Callery states that “Devising is rooted in the concept of the creative actor developing idea’s from tasks”. (Callery, D.2002: pg 165) In the creative process of 'four ways to speak out' one of the key strategies of devising that were used involved the usage of play. Introducing the play method enabled us to experiment without the need of a stimulus. This provided an adequate amount of freedom which enabled us to create pieces to levels in which we may never have experienced. It also allowed us to express ourselves in a way that uses our bodies to create pieces rather than our minds. Referring back to semester 1 we learnt a palette of techniques in our play sessions. The techniques that we had learnt have been proven to be extremely beneficial when creating pieces for ‘four ways to speak out’. The reason being is that our bodies are now trained to hold different body weights and we remember certain movements through body memory. Another strategy that has been fundamental throughout this process is the clap method. The clap method has proven to be a success throughout our ensemble pieces as it has provided the opportunity for each person to provide an input by creating a gesture that relates to domestic abuse. It is important that when devising different pieces, we should not allow ourselves to become precious with the creations we have made as this is a working process and ideas will constantly change throughout. “Devised theatre can start from an infinite number of possibilities such as an idea, image, concept, object, poem, piece of music or painting and the precise nature of the end product is unknown”(Oddey.A, 1994, pg.1).
In the beginning my character was portrayed to be a woman full of confidence, extremely self involved and likes to think of herself as a highly respected individual that the community aspire to. As she was the owner of a wine bar i imagined her to be the type of person who was the life and soul of a party and was friends with the whole community. I also had a sense that my character was not the nice person that everyone perceived her to be. Although she was friends with the missing lady, there was a huge resentment towards her that my character kept hidden. Throughout the process of p&p, my character has transformed into the opposite of what i imagined her to be. As my character was placed into a trio working with Huma and Sarah, it has changed my perspective. My character is no longer this confident, colourful individual. She has become extremely paranoid and feels over protective over her two other friends. She no longer feels any resentment towards the missing woman and is deeply concerned about her well being. As the three of us have lost our dear friend which has had a huge impact on us, i am determined to keep the other two women safe from Andy.
Throughout the process of the performance, my characters physicality had transformed into the opposite of what it once was. At the start of the process when walking around the space, my spine was straight, the shoulders were back and i held my head high making slow movements to walk around the space. When we were placed in our trio as my character had changed, my whole body language began to mold with my new character. When walking around the community my spine is curved and i am constantly looking around to see how far Andy is away from me. My pace has began to speed up and my facial expressions are never relaxed. During the piece there becomes a point in which i regain my confidence but this only lasts a few minutes. This is during the first duet piece, as i travel the room to reach my partner my spine is straight, the shoulders are back and my head is held high. For some unknown reason during these few minutes, i am no longer afraid of Andy and he is no threat to me. The character that i now portray would not have been the character i would of chose but it does fit well in the sections i work in.
Bibliography
(Oddey. A. Devised Theatre: A practical and Theoretical handbook. London, Routledge, 1994)
(Callery.D Through the Body. London, Routledge 2001)
Friday, 26 March 2010
Wednesday, 24 March 2010
Blog Assessment 2.
Grecia CHARPIN. Student Nº: 0916113
1. “Four ways to speak out” as a form of is a physical theatre, has been devised using a large range of devising features to create a product with a specific content: the inner and outer reactions to Domestic Abuse as a social issue present in our societies nowadays. Our response together as an ensemble to this issue stands to my view, as one the first key strategies that have appeared intrinsic from the beginning of the creating process. Our journey started from our responses to stimulus presented under different forms, such as various objects disposed distinctively in the space, music, and ideas. “Devised theatre can start from anything. It is determined and defined by a group of people who set up an initial framework or structure to explore and experiment with ideas, images, concepts, themes, or specific stimuli that might include music, text, objects, paintings, or movement” (Oddey,A, 1994, Devising Theatre,p.1). Following then, specific tasks helped us to generate a series of gestures and movements either aesthetic and stylistic or pedestrian in relation to them, in order for us to give an interpretation of what these objects could awake in our minds and bodies. We have also developed our characters through written responses positioning the narrative in the time and space we felt appropriate, a fact that has given us certain confidence in terms of delivering our roles emotionally - a strategy that has paid back as the characters have grown in the story. To develop the tasks we have used among others the clap method so we all could have a personal contribution to the product gaining in objectivity and effectiveness. We have explored and tested small routines including those movements through improvisation, codified archetype forms, ensemble pieces, duets, and reactions of the characters sometimes as emotions emerged. This allowed us to give strong and sometimes very natural responses, not only physical but with psychological and symbolic cultural resonance as well, thanks to the diversity of the member’s multicultural and multi-gender background. “Devised theatre offers the opportunity to groups of artists to try out ideas or notions that were not text-led. It provoked the potential for a designer, Choreographer, o performer to initiate a concept or starting point of performance” (Oddey,A, 1994, Devising Theatre,p.1). Putting into practice the whole palette of skills typical to physical theatre, such as body memory, awareness of the space and the partners, distribution of weight, as well as the hybrid character of this expression. Through the use of music, written text, physical movements, and dance, we have reached our final stage, and the narrative is now complete.
2. My character was born as a response to what she could have been in relation to this missing woman. As it, she was one of this woman’s next-door neighbours in her building. At the beginning, it was quite clear what the depths of her intimacy with this woman were, what her position in the community was and where she was when she last saw the missing woman -in my particular case it was in the street accompanying her to the post office to send a letter to her brother. She was really worried by what was going on next door, she knew something was not right and she knew it was something hard to say, something taboo. On the other hand, she never asked this woman to explain the situation, she was somehow powerless. Therefore, when in desperation this woman asked her for help she didn’t hesitate to accompany her to what ever she needed to do, in this case to the post office. As the narrative developed, my character suffered some changes. As we settled the need to have 4 representative women, instead of only one interacting in different situations, and the idea of the environment also created in more representative locations of one community, such as the bar, the street, and this missing woman’s bedroom (as one personal touch connected to this woman) the purpose and reason of my character somehow disappeared, (this includes the props needed to her description) and developed into something more general: one of the community neighbours who saw this missing woman in the street.
3. My character development takes place mainly in the street. Through different situations she goes, she experiences emotional ups and downs related mainly to this woman’s reactions seen in the flash backs as the story is narrated. When the actions take place in the street the movements developed are quite artistic, in an ensemble routine with some pedestrian gestures added in order to portray women reactions when getting ready and also when interacting with the opposite gender. Following this encounter with the boys in the street, then interacting violently with them as they try to take control of this woman, we developed more sharp violent movements which include catches and falls – my character in particular takes a high jump into the woman’s boyfriend in her last attempt to stop him from taking control of this woman. For this bit the trust in my partner is crucial as he takes my full weight on him, so I need to lighten my body weight by means of shifting my centre of gravity through my pelvis position, using some key points to lean on him, stretching my spine and keeping my muscles tight as much as possible from the beginning in order for him to take me to the highest point possible above him without any difficulties. On the way down as my character will be just thrown out of the way, this time I need to make my body heavy without loosing control, so again it can be achieved safely. To give more meaning to this section we also decided to repeat this woman’s movements in a sort of robotic way, the aim is to portray in us women from the community as this woman has if we were in her situation. The other key moment when my character makes great physical movements is in the chaotic ensemble where I receive weight from my partner in different falls during the section, and I transfer mine as well in different jumps and up lifts. In those moments, a neutral position when catching my partner is essential, as well as the right stance, in order to no only produce the movements without any harm but also gain my partner’s trust and deliver a sense of lightness.
Bibliography:
1- Callery , D (2001) Through the body, London: Routledge.
2- Oddey,A, 1994, Devising Theatre
1. “Four ways to speak out” as a form of is a physical theatre, has been devised using a large range of devising features to create a product with a specific content: the inner and outer reactions to Domestic Abuse as a social issue present in our societies nowadays. Our response together as an ensemble to this issue stands to my view, as one the first key strategies that have appeared intrinsic from the beginning of the creating process. Our journey started from our responses to stimulus presented under different forms, such as various objects disposed distinctively in the space, music, and ideas. “Devised theatre can start from anything. It is determined and defined by a group of people who set up an initial framework or structure to explore and experiment with ideas, images, concepts, themes, or specific stimuli that might include music, text, objects, paintings, or movement” (Oddey,A, 1994, Devising Theatre,p.1). Following then, specific tasks helped us to generate a series of gestures and movements either aesthetic and stylistic or pedestrian in relation to them, in order for us to give an interpretation of what these objects could awake in our minds and bodies. We have also developed our characters through written responses positioning the narrative in the time and space we felt appropriate, a fact that has given us certain confidence in terms of delivering our roles emotionally - a strategy that has paid back as the characters have grown in the story. To develop the tasks we have used among others the clap method so we all could have a personal contribution to the product gaining in objectivity and effectiveness. We have explored and tested small routines including those movements through improvisation, codified archetype forms, ensemble pieces, duets, and reactions of the characters sometimes as emotions emerged. This allowed us to give strong and sometimes very natural responses, not only physical but with psychological and symbolic cultural resonance as well, thanks to the diversity of the member’s multicultural and multi-gender background. “Devised theatre offers the opportunity to groups of artists to try out ideas or notions that were not text-led. It provoked the potential for a designer, Choreographer, o performer to initiate a concept or starting point of performance” (Oddey,A, 1994, Devising Theatre,p.1). Putting into practice the whole palette of skills typical to physical theatre, such as body memory, awareness of the space and the partners, distribution of weight, as well as the hybrid character of this expression. Through the use of music, written text, physical movements, and dance, we have reached our final stage, and the narrative is now complete.
2. My character was born as a response to what she could have been in relation to this missing woman. As it, she was one of this woman’s next-door neighbours in her building. At the beginning, it was quite clear what the depths of her intimacy with this woman were, what her position in the community was and where she was when she last saw the missing woman -in my particular case it was in the street accompanying her to the post office to send a letter to her brother. She was really worried by what was going on next door, she knew something was not right and she knew it was something hard to say, something taboo. On the other hand, she never asked this woman to explain the situation, she was somehow powerless. Therefore, when in desperation this woman asked her for help she didn’t hesitate to accompany her to what ever she needed to do, in this case to the post office. As the narrative developed, my character suffered some changes. As we settled the need to have 4 representative women, instead of only one interacting in different situations, and the idea of the environment also created in more representative locations of one community, such as the bar, the street, and this missing woman’s bedroom (as one personal touch connected to this woman) the purpose and reason of my character somehow disappeared, (this includes the props needed to her description) and developed into something more general: one of the community neighbours who saw this missing woman in the street.
3. My character development takes place mainly in the street. Through different situations she goes, she experiences emotional ups and downs related mainly to this woman’s reactions seen in the flash backs as the story is narrated. When the actions take place in the street the movements developed are quite artistic, in an ensemble routine with some pedestrian gestures added in order to portray women reactions when getting ready and also when interacting with the opposite gender. Following this encounter with the boys in the street, then interacting violently with them as they try to take control of this woman, we developed more sharp violent movements which include catches and falls – my character in particular takes a high jump into the woman’s boyfriend in her last attempt to stop him from taking control of this woman. For this bit the trust in my partner is crucial as he takes my full weight on him, so I need to lighten my body weight by means of shifting my centre of gravity through my pelvis position, using some key points to lean on him, stretching my spine and keeping my muscles tight as much as possible from the beginning in order for him to take me to the highest point possible above him without any difficulties. On the way down as my character will be just thrown out of the way, this time I need to make my body heavy without loosing control, so again it can be achieved safely. To give more meaning to this section we also decided to repeat this woman’s movements in a sort of robotic way, the aim is to portray in us women from the community as this woman has if we were in her situation. The other key moment when my character makes great physical movements is in the chaotic ensemble where I receive weight from my partner in different falls during the section, and I transfer mine as well in different jumps and up lifts. In those moments, a neutral position when catching my partner is essential, as well as the right stance, in order to no only produce the movements without any harm but also gain my partner’s trust and deliver a sense of lightness.
Bibliography:
1- Callery , D (2001) Through the body, London: Routledge.
2- Oddey,A, 1994, Devising Theatre
Gemma Sage - Blog Two - 24th March
One key strategy for devising is collaboration; something that has been central in the creative process of Four Ways to Speak Out. Beginning in semester one, the group learnt very quickly the importance of collaborative input. Through workshops involving contact improvisation we learned to form an ensemble and learnt to trust our instincts. As Nancy Clarke Smith said in 1987, “The earth is much bigger than you are so you'd better learn to co-ordinate with it.”
Our community in Four Ways to Speak Out is expressed and portrayed through a series of ensemble phrases. By co-ordinating with gravity, the world around us and each other we are able to work alongside each other much more efficiently and effectively. In Physical Theatres; A Critical Reader, John Keefe and Simon Murray mention the importance of feedback and error correction. Each of our sessions ends in a debrief, where we can share opinions and concerns. Devising is a process which requires honesty in order to fulfil the needs of the piece and of the group, so the feedback given should always be taken openly; making any necessary adjustments or changes. There is no room for being ‘precious’ with the creation and as long as the criticism is constructive, it can be crucial to the development of a piece. Lastly in devising comes the performance. Usually a group work for a given amount of time to create a piece and perform at the final stages of the duration. Four Ways to Speak Out will be a showcase of the years efforts and attempts. All of the above, along with the constant feedback will help the growth of characters and produce a solid ensemble performance. It is “a narrowing of the gap between intended and actual motor and musical effects.” (Keefe and Murray:2007:69)
My characters journey in Four Ways to Speak Out began somewhat hazy and unsure. As with any devised production, the end seems an awful distance away and involves a process of which one is yet to ground oneself in. The letter of help from my character had been of confusion rather than upset and requested as a last resort, rather than an immediate reflex. I did not feel much attachment to the missing woman and felt a lack of engagement with the work. I think it was hindered greatly when I missed a pivotal session in the creation of a story.
At the start of this semester we were then asked to choose four members of the group to represent the missing woman. The role of the woman has helped me engage fully with the story and by exploring her scenarios each session; it has been only natural for the ‘woman’ character to develop. By continuous reworking and revisiting of certain scenes and persistent development of the ensemble work, it has required the group to forge relationships and not create a false environment. Due to the defining of the ‘woman’, my ensemble character has now developed also. At first, I believed I could use the character in the letter to enhance the suspicious notion of the group. Through improvisation, however, I quickly realised this was not possible. In the devising and playing, I felt that the community were interacting with me too often for me to ignore them, so I interacted back and became a part of the ensemble. My character now socialises with others in the bar or in the street and does not care, before we learn of the rape; after which I tend to protect others in the community and reject Andy.
My characters physicality changes during the piece depending on the emotional content of the work. The ‘Woman’ begins by being moulded into the woman her friends want her to be, and the love interest that the boys want her to be. Her body is extremely stiff, with every movement appearing to be an effort. Her legs do not move freely; they are forced left and right; the weight transferred to the calves. As the woman is taken over by her partner, her core strength is not visible and the weight is transferred throughout her body; seeming to be located in the pelvis. Her spine is arched to signal depletion. Gravity is working against her.
My ensemble character begins in contrast however. Gravity is used in conjunction with her and her spine is upright, with open body language; signifying a comfortable relationship with her body.
Keefe, J & Murray,S. Physical Theatres: A Critical Reader (2007). Routledge
Our community in Four Ways to Speak Out is expressed and portrayed through a series of ensemble phrases. By co-ordinating with gravity, the world around us and each other we are able to work alongside each other much more efficiently and effectively. In Physical Theatres; A Critical Reader, John Keefe and Simon Murray mention the importance of feedback and error correction. Each of our sessions ends in a debrief, where we can share opinions and concerns. Devising is a process which requires honesty in order to fulfil the needs of the piece and of the group, so the feedback given should always be taken openly; making any necessary adjustments or changes. There is no room for being ‘precious’ with the creation and as long as the criticism is constructive, it can be crucial to the development of a piece. Lastly in devising comes the performance. Usually a group work for a given amount of time to create a piece and perform at the final stages of the duration. Four Ways to Speak Out will be a showcase of the years efforts and attempts. All of the above, along with the constant feedback will help the growth of characters and produce a solid ensemble performance. It is “a narrowing of the gap between intended and actual motor and musical effects.” (Keefe and Murray:2007:69)
My characters journey in Four Ways to Speak Out began somewhat hazy and unsure. As with any devised production, the end seems an awful distance away and involves a process of which one is yet to ground oneself in. The letter of help from my character had been of confusion rather than upset and requested as a last resort, rather than an immediate reflex. I did not feel much attachment to the missing woman and felt a lack of engagement with the work. I think it was hindered greatly when I missed a pivotal session in the creation of a story.
At the start of this semester we were then asked to choose four members of the group to represent the missing woman. The role of the woman has helped me engage fully with the story and by exploring her scenarios each session; it has been only natural for the ‘woman’ character to develop. By continuous reworking and revisiting of certain scenes and persistent development of the ensemble work, it has required the group to forge relationships and not create a false environment. Due to the defining of the ‘woman’, my ensemble character has now developed also. At first, I believed I could use the character in the letter to enhance the suspicious notion of the group. Through improvisation, however, I quickly realised this was not possible. In the devising and playing, I felt that the community were interacting with me too often for me to ignore them, so I interacted back and became a part of the ensemble. My character now socialises with others in the bar or in the street and does not care, before we learn of the rape; after which I tend to protect others in the community and reject Andy.
My characters physicality changes during the piece depending on the emotional content of the work. The ‘Woman’ begins by being moulded into the woman her friends want her to be, and the love interest that the boys want her to be. Her body is extremely stiff, with every movement appearing to be an effort. Her legs do not move freely; they are forced left and right; the weight transferred to the calves. As the woman is taken over by her partner, her core strength is not visible and the weight is transferred throughout her body; seeming to be located in the pelvis. Her spine is arched to signal depletion. Gravity is working against her.
My ensemble character begins in contrast however. Gravity is used in conjunction with her and her spine is upright, with open body language; signifying a comfortable relationship with her body.
Keefe, J & Murray,S. Physical Theatres: A Critical Reader (2007). Routledge
blog assessment 2. charmaine chambers 0920286
Charmaine chambers – 0920286
There have been an array of strategies which have enabled the creative process of four ways to speak out, most of these strategies became areas in which we researched and developed ideas, emotions, and movement as an ensemble. Through the process, stimuli work developed from letter writing this also built on the initial character or feelings towards the missing women. The research process became a gateway to the score, validate and finally the performance sections. The idea of the research process is to collate many ideas and sections to either be eliminated or considered for the content. For four ways to speak out, devising was used to develop responses, emotions, physicality and sounds to add familiarity to the chosen topic. In the later stages of research we worked as an ensemble and collaboratively used a group response method by the use of clap to illustrate an idea in a considered and engaging manner this was a direct result of the naturalistic acting style as an improvisation in the space; using the missing women’s belongings created the emotional layer needed to embody the performance. The strategies demonstrated used play, stimuli and improvisation to add material and content, which allowed the building of individual characters and an ensemble who’s feelings differed but who also shared the same loss; the missing women. As a group we shared awareness for one another in the space even if we were not physically in the action we remained a part of the section through our individual energy to support the space. “ creating a bridge between energy and consciousness, between states of intensity and states of consciousness” ( Callery, 2001, pg 22)
The first set task for four ways to speak out was the trigger to my character and to the relationship my character had with the missing women. The growth of my own character has developed from the first letter I wrote and it is apparent that as a member of the ensemble in four ways to speak out, one should not become precious over any developments, contributions or sections in the piece. My character has been refined over the last few weeks, I think it can be fair to say this was not a conscious decision; instead I worked with the ensembles emotions and my instinctual response in the space and with the group. As the piece developed and the missing woman developed so has my character. As a character I feel a sense of anger as I was unaware of the true life she was living. Initially I wrote that my character was close to the missing person and that I was a business women who was highly known in the community, although this notation of characterisation was essential to the growth of the women and the piece it has also became a highly pivotal point that thinking of ideas which seem like they can work, will not always work when in the space or communicating physically with one another. Although working as an ensemble member i do not change my characterisation as this refined character has become the emotions and feeling I have experienced once in the space and I believe this gives all the other member’s of the ensemble a new energy to strive off, having distinct characteristics add to the development of the piece and the content of the performance.
My character’s physicality has altered from the start of the development of the piece till now. I have used the use of repetition and have continuously shown a shift in weight through lifts and falls throughout the process of four ways to speak out. Being part of the ensemble I embark on a lot of catches and falls, I am predominately a catcher so my body’s position is mostly in neutral, this is a conscious way of enabling my body to be ready to distribute some one’s weight and to support my own weight safely, effectively and effortlessly . The use of neutrality enables physical improvisation work to arise it is like a “blank page” ( Callery,2001, pg 33). The use of improvisation creates the ability to explore risks in work without set boundaries, my character’s physicality becomes heavy, as emotionally i experience the life i didn’t know about the missing women. In individual scenes my character uses repeated sequences and movements to create an almost mantra, it occurs to me that repeating gestures physically allows my body’s memory and my mind to remember that the chain of events in the missing women’s life was repeated and in a cycle.
Bibliography
Callery , D (2001) Through the body, London: Routledge.
There have been an array of strategies which have enabled the creative process of four ways to speak out, most of these strategies became areas in which we researched and developed ideas, emotions, and movement as an ensemble. Through the process, stimuli work developed from letter writing this also built on the initial character or feelings towards the missing women. The research process became a gateway to the score, validate and finally the performance sections. The idea of the research process is to collate many ideas and sections to either be eliminated or considered for the content. For four ways to speak out, devising was used to develop responses, emotions, physicality and sounds to add familiarity to the chosen topic. In the later stages of research we worked as an ensemble and collaboratively used a group response method by the use of clap to illustrate an idea in a considered and engaging manner this was a direct result of the naturalistic acting style as an improvisation in the space; using the missing women’s belongings created the emotional layer needed to embody the performance. The strategies demonstrated used play, stimuli and improvisation to add material and content, which allowed the building of individual characters and an ensemble who’s feelings differed but who also shared the same loss; the missing women. As a group we shared awareness for one another in the space even if we were not physically in the action we remained a part of the section through our individual energy to support the space. “ creating a bridge between energy and consciousness, between states of intensity and states of consciousness” ( Callery, 2001, pg 22)
The first set task for four ways to speak out was the trigger to my character and to the relationship my character had with the missing women. The growth of my own character has developed from the first letter I wrote and it is apparent that as a member of the ensemble in four ways to speak out, one should not become precious over any developments, contributions or sections in the piece. My character has been refined over the last few weeks, I think it can be fair to say this was not a conscious decision; instead I worked with the ensembles emotions and my instinctual response in the space and with the group. As the piece developed and the missing woman developed so has my character. As a character I feel a sense of anger as I was unaware of the true life she was living. Initially I wrote that my character was close to the missing person and that I was a business women who was highly known in the community, although this notation of characterisation was essential to the growth of the women and the piece it has also became a highly pivotal point that thinking of ideas which seem like they can work, will not always work when in the space or communicating physically with one another. Although working as an ensemble member i do not change my characterisation as this refined character has become the emotions and feeling I have experienced once in the space and I believe this gives all the other member’s of the ensemble a new energy to strive off, having distinct characteristics add to the development of the piece and the content of the performance.
My character’s physicality has altered from the start of the development of the piece till now. I have used the use of repetition and have continuously shown a shift in weight through lifts and falls throughout the process of four ways to speak out. Being part of the ensemble I embark on a lot of catches and falls, I am predominately a catcher so my body’s position is mostly in neutral, this is a conscious way of enabling my body to be ready to distribute some one’s weight and to support my own weight safely, effectively and effortlessly . The use of neutrality enables physical improvisation work to arise it is like a “blank page” ( Callery,2001, pg 33). The use of improvisation creates the ability to explore risks in work without set boundaries, my character’s physicality becomes heavy, as emotionally i experience the life i didn’t know about the missing women. In individual scenes my character uses repeated sequences and movements to create an almost mantra, it occurs to me that repeating gestures physically allows my body’s memory and my mind to remember that the chain of events in the missing women’s life was repeated and in a cycle.
Bibliography
Callery , D (2001) Through the body, London: Routledge.
Tuesday, 23 March 2010
Blog Post 2 - Toni Alonzo (0800786)
When devising work for physical theatre, there needs to be a different approach to ensure that it is creative, but also safe for the members of the group. We have used a number of devices to get material created during our process of Four Ways to Speak Out and many of them stem from a stimulus or a given task. As Oddey states “Devising begins with the interaction between the members of a group and the starting point or stimulus chosen. The group absorbs the source material, responds to it and then generates a method of of working appropriate to the initial aims of the company and project” (Oddey, 1994, p24) When given a stimulus to work from, the members of the group then absorb this and create material. To create content and material in a fair way where all members get a chance to give a gesture, one of the methods we have been using is the clap method. We are given an intention or emotion that we must create and then, if we have a gesture that matches this emotion, we clap and display the gesture for the members of the group to see. This method is simple to used and allows all members to have the opportunity to present a gesture to be used. The development this offers to individual characters is creating gestures that this character would associate with their personality, as well as creating a sequence that can be performed by the group as a whole. Other methods include being given tasks and then responding to these using a method such as the clap method to create content. These tasks often provide steps for character development, as well as narrative progression.
Character development is a key feature of this work and as the process of narrative develops, so do individual characters that are created. It is hard to realize at the beginning how much your own character can progress so much and I have found mine to be developing new habits and traits each week. As a performer, I have experienced the changes of my character developing mostly from the way the narrative has progressed. The more we learnt about the missing women and her reason for her disappearance, the more my character has changed. To begin with, my character represented how I felt as part of the community. She was a loner, not really interacting with other members of the community, choosing instead to watch the actions of others. As the weeks continued, my character began to come out of the shell slowly, getting closer to the action and beginning to become involved with the interactions. Change has been important because my character has to function as a member of the community and has to not only react to the woman disappearing, but react to how all the other members of the community react to her disappearance. Where we are now, I feel that my character although having developed throughout the process still has development to experience and I will keep developing my character right up until the last performance. This is a journey that not only a character takes, but you as a person experience.
“When actors are aware of their own habitual ways of moving, and have a grasp of general phenomena, such as the image created by transferring weight, or pushing the pelvis forward or backwards, they can depart from their own characteristic movement and embody others” (Callery, 2001, p72)
To look at my characters physicality, I must look at my own physicality. “When actors are aware of their own habitual ways of moving, and have a grasp of general phenomena, such as the image created by transferring weight, or pushing the pelvis forward or backwards, they can depart from their own characteristic movement and embody others” Knowing the way your own body works and understanding the way it moves can help you begin to create a characters characteristics. This way, the character can become more alive and become a true part of the narrative you are creating.
To begin with, my character seems to be relaxed and playful. I'm not standing up straight, I don't walk with a straight posture. I am slightly slumped, relaxed in the area. However, as the narrative continues, a number of changes happens. During my flashback, there is a playful side seen to my character as she gets ready for a night out. However, when I interact with an image of the missing woman, I am playful, but give a sinister vibe. I offer no comfort to the woman, instead treating her like as doll as we get her ready. However, I find that my physicality changes entirely once we found out what Andy has done to this woman. I become very protective of every other member of the community and use my presence to protect them from him.
Bibliography
Callery D (2002) Through the body London: Routledge
Oddey, A (1994) Devising Theatre: A practical and theoretical handbook London:Routledge
Toni Alonzo
0800786
Character development is a key feature of this work and as the process of narrative develops, so do individual characters that are created. It is hard to realize at the beginning how much your own character can progress so much and I have found mine to be developing new habits and traits each week. As a performer, I have experienced the changes of my character developing mostly from the way the narrative has progressed. The more we learnt about the missing women and her reason for her disappearance, the more my character has changed. To begin with, my character represented how I felt as part of the community. She was a loner, not really interacting with other members of the community, choosing instead to watch the actions of others. As the weeks continued, my character began to come out of the shell slowly, getting closer to the action and beginning to become involved with the interactions. Change has been important because my character has to function as a member of the community and has to not only react to the woman disappearing, but react to how all the other members of the community react to her disappearance. Where we are now, I feel that my character although having developed throughout the process still has development to experience and I will keep developing my character right up until the last performance. This is a journey that not only a character takes, but you as a person experience.
“When actors are aware of their own habitual ways of moving, and have a grasp of general phenomena, such as the image created by transferring weight, or pushing the pelvis forward or backwards, they can depart from their own characteristic movement and embody others” (Callery, 2001, p72)
To look at my characters physicality, I must look at my own physicality. “When actors are aware of their own habitual ways of moving, and have a grasp of general phenomena, such as the image created by transferring weight, or pushing the pelvis forward or backwards, they can depart from their own characteristic movement and embody others” Knowing the way your own body works and understanding the way it moves can help you begin to create a characters characteristics. This way, the character can become more alive and become a true part of the narrative you are creating.
To begin with, my character seems to be relaxed and playful. I'm not standing up straight, I don't walk with a straight posture. I am slightly slumped, relaxed in the area. However, as the narrative continues, a number of changes happens. During my flashback, there is a playful side seen to my character as she gets ready for a night out. However, when I interact with an image of the missing woman, I am playful, but give a sinister vibe. I offer no comfort to the woman, instead treating her like as doll as we get her ready. However, I find that my physicality changes entirely once we found out what Andy has done to this woman. I become very protective of every other member of the community and use my presence to protect them from him.
Bibliography
Callery D (2002) Through the body London: Routledge
Oddey, A (1994) Devising Theatre: A practical and theoretical handbook London:Routledge
Toni Alonzo
0800786
Wednesday, 3 March 2010
blogg assessment 1- charmaine chambers 0920286
Process and performance as a module is an exploration of the physical theatre genre. The module is understood through its physical direction and teaching. Aspects such as body - memory, physical techniques, play, awareness, contact improvisation and sexuality became the starting point to the creative process of the module.
As a genre, physical theatre uses the body as a medium to communicate; it differs from the mainstream of theatre because it doesn’t rely on the process of words to convey emotion or social challenges. Body memory is a feature unfamiliar to most; it is an aspect which solely relies on the bodies’ awareness as apposed to the mind. As Lecoq said the “body knows things about which the mind is ignorant”(Callery,2001,p.4)
The importance of conditioning the body to its upmost physicality is a predominate element; it is the body that is used for the means of communication therefore the body should reach those boundaries to create a story. It is fair to say that the majority of people over think situations, processes and underestimate their physical ability; this thinking acts as a barrier for the body and the self consciousness which intern prevents any creation to succumb. “you must explore every possibility- in fact there is no such thing as the impossible: this only exists in our minds- it does not exist in the movement.” (Lecoq,2000, p.13) . Physical theatre is a genre connected with the breaking of conventions, it strips away the taboos of sexuality and exposes the stage with bodies that represent equality with no gender hierarchy, physical theatre also relies on the trust of ones self and the trust of others, contact is needed in this genre in order to create physical expressions, movements and performances, contact improvisation allows the senses and the whole body to speak without any actual text, it is aspects like these which triumph the differences of this genre in comparison to the mainstream.
Physical theatre is a hybrid character, this hybrid character becomes the term for physical theatre as stated by Ana Sanchez- Colberg, this term implies the different aspects that physical theatre has been created from but also the aspects that have been a result of physical theatre such as contemporary dance.
Physical theatre was morphed from dance and drama to create a change, this physicality derived from eastern cultures; expressed through rituals and then embraced by western practitioners. Physical theatre came at a time of historical change and also a social change where we see westernised theatre allow an “unofficial” style of performance in its theatres.
Although physical theatre is not seen as mainstream and is still difficult to define it was developed from the needs of dance; to constrict the restrictions of ballet and to define a style/genre that reflected more than beauty. The hybrid character could be so difficult to define because of the desperation to eradicate the once confined definitions that were present in dance and drama. Hybrid as a definition means to mix, crossbreed and to make a fusion, this definition supports Ana Sanchez- Colberg’s statement the traits of the theatre is working with text, character and emotion and the traits of dance is movement, form and aesthetics, these separated genres have intertwined their recognisable quality’s to form physical theatre that allows the body to be subservient to the voice and text and allows emotion and intention to be embedded in the movements thus conceiving the hybrid character physical theatre.
The jasmin vardimon company emulate the key features of physical theatre. There style is extremely dissaplined and through this they are able to create pieces that include awareness in body, awareness for the space and movement with intention. Physical theatre is about using the whole body to work in unision but it is also important to be able to transfer that personal awareness to every person on stage or in rehearsal. Jazmin vardimon company has performed a vast amount of pieces over the years. There use of stylistic ensamble work and detailed pieces create an understanding for the physical in theatre. As her company was founded in 1997 her style has been able to develop and her original choreographic performances create dimension on the stage. “Vardimon accentuates her work with an acute observation of human behaviour.”
Bibliography.
Callery, D. (2001) through the body. London: Routledge.
Dennis, A (2002) the articulate body. Norfolk: Biddles.
Keefe, J & Murray, S. (2007) physical theatres a critical reader. Oxon: Routledge.
Lecoq,J. (2000) the moving body.2nd ed. London: Methuen.
As a genre, physical theatre uses the body as a medium to communicate; it differs from the mainstream of theatre because it doesn’t rely on the process of words to convey emotion or social challenges. Body memory is a feature unfamiliar to most; it is an aspect which solely relies on the bodies’ awareness as apposed to the mind. As Lecoq said the “body knows things about which the mind is ignorant”(Callery,2001,p.4)
The importance of conditioning the body to its upmost physicality is a predominate element; it is the body that is used for the means of communication therefore the body should reach those boundaries to create a story. It is fair to say that the majority of people over think situations, processes and underestimate their physical ability; this thinking acts as a barrier for the body and the self consciousness which intern prevents any creation to succumb. “you must explore every possibility- in fact there is no such thing as the impossible: this only exists in our minds- it does not exist in the movement.” (Lecoq,2000, p.13) . Physical theatre is a genre connected with the breaking of conventions, it strips away the taboos of sexuality and exposes the stage with bodies that represent equality with no gender hierarchy, physical theatre also relies on the trust of ones self and the trust of others, contact is needed in this genre in order to create physical expressions, movements and performances, contact improvisation allows the senses and the whole body to speak without any actual text, it is aspects like these which triumph the differences of this genre in comparison to the mainstream.
Physical theatre is a hybrid character, this hybrid character becomes the term for physical theatre as stated by Ana Sanchez- Colberg, this term implies the different aspects that physical theatre has been created from but also the aspects that have been a result of physical theatre such as contemporary dance.
Physical theatre was morphed from dance and drama to create a change, this physicality derived from eastern cultures; expressed through rituals and then embraced by western practitioners. Physical theatre came at a time of historical change and also a social change where we see westernised theatre allow an “unofficial” style of performance in its theatres.
Although physical theatre is not seen as mainstream and is still difficult to define it was developed from the needs of dance; to constrict the restrictions of ballet and to define a style/genre that reflected more than beauty. The hybrid character could be so difficult to define because of the desperation to eradicate the once confined definitions that were present in dance and drama. Hybrid as a definition means to mix, crossbreed and to make a fusion, this definition supports Ana Sanchez- Colberg’s statement the traits of the theatre is working with text, character and emotion and the traits of dance is movement, form and aesthetics, these separated genres have intertwined their recognisable quality’s to form physical theatre that allows the body to be subservient to the voice and text and allows emotion and intention to be embedded in the movements thus conceiving the hybrid character physical theatre.
The jasmin vardimon company emulate the key features of physical theatre. There style is extremely dissaplined and through this they are able to create pieces that include awareness in body, awareness for the space and movement with intention. Physical theatre is about using the whole body to work in unision but it is also important to be able to transfer that personal awareness to every person on stage or in rehearsal. Jazmin vardimon company has performed a vast amount of pieces over the years. There use of stylistic ensamble work and detailed pieces create an understanding for the physical in theatre. As her company was founded in 1997 her style has been able to develop and her original choreographic performances create dimension on the stage. “Vardimon accentuates her work with an acute observation of human behaviour.”
Bibliography.
Callery, D. (2001) through the body. London: Routledge.
Dennis, A (2002) the articulate body. Norfolk: Biddles.
Keefe, J & Murray, S. (2007) physical theatres a critical reader. Oxon: Routledge.
Lecoq,J. (2000) the moving body.2nd ed. London: Methuen.
Tuesday, 2 March 2010
Task 1 - Annette Campbell 0922152
Physical Theatre is a combination of Theatre and dance intergrated together. Three elements that is used in physical theatre is narrative, character and storytelling. Rather than using our minds to create a piece of work or a whole performance, physical theatre explores the unique ways in which we can use our bodies to create a piece. In order to produce a performance, a pallette of techniques are needed to be created for the performer to progress throughout the process period. Physical theatre technique is learnt through body memory. The fathers of modern physical theatre were Jerzy Grotowski,Vsevolod Meyerhold, Antonin Artaud, Peter Brook and many more. Their aim was to use improvisation as the actors main focus rather than using a text. It is fundamental that performers dedicate their focus and concentration whilst devising these pieces not only to produce a successful piece but also to meet the health and safety standards. Movements that we may use in everyday life are to be explored in physical theatre. These are usually developed to become larger obstract movements. Flexibility and physical control are needed in physical theatre.It is well known that the term 'Practice makes perfect' when working in drama. As an actor working in physical theatre practice is not always essential although training is. "What unites them is the belief that training for the creative actor means working through the body"(Dymphna Callery 2001 pg14)As in everyday theatre the actor will interprete a piece, in physical theatre the actor will use their skills and techniques to create a piece. "Physical theatre is not codifiable. The term is applied to such a diverse range of work that it has become virtually undefinable"(Dymphna Callery 2001 pg4)
Ana Sanchez-Colberg refers to physical theatre as the 'hybrid character' because there are so many different genres that physical theatre can represent." Hybrid can be defined as 'the off spring of tweo animals of different breeds, as produced through human manipulation for specific genetic characteristics'(Dictionary.com,2008)
The two main key features of the genre of physical theatre is dance and theatre. As the two are incorporated together this then creates a new genre which is known as physical theatre."This intertwining and at the same time seperating of popular theatre and art theatre and the concomitant intertwining of the 'official and everyday body' is exemplified by the hybrid pathways that physical theatres have taken since the nineteenth century"(Murray and Keef 2007 pg 53. When working in physical theatre we use our bodys as a language to the audience rather than using text. Different gestures as small as they may be can be created into larger, exppressive movements through the body. Refering back to the hybrid, we use both aspects of dance and theatre in the sense that we are exploring our bodies to create exppressive body language whilst acting at the same time. As this genre is developed through improvisation, a piece that may have been created for the beggining of a performance may be completely different at the end of the performance. The way that physical theatre is different from other genres in drama is that it allows bounderies to be pushed and explored and their are many risks that we are able to take.
In 1997 the theatre company "Jasmin Vardimon was founded in london. The techniques that they use make each performance extremely effective. They create a choreograph and ensure that each movement displays meaningful exppression. From the workshop that i experienced with the Jasmin Vardimon company,i was extremely aware that bounderies have been pushed. They displayed a pallette of techniques which was then progressed whilst speeding up each movement.The movements were tight and precise and they were focused on the piece 100%. Although they were useing their bodies as a physical language to the audience, any vocal text that they used, they ensure that it was strong and sharp. They have demonstrated that everyday gestures can be created into a stylised abstract movement. They were able to demonstrate that physical theatre is a way for us to express and explore our bodies in ways that we may have never imagined.
Bibliography
Callery, Dymphna (2001) Through the Body, London
Murray and Keefe (2007) APhysical Theatres A critical Introduction, Oxon
Ana Sanchez-Colberg refers to physical theatre as the 'hybrid character' because there are so many different genres that physical theatre can represent." Hybrid can be defined as 'the off spring of tweo animals of different breeds, as produced through human manipulation for specific genetic characteristics'(Dictionary.com,2008)
The two main key features of the genre of physical theatre is dance and theatre. As the two are incorporated together this then creates a new genre which is known as physical theatre."This intertwining and at the same time seperating of popular theatre and art theatre and the concomitant intertwining of the 'official and everyday body' is exemplified by the hybrid pathways that physical theatres have taken since the nineteenth century"(Murray and Keef 2007 pg 53. When working in physical theatre we use our bodys as a language to the audience rather than using text. Different gestures as small as they may be can be created into larger, exppressive movements through the body. Refering back to the hybrid, we use both aspects of dance and theatre in the sense that we are exploring our bodies to create exppressive body language whilst acting at the same time. As this genre is developed through improvisation, a piece that may have been created for the beggining of a performance may be completely different at the end of the performance. The way that physical theatre is different from other genres in drama is that it allows bounderies to be pushed and explored and their are many risks that we are able to take.
In 1997 the theatre company "Jasmin Vardimon was founded in london. The techniques that they use make each performance extremely effective. They create a choreograph and ensure that each movement displays meaningful exppression. From the workshop that i experienced with the Jasmin Vardimon company,i was extremely aware that bounderies have been pushed. They displayed a pallette of techniques which was then progressed whilst speeding up each movement.The movements were tight and precise and they were focused on the piece 100%. Although they were useing their bodies as a physical language to the audience, any vocal text that they used, they ensure that it was strong and sharp. They have demonstrated that everyday gestures can be created into a stylised abstract movement. They were able to demonstrate that physical theatre is a way for us to express and explore our bodies in ways that we may have never imagined.
Bibliography
Callery, Dymphna (2001) Through the Body, London
Murray and Keefe (2007) APhysical Theatres A critical Introduction, Oxon
Assessment Blog 1, Grecia Charpin 0916113
1.The origins of Physical theatre in Europe refer back to the beginning of the 20th century, “received ideas of how we see and interpret the visual were suddenly questionable” (Callery, D., 2001. Through The Body: A Practical Guide To Physical Theatre. p.8-9). However, it was firstly distinct as physical theatre in the 80’s when its previous definition responded to “dance-theatre” (Keefe, J & S Murray (2007) Physical Theatres: A Critical Reader p.24). Although is hard to give it a definition du to the constant enrichment of the performances, some key features makes it distinct and unique among the others forms of theatre: firstly it combines two main genres of expression, dance and theatre, where the narrative goes beyond verbal and is delivered through the body movements and visual elements in -as predicted by Antonin Artaud: “a large unadorned space where the audience would be affected on a psychological level by the intensity of the action” (Callery, D., 2001. Through The Body: A Practical Guide To Physical Theatre. p.10). It is complex in its process, where the relationships and interactions between the performers as well as their exploration of life experience play an important role. Furthermore, it implies the commitment of the performers to the product and the message, whether justified by the need of change as in the origins of physical theatre itself or inspired by artistic, social or political issues.
It cost me some amount of time to clear up confusion whether it was dance or theatre when experiencing this form of performing for the first time, as the nature of our sessions included deep warm up and a whole set of techniques that needed to be learnt. With time, progressing in our module, it became clear that physical theatre involves much more in itself than learning mere techniques but the exploration of where those movements and the awareness of each other could lead. A process that will certainly grow into something richer and meaningful. Developing a narrative through body memory, exploring text, music, putting together our interpretations of life experiences with aesthetic sometimes sharp, shocking pedestrian movements, it is the way we are currently exploring “Four Ways to Speak Out” in an attempt to portray a message in domestic violence.
2.The thesaurus dictionary gives the following definition for the term hybrid: (…) mixture, blend, amalgamation, combination, composite, compound, fusion.
Taking the above mentioned and A. Sanchez-Colberg’s reflections of physical theatre’s avant-garde theatre and dance influences, it becomes clear that the very essence of a hybrid physical theatre implies a amalgam of genres and expressions in its inner process, where the verbal narrative takes a subordinated place to portray a message, using a vast range of elements and techniques, rather different from what conventional theatre or dance implies, as D. Callery states: “The somatic impulse is privileged over the cerebral in the making process … whether the product is an original devised piece or an interpretation of a scripted text” (Keefe, J & S Murray (2007) Physical Theatres: A Critical Reader Chap. 2, p.23, p.4)
Furthermore, A. Sanchez Colberg makes allusion to how the visceral and eclectic character of the devising process works as generator of this hybrid nature in physical theatre. In the process, the ideas and material are explored, tested, reassessed, approved, through motion and space, often departing from an idea, a concept, a social issue, or a simple experience, yet with no predetermined shape or literal meaning, where the body language is privileged to the verbal one. “Language is used in a non-referential manner, it no longer carries any meaning nor does it provide the structures to organize world-experience. A direct sign-signifier relationship is broken. Objects characters, scenes and events acquire multiple fluctuating fragmented identity” Keefe, J & S Murray (2007) Physical Theatres: A Critical Reader Chap. 2, p.23)
The hybrid character of Physical theatre is also its own unlimited resource, where the transgressions are not restricted only to dance or theatre, but to all means of artistic expressions. Elements of sound, light, music make indeed the whole product richer in order to excite emotions, whether through aesthetics messages or in a manner that awakes the disbelieve of the spectator. Moreover, when collectively exploring a particular concept or idea, the performer’s contribution to the product is key. D Callery, refers among others to the work of Frantic Assembly who shared the idea that “within every actor lies creative potential which can be accessed through imaginative play” … “Accessing this though provoking imaginative somatic responses of performers in the making process is the aim” (Callery, D., 2001. Through The Body: A Practical Guide To Physical Theatre p. 8)
3.DV8, led by Lloyd Newson created in 1986, is a British Company, which represents a good example of Physical Theatre Company. Through its different works, it has built a consistent reputation developing this genre both in form and content, where the use of image, space and motion are deeply exploited. Firstly known for its dance based productions, it has developed then into a more “hybrid” approached works along with dance and music fusing some different genres of expressions such as media through, text, documentary, film and animated projections and light, as referred on its name: Dance and Video (super 8 mm). The company plays with the word Deviate meaning disturbed, pervert, an idea that it has always aimed at transmitting to the audience in response to changes and tensions in the society most of them related to social, politics, religion, tolerance, intolerance and queer sexuality. As in “Enter Achilles” where he exposed the conflicts that involved being “a man” or in “The cost of living” putting forward the physical handicap often in harmony with a “normal” body, breaking the boundaries of both aesthetically.
DV8 use creative choreographed features but also disturbing pedestrian moments aiming at portraying the reality of the condition of the human being and its relationships in the society, whether straight, homosexual, handicapped. The company puts a particular emphasis on the devising process when creating new work. Experiencing issues “on the ground” of everyday life, is one of its premises, in order to achieve profound research and enrich the new ideas, but also for the performers to better embody the narrative, thus, reaching a wider audience in a deeper dimension. Often qualified as highly political, angry, powerful and emotional, its work is not only reduced to denounce, but also to maintain “rigorous artistic integrity and quality in each new project. The focus of the creative approach is on reinvesting dance with meaning, particularly where this has been lost through formalized techniques.” (www.dv8.co.uk)
Bibliography
1. Keefe, J. & S. Murray (2007) Physical Theatres: A Critical Reader, Oxon: Routledge
Sánchez-Colberg, A., 1996. Altered States And Subliminal Places: Charting The Road Towards A Physical Theatre, s.l., s.n.
2. Callery, D. 2001. Through The Body: A Practical Guide To Physical Theatre, London: Nick Hern Books Limited
3. DV8 physical theatre (2008) [Home page] [online] [February 28, 2010.]
Available at: (http://www.dv8.co.uk/)
Other Sources
1. Physical Theatre http://www.blackfishacademy.com/physical.htm (Accessed: 25.02.2010)
2. http://nycphysicaltheatre.com/definition.aspx
(Accessed: 25.02.2010)
Grecia Charpin, 0916113
It cost me some amount of time to clear up confusion whether it was dance or theatre when experiencing this form of performing for the first time, as the nature of our sessions included deep warm up and a whole set of techniques that needed to be learnt. With time, progressing in our module, it became clear that physical theatre involves much more in itself than learning mere techniques but the exploration of where those movements and the awareness of each other could lead. A process that will certainly grow into something richer and meaningful. Developing a narrative through body memory, exploring text, music, putting together our interpretations of life experiences with aesthetic sometimes sharp, shocking pedestrian movements, it is the way we are currently exploring “Four Ways to Speak Out” in an attempt to portray a message in domestic violence.
2.The thesaurus dictionary gives the following definition for the term hybrid: (…) mixture, blend, amalgamation, combination, composite, compound, fusion.
Taking the above mentioned and A. Sanchez-Colberg’s reflections of physical theatre’s avant-garde theatre and dance influences, it becomes clear that the very essence of a hybrid physical theatre implies a amalgam of genres and expressions in its inner process, where the verbal narrative takes a subordinated place to portray a message, using a vast range of elements and techniques, rather different from what conventional theatre or dance implies, as D. Callery states: “The somatic impulse is privileged over the cerebral in the making process … whether the product is an original devised piece or an interpretation of a scripted text” (Keefe, J & S Murray (2007) Physical Theatres: A Critical Reader Chap. 2, p.23, p.4)
Furthermore, A. Sanchez Colberg makes allusion to how the visceral and eclectic character of the devising process works as generator of this hybrid nature in physical theatre. In the process, the ideas and material are explored, tested, reassessed, approved, through motion and space, often departing from an idea, a concept, a social issue, or a simple experience, yet with no predetermined shape or literal meaning, where the body language is privileged to the verbal one. “Language is used in a non-referential manner, it no longer carries any meaning nor does it provide the structures to organize world-experience. A direct sign-signifier relationship is broken. Objects characters, scenes and events acquire multiple fluctuating fragmented identity” Keefe, J & S Murray (2007) Physical Theatres: A Critical Reader Chap. 2, p.23)
The hybrid character of Physical theatre is also its own unlimited resource, where the transgressions are not restricted only to dance or theatre, but to all means of artistic expressions. Elements of sound, light, music make indeed the whole product richer in order to excite emotions, whether through aesthetics messages or in a manner that awakes the disbelieve of the spectator. Moreover, when collectively exploring a particular concept or idea, the performer’s contribution to the product is key. D Callery, refers among others to the work of Frantic Assembly who shared the idea that “within every actor lies creative potential which can be accessed through imaginative play” … “Accessing this though provoking imaginative somatic responses of performers in the making process is the aim” (Callery, D., 2001. Through The Body: A Practical Guide To Physical Theatre p. 8)
3.DV8, led by Lloyd Newson created in 1986, is a British Company, which represents a good example of Physical Theatre Company. Through its different works, it has built a consistent reputation developing this genre both in form and content, where the use of image, space and motion are deeply exploited. Firstly known for its dance based productions, it has developed then into a more “hybrid” approached works along with dance and music fusing some different genres of expressions such as media through, text, documentary, film and animated projections and light, as referred on its name: Dance and Video (super 8 mm). The company plays with the word Deviate meaning disturbed, pervert, an idea that it has always aimed at transmitting to the audience in response to changes and tensions in the society most of them related to social, politics, religion, tolerance, intolerance and queer sexuality. As in “Enter Achilles” where he exposed the conflicts that involved being “a man” or in “The cost of living” putting forward the physical handicap often in harmony with a “normal” body, breaking the boundaries of both aesthetically.
DV8 use creative choreographed features but also disturbing pedestrian moments aiming at portraying the reality of the condition of the human being and its relationships in the society, whether straight, homosexual, handicapped. The company puts a particular emphasis on the devising process when creating new work. Experiencing issues “on the ground” of everyday life, is one of its premises, in order to achieve profound research and enrich the new ideas, but also for the performers to better embody the narrative, thus, reaching a wider audience in a deeper dimension. Often qualified as highly political, angry, powerful and emotional, its work is not only reduced to denounce, but also to maintain “rigorous artistic integrity and quality in each new project. The focus of the creative approach is on reinvesting dance with meaning, particularly where this has been lost through formalized techniques.” (www.dv8.co.uk)
Bibliography
1. Keefe, J. & S. Murray (2007) Physical Theatres: A Critical Reader, Oxon: Routledge
Sánchez-Colberg, A., 1996. Altered States And Subliminal Places: Charting The Road Towards A Physical Theatre, s.l., s.n.
2. Callery, D. 2001. Through The Body: A Practical Guide To Physical Theatre, London: Nick Hern Books Limited
3. DV8 physical theatre (2008) [Home page] [online] [February 28, 2010.]
Available at: (http://www.dv8.co.uk/)
Other Sources
1. Physical Theatre http://www.blackfishacademy.com/physical.htm (Accessed: 25.02.2010)
2. http://nycphysicaltheatre.com/definition.aspx
(Accessed: 25.02.2010)
Grecia Charpin, 0916113
Task One
Gemma Sage 0910917
Physical Theatre is somewhat varied and vague in its definition. Similarly, modern art and dance encounter the same none descript classification. “Modern dance is an art as elusive as it is great. No one has ever offered an all-inclusive, totally satisfying definition of it.” (p3, Anderson,1997) It is easier to view physical theatre than to explain it. The Process and Performance module at the University of Wolverhampton explores many aspects of the creation and study of theatre in its physical form.
The beginning of the module introduces you to contact improvisation; a key starting point for ridding oneself of inhibitions and ghosts that so many of us carry around. “...the body is understood and perceived as an outcome of the individual and collective socialisations and enculturations that each of us experiences as we move through our lives.” (p61, Keefe and Murray,2007) It is at the beginning we learn that nobody is ugly/beautiful, fat/slim, good/bad, strong/weak. We learn we must escape these demons and think of the bodies around you as purely that: a body; to be trusted, to be leaned upon and manipulated.
The module introduces you to the ‘palette’. Just as every painter should be able to call upon his palette for different colours, moods and effects, so should the performer. Contact improvisation was merely the start and progressed into learning to trust one another furthermore. Falling and catching was a hurdle to be overcome by much of the class and took some time to master. Learning the technique of lifts involved engaging fully with a partner, so that not only were you able to hold somebody else’s weight, but that you were equally able to transfer your own in a safe condition. Week by week the palette grows until all colours are required for the devising process. Our body memory is continually built upon and we learn that all phrases and movement can be executed successfully by the help of body memory, as opposed to academic memory. With physical theatre we also learn that not everything on stage must be uttered; that it is acceptable to be onstage and let only your body narrate. Through our bodies we should be able to create another world, just as believable as the literal one we live day to day. Devising was also implemented, whereby the crew involved create a piece of work (collectively/singularly) from no particular set stimuli.
A hybrid is the amalgamation of more than one subject, in turn creating another. The above quote implies that physical theatre denotes a ‘hybrid character’; thus suggesting that this type of theatre is perhaps the amalgamation of more than one subject. To answer from a personal perspective, I too would agree with this description. In the aforementioned chapter, Ana Sanchez-Colberg goes on to discuss;
‘What has become evident is that physical theatre – whilst focusing on the issue of the body on stage – does not constitute a single proposition. Rather, a double perspective has been identified.’ (p25,Sanchez-Colberg, 2007)
So, what the audience view onstage is not only a single matter, rather a collective of matter. When decoding a performance, the spectator should be aware that the body is not only used for one concept, but can take on multiple personas. The body can be used as a representation of something else; an emotion, a direction, a force. The piece itself can also be decoded differently. Physical theatre can be a blend of many different genres and the theatrical space is a mere playground for them to meet. To begin with, the concept behind the piece can be born from a variety of different ideas and influences, and commonly evolves through a devising process. A unification of cultures may be evident in the language, set, style of movement, costume or ritual/tribal resemblance. The choice of media used is often varied and can include more than one or two. Traditional classical performance can interlace with dance theatre. The text from novels can be replaced/coincide with text from plays. The use of radio, voiceover, image projection, musical instruments and microphones can acceptably reside onstage together.
A company resembling these features is Jasmin Vardimon Company. In devised work it is vital that each member of the group is equally as important and involved as the next. “Each person must become an ingredient in the mixing and making of a piece.”(p73, Crickmay,1990) As stated in Body, Space, Image, everyone is an ingredient; without one of the ingredients of a product, the result would be somewhat incomplete. When viewing the work of Jasmin Vardimon, the level of creativity always astounds me. They cross all boundaries and tick all boxes in performance. They take cultural influences from across the globe by way of song and dance (as seen in Yesterday) The company use the stage as a reflection of society; refracting back to the audience their social habits (as seen in Justitia and Park).
Every piece uses a variety of mediums through which to perform. Furthermore, their bodies become the epitome of physical theatre. The performers move across the stage in such a way you feel the electric chemistry between them. They include lifts, throws, catches, contact improvisation, trust, balance and more over, sheer determination. Jasmin Vardimon can represent anger and jealousy, love and hatred, kindness or sorrow with a single or sequence of movement. We, the spectator are left struggling to describe the piece as a whole as it becomes an understatement to their labours.
Bibliography
Anderson,J. (1997). Art Without Boundaries. Dance Press Limited
Crickmay,C. And Tufnall,M. (1990) Body Space Image. Dance Press Limited
Keefe,J. and Murray,S. (2007).Physical Theatres A Critical Introduction. Routledge
Keefe,J. And Murray,S. (2007) Physical Theatres A Critical Reader. Routledge
Physical Theatre is somewhat varied and vague in its definition. Similarly, modern art and dance encounter the same none descript classification. “Modern dance is an art as elusive as it is great. No one has ever offered an all-inclusive, totally satisfying definition of it.” (p3, Anderson,1997) It is easier to view physical theatre than to explain it. The Process and Performance module at the University of Wolverhampton explores many aspects of the creation and study of theatre in its physical form.
The beginning of the module introduces you to contact improvisation; a key starting point for ridding oneself of inhibitions and ghosts that so many of us carry around. “...the body is understood and perceived as an outcome of the individual and collective socialisations and enculturations that each of us experiences as we move through our lives.” (p61, Keefe and Murray,2007) It is at the beginning we learn that nobody is ugly/beautiful, fat/slim, good/bad, strong/weak. We learn we must escape these demons and think of the bodies around you as purely that: a body; to be trusted, to be leaned upon and manipulated.
The module introduces you to the ‘palette’. Just as every painter should be able to call upon his palette for different colours, moods and effects, so should the performer. Contact improvisation was merely the start and progressed into learning to trust one another furthermore. Falling and catching was a hurdle to be overcome by much of the class and took some time to master. Learning the technique of lifts involved engaging fully with a partner, so that not only were you able to hold somebody else’s weight, but that you were equally able to transfer your own in a safe condition. Week by week the palette grows until all colours are required for the devising process. Our body memory is continually built upon and we learn that all phrases and movement can be executed successfully by the help of body memory, as opposed to academic memory. With physical theatre we also learn that not everything on stage must be uttered; that it is acceptable to be onstage and let only your body narrate. Through our bodies we should be able to create another world, just as believable as the literal one we live day to day. Devising was also implemented, whereby the crew involved create a piece of work (collectively/singularly) from no particular set stimuli.
A hybrid is the amalgamation of more than one subject, in turn creating another. The above quote implies that physical theatre denotes a ‘hybrid character’; thus suggesting that this type of theatre is perhaps the amalgamation of more than one subject. To answer from a personal perspective, I too would agree with this description. In the aforementioned chapter, Ana Sanchez-Colberg goes on to discuss;
‘What has become evident is that physical theatre – whilst focusing on the issue of the body on stage – does not constitute a single proposition. Rather, a double perspective has been identified.’ (p25,Sanchez-Colberg, 2007)
So, what the audience view onstage is not only a single matter, rather a collective of matter. When decoding a performance, the spectator should be aware that the body is not only used for one concept, but can take on multiple personas. The body can be used as a representation of something else; an emotion, a direction, a force. The piece itself can also be decoded differently. Physical theatre can be a blend of many different genres and the theatrical space is a mere playground for them to meet. To begin with, the concept behind the piece can be born from a variety of different ideas and influences, and commonly evolves through a devising process. A unification of cultures may be evident in the language, set, style of movement, costume or ritual/tribal resemblance. The choice of media used is often varied and can include more than one or two. Traditional classical performance can interlace with dance theatre. The text from novels can be replaced/coincide with text from plays. The use of radio, voiceover, image projection, musical instruments and microphones can acceptably reside onstage together.
A company resembling these features is Jasmin Vardimon Company. In devised work it is vital that each member of the group is equally as important and involved as the next. “Each person must become an ingredient in the mixing and making of a piece.”(p73, Crickmay,1990) As stated in Body, Space, Image, everyone is an ingredient; without one of the ingredients of a product, the result would be somewhat incomplete. When viewing the work of Jasmin Vardimon, the level of creativity always astounds me. They cross all boundaries and tick all boxes in performance. They take cultural influences from across the globe by way of song and dance (as seen in Yesterday) The company use the stage as a reflection of society; refracting back to the audience their social habits (as seen in Justitia and Park).
Every piece uses a variety of mediums through which to perform. Furthermore, their bodies become the epitome of physical theatre. The performers move across the stage in such a way you feel the electric chemistry between them. They include lifts, throws, catches, contact improvisation, trust, balance and more over, sheer determination. Jasmin Vardimon can represent anger and jealousy, love and hatred, kindness or sorrow with a single or sequence of movement. We, the spectator are left struggling to describe the piece as a whole as it becomes an understatement to their labours.
Bibliography
Anderson,J. (1997). Art Without Boundaries. Dance Press Limited
Crickmay,C. And Tufnall,M. (1990) Body Space Image. Dance Press Limited
Keefe,J. and Murray,S. (2007).Physical Theatres A Critical Introduction. Routledge
Keefe,J. And Murray,S. (2007) Physical Theatres A Critical Reader. Routledge
Task 1 - Toni Alonzo 0800786
Physical Theatre is a theatre of many forms, a creative process where a person or a community of persons can explore the unlimited possibilities that their body has to create meaning. It has no definitive definition as this is still being changed with the new performances that are created.
“The characteristics of physical theatre are many and varied. Indeed the term is virtually impossible to define” (Callery, D, 2002 , p3)
However, although there is not a key definition, it has many recognisable traits that most audiences familiar with the style of theatre recognise. Physical theatre is usually bodily driven, with very little or no spoken words. The movements created are often abstract, however there can also be the use of simple pedestrian movements that can be used effectively to create a meaning. Performers use their body to encode a meaning that the audience will then read and decode. These body movements have a wide range and can be something as simple as drinking a drink or something more abstract and stylised, which takes the pedestrian movement and amplifies it to create a different meaning. Much like devised theatre, physical theatre can start without a stimulus and can be built by just having the creators in a space. Many physical theatre performances deal with breaking down social taboos that society has created and performers will have more bodily contact with one another which society will see as unacceptable.
The term hybrid is is used in genetics, where two items are used to create a third. For example, two plants can be taken to create a third one, which carries characteristics from both plants, but in itself is a new plant. Attaching this term to physical theatre like Sanchez-Colberg has implies that physical theatre is a theatre created by mixing two previous theatres together, in this case, the two forms that created physical theatre as a hybrid was dance and theatre. Both of these forms are story telling methods, but they use different techniques to tell the story. Theatre is much move reliant on spoken word and gestures, where as dance is reliant on movement and aesthetics. Physical theatre takes from both of these, using the narrative that theatre provides and the movement that dance provides to open up new techniques. However, although dance is created to be visually appealing with the move, physical theatre will create moves that would be considered ugly aesthetically. The narrative that physical theatre creates is often one that requires thinking work from audiences as there is usually inly movement and music that is involved in a performance. It requires an audience to decode the signs that they are seeing and create a meaning from what they read.
Void Physical Theatre are a newly created theatre group which fall into the category of physical theatre as they use both dance and drama to create a performance that offers an abstract view on reality.
“By exploring the boundaries of communication, this unique company produces work that unifies contemporary dance and drama. Void exploit the body to express intense narrative with an aim to mutate pedestrian movement to present an abstracted view of reality” Void Physical Theatre (2010) About Void [online] Void Physical Theatre [cited 1st March 2010]
Void take from both dance and theatre and create pieces that are full of narrative and physical moves creating this narrative. Through the use of physical theatre, Void create very highly emotional pieces that can speak to audiences on many levels. They hit at taboo subjects that many people feel uncomfortable to talk about, such as homosexuality and masculinity, using pedestrian movements and mutating them to create an abstract view of reality. They exploit there body to create movements that are unique and original. Physical Theatre is just that, exploiting the human body and creating a meaning through its movement.
Bibliography
Callery, D (2002) Through the body London: Routledge
Void Physical Theatre (2010) About Void [online] Void Physical Theatre [cited 1st March 2010] http://www.voidphysicaltheatre.com/
Toni Alonzo
0800786
“The characteristics of physical theatre are many and varied. Indeed the term is virtually impossible to define” (Callery, D, 2002 , p3)
However, although there is not a key definition, it has many recognisable traits that most audiences familiar with the style of theatre recognise. Physical theatre is usually bodily driven, with very little or no spoken words. The movements created are often abstract, however there can also be the use of simple pedestrian movements that can be used effectively to create a meaning. Performers use their body to encode a meaning that the audience will then read and decode. These body movements have a wide range and can be something as simple as drinking a drink or something more abstract and stylised, which takes the pedestrian movement and amplifies it to create a different meaning. Much like devised theatre, physical theatre can start without a stimulus and can be built by just having the creators in a space. Many physical theatre performances deal with breaking down social taboos that society has created and performers will have more bodily contact with one another which society will see as unacceptable.
The term hybrid is is used in genetics, where two items are used to create a third. For example, two plants can be taken to create a third one, which carries characteristics from both plants, but in itself is a new plant. Attaching this term to physical theatre like Sanchez-Colberg has implies that physical theatre is a theatre created by mixing two previous theatres together, in this case, the two forms that created physical theatre as a hybrid was dance and theatre. Both of these forms are story telling methods, but they use different techniques to tell the story. Theatre is much move reliant on spoken word and gestures, where as dance is reliant on movement and aesthetics. Physical theatre takes from both of these, using the narrative that theatre provides and the movement that dance provides to open up new techniques. However, although dance is created to be visually appealing with the move, physical theatre will create moves that would be considered ugly aesthetically. The narrative that physical theatre creates is often one that requires thinking work from audiences as there is usually inly movement and music that is involved in a performance. It requires an audience to decode the signs that they are seeing and create a meaning from what they read.
Void Physical Theatre are a newly created theatre group which fall into the category of physical theatre as they use both dance and drama to create a performance that offers an abstract view on reality.
“By exploring the boundaries of communication, this unique company produces work that unifies contemporary dance and drama. Void exploit the body to express intense narrative with an aim to mutate pedestrian movement to present an abstracted view of reality” Void Physical Theatre (2010) About Void [online] Void Physical Theatre [cited 1st March 2010]
Void take from both dance and theatre and create pieces that are full of narrative and physical moves creating this narrative. Through the use of physical theatre, Void create very highly emotional pieces that can speak to audiences on many levels. They hit at taboo subjects that many people feel uncomfortable to talk about, such as homosexuality and masculinity, using pedestrian movements and mutating them to create an abstract view of reality. They exploit there body to create movements that are unique and original. Physical Theatre is just that, exploiting the human body and creating a meaning through its movement.
Bibliography
Callery, D (2002) Through the body London: Routledge
Void Physical Theatre (2010) About Void [online] Void Physical Theatre [cited 1st March 2010] http://www.voidphysicaltheatre.com/
Toni Alonzo
0800786
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)