We entered the room and it was lit low with just a light onto the desk where a single knife lay in the centre. He told us to stand two big steps away and then we were to walk slowly towards the table and then reach collectively to the knife and then lift it up together and place it back down in completely silence as he played backing music. We managed this very well, and it showed how you didn’t need to talk to create an impact.
He then told us to imagine that as an opening; with a camera above the knife that projected onto screens so the audience could see what was happening on the table. He then split the group up and told us to do something more once we reach the table, and add a bit of back story.
I was working with Matt and Jake, and we decided that we should each show a different side of a knife crime. Jake played the more ‘gang leader’ type figure, and Matt played the follower who was very violent and slightly messed up, and then I played the victim. There was no talking, and we used a gentle push of the knife that seemed to have a mind of it’s own and the reaction of when the knife reach us to show how we felt about the subject.
We then performed this and watched the other groups performance. One thing I really really liked about the other groups is when they slid the knife across the table and point facing at Chris, he showed the reaction of being stabbed. I think it really caused an effect cos we had no back story, but the way Ciara, Kelly and Emily were pushing it effortlessly showed it was a result of knife crime.
Then, Sir told us about how in the some French theatre, instead of a person physically being shown as stabbed they used the French word for knife ‘couteau’.
We then split into pairs. I worked with Matt and using this idea of ‘couteau’ we performed a scene where he slits my neck. He walks in from the side whilst I sit centre stage and then walks around me, and then blocks me. As I try to move to see the audience, he again blocks my view again. Then walks around to the back of me, as he pulls my hair back he puts his finger across my neck and says ‘couteau’. Once we performed this to the rest of the group, the feedback we received was for Matt to add some whistling while he walks to create eeriness and instead of a physical touch to the neck, he should just pull my hair back and then say ‘couteau’ and I react to it the same way. Once we made these changes we realised that it wasn’t necessarily better, but it was different and gave a unexpected effect because the audience has to focus more. I found this a really interesting approach on the topic, the whole taking away the physical aspect of a stabbing.
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