As the creative process turned from the validate stage to the performance stage, there were common themes and issues that arisen; not only in the piece but also in relation to the ensemble, their personal journeys and the process of the performance. Four ways to speak out, explored domestic violence and oppressive love, this difficult subject; often a subject that is not mentioned, was finally being explored through the forms of physical theatre. Through the subject matter (domestic violence) common themes arisen, one of these common themes was the way in which the company communicated the devised performance. Through the use of voice over’s and diary entries, the structure of the piece became contextualised, aiding the understanding for the audience, it is through the diary entries and voice over’s that flash backs into the life of the missing women were shown. The theme of oppression was evident in every encounter “the women” was present; this presentation enabled the women to be a character that was constantly spoken for. As an ensemble we demonstrated how oppression and emotional torture is often not constituted as domestic violence.
“Domestic abuse may also be defined by identifying its function that being the domination, punishment or control of one's partner. Abusers use physical and sexual violence, threats, money, emotional and psychological abuse to control their partners and get their way.” (Hidden hurt: 2010)
The ensemble also presented domestic violence in a non- stereotypical way, we wanted to show how a complex subject, like domestic violence differs and how the missing women had a strong persona that enabled her to leave the relationship.
“When I am asked why a man/woman doesn’t leave abuser I say: They stay because the fear of leaving is greater than the fear of staying. They will leave when the fear of staying is greater than the fear of leaving.” (Burns: http://thelaststraw.wordpress.com/2007/08/15/quotes-about-domestic-violence/)
As an ensemble we shared a vast amount of experiences throughout the creative process this was because we collectively devised the work and allowed our emotions and intentions to become the substance in the performance, as a company we grew as an ensemble by the use of characterisation tasks, this not only allowed our individual journey to be formed but also the journey of the company, we began to react to one another and also protect each other through these acts which in turn created a closer bond and shared group experience, this close bond, transferred on stage, which defined our first ensemble piece
The transition of four ways to speak out created a vast amount of strengths but also exposed many weaknesses as an ensemble. Aspects like doubting the quality of our work, a loss of intention in the piece and space awareness became some of the themes experienced as a result of the transition from the studio into the theatre space. Other issues were; allowing adjustments to be made to the piece, applying criticism to the work and adapting to the performance space; these particularly affected the whole ensemble at some point. In regards to four ways to speak out and its creative process, the whole piece as a performance began to be questioned by the ensemble; it is evident that in the validate stage the ensemble became aware that audience members would be viewing our work at the performance stage. Personally I was aware that as university students, not only were we tackling a complex issue, but we were also embarking on a highly complex genre. Although as an ensemble we were portraying our performance style as physical theatre, we also stepped away from a complete physical exploration. What I mean by physical exploration is that we were not afraid to step away from physical theatre styles such as Jasmin Vardimon Company; instead we incorporated the use of voice over, text and pedestrian movement which in turn created a new dimension to the piece. I believe in hindsight it can be stated that creating a performance that became true to its subject; like domestic violence is more imperative than creating a performance that merely looks good; this differs from dance. “can dance deal with complex emotional narrative:” ( newson.1992:11-13)
Many of the group doubted the work of the ensemble because they compared the work of four ways to speak out to other performances they had seen such as Jasmin Vardimon. I believe it is important that we portray confidence for our work as it was our ideas that drove the creative process in that particular direction. Although our style differed to those of dv8 physical theatre company, I believe our intention is somewhat the same. Dv8 states on their website that,
“DV8 Physical Theatre's work is about taking risks, aesthetically and physically, about breaking down the barriers between dance and theatre and, above all, communicating ideas and feelings clearly and unpretentiously. It is determined to be radical yet accessible and to take its work to as wide an audience as possible” (dv8:2010)
This statement coincides with the views of four ways to speak out because we have learned to break down the barriers of dance and drama to create the highbred character of physical theatre. Our chosen subject seems to be present in most people’s lives which allow our theme to be “accessible” so our audience connects with our work. A result of doubting the creative successfulness of the company meant that our work began to lose intention, it can be said that we started to focus on the technicalities of the piece and not the intention behind that movement. “ the body knows things about which the mind is ignorant” (callery.2000:4) this quotation embodies the thoughts of the ensemble, we are so unused to using our bodies to speak that when we do use them we are fearful that we will not look socially correct or perfect, it is physical theatre that allows our bodies to speak the truth.
Through the “R, S and V” devising process, four ways to speak out was developed in the drama studios, this space although bare with no scenographic elements in place, did not hinder our creative developments, instead I believe it enhanced our creative process. The main factors for this enhanced creativeness could be the discipline we established throughout the year with the use of respiratory exercise and physical warm-ups without the use of speech. “ the Alexander technique will provide you with a means of releasing excessive tension, enabling you to perform much closer to maximum ability”. ( Brennan. 1996:17) Moving into the theatre space contributed to the loss of focus and intention; the ensemble allowed the change of space to interrupt the work previously created, which slowed the pace of the work and stunted the creative process, the reasons for this was not knowing the dynamics of the theatres proximity. Practising our performance in one area and adjusting to that space allowed a comfort zone to be formed, moving from this space meant that adjustments had to be made and we had to consider the set, work around it and interact with. ‘[…] actors might be severely restricted in time and training space’ (Zarrilli, P. 1995: 92)
“Every show was a unique devising experience, resulting in an original product which changed with every performance.” (Oddey.1994:7) Over the three shows the performance changed each time, many factors contributed to this change but it is through an individual perspective that the growth of the performance became evident, it was the individual growth that enhanced the growth of the ensemble and in turn the performance. In comparison to the studio space my individual role in the piece grew but did not always feel emotionally connected, this differed when entering the performance space as my character’s emotions became heightened and even before the show the RSVP model continued to transform. The first performance, although in the “P” stages felt like it was still being refined and validated and I assume for the audience the piece in some places felt mechanical or synthetic as opposed to the truth we wanted to portray.
Over the three performances the ensemble was able to validate continuously until the end performance, Dundjerovic states that, “ Valuaction is not about evaluation, which is a psychological process, but about selecting the best from a number of improvised scores so it can be developed into a performance.” (Dundjerovic.2009:37). Understanding what to improve or change became accessible through feedback obtained by our module leader, from this I began to understand my character’s journey, the characterisation exercises enabled me to discover the advanced dimensions of my character’s emotions so that I was able to respond truthfully to the situations I was in. “ only if an actor is clear himself, will he be able to respond physically to the dramatic situation being created.” ( Dennis.2002:22) Through the characterisation tasks a past to my character’s life was able to form and I realised qualities that affected the way I walked, the way my weight transferred and the interaction I shared with other member’s of the ensemble. These qualities became the most apparent on the final performance of Four Ways To Speak Out, the second ensemble made me feel a sense of anger, my interaction with other members of the ensemble at that point became quite forceful and my weight was carried predominately on the top half of my body, mainly across my shoulders, this resulted in the physical exploration I shared with others for example being forceful and showing traits of oppression to the women in the bedroom scene. My emotions were not only shown in physical scenes, my body and my emotions continued to be explored through scenes where I was on the periphery of the stage. The act of using my emotions at a time where I am not physically part-taking on stage was the most emotionally challenging part of the performance which is why I believe it took me until the final performance to fully submerge myself into the performance. “ actors need extra- daily awareness, having a kind of third eye which monitors what is happening within the self.” (callery.2001:22)
Through the creating of the four ways to speak out and the performing of it, the ensemble and my individual character has grown and transformed to show a true sense of feelings on stage. Even in the ensemble sections in the piece, the companies individual characters emotions were evident although it seemed as if we were all doing the same in the ensemble piece what changed the synchronised movement is the intention behind it. “one performer improvised a sound and movement which is adopted by another performer who changes it and passes it on to another.” (Shank.1982:14)
Bibliography
Brennan,R. ( 1996) The Alexander technique: take control of your posture and life.little brown and company (uk). London
Callery, D. (2001) Through the Body: A Practical Guide to Physical Theatre. Routledge. New York.
Dennis, A. (2002) The Articulate Body: The Physical Training of the Actor. Nick Hern. London.
Dunderovic, A. (2009) Robert Lepage. Routledge. New York.
Oddey, A (1994) Devising Theatre: a practical and theoretical handbook, London: Routledge.
Shank, T: (1982) Primary explorations. in Shank, T. American alternative theatre. London: Macmillan, pp.8-49.
Zarrilli, P. (1995); Acting (re)considered: Theories and Practices.
London: Routledge.
Other sources:
DV8. (1993) Interviews [Accessed at 24th April 2010]. Available at:
http://www.dv8.co.uk/about_dv8/interview_dance_now_lloyd_newson_on_dance
Hidden hurt. (2002-2008) Hidden hurt [Accessed 24th April 2010]. Available at: http://www.hiddenhurt.co.uk/Types/faces.htm
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