29|1|14 - Site Specific - Inspired Corridor - Research

At the start of this lesson we were shown a video of a site specific piece of drama done on a single corridor, it showed many places of office work, transporting you to different various locations but the camera angle was fixed. We were given the task to use the voids, and we must use all 3 layers, and the camera had to stay in the same place and could only tilt. This helped us work on our ability to place an audience in order for them to see everything which meant we knew where we could direct our acting. 

We decided that we needed to create a reason for the three different layers, we thought of progression and deterioration. Through this the idea we all felt interested was the decline in mental health. As the camera would tilt down through the voids, we'd see the mental deterioration of the patient as if they'd been admitted from a hospital. 

We had to be aware of the space in which the camera would view, this meant Matt would look at tell us while doing a mock run of our decided parts. This was vital in being able to understand the audiences point of view and the fluidity of the actions. This is the full video: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64woxrC2x28

Reasearch: 

From doing this, I knew that looking into other site specific theatre company's, I'd be able to have a wider knowledge of what happens and if there are reasons for the theatre and the effects. 

'Red Earth'

One company mentioned was 'Red Earth', this company uses large and vast landscapes to inspire their performances. They work throughout the world in places such as Japan, Europe and Mongolia exploring the world live in and altering our views and perception on topics such as climate change and the complex relationship we have with nature. The pieces are a variety of interactive and non interactive. 

What I find interesting about this company is the effectiveness and the incredible nature of the piece, as when we did a small workshop using the outside ourselves, we found the factors very tricky, and these as a company are successful in creating effective pieces of drama. The nature of their pieces often seem exaggerated but in comparison to their stage being so large, their movements hold a lot more power in this way as they carry more meaning. 

'RCINY' 

The Romanian Cultural Institute in New York created a site specific piece called 'The Window' 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzUv4EedXWU 

I was really intereged by the idea of how it was presented to passer byers, and they were allowed to chose the amount of time they watched the performance that actual ran every 20 minutes between 7.30pm to 10.00pm. This broke the traditional theatregoer tradition as it was their personal choice. 

The idea that there is a physical fourth wall, and from the video presented, we can see that the actors are actually speaking, making it all the more interesting as the audience cannot hear - allowing them to make up their own stories. 

I like that business and unpredictable nature of this piece and think it can say something about society and what we perceive to be happening with just what we see. 

Health and Safety 

From this research were told to think more about Health and Safety aspects of a performance. 

This involves actions such as stunts or large movements, making sure we are on a stable support and that there was no harm of injury. 

The idea of lighting, thinking of the outside condiitions and where the effects of the lighting would actually be necessary as we need to think of the audience and how they will be transported. 

The buildings or sites outstanding rules such as fire exits being blocked or other activies or jobs that may be occurring else where in/on the site. 

22|1|14 - Site Specific - Trees

We decided after last week, we needed to create more development of visuals of the script and story in order to create a more in depth piece of theatre that manipulated the surroundings. So for this, we studied '                  ' a piece of Greek Theatre. We did workshops such as freeze framing 3 points within the first part of the story, developing our understanding of character relationships and effectors. 

We were then lead to our site, which used a part of the tree and land section in our school's playground. He gave us a coil of string which we then had to use somehow. By looking at the site we were told to consider the audience and what we'd want them to see. We took pictures of our section of trees and moved back to the drama space. We used chairs to represent trunks of the trees. 

Our group used to the string in order to bind people to the trees and show the spirally downfall and effects that this one event caused. Our ability to use the setting was a struggle at first as we found finding a connection between the story and the surroundings hard to make, so instead we had to focus on the visual impact we could make with story. What we tried to focus on was that the trees were really trees, we did this by making Richard run through the forest, as scripted, as if hiding or getting away from something, the physical interpretation came in to Me Chris and Kelly who were able to play the characters he affected. Every time he passed a trunk, he was holding the ball of string and he could then unravel this as he met characters, there we could do a tiny piece of physical theatre showing the small story they have together, and how they would then get wrapped up into that string. 

By doing this we were able to incorporate the surroundings with our performance and by engaging the fluently we could give a short physical synopsis of the character and his effect on other people. 

As this site specific piece would be held outdoors there are many factors that we would have to consider in order to pull of a strong performance. 

There would be wind that could obstruct volume and effect the movement of props. 

There is also the unpredictable nature of the weather, that could effect the audience, the surroundings and difficulty to move. 

Health and Safety, if the weather effects natural lands and grassy hillsides, slipping may become an issues for both cast members and audience. 

This is where we were told about the legal sides of Site Specific Theatre, and the considerations into Health & Safety that would be necessary. 

15|1|14 - Site Specific - Find Me

We were given sections of the 'Find Me' script and then split into 2 groups to work on the section of script. My group consisted of myself, Chris, Abbie and Emily. For this we had to find a site that we thought we could manipulate for our script. The characters in our script were the Interviewer, the Dad, the Mum, and Verity herself.  We adapted the script to give a feeling of suppressing Verity's thoughts and reasons. The Mother was also very protective of the family reputation, this was also shown in the Dad. We did this by making it so we would finish each others sentences, as if we were changing the end of the sentence in order to hide wrong doings that were happening behind closed doors. 

We decided to start spotted around the staircase, we chose the staircase because the clear links to development and progression. It has links to where people stand and that the higher they stand the more knowledge they have. This is why we decided to have the interviewer start at the bottom and then throughout the piece, as they discovered more about how Verity was handled, she moved up the staircase, this then mean that the mother and father moved further down, as their power standing and how they were viewed meant they moved down the stairs. Verity remained on the centre piece that combined the two parts of the staircase. She attempted to move up to be with her mum, but her father dragged her back down with her violence. The only way she successfully moved up was when the interviewer took her away from her parents to move up whilst the parents moved down.

Because we weren't inspired by the site to use 'Find Me' we found it hard to create a scene that could fully manipulate the surroundings. But what we did find was after watching each others short performances is that the school contained a very institutionalised feel. We discussed other ideas of how we could possibly stage this piece, with mention of a promenade theatre style, where the audiences would be lead round the school. We felt that we all needed to develop our ability to use the surrounding to comply to a piece of theatre in an perceptive and innovative way.  

15|1|14 - Directing - Shadow Theatre

Today we wanted to work on the shadow theatre, as we decided that the entirety of what takes place in grandmothers house would be done behind the sheet as shadow theatre. Kelly took Ruby and James to work on the rape of the grandma, this is the grimmest underlying part that we found when doing research, and we thought it should be included. I stayed with Romina, Megan and our replacement James just for this - Med. 

I really wanted to stir away from using the 'oh what big eyes you have' lines, as I think it makes the performance seem too close to the fairytale, I thought if we could show these lines through the shadows it would be a lot classier and more eerie.  I made it so that Megan was putting the actions over Red, to again show her naive and passive nature. For the final move of the wolf which in the story is usually the climax of 'all the better to eat you with' the sheet folds around Megan and Romina, leaving them curled on the bed, and James can walk side stage ready for his next entrance. 

When Kelly came back, we watched Ruby and James performance. By putting them in a seperate room, it allowed the awkward tension of doing a sexual scene to be removed and they could focus. This is what they created: 

After this, we then showed James what he would be doing along said Romina and Megan, and I went through the end of the final scene with Emelia, Ruby, Med & Abbie. 

Emelia's monologue was explaining the deeper thoughts and feelings of Red while the classic fairytale version was being shown behind her. This split stage is more entertaining for the audience to watch and it created a more emotional connection as we are allowed to empathise with Red. 

Then the Grandmother comes forward as 'the wise woman' and allows Red to understand what happens. This makes Red realise that become old does not protect you, as the cape is a symbol for the period or becoming a woman. 

We show the huntsman being dragged in by Blue, would then starts a fight scene with James. This shows an essence of more modern lifestyle reactions to these actions allowing the audience to connect. It is here where we show this is the 'Little Red Riding Hood' story, but we've highlighted the subtext and underlying messages that are removed for child accessibility. 

8|1|14 - Site Specific - Coins

We're now beginning to look at drama that is inspired by a site. By creating the piece of drama manipulating the surroundings so it could not be performed anywhere but that site. Usually, we would be inspired by a site and then this would give us of an idea of what to perform, but as we're in school, we are limited to adapt scripts to be in an interesting surrounding in school. 

We started the lesson by looking at the script: 

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard

The Play

     Act One
     Two ELIZABETHANS passing time in a place without any visible character.
     They are well-dressed - hats, cloaks, sticks and all.
     Each of them has a large leather money bag.
     Guildenstern's bag is nearly empty.
     Rosencrantz's bag is nearly full.
     The  reason being:  they are betting  on the  toss  of a  coin,  in the
following manner: Guildenstern  (hereafter  'GUIL') takes a  coin out of his
bag,  spins it, letting  it fall. Rosencrantz (hereafter 'ROS')  studies it,
announces it as  "heads" (as it happens)  and puts it into his own bag. Then
they repeat the process. They have apparently been doing it for some time.
     The run of "heads" is impossible, yet ROS  betrays no surprise at all -
he  feels  none. However he is nice enough  to feel a little embarrassed  at
taking so much money off his friend. Let that be his character note.
     GUIL is well alive to  the oddity of it.  He is  not worried about  the
money, but he is worried by the implications ; aware but not going to  panic
about it - his character note.
     GUIL sits. ROS stands (he does the moving, retrieving coins).
     GUIL spins. ROS studies coin.

     ROS: Heads.
     (He picks it up and puts it in his money bag. The process is repeated.)
     Heads.
     (Again.)
     ROS: Heads.
     (Again.)
     Heads.
     (Again.)
     Heads.
     GUIL (flipping a coin): There is an art to the building up of suspense.
     ROS: Heads.
     GUIL (flipping another): Though it can be done by luck alone.
     ROS: Heads.
     GUIL: If that's the word I'm after.
     ROS (raises his head at GUIL): Seventy-six love.
     (GUIL  gets up but has nowhere  to go. He  spins another  coin over his
shoulder  without  looking  at  it,  his  attention being  directed  at  his
environment or lack of it.)
     Heads.
     GUIL: A  weaker  man  might  be  moved  to re-examine  his faith, if in
nothing else at least in the law of probability.
     (He slips a coin over his shoulder as he goes to look upstage.)
     ROS: Heads.
     (GUIL, examining the confines of the stage,  flips over two more coins,
as he does so, one by one of course. ROS announces each of them as "heads".)
     GUIL (musing): The law of probability,  as it  has been oddly asserted,
is  something  to do  with  the  proposition that  if  six  monkeys  (he has
surprised himself)... if six monkeys were...
     ROS: Game?
     GUIL: Were they?
     ROS: Are you?
     GUIL (understanding): Games.  (Flips a coin.) The law of averages, if I
have got this right, means that if six monkeys were thrown up in the air for
long enough they would land on their tails about as often as they would land
on their -
     ROS: Heads. (He picks up the coin.)
     GUIL: Which at  first  glance  does  not  strike one  as a particularly
rewarding speculation, in either sense, even without the monkeys. I mean you
wouldn't  bet  on it.  I  mean  I would, but you wouldn't... (As  he flips a
coin.)
     ROS: Heads.
     GUIL: Would you? (Flips a coin.)
     ROS: Heads.
     (Repeat.)
     Heads. (He looks up at  GUIL - embarrassed laugh.) Getting  a bit of  a
bore, isn't it?
     GUIL (coldly): A bore?
     ROS: Well...
     GUIL: What about suspense?
     ROS (innocently): What suspense?
     (Small pause.)
     GUIL:  It must be the law of  diminishing returns... I  feel the  spell
about to be broken. (Energising himself somewhat.)
     (He takes out a  coin, spins  it high,  catches it, turns it over on to
the back  of  his other hand, studies the coin - and  tosses it  to ROS. His
energy deflates and he sits.)
     Well, it was a even chance... if my calculations are correct.
     ROS: Eighty-five in a row - beaten the record!
     GUIL: Don't be absurd.
     ROS: Easily!
     GUIL (angry): Is the it, then? Is that all?
     ROS: What?
     GUIL: A new record? Is that as far as you prepared to go?
     ROS: Well...
     GUIL: No questions? Not even a pause?
     ROS: You spun it yourself.
     GUIL: Not a flicker of doubt?
     ROS (aggrieved, aggressive): Well, I won - didn't I?
     GUIL (approaches him - quieter): And if you'd lost? If they'd come down
against you, eighty -five times, one after another, just like that?
     ROS (dumbly): Eighty-five in a row? Tails?
     GUIL: Yes! What would you think?
     ROS  (doubtfully):  Well... (Jocularly.) Well, I'd have a  good look at
your coins for a start!
     GUIL  (retiring):  I'm  relieved.  At  least  we  can  still  count  on
self-interest as a predictable factor... I suppose it's the last to go. Your
capacity for trust made me wonder if perhaps... you, alone...
     (He turns on him suddenly, reaches out a hand.) Touch.
     (ROS claps his hand. GUIL pulls him up to him.)
     (More  intensely): We  have  been spinning coins together  since  - (He
releases him almost as violently.) This is not the first time we spun coins!
     ROS: Oh no - we've been spinning coins for as long as I remember.
     GUIL: How long is that?
     ROS: I forget. Mind you - eighty-five times!
     GUIL: Yes?
     ROS: It'll take some time beating, I imagine.
     GUIL: Is that what you imagine? Is that it? No fear?
     ROS: Fear?
     GUIL  (in fury -  flings  a coin on the  ground): Fear! The crack  that
might flood your brain with light!
     ROS: Heads... (He puts it in his bag.)
     (GUIL sits  despondently.  He takes  a  coin,  spins  it, lets  it fall
between his feet. He looks at it, picks it up; throws it to ROS, who puts it
in his bag.)
     (GUIL takes another coin, spins it, catches it, turns it over on to his
other hand, looks at it, and throws it to ROS who puts it in his bag.)
     (GUIL tales a third coin, spins it, catches it in his right hand, turns
it over on to his loft wrist, lobs it in the air, catches  it  with his left
hand, raises his left leg, throws the coin up under it, catches it and turns
it over on  to the top of his head, where  it sits. ROS comes, looks  at it,
puts it in his bag.)
     ROS: I'm afraid -
     GUIL: So am I.
     ROS: I'm afraid it isn't your day.
     GUIL: I'm afraid it is.
     (Small pause.)
     ROS: Eighty-nine.
     GUIL: It must be indicative of something, besides the redistribution of
wealth. (He  muses.) List  of  possible explanations. One:  I'm willing  it.
Inside where nothing shows,  I'm the essence of a man spinning double-headed
coins, and betting against himself in private  atonement for an unremembered
past. (He spins a coin at ROS.)
     ROS: Heads.
     GUIL:  Two: time has stopped  dead, and a single experience of one coin
being spun once has been repeated ninety times... (He flips a coin, looks at
it, tosses it to ROS.)  On the whole,  doubtful. Three: divine intervention,
that is  to say,  a good turn from above  concerning  him, cf.  children  of
Israel, or retribution from  above  concerning me, cf.  Lot's wife.  Four: a
spectacular  vindication of  the  principle  that each individual  coin spun
individually  (he spins one)  is as likely to come down  heads  as tails and
therefore should cause no surprise that each  individual  time it  does. (It
does. He tosses it to ROS.)
     ROS: I've never known anything like it!
     GUIL: And syllogism: One, he has never known anything like  it. Two: he
has never known anything  to write home about. Three, it's  nothing to write
home about... Home... What's the first thing you remember?
     ROS: Oh, let's see...The first thing that comes into my head, you mean?
     GUIL: No - the first thing you remember.
     ROS: Ah. (Pause.) No, it's no good, it's gone. It was a long time ago.
     GUIL (patient but edged): You don't  get my meaning.  What is the first
thing after all the things you've forgotten?
     ROS: Oh. I see. (Pause.) I've forgotten the question.
     GUIL: How long have you suffered from a bad memory?
     ROS: I can't remember.
     (GUIL paces.)
     GUIL: Are you happy?
     ROS: What?
     GUIL: Content? At ease?
     ROS: I suppose so.
     GUIL: What are you going to do now?
     ROS: I don't know. What do you want to do?
     GUIL: I  have no  desires. None. (He  stops pacing  dead.)  There was a
messenger... that's right.  We  were  sent for.  (He  wheels at ROS and raps
out.) Syllogism  the  second: one: probability  is  a factor which  operates
within natural forces. Two, probability is not operating as a factor. Three,
we  are  now within  un-,  sub-  or  supernatural forces.  Discuss.  (ROS is
suitably startled - Acidly.) Not too heatedly.
     ROS: I'm sorry, I - What's the matter with you?
     GUIL: A  scientific  approach  to the examination  of  phenomena  is  a
defence against the pure emotion of fear.

This is the extract of the script we were given, it is the very beginning of the play. We had a discussion about context of the play and how they are characters from Shakespeare's 'Hamlet'. The fact they now have a play about them is a comical part by itself as the characters are a minority part that in the end die. The play follows what they do in the time that they are in the background, watching them question the purpose of their existence.

We took this idea of waiting and had to use the voids in the school building that are split between three layers, given a batch of coins that we were then able to use in the script to pass of the idea of coin flipping and passing the time.  

Working with Richard, we developed the characters, and used the voids and the idea of movement to reflect this, and in this, he would move between the voids with more pace and as he is the was the character that did not win the coin toss it emphasised his lack of luck. For myself, I used the voids in order to show my power, as I won after the first load of coin tossing, I moved onto the same level in order to show I was winning. 

I liked this expect of using the site in order to create links into the performance. It allowed us to make the space appear as something more, what we would need to consider is the audiences point of view and how we have to adapt our performance in order for them to see it. 

8|1|14 - Directing - Wolf & Red Interaction

After working this piece of movement out with Emelia and James, they attended extra rehearsals where we would work on making each lift fluid so it looked like each of James actions were effortless to emphasise Red's passivity on the whole situation.