26|03|14 - 'Find Me' - Site Specific Final Performance

Setting up:
We went around with two members of the MITIE company to discuss where we would like lighting to be dimmed, these had to comply to their safety regulations meaning every other light could be off, but the others had to be on but dim. This was, although not originally what we wanted, actually turned out to be a lot better as the audience had better sight of the performance and meant that less accidents could happen. For the stairs, the lights would be virtually gone, but as their are also windows we were counting on dim natural light as well as setting up our own LED lights to give scenes more atmosphere and colour. 

We then cleared out the classroom at the end, covered walls inside (and boards outside of the classroom) with black poster paper to remove any aspects of a school building, we then put up phrases said by a doctor's in order to calm down patients. We also took any posters that were on doors or stairs down so the building didn't feel so much like a school. I then painted the pictures that would be used, these were child like, as if I no longer painted to be talented, (as we later see a good drawing held by stage one verity) these paintings also looked more disturbing in such a way.

For the audience, we wanted to transport them into a different world, to do this instead of receiving a ticket, they received a badge and label in which they had to write their name on, on the back of this were instructions that complied with health and safety, encouraging them staying with the doctors. 

For costume, we borrowed lab coats from the science department and we were also fortune to be able to borrow some 'scrubs' to show differences between nurses and doctors, giving a more realistic feel to the institution as different people have different power status within. The three Verity's were able to buy the same nightie and created the same look with their hair in order to create as much familiarity for the audience to understand.

We recorded two videos of the performance: 

Overall, I think the performance went fluidly without issues. I felt we engaged the audience so they felt invested in Verity and added to frustration as she does not get better and instead becomes mentally unstable to the point she becomes suicidal. I think aspects we could've improved on, were the audiences sight as I think for the number we had in the audience the viewing was difficult for people who weren't on the first or second row. I also think if we had more LED lights we should've lit up the last classroom as the TV didn't light up the room as much as we thought it would. Here is my interview with Mr Chipp discussing further aspects of our Site Specific piece 'Find Me' : 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Drt0Kig_KWo

19|3|14 - Site Specific - 'Find Me' - Piecing it Together

As we wanted the piece to run smoothly telling one story as a whole, we made sure we paid contribution to each others sections to keep a sense of fluidity. As there was not much need for me and Emily in the second half, we decided that as the last scene was Verity's suicide, and instead of having the whole audience crowd into the bathroom, which wouldn't allow everyone to have a clear view, we dicussed the idea of CCTV footage being shown on a TV in a classroom that the audience were lead too. As a full company we helped with the filming, giving direction and moving the equipment. We had a variety of thoughts into how it should be filmed whether it is in point of view or consistently CCTV. To keep with the logicality and realistic aspect of the performance, we decided it would make more sense to keep it to the CCTV footage. To make it eerie, we decided to have me and Emily stood either side of the TV screen to show the future that they are holding whilst in the institution. 

We then lead a full run through of the entire performance, making sure that we all had the ability to get to our next scene without being seen by the audience. This was especially for me and Emily, as the audience is directed the same way that we need to go, for this we had to run and hide in the room. This creates an eerie feel as the audience will not know how we have managed to get from one place to the other. With the use of the various stair cases we were all able to sucessful find ways to get to our next scene. 

We also added in extra elements of 'scare' by using rooms and corridors throughout the building with short snippets into the mental institutional life. This consisted of using the 'staff toliets' on the way to the stairs scene, and within Mia and Richard would create a distraught scene where she is bashing on the door and Richard as a doctor is telling her to 'calm down, count to 10'. After the stairs scene, we decided to show Abbie, the third Verity, being dragged across the top of the stairs just as the audience leaves to go to the third scene, this meant we had to have an extra room left unlock so that as soon as the audience came out the sight of anybody being there was gone making the atmosphere heighten. Especially when she next appears in the next scene as if she was never in the previous place. 

For the guides, they created simple and vague scripts that allowed them to keep control of the audience and allowed them to utilise the site around them in order to create a more engaging performance. 

12|3|14 - Site Specific - 'Find Me' - Legality

As we have to be aware that we are using a Site for the performance that is technically not owned by the school during the hours, we have to treat the location as a separate site. This means that we have discuss terms with MITIE the company that owns the school in order to come to an agreement on how we can use the building, with this we had to write a letter discussion what was needed, this is mine: 

Dear MITIE,

I am writing on behalf the N2C Theatre Company inquiring the use of your building that has the desired structure for a piece of theatre we’re hoping to present to a small public audience. The Play will require the use of the entirety of the school including A floor, B floor and the use of C floor for the cast members to move to their next scene. We will incorporate use of the voids and require the space outside of the music department and the student reception area. Staircases 1 and 4 will be used by cast members only and staircase 2 will be used for staging and for the audience to move around. We also require alterations to lighting for certain parts of the school.

Little alterations are desired to create a hospital institution feel; this includes removal of signs, such as those on the staircase, which will be returned to their places after the performance. We will also cover up school boards with black poster paper which will again be removed after the performance. During the performance we will stick our own pictures on the wall on staircase two and in the B7 classroom. These will be removed after the performance and will leave no damage to the school property. As a cast we will also empty the B7 classroom of tables and chairs to the classroom next door and will then be placed back to their original place after the performance. The company would also like to use their own LED lights, these will use the main plug sockets and we will take full responsibility of the set up and removal of them. We’re also hoping to cover a majority of the floor space outside the music department in toys; the audience will then be lead through the toys in order to reach the next scene. There is a low risk of any injuries as we will have normal high lighting for this section of the corridor.

As we are using members of the cast to lead the audience around the school we will feed in the health and safety talk directed at the audience. This will address the emergency exits and that they will need to listen to the cast members at all times. This will prevent people from leaving the group and wandering into parts of the school where staff may still be working. This shouldn’t be an issue as it will only be an audience in between 20 – 30 people which will be easy for 2 – 3 cast members to control.

There will also be a copy of the standard Risk Assessment forwarded to MITIE which will address any hazards we may see arise in development of the performance and how we will reduce the risk of injury to the audience and cast.

I hope that in reading this letter we have provided your team with enough information and detail into the use of the building in order to discuss a booking fee of the building and any equipment we intend on hiring.

Yours Sincerely,
N2C Theatre Company

And these are photos of the risk assesment done for MITIE evaluating hazards that may occur during the performance and how we can prevent/deter injuries or accidents happening: 

5|3|14 - Site Specific - 'Find Me' - Transition & Doctors

For our third scene we wanted to include the Verity from the other group in order to show we are the 3 stages of Verity's mental downfall. We found a part of the script where we saw the five Verity's tell the same story but with the same theme our piece had. We decided to use a Berkoff style with jerky movements and synchronisation to hint at the duality of the characters. We used the main stair case of the building as this allows us to create the vision of showing the stages and who's at the top (best mental health) Emily, and Abbie coming from the bottom  (lowest mental health) to meet after I read a poem that makes no sense and has input from both Verity's as if they are voices in my head. 

They physically meet and we begin our joint monologue that talks about our favourite hobby swimming. We can see the changes in our opinions, views and general ways of how we talk about the hobby and what that reflects on our mental state. The focus of why we swim changes in each, showing that Verity has, with time in the hospital, been able to uncover the true reasons. 

First Verity: the love of winning and going fair with it. 

Second Verity: her father supporting her and motivating her to go far

Third Verity: being alone, in the Verity Lake in the Verity mountains. 

This then allows a smooth transition into the second casts work as they can follow that Abbie is the third Verity. Abbie becomes hard to control when taking her away, and as the same happens to me and Emily, the audience is able to see the different levels of force needed when taking us away and how the stay in the mental hospital has not helped support Verity. 

Here are some pictures from the transition scene rehearsal process: 

26|2|14 - Site Specific - 'Find Me' - Stairs

This scene was for myself, as the second stage of Verity's mental decline. To continue the theme of Verity breaking rules, we decided that the idea of her putting up paintings on the wall that gradually become more eerie would be a good way to look into aspects of Verity's life outside of the hospital that may have affected her. 

I decided that I would go through my half of the script and find lines that were actually used in scenes, and instead paint those scenes and say those lines. The images would progressive get worse bringing up bad memories that 'haunt' Verity. the progression of lines were: 

'I wish I bought my party dress, I love dressing up. I just want to look pretty' 
-this relates to how Verity is an ordinary girl and still has these ideal wants in her life while she is stuck in a hospital nightie. 

'Has the enfant got her napkin on her lap? because that is the polite thing to do! oh good bon bon!' 
-this talks of her time in france with her family, she misses the memory of being able to go to places with her family. 

'Regardes regardes everybody, mums drunk! look everyone! mums drunk!' 
-Using the french shows way the france memory might not be so happy. It also helps to develop the memories Verity has of her family and her mother being an alocholic is not a good sign. 

'Dad! I'm here! Did you miss me?! Dad I'm here did you miss me?!' 
- showing that she feels distant and ignored by her father, the relationship is no longer close and she wishes for it to be closer. 

'You go first, you have to catch me but ahha you can't catch me' 
-this idea of a childrens game is given a new meaning when it becomes the thought of them chasing Verity to be put inside the hospital. To her, she feels as if everyone is chasing her away, to her is feels like no one is trying to catch her. 

'I don't want to go'
- we decided this could mean the parents discussing her being put into the hospital, and Verity not wanting to go. We decided this should be said sincerely, to make the audience sympathise with her and not see her as just a stroppy child. 

'The fire! the beautiful fire! they're going to drown me! they're going to kill me! the bastards are going to drown me!' 
-This will have an image of the chair - the final straw before Verity was admitted to the hospital. At this point we will have the doctors dragging Verity off, to use the Site, I will reach my arms through the bars to show them struggling to contain Verity. 

We also thought about Alex being sat as her doctor, accepting Verity doing wrong with sticking paintings to the walls, asking her questions. Showing their desperation to alter Verity's behaviour in comparison to the last scene. 

Here is the scene in it's first 'draft': 

Development:

With Alex there, we found there the question idea worked, this also meant I was able to work a lot more on my expressions and how I feel towards the answers of the questions and the doctor himself. I felt this created a more eerie feel to the scene as I never answer any of his questions, only progressively become more mentally unstable. 

I decided to work on a variety of tones in order to create a more interesting performance as the movement is limited. I also developed this because I didn't want it to be to static, this meant I worked on using the bannister and the wall in a to and fro creating a zig zag movement up the stairs, which without being too distracting is more interesting to watch. 

We also decided that after I am taken away, the audience will be lead the same way I went. We thought that it would be interesting if we did a 'flashback' moment where we see the younger Verity draw a picture and place it on the wall as a sort of reverse foreshadowing to show that these aspects of Verity's behaviour are a regular occurrence. 

This is the video after the second week: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vM1F7RMJBIs

and a vlog including the whole of my cast discussing these scenes.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9HK3EA7UQA

19|2|14 - Site Specific - 'Find Me' - Village

We decided that as a cast we would have three Verity's, this would mean that in each cast: 

Cast One: Kelly and Chris guide 

Emily: Verity One (first admitted, slight behavourial difficulties) 

Poppy: Verity Two (tantrums more common, behaviour uncontrollable) 

Alex: Doctor One (focused on the look of the hospital rather than the patients themselves) 

Matt: Doctor Two (kind towards the patients with a hint of sexual luring) 

Cast Two: Alex and Matt guide

Abbie: Verity Three (lost control, suicidal) 

Chris: Father and Doctor

Kelly: Mother and Doctor

Mia: Nurse

Richard: Doctor

Using the script, we saw a part that we liked where Verity isolated herself by creating her own world around her. In doing this, we wanted her to have toys surrounding her. We decided to use the space outside the music department as it was wide open, it was also at a junction just near the entrance meaning it would be a good place to start the performance. 

We wanted to show Verity as a younger child, and by using the toys it was reflected. When the doctors enter, we see how this attempting of controlling Verity is unsuccessful. We wanted to develop two types of doctors that would show the failure of the hospitals job on the patients. This is why Matt's approach, seeming like the correct approach, of kindness, it later undermined in the second casts when Verity says a doctor raped her. Alex's approach is harsh, and it is clear that this abrupt and harsh nature will only spur Verity on rather than allow her to calm down. We decided to use the space further and unnerve the audience by having her run through them to use the Site further so she can run up the stairs that are situated behind them. This leaves the doctors on the 'set' to dispute their methods. This also gives a chance for us to break the wall, as we decided to have Chris cough (one of the guides) to stop the argument, as if the hospital puts on a front for the visitors. 

Here is a vlog done with Matt and Emily on blocking this scene and the stairs scene.

Vlog Village&Stairs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VggwVQJ9Kww 

Development: 
We decided that as the audience walk down the first part of the corridor before they turn onto Verity, that all they should see is a lego house that is perfect. This house will be the 'perfect' of ideal house, but it won't have any windows or doors, representing Verity's inability to escape. 

We worked on ideas of Verity's tone, and when she would be angry, and trying to show anger though different tones. A slow and steady tone that happens when Verity is grabbing the doctors arm holds a lot of power as it shows she's holding back more anger. 

We were able to develop the use of violence and the language between the doctors and Alex had returned for this lesson, in this the clarity of their being a 'head' doctor, and that doctor we decide to portray as the more unfriendly one, we are more understanding of how Verity may not be contained easily if it is not handled by the right person. 

We also decided that having the entire floor covered with toys would be a lot more interesting, especially linking to the line 'you've nearly filled the whole floor'. This shows that there is limitations in Verity's life that she enjoys breaking, is ignorant to the rules or needs of those around her and this can either make the audience dislike her, or take pity as she shouldn't have been taken to such extremes as being placed in a mental facility. 

Here is the Village scene after the two weeks of working on it: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUu9lyt3Wro&feature=youtube_gdata_player

12|2|14 - Site Specific - 'Find Me' - Introduction

Today we decided that we would be using the script 'Find Me' as a stimulus for our site specific piece. We were all excited and positive about this as we felt out of all the workshops we did, the Find Me task was the most successful and engaging piece. We were split into two casts, myself working with Alex, Matt and Emily and the second cast consisting of Abbie, Kelly, Chris, Mia and Richard. Sir gave my cast the first half of the scrip and the second half the last half. As our separate casts we read our parts of the script then as we were using our school location as our site, went to find places we thought could work to give the feeling of a mental institution. 

The story within 'Find Me' follows the story of the girl Verity Taylor who was admitted to Broadmoor hospital after reoccurring acts or tantrums that became uncontrollable. To fit this into the play, we decided that the first half (my half) would create the background stories that progressive lead up to the second cast, which show reasons and answers to Verity's behaviour and the consequential effects that has on the ending of Verity's life. 

Character Workshop:

Group: Verity's cause for being institutionalised was breaking and setting fire to a chair. The first activity we did was to create 4 freeze frames, for my group it was the idea of what happened before she was placed in the institution. We started by having Verity ignored at the dining table, then moving into her brother and father dragging her on the floor, this then moved into the mother showing desperation into wanting her to be helped, or to become 'normal' and the fourth was the mother being pushed out and verity's head being pushed into a bath. 

We then joined with the other group who worked on what happened to Verity in her time in the institution which consisted of her being raped by a doctor. We were asked to merge the two images, by this we brought in the idea of 'duality' through this we had two Verity's - Abbie and Emily. We made it so that everyone else was a doctor, and through this we could adapt the mother to being a doctor that actually wanted to help and support, but there were restrictions to this. We liked this idea of physical theatre were Verity had no control over the constant analytical pressure she was under and how this might of effected her suicidal ending. 

Individual: Mr Chipp asked us all to lay down and think of a time when you lost control, he then asked us a series of questions that made us develop why we lost control and if we right in that. He then put a chair in the centre of the space, he told us to one at a time come and sit in the chair, from this, he would then ask us a series of questions. The questions had a strong connection to Verity's home life, and in the way they would have dealt with the issue of the broken chair. There was an apprehensive nature to sit on the chair within the group perhaps because we were unaware of how the activity would play out. Sirs tone of questioning changed with each person, focusing on a different aspect, and it was through this that were able to see a variety of ways that doctors or family may have handled the situation. As we all had the emotions within us, when Mr Chipp was asking Matt the questions we all became emotional and they made us feel the guilt and the unknowing nature of the lack of control. From this we felt the three main points were medication, entrapment and blame.  

The idea of medication felt like a way of placing help that should maybe have come from family members with verbal support was being subsidised for drugs that only temporarily become the solution and can be done forcefully. The idea of locking the patients with mental health in an institution raised the point that being removed from society hindered them from making progression to achieving a 'normal' lifestyle, and through this their mental health might actually deteriorate due to the confined space and lack of emotion connections that would be able to make within the hospital. 

Through this we saw entrapment, this idea of being imprisoned physically, mentally and emotionally. By linking to our emotions we felt that loosing control was breaking free from this feeling of being trapped, linking to why Verity might have broke the chair. It is through this we saw the possibility of negative affects the restraining nature of the hospital might have on her as being trapped may only cause her to feel more enclosed resulting in more moments where she feels she must loose control and consequently cause damage. This is because she feels mental imprisonment and her inability to get better whilst in the hospital. Using the hospital itself is a physical place where she cannot escape, and we wanted to reflect this nature in our piece, which felt right when the architecture of our school was actually similar to those of prisons.  

Blame is also a running theme, the parents act as if Verity is the only one to blame which is why they remove responibility completely by putting her into Broadmoor. Verity often finds any opportunity to place the blame onto other people but what we find interesting if there was an aspect of her that knew she was partly to blame. 

Site Exploration:

While walking around the school we identified various amounts of places that we thought were interest, we knew we wanted to use a staircase but we didn't know which would be best, after moving around the school we realised that staircase 2 would be best as it is the most enclosed and dark staircase from where it is situated, as it is near to the entrance of the school building meaning it wouldn't be a far walk for the audience. We liked the space outside of the music department as it had a 'crossroad' feel, applying to the start of Verity's time and the number of directions in which her mental health could've gone. We decided to then use the main staircase in order to transition with the next cast as it allowed the next cast to get there as well as being an accessible point to go to the next place within school. It became apparent that we now had places that we had a clear connection with, it was now the characters within the story that needed development. For this we did workshop.