could use in future rehearsals and go back to at any time e.g. Parts of the dance we made today could be used in other scenes or we could take the motif and repeat it in a later or previous scene etc.
5 ) Reflect on dramatic action and conflict. How’s it going? What actions does this suggest?
This scene particularly is the turning point, one of the climax points within the play. Up until now the audience believe that Claudio is fairly sane, although they may have their suspicions about Hero, they don't realise she is a ghost! Hero's appearance will be dramatic- the audience only notice her once Claudio notices her. Her dead body (lying across the grid with blood dripping down) is a complete shock - contrast to the fun, bubbly characters shown in the bingo dance. The mood is light hearted and flirtatious, differentiating to the shock Claudio is about to portray in response to Hero's return.
8 ) What is the most important thing that happened (or didn’t happen) in your recent rehearsal? Unpack its importance.
I feel that a lot of new discoveries were made during today's rehearsal, music, style, possible dances etc. now that we are physically starting to devise and rehearse, more discoveries are being made. This is progress from previous lessons where we have been discussing and talking about what we could and should do. Now that we are putting our thoughts into action, we are realising what will work/ won't work and alternative ideas. Our journey has become physical- we are starting to piece together the scenes and structure of our piece.
9 ) What is the most important thing that could happen in your next rehearsal? How will you shape the rehearsal in order to increase the odds of that “thing” happening?
The most important thing that could happen in our next rehearsal includes two things. Firstly, we need to share our feedback done within the Easter break- each returning with more knowledge about the play and how we can use this to further our progress of devising. Secondly we should continue devising the two scenes we have already 'parked' in the 'car park', the bedroom scene and the bingo scene. There is still more known potential and ideas that we have, it would be better to exhaust these ideas first before moving on to other scenes (otherwise we will have a collection of loose ends that will leave our play in confusing fragments!).
Within today's lesson we began to improvise around the movement in the bingo scene (bargaining) when searching through suitable music for this scene we found Stevie wonders 'superstition'. Although this music contrasts against the atmosphere' originally dark setting ( I had imagined this scene to be dark, scary, unexpected as Claudio discovers Hero's dead body) the comedy in the music works in the way of creating dark humour - the dark and surrealistic nature of this scene is made more prominent through this choice of juxtaposing music. Taking this idea, we also put forwards suggestions for other scenes e.g. Claudio's suicide could be 'that's life'. The audience will be caught up in the humour however his sudden death with shock/ be unexpected and hopefully have a greater impact due to its unpredictability.
Initially we had wanted to work in a comedic style however due to the story line we chose, this was more dark and would therefore suit a darker/ more serious style. Now that we have discovered how to create this dark comedic effect, the dance and music created is also beginning to match this style. For example, we were able to create a dance (using the bingo dauber motif), using a 'show girl' characters, including big feathers, costumes and over dramatic/ melodramatic personalities.
Once we had created this dance, we found a second piece of music which reflected and developed the first section. This is relevant to the mediums within our play with references to 'the cards' which could be the cards with Hero's letters. Here we also experimented with different uses of staging, moving Claudio downstage and performing to a theatre in the round. When performing in the hub, our audience format will be 'theatre in the round' therefore we will be considering this within our dance- how can we involve the audience ( can they be apart of the bingo, set out in tables- so that we are sat among the audience?)
2 ) What led to those discoveries?
As mentioned above, these discoveries were made from the music choice. Because the music choice was contrasting to the atmosphere of the scene, our movement also reflected this style- becoming sexy, 'show girl' and flirtatious. Here we were also able to create further comedy with the characters of the two mediums, Maggie and Ursula. From trying new ideas and being open to any choice (whether it seems right or not) can lead to good decisions and things that work -that we might not have considered before!
3 ) Towards where do those discoveries lead?
Now that we have this idea (and have discovered our style of dark comedy) we can develop and continue working on this scene. As Jonathan said, once we have 'set' a scene or finished devising within that rehearsal, the performance is not set in stone. That's just one possibility or version of the piece, there is much more that we could experiment within it or change - we can't only try out one idea and call it finished! Therefore next lesson we could try working on this again, maybe looking at the staging or playing around with characters.
4 ) Consider questions No. 1-3 except focus on important roadblocks/dead ends.
As mentioned above in question three, there is much more that we can still experiment with within this dance and scene- we don't want to finish it first! As a group we have created a 'car park' where we 'park' all of our ideas, through doing this, any idea we have is stored there temporarily which we could use in future rehearsals and go back to at any time e.g. Parts of the dance we made today could be used in other scenes or we could take the motif and repeat it in a later or previous scene etc.
5 ) Reflect on dramatic action and conflict. How’s it going? What actions does this suggest?
This scene particularly is the turning point, one of the climax points within the play. Up until now the audience believe that Claudio is fairly sane, although they may have their suspicions about Hero, they don't realise she is a ghost! Hero's appearance will be dramatic- the audience only notice her once Claudio notices her. Her dead body (lying across the grid with blood dripping down) is a complete shock - contrast to the fun, bubbly characters shown in the bingo dance. The mood is light hearted and flirtatious, differentiating to the shock Claudio is about to portray in response to Hero's return.
8 ) What is the most important thing that happened (or didn’t happen) in your recent rehearsal? Unpack its importance.
I feel that a lot of new discoveries were made during today's rehearsal, music, style, possible dances etc. now that we are physically starting to devise and rehearse, more discoveries are being made. This is progress from previous lessons where we have been discussing and talking about what we could and should do. Now that we are putting our thoughts into action, we are realising what will work/ won't work and alternative ideas. Our journey has become physical- we are starting to piece together the scenes and structure of our piece.
9 ) What is the most important thing that could happen in your next rehearsal? How will you shape the rehearsal in order to increase the odds of that “thing” happening?
The most important thing that could happen in our next rehearsal includes two things. Firstly, we need to share our feedback done within the Easter break- each returning with more knowledge about the play and how we can use this to further our progress of devising. Secondly we should continue devising the two scenes we have already 'parked' in the 'car park', the bedroom scene and the bingo scene. There is still more known potential and ideas that we have, it would be better to exhaust these ideas first before moving on to other scenes (otherwise we will have a collection of loose ends that will leave our play in confusing fragments!).
Saturday, 5 April 2014
'Lovesong' Frantic Assembly
As part of my research I have watched 'Love Song' by Frantic Assembly (Digital theatre). I know that we particularly like the style this company works in- physical theatre! From watching the trailer and deducing from the title I thought this piece might be relevant - as it portrays a couple (past and present) telling the stories of their life together.
Storyline:
A man and woman, caught in a maze of memories, tells the story of a marriage through the recollections – wistful and bitter – of an elderly couple, one of whom is about to die. Their young selves are also on stage: the two couples weave between each other, their words and movements plaiting together to make a lifetime.
I have picked out moments which i thought we may be able to use within our own performance!
1) there is a moment where the older man is speaking about his past, he stands aside as his younger self and younger wife run onto stage ( they surround him and perform whilst he is there, yet the younger couple are unaware of his presence as this is a just a memory/ flashback projected from within the old mans mind).
This 'old man' could be Claudio - as he talks about Hero, the other characters on stage or cast could enter the stage - acting out his memory. Considering that we only have one male in our group we can't really use two Claudio's. However there are ways to problem solve: either one of us could play a male or we could play Hero as a choral character. She could talk and respond as though he's there (she can see him yet the audience can't). Another idea could be that Claudio is present within his own flashbacks- that he talks and responds to a hero that is only present in his mind.
2) there was use of video and animation- this worked well when showing flashbacks (could be another solution for us) and when showing events that physically could not take place on stage e.g. Travelling to another county.
3) there was another moment where the older couple opened the wardrobe ( in their bedroom) and the younger couple ran out - as a transition (the older couple go inside). And continued talking the same speech e.g. The older couple would finish with a sentence that the younger couple would pick up and turn into a relevant situation or topic from the past.
As mentioned in the lesson evaluations, we wanted to use the wardrobe in a similar way. Perhaps this could be part of Claudio's flashback (not just in the bedroom scene). Perhaps when he is packing to leave, he could open the wardrobe and Hero comes out with her 'partner' or talking to Claudio as if he's there - as another flashback.
4) in a similar way, the older couple and younger couple (flashbacks) could interact. For example, there was a moment where the younger and older woman did a duet - the older woman remembering what it was like to be young and reconnecting with her younger self. Also, the younger woman and older man did a duet- he was remembering how she used to be, her youth, beauty and innocence and reminiscing of his past.
We could take this idea so that Claudio can both interact and watch his flashbacks- there could be moments where he physically touches and can talk to Hero or moments where he watches 'himself' and Hero interact.
The flashbacks could represent the Hero of present and Hero of past (could be two different choral groups - three could represent who she is now/ how Claudio made her and three could represent who she was before/ young, innocent, happy, naive).
5) I loved their physical theater dance on the table to represent love- perhaps this could be used in the bed scene. There was also different uses of the bed in dances- people were entering from behind and in between the mattress- we could explore with this to see how we could use the bed creatively and not just using the obvious entrances and exits.
Storyline:
A man and woman, caught in a maze of memories, tells the story of a marriage through the recollections – wistful and bitter – of an elderly couple, one of whom is about to die. Their young selves are also on stage: the two couples weave between each other, their words and movements plaiting together to make a lifetime.
I have picked out moments which i thought we may be able to use within our own performance!
1) there is a moment where the older man is speaking about his past, he stands aside as his younger self and younger wife run onto stage ( they surround him and perform whilst he is there, yet the younger couple are unaware of his presence as this is a just a memory/ flashback projected from within the old mans mind).
This 'old man' could be Claudio - as he talks about Hero, the other characters on stage or cast could enter the stage - acting out his memory. Considering that we only have one male in our group we can't really use two Claudio's. However there are ways to problem solve: either one of us could play a male or we could play Hero as a choral character. She could talk and respond as though he's there (she can see him yet the audience can't). Another idea could be that Claudio is present within his own flashbacks- that he talks and responds to a hero that is only present in his mind.
2) there was use of video and animation- this worked well when showing flashbacks (could be another solution for us) and when showing events that physically could not take place on stage e.g. Travelling to another county.
3) there was another moment where the older couple opened the wardrobe ( in their bedroom) and the younger couple ran out - as a transition (the older couple go inside). And continued talking the same speech e.g. The older couple would finish with a sentence that the younger couple would pick up and turn into a relevant situation or topic from the past.
As mentioned in the lesson evaluations, we wanted to use the wardrobe in a similar way. Perhaps this could be part of Claudio's flashback (not just in the bedroom scene). Perhaps when he is packing to leave, he could open the wardrobe and Hero comes out with her 'partner' or talking to Claudio as if he's there - as another flashback.
4) in a similar way, the older couple and younger couple (flashbacks) could interact. For example, there was a moment where the younger and older woman did a duet - the older woman remembering what it was like to be young and reconnecting with her younger self. Also, the younger woman and older man did a duet- he was remembering how she used to be, her youth, beauty and innocence and reminiscing of his past.
We could take this idea so that Claudio can both interact and watch his flashbacks- there could be moments where he physically touches and can talk to Hero or moments where he watches 'himself' and Hero interact.
The flashbacks could represent the Hero of present and Hero of past (could be two different choral groups - three could represent who she is now/ how Claudio made her and three could represent who she was before/ young, innocent, happy, naive).
5) I loved their physical theater dance on the table to represent love- perhaps this could be used in the bed scene. There was also different uses of the bed in dances- people were entering from behind and in between the mattress- we could explore with this to see how we could use the bed creatively and not just using the obvious entrances and exits.
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