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