Throughout this module we as an ensemble have had the opportunity to see some fantastic theatre companies come to the LPAC, and found this a really strong tool when it came to deciding what kind of show we wanted to debut as a company. Particular performances that really stood out for me personally where Focus Group, 1972: The Future of Sex and Wail. Being the set designer for the company I loved the simplicity and minimalism Toot used with the singular table used in Focus Group; with a filing cabinet set up downstage right of it. This simplicity made transition changes crisp and fluid by the effective readjusting of the table, from being stood at a 180 degree angle to a 45 degree. I was drawn to this set design in it being so straightforward, heightened by these changes being used by the actors, visual to the audience, watching the performance in a traverse staging.
This simplicity is also true of the Wardrobe Ensemble’s performance of 1972: The Future of Sex, the use of just a few chairs and a table where enough, when re-positioned to create a new environment. A personal favourite of mine in this performance was the bedroom and hallway of the character Anthony. The stage completely bare and the actor taking a few steps forward or back to create the illusion of speaking from behind the bedroom door as Anthony’s father; and then switching back into the bedroom to play Anthony’s reactions.
Since our performance has developed from focusing on moments of love to moments of life, we have found that the daily delusions of everyday people provides a fascinating representation of individuality and great opportunities for moments of artistic creativity. We have hence integrated another full scene of physical theatre, this time with dance incorporated movement.
The main scene that I am now choreographing is the Handyman’s delusion, also known as the ‘space scene’; this involves the character building a rocket and flying into space. It holds elements of escapism, as well as him chasing his dreams – all executed through the means of physical theatre. When thinking of movement, I began by researching ways to represent anti-gravity. I considered that the best way to represent anti-gravity was through the use of lifts, leans and balancing methods. For these to be implemented, ensemble work is necessary and therefore teamwork is crucial.
To prepare for choreography, I watched many spacewalk videos to analyse the speed, pace, and the physicality of astronauts.
After watching videos such as these, I noted the height, bounciness and floating elements of the movement and started to use the ensemble to practice ways to represent space walking. Our experiments can be seen from the video below.
After experimenting with base movements, I had to find a story within the choreography. Through discussion and character analysis, I worked with the director to develop the scenes narrative to hold representations of the Handyman chasing his dreams, but unable to reach or touch them. To portray this in a visually stimulating way, I incorporated a female dancer into the piece to represent a personified embodiment of the galaxy. The act of chasing his dreams can then be more clearly portrayed through a series of chasing sequences, as well as creating a magnetic draw between the Handyman and the Galaxy, yet having no contact between the dancers. Below are some video examples of this: here you can see the ensemble experimenting with leans and lifts, whilst incorporating the chase and non-contact elements.
We also often film in slow motion to analyse our intricate movements in more detail. This helps each actor clearly see where they need to improve, and how every part of their body works throughout each movement.
Graham and Hoggett talk of the importance of filming rehearsals when creating physical theatre. For their rehearsals with Frantic Assembly, the choreographers explain how “the video camera became a necessity in the rehearsal studio” (Graham and Hoggett, 2009, 33). The media provides actors to reflect of how their movement looks to an outside party; “[i]t is there to show you what you don’t yet know” (ibid, 35). I will continue to film videos for the actor’s benefit, so we can continue to improve and develop the movement scenes, and analyse the details of the choreography.
amovees (2013) Astronauts tripping on the surface of the Moon. [online video] Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2adl6LszcE&feature=youtu.be [Accessed 19 April 2017].
Graham, S. and Hoggett, S. (2009) The Frantic Assembly book of Devising Theatre. Abingdon: Routledge.
NTDTV (2012) Neil Armstrong – First Moon Landing 1969. [online video] Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwZb2mqId0A&feature=youtu.be [Accessed 19 April 2017].
Towards the end of our show, we started to finalise all of the delusion which will take place within the show. Leaving us only with Emma’s character Louisa remaining to have her delusion, with the story line explaining her character gave up love for her job and she did not gain the position, leaving her character in a position of questioning whatever she made the right choice.
For this final delusion, we wanted to explore other contemporary styles other then our previous sections such as physical theatre, dance and mime. This lead towards the group decision to explore how media could be applied to our performance. The group wanted to start by agreeing that this should be about her life, in the style show what her life could of been if she had chosen love over work.
Our, group took inspiration from the sit-com Scrubs season eight final. This episode was the characters JD’s exit from the show, showing how his time at Sacred Heart and he began to think about what the future would bring (scrubs, 2009).
The group thought this style of projecting the future through home movies would be a interesting style in how to finish our show and the last delusion. The video would allow the audience to see the life that Louisa had chosen not to pursue as well give the audience a style of media which could be consisted quite relateable if the video is shot in a home movie style, making the piece more moving.
After agreeing that this video was a style of performance that we wanted to presue, i began to research songs which may fit this style of video. My final choice was Billy Joel’s She’s always a women (1977). The song ironically expresses how women are strong indiviauls which i believe suits Emma’s character, as throughout the play we see here cold business women style, however i believe with this song it could contrast this character showing her more loving emotional side.
Works cite
PrimMichael JA (2009) Scrubs Series 8 – My Finale – JD Montage/Vision Of His Future. . Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=War9m52LrV4 [accessed 18 April 2017].
coolvideo76 (2008) Billy Joel – She’s Always a Woman. . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4nQB3V10i8 [accessed 18 April 2017].
Scrubs (2009) [television]. E4. Season 9, episode 19.
We a new show, comes a fresh start. However we couldn’t just throw away everything we’d already done. The opening scene was originally set in an office during the 1950’s and was a physical theatre scene, this first start was our inspiration for our silent film opening. In the original scene, a tyrant of a boss made sure his office worked like clockwork, a lightbulb was broken and a handyman came in to fix it. There he fell in love with the assistant and we’d rush through their life as a couple.
Set in an office in the 1920’s ‘The Boss’ falls in love with his assistant, same as before the light is broken and a handy man comes to fox it. The assistant finds him attractive and is whisked away. We took inspiration from Mack Sennett’s ‘Barney Oldfield’s Race for A Life’ the classic well known silent film where the ‘Damsel in Distress’ is tied to a set of train tracks. We also looked at Charlie Chaplin’s films and took inspiration of the slapstick comedy and the physical attributes these characters encompasses. This delusion ends with the Handyman turning out to be a villain and placing The Assistant on a set of ladders, that make a train track. This delusion brings the story back into reality, into the office.
Here is such an important moment, it sets the tone for how every other delusion will end. This one snaps back into reality with bright white lights meant to be the lights of the train and a projection of a train headed towards the audience. The projection then turns into spreadsheets, printers and phones can be heard and they are transported back into the everyday office.
The reality then is effected by the delusion itself or in a sense mirrors it. Within the real state office Michael (The Boss) is in love with Beth (The Assistant) who is aided by Tom (The Handyman) and seems to enjoy his affections.
Change Before Going Productions (2012) Barney Oldfield’s Race for a Life
Through discussion and exploration as a company, we have begun to shape our performance into a narrative that follows seven strong characters, and we have finally arrived at a destination for our shows name: Kalopsia. Kalopsia has developed from focusing specifically on love, to focusing on individuals and their hopes, dreams, and true selves. Our performancehas therefore been shaped to consist of two modes of performance: office life, and delusions. There is a stark contrast between these two modes, the office life is performed in a realistic format, whereas the delusions are artistic, contemporary representations of the limitless possibilities of the imagination. The delusions are where my focus as choreographer is, as particular styles of movement and physical theatre come into play.
The first delusion is a representation of a silent movie. Because of the lack of sound in this form, the physicality has to be visually gripping and have clear indicators as to what is happening, as well as having a strong storyline to keep viewers gripped. This is achieved through the archetypal use of a hero, a villain, and a damsel in distress. Such characteristics are seen in Commedia Dell’Arte, and so physical characterisation from this era of theatre can be put into practice.
To begin my research, I took the three characters of the villain, hero and damsel, and analysed the different movements each would adopt.
The villain is typically a suited or caped man with a moustache, who hunches over and rubs his hands together. Of the Commedia Dell’Arte characters, I related our villain closely to Brighella: “he is capable of intrigue, deceit, making a mockery of the entire world with his mordant, salacious wit” (Rudlin, 1994, 86). He can woo the ladies with his persuasion and “rakish attraction” (ibid, 87). He also stays calm whilst hatching his cunning plans, but gets more excited as his plans spring into action.
The hero, on the other hand, stands tall and strong which the stereotypical ‘hero’ gestures on crossing the arms or showing his strength. Despite this, our hero is more of a wishful thinker. I have related this character to Pedrolino/Pierrot. Though he suffers constant unrequited love, and he is “bottom of the pecking order[, …] he never loses his dignity” (ibid, 134), much like our hero of the silent movie delusion.
The Damsel in distress is especially feminine, and relies solely on the hero to save her. I have connected this archetype to the innamorata (female lover); it is known of these characters that “[t]he Lovers exist very much in their own world” (ibid, 109). Our damsel is especially similar to the famous Isabella, who is a “prima donna […] developed from innamorata, but less dilettante, more perspicacious” (ibid, 116).
I have passed on my conducted research to the actors of these characters, with the intention for them to begin to study their characterisation and physicality. These Commedia Dell’Arte characters provide the actors in this scene with a base point on which to physically act and what gestures and stances to incorporate. I will work more on their physicality once an understanding on the characters has been established.
The silent movie genre has very particular characteristics; namely, the overdramatised gestures and physicality of archetypes. Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977), one of the most famous silent movie actors of his time, was my next point of reference when researching for this delusion. His very particular and peculiar walk clearly shows the overdramatised style that we need in our first delusion.
A primary part of the silent movie scene is drawn on the well-known cliché of tying a woman tied to the train tracks. We drew from this to emphasise the overdramatisation and delusion aspect of the scene, and tap into the well known aspects of the medium. This also offered a strong storyline for us to follow which would be easy for the audience to understand, which explained above is important for a medium that lacks dialogue and speech. Also, evident from the Charlie Chaplin video above, there is a sped up nature to silent movies, and so within the movements I aim to keep a heightened pace to represent this without it looking rushed. We made sure to draw on the comedic element of silent movies as this is something which has prospered throughout its history . I believe physical comedy is a strong way to begin our performance of Kalopsia as it engages the audience’s attention and prepares them for further moments of humour in the following scenes of the play.
JoseMonkeys (2011) Charlie Chaplin – The Lions Cage. [online video] Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpjEyBKSfJQ&feature=youtu.be [Accessed 8 April 2017].
Rudlin, J. (1994) Commedia Dell’Arte an Actor’s Handbook. London: Routledge.
