Context:

Augusto Boal:

Born on the 16th of March 1931, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Boal is famous for being the founder of The theatre of the Oppressed, a company that used theatre in order to get people to try and change something in their own life. Or to try and change society.
He was exiled from his home and sent to Argentina where he developed his Theatre practice
He was exiled in 1971, first he was kidnapped and tortured by the oppressive regime in place in Brazil at that time. He used his experiences during his torture and exile to inspire his theatre
He believed that the original form of theatre was very oppressive because it did not give the audience the change to express their views and change anything that they did not like.
Boals views on traditional theatre influenced him to create the spec-actor, which gave audience members the change to change anything that they did not like during the performance.
Boal created the center for the theatre of the oppressed 14 years after his exile in Argentina. This center was created to discuss and challenge certain oppressive elements of society through the medium of theatre. It was designed to help people deal with their issues in their own life.

The theorist the theory and the context:

• Keith johnstone started as the head of the courts script department and played a major role in the development of the ‘writers’ theatre.’
• Author of the triumphant court plays Brixham Regetta and Performing giant “as he recounts in his book, he started as a writer who lost the ability to write, and then ran into the same melancholy impasse again when he turned to directing.” His book shows how he overcame this problem.
• The court set up a ‘writers’ and group and ‘acting’ studio for Keith Johnstone and William Gaskill. This is where Johnstone first started to teach his own particular style of improvisation. This was usually off fairy-tales, word associations, free associations and intuitive responses, he also taught mask work later on.
• “All his work has been to encourage the rediscovery of the imaginative response in the adult; the redefining of a child’s creativity.”
• Johnston’s aims: stop unnecessary discussion, transform meetings into acting sessions
• “The unconscious uncovers the goods.”
• Johnstone’s theatre machine company
Irving Wardle on Johnstone – Impro; Improvisation and the theatre.

• “At a time when I seemed to have lost all my talents as a creative artist I was driven to investigate my mental images.” He started to look at the images in sleep. They did not appear in sequence and seemed to arrive in spontaneity.
• “I begin reversing every statement to see if the opposite was true.”
• He became a teacher in a working class area in battersea, this was a place most people avoided.
Four things Johnstone focused on:
1. Status –
2. Spontaneity –
Blocking and accepting:
Bad improvisers block action, whereas good improviser accept this and use less speech.
Two places:
Two characters explore two different spaces on the same stage.
Presents:
Two people give invisible presents to each other. The person receiving a present has to act out their reaction and response to this gift. The other person then does the same thing. Neither person knows what the gift is. The aim of the game is to make the gift as interesting as possible. They need to also think of the size of the present they are receiving/being given.
It’s Tuesday:
One person says a day and the other has to respond to this. Eg. “It’s Tuesday”
“Oh my god, it’s my wedding day!”
3. Narrative skills –
Listing:
Listing words. This is to show that you can do this rationally eg, Dog, cat, mouse, trap… or without association eg, cat, bus, beach, hair…
Automatic Writing:

4. Masks and trance –

Theorist and Context:

Born 12 December 1921 in Paris France
He is most famous for his methods on physical theatre, movement, and mime that he taught at the school he founded in Paris, L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq from 1956
Studied mime through his interest in sport
He was in gymnastics where he learnt about the geometry of movements at the age of 17. He used the parallel and horizontal.
During the war he worked in physio therapy helping soldiers rehabilitate their bodies into moving again- this sparked his interest in movement
He died January 19 1999

Theory:

Body and movement
Lecoq aimed at training his actors in ways that encouraged them to investigate ways of performance that suited them best. His training was aimed at nurturing the creativity of the performer, as opposed to giving them a codified set of skills. As students stayed with Lecoq's school longer, he accomplished this through teaching in the style of "via negativa," never telling the students how to do what was "right." The goal was to encourage the student to keep trying new avenues of creative expression
He trained his actors with neutral masks to put emphasis on the movement
3 main things about his practice was playfulness, togetherness and openness

jeongju kim. (2013). Bongsan Talchum Basic Movement . [Online Video]. 24 July. Available from:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmkYD5ZAfcs. [Accessed: 22 October 2015].

Sejong Cultural Society. (2012). Bongsan Talchum Basic Movement . [Online Video]. 6 January 2012. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hafKhb2shPw. [Accessed: 22 October 2015].

Byungman Son. 2012. Sejong Cultural Society. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.sejongsociety.org/videos/20120225/10_bongsantalchum.html. [Accessed October 2015].

PARIS THEQ. (2010). 봉산탈춤 Vers01. [Online Video]. 06 January. Available from:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2BBgG1c7oE. [Accessed: 22 October 2015].

김한정. (2015). 중요무형문화제 제17호 봉산탈춤1 김한정 . [Online Video]. 31 May 2015. Available from:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcMndd6wlqc. [Accessed: 22 October 2015].

Pictures:
http://www.wikiwand.com/hu/Thalcshum

http://www.antiquealive.com/Blogs/Korean_Mask.html

http://kccro.ro/en/talchum

http://verhuny.blogspot.fr/

b.wordpress.com/2012/03/04/talchum-탈춤/

Pataka Mudra - Clouds

Pataka Mudra - River

Pataka Mudra - Cutting

Pataka Mudra - Opening/Closing

Tripataka Mudra - Crown/Signifies Krishna

Tripataka Mudra - Tree

Pataka Mudra - Paper & Tripataka Mudra - Writing

Ardhacandra Mudra - Moon

Ardhacandra Mudra - Offering to god

Tripataka Mudra - Stroking the hair

http://www.indiadances.com/ - Ruby Nayyar (Dance Teacher)

Yesterday I attended a solo lesson with an Indian Dance teacher in London. During the lesson I was taught about Mudras and how this would be used in Kathakali. I also learnt a Dance which Incorporated these Mudras. We started the lesson by looking at 12 different mudras and learning how to create them with the hands. Ruby (the teacher) also taught me some ways the different mudras could be used during a performance.

Mudras I learnt:

Pataka Mudra "flag"

Palm flat - fingers extended upwards - fingers together

Shows: Moon rising/setting, cutting, opening/closing, mirror, clouds, river, palm leaf, silence, stop, forest, wind, sleeping, signifying the beginning of the performance.

The first and simplest hand gesture.

Need to work on:

Tripataka Mudra "Three parts of the flag"

Same as Pataka Mudra - Ring finger bent at 90 degrees

Shows: Wearing a crown/turban, writing a letter, Lighting, tree, Stroking the hair

Need to work on: Ring finger Bent at 90 degrees, done quickly.

Ardhacandra Mudra "half moon"

Fingers outstretched towards sky - fingers together - thumb stretched away from the palm at a 90 degree angle

Shows: The Moon Offerings to god, Carrying a child, meditation, wrist, mirror, wiping sweat from the brow

Need to work on: Thumb outstretched not to be confused with Pataka Mudra.

Dola Mudra "Swing"

right hand over the left hand - wrists and fingers relaxed

Shows: used at the beginning of a dance piece to show visual eloquence, excitement, illness, drunkenness.

This is used to show a beautiful hand and add elegance and beauty to the piece.

Need to work on: Hands completely relaxed no tension, the look of elegance.

Anjali Mudra "Salutation"

Palms pressed together - fingers outstretched to sky - fingers together

Shows: "Namaste", used to salute to dieties and other important figures, held above head for dieties, held in front of chest for teachers, used to show respect

Need to work on:

Ardhapataka Mudra "half-flag"

Same as Pataka Mudra - Ring finger and smallest finger at 90 degrees

Shows: Tender leaf, new growth, drawing or writing, riverbank, knife, temple flag.

Need to work on: the two fingers at a 90 degree angle bent at the second knuckle, able to do this quickly.

Hamsasya Mudra "Swans Face"

Tips of thumb and index finger joined - separate and extend the middle ring and little fingers

Shows: Tying the marriage, pearl necklace, carrying a garland, speaking, reading, singing.

Need to work on: Keeping the three fingers close together instead of spread out.

Mrigashirsha Mudra "deer head"

Three middle fingers at 90 degrees from the knuckles, little finger and thumb outstretched to the sky.

Shows: foot massage, costuming and make-up, holding an umbrella, Krishnas flute.

Need to work on: Keeping the two fingers outstretched to the sky.

Always remember right hand starts and ends the movement.

The Final Product:
This is only a small section of the video as blogger wouldn't let me upload the whole video

http://www.indiadances.com/ - Ruby Nayyar (Dance Class Information)

What is mudras?

Mudras is the use of specific hand gesture to convey themes, words and messages to the audience. As there is no use of voice these gestures are key in showing the story/play. Mudras can be split into 4 catagories:

Samyuta mudras - double-handed Mudras

Asymyuta mudras - one-handed Mudras

Samana mudras - a single mudra depicts several things

Misra mudras - where the two hands show different mudras

Kathakali - The art of the non-worldly - Marg publications

Mudras takes a lot of practice, a students hands will take months to adjust to the curls and twists of the root mudras. There are 24 of these root mudras. students begin by learning the gods.

https://www.pinterest.com/grammyc59/mudras-2/

What is Kathakali and where did it originate?

Kathakali is a type of dance-drama that originates in south Asia. It was first discovered between the sixteenth and seventeenth century in the Malayan speaking areas of south-west India, now known as the Kerala state. Kathakali can be compared to Japanese noh and Chinese Jingju as it has only become known internationally in the last thirty to thirty-five years. The majority of Kathakali dance-drama is used to perform Indian epics such as the Ramayana and the Mahabharata or stories for the purunas encyclopedic collections of stories and knowledge.

Kathakali Dance-Drama: Where Gods and Demons Come to Play

Kathakali has become more and more popular in the past 15 years. Tourist who visit Kerala all want to go see a Kathakali dance-drama piece, this has increased the spread of this particular theatrical practice. It has not only increased in popularity within Kerala with casual tourists, but also with western performers, this has meant that Kathakali performances have been increasingly shown in western countries.

The Kathakali Complex: Performance & Structure

Kathakali originates from the state of Kerala. Kerala has a population with Hindus, Christians and Muslims all living together in harmony. In Kerala they speak Malayalam which has a high percentage of words derived from Sanscrit. Kathakali means 'Story-Play' and is a unique art form. Kathakali has been likened to ballet, a miracle play, a dance-drama, an opera and a pantomime.

Elements of Kathakali are noticeable in the ancient ritual plays of hindu temples and dance forms that have been developed in Kerala since the 2nd Century until the 16th Century. Kathakali is a continuation of older traditions that did not fully form until the Rajah of Kottorakkara wrote plays based off the Hindu Epic the Ramayana. Kathakali started to emerge as the 'peoples theatre' from traditional plays of the past.

Ramayana and Mahabharata best Kathakali plays. Kathakali as we see it now dates back to the time when shakespeare was writing plays. The performances were given in Malabar at the time by troupes who were formed by the patronage of the local rajahs and other noblemen.

A guide to Kathakali - David Bolland

What are the conventions of Kathakali?

Makeup - actors makeup is thick enough to provide a mask like feature. This is unusual as most other Indian originated theatre practices usually use masks to hide movements of face and eyes. Colorful face paints made from various stones and powders mixed with coconut oil.

Costume - enormous skirt containing 55 yards of material. A woolen jacket draped with lengths of cloth. Almost identical.

Headdresses - differ between characters

No scenery required - everything is describes by mudras and facial expression.

At front of the stage there is a large bellmetal lamp - however now a days use of floor lights.

Music - two drummers standing at the back of the stage on the left.

Mudras - hand gestures are used to explain the story. No words are spoken throughout the performance. However this convention is dying out in modern performances as the younger generations down't understand mudras as well. Is a sort of sign-language.

Starts at 8pm and continues to dawn of the following afternoon.

35 well known plays - usually performed for the Mahabharata and the Ramayana

A guide to Kathakali - David Bolland

Meisadhakam movements - Body movements used to convey the story.

Chuzhippu - dance steps used to convey story

Kathakali - the art of the non-worldly - Marg Publications

Lovesong is a play revolving around a couple who live together in their house and they reflect back upon the past life they had together.

My directorial vision for lovesong evolves around the idea of reflection and the passing of time and the nostalgia of looking back on life. The set will contain one table positioned stage right along with a fridge which will also be used for the entrance and exit of some characters. Stage left will contain a bed and a cupboard which will also be used for the entrance and exit of actors. The target audience for my version of lovesong will be from the ages of 15 upwards, as this play would be relate able for any age.

My production, called 'Lovesong' has the aim of revealing to the audience the passing of time and more importantly how valuable this time is. I want the audience to leave the performance with a refreshed outlook on life and the idea 'I must live everyday to the maximum' stuck in their minds. My performance would be targeted at those from the age of 15 and older. I feel that those under the age of 15 may not fully understand the concept of the piece and/or may be upset by the ending, Which involves the older lady killing herself with the help of the older man.

Lovesong opens with an old couple and progresses to entwine both the lives of the old couple and the younger versions of themselves, through movement, lighting, costume change and set. As the play develops, the audience learn of issues that the couple have encountered in their lives, these include, not being able to get pregnant, cheating and money problems. By entwining these issues in both the older and younger couples lives, the audience will see how these issues have shaped the couples lives, how they have dealt with them, and how they continue to affect their current lives. I want to provoke sadness and play with the emotion nostalgia.

I will achieve my directorial concept by using set, lighting, movement and props.

For the set I want to have two main areas of the stage, one area a kitchen, containing a rectangular wooden table and a fridge, and the other area a bedroom, containing a double bed and small wooden cupboard. I decided on these two rooms as they have connotations of comfort, family and home. I decided to use wood for the furniture as it is something that ages, much like the actors in the play. After a while marks will appear in the wood, this is important to show time passing and also the idea of nostalgia, the marks were created by events that are now memories. I also want to have autumn leaves on the ground, this allows for the set to be both inside and outside at the same time. The use of leaves also have connotations of time passing and new beginnings, for example the ending of one year and the start of another.

Movement is very important in piece, if not the most important production element throughout the play. I want to have both the old and young versions of themselves to come together at parts in an almost dream-like state. This also highlights the idea of nostalgia, for example each of the old characters not wanting to let go of their younger selves. To achieve this I will use a mixture of dance and synchronized moving. For example at the moments when I want there to be a clear connection between two characters they will either physically touch each other or look directly into each others eyes. I want there to be difference between the movement compared to hard times in the couples lives and the happy ones. For this I will use flowing slow dance compared to jerky off-beat movements.

Lighting will be used to highlight moments of intensity and calm. Mostly the set will stay dark with a blue tinged light. I will use a blue gel, as blue has connotations of calmness, serenity and security. This will also be used at times of nostalgia which will also mean that when the blue light appears the audience will link this to the emotion nostalgia. The lighting will also be used to show night and day which can be used to show the passing of time.

The props I will be using throughout the performance will be specific to achieve the directorial concept. For example I want to have square based cups to emphasize the idea of equal and togetherness. Squares and the number 4 can be associated with family which is what the couple so desperately want, but can not have. Squares will also be reflected in the space and the leaves scattered in a square formation. Props will also be used by the same character during youth and when aged, this will be to show how although time has passed, some things never change. This shows nostalgia.

In conclusion all these elements will be used together to achieve m directorial vision.

3 things:

3 emotions seen -

Nostalgia
Sadness
Hope

3 actions seen onstage -

Y women holds out peach while the O man takes a bite
Y man moving papers and being angry
O women and Y women uses the hand cream

3 moments of tension -

"Do you even want them?" Y women asks the Y man about children
Talking about going to the neighbors house and the man telling Y man that they should get a dog to fill their void
The moment before the Y man reveals he knows about the Y woman's affair.

3 shapes in the performance -

Rectangles and squares
round eg. peach
Rounded corners (fridge)

3 sounds -

Sound of the record player
"Do you even want them?"
Sound of the birds

3 Colors -

Orange/rusty color
brown
Blue

3 textures -

smooth wood
leaves
hard shiny fridge

3 transitions -

O women goes in the closet comes out Y
O women goes out the door comes in Y
O women goes in the fridge comes out Y

Lovesong is about a married couple who live simultaneously as their younger selves. In this production, I want the audience to be left with the thought that time is limited and life is worth living. We should not dwell in the past but also not worry about the future and be content in the present. My target audience would be 18+, 18 year olds are just starting out their life as adults and the older generation can be nostalgic towards the show. My message shall be conveyed using different production elements: my set shall include a simple kitchen set including a wooden table, the wooden texture creates the effect of strong house hold and time passing. Another texture I would use is the soft texture of the clothing the older woman uses. This texture shows elegance and warmheartedness that the older woman shows throughout her life. The other piece of the set is the bedroom, the bed is a square showing security and strength. Colour in the play will include blueish tint to show the sad ending. Another colour is autumnal colours signifying time coming to an end and the seasonality.
I will use movement to convey moments of emotion. These emotions will be nostalgia, sadness and a sense of wanting to do something with their life and wanting to live in the present.

List of sources:

Zarilli, P. B., 2000. Kathakali Dance-Drama; where gods and demons come to play. London: Routledge.

URL - https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=8aKEAgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=kathakali+drama+&ots=VswqK90Xnf&sig=FhofeSQHBHWavYoLPwgVkw4RL7Q#v=onepage&q=kathakali%20drama&f=false

Bolland, D., 1996. A guide to Kathakali. Third ed. New Delhi: Sterling Publihers Pvt. Ltd.

Centre, K. K., 2013. Visit Our Gallery. [Online] Available at: http://kathakalicentre.com/index.php?id=gallery [Accessed 1 October 2015].

Zarilli, P., n.d. The Kathakali Complex: Performance & Structure. s.l.:Abhinav Publications .

URL - https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=CjwYysH2ZQIC&pg=PR11&lpg=PR11&dq=the+kathakali+theatre+book&source=bl&ots=GCGhrdNcVh&sig=0ChaQarpqKz1vRPQZTlZs3_ZBmo&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CCsQ6AEwAWoVChMIq-az9_qgyAIVBVwaCh1dkQD9#v=onepage&q=the%20kathakali%20theatre%20book&f=false

Tickell, A., 2007 . Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things: A Routledge Study Guide. Canada : Routledge .

URL - https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=IcwWCjtnv3IC&pg=PA41&lpg=PA41&dq=conventions+of+kathakali&source=bl&ots=FVl4hn0gCP&sig=AAXrGLhnn8Te64APzt97Jxgc11A&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CEgQ6AEwB2oVChMIjtyF0f-gyAIVRlcaCh05hAy1#v=onepage&q=conventions%20of%20kathakali&f=false

Marg Publications , 1993 . Kathakali; The art of the non-worldly. Bombay : Marg Publications .

MUDRA CULTURAL CENTRE, n.d. Kathakali. [Online]
Available at: http://mudraculturalcentre.com/kathakali/
[Accessed 1 October 2015].

Vazhenkada Kunchu Nair Smaraka Trust, Karalmanna, n.d. Mudrapedia. [Online]
Available at: http://www.kathakali.info/en/mudrapedia
[Accessed 1 October 2015].

cyberkerala, n.d. KATHAKALI. [Online]
Available at: http://www.cyberkerala.com/kathakali/index.html
[Accessed 1 October 2015].

Shah, D. C., 2010 . Introduction to Ramayana. [Online]
Available at: http://www.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Content&sd=Articles&ArticleID=1639
[Accessed 1 October 2015].

Penguin , 1998. The Ramayana. London: Penguin .

http://asianhistory.about.com/od/arthistoryinasia/ss/KoreanMasks.htm web

https://cross-currents.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/e-journal/photo-essays/saeji.pdf essay

http://knutimes.com/news/article.html?no=688 article

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=dxHQqLz5HBUC&pg=PT14&lpg=PT14&dq=talchum+mask+dance+korea&source=bl&ots=9nqeVRQFM8&sig=64-c-jtv5iL3lJEm6315QoC0p5I&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CCYQ6AEwATgKahUKEwjM9Y2c-aDIAhWCDhoKHY-gAnY#v=onepage&q=talchum%20mask%20dance%20korea&f=false

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=GE1vBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA69&lpg=PA69&dq=talchum+mask+dance+korea&source=bl&ots=pujeiVzqDZ&sig=ie0Gx5GCgKRagEIl11ezOySUR7s&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAzgKahUKEwjM9Y2c-aDIAhWCDhoKHY-gAnY#v=onepage&q=talchum%20mask%20dance%20korea&f=false

http://www.koreaaward.com/kor/309

https://weyesweb.wordpress.com/category/korean-dance/talchum-%ED%83%88%EC%B6%A4

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=iVBFAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA181&dq=talchum+mask+dance+korea&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CEkQ6AEwCGoVChMIoIu56oChyAIVxloaCh1_egMx#v=onepage&q=talchum%20mask%20dance%20korea&f=false

http://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Culture/view?articleId=121717
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmkYD5ZAfcs
file:///C:/Users/rao_e15/Downloads/Chapter%203.The%20Concept%20of%20Korean%20Folk%20Dance.pdf deotbaegi chum, a free-style cheerful dance movement; and baegim sawi,

http://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Culture/view?articleId=121717 sawichum

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5OgEtMN8ZQ song

In our double lesson we watched the theatre production Lovesong which was produced by Frantic Assembly. It was the story of a couple and their growth. This included the current day much older version and the younger versions of themselves. The story involved their struggles and successes during their lifetime and intertwined both the lives of the older and younger versions using dance and movement. One word that stuck in my head after watching the play was nostalgia. The idea off looking back and missing your younger years. This was shown particularity well when the older and younger versions looked directly into each others eyes & when things that were happening in the younger couples lives were repeated in the older versions lives. For example when the younger couple talk about the hammock the older man takes it out again but the ends are frayed and it is unusable. This could also represent their relationship, fresh and new at the beginning, worn by the end. There is a sense that nothing can ever go back to how it was before. Personally I took the message, live every moment of life without regret and to the fullest, because life moves too quickly. I really enjoyed both the production elements and storyline throughout the play.

Y- younger

O- older

Moments of TEAM:

Tension -

Y man walks in and the room is deathly silent he does not speak a word to his wife who seems confused, his movements are stiff and disjointed. His voice starts low before rising to a shout. (Y discovers his wife has been with another man, he confronts her about it) - Tension scale 6
The scene is pitch black and there are strobe flashes as the Y women lies on the kitchen table as the music gets louder it also becomes increasingly tense. - Tension scale 5
Y man and wife have a conversation that leads to the mention of kids and not being able to get pregnant. There is a moment of silence in which the tension grows. - Tension scale 5
Y women says "Do you even want them" to husband after discussing kids. There is a long pause. - Tension scale 6
Y women talks about leaving the Y man. - Tension scale 5

Emotion -

O man talks about brushing his teeth every morning and why he does this. There is a sense of routine and order which is also related to peacefulness and tranquillity. There is a sense of wistfulness. The old man is missing something.
O woman talks about washing her face, again there is the same sense of order. This also to do with routine and order which gives a sense of safety and calmness. There is a sense of wistfulness. The O woman is missing something.
The Y couple is sitting outside there is a smooth slow song playing. They are both happy and in love. This reflects the emotion of joy and affection.
O women describes meeting Adam to the O man. This is the little boy she used to care for as though he was her own before the family moved away. Her voice is soft and sad there is a sense of loss, she has missed him growing up, he is now old. However at the same time the women talks with love and affection, happy that Adam also seems to be happy.
O woman decides that it is time to get rid of biscuit and give her away as she is going to die soon. Biscuit has been like the baby she could never have. Giving away Biscuit also symbolises her coming to terms with her death, she believes that she is ready. The O women is both distressed and sad about this.
"I told her it was time," O women talks to husband about her phone call to give away Biscuit. The music is played softer and there is a long pause. There is both despair and sadness in her voice.

Atmosphere -

Dancing at the beginning where the Y couple dance together. The movements are soft and not jerky. Everything flows. The music is also soft and smooth. The dancers almost look as though they are not touching the floor. The stage is darker with a soft blue tinge to the low lighting. This gives makes the atmosphere seem almost dreamlike.
O women is lying on the table in the dark there is a backdrop of stars. Again there is a blue tinge to the low lighting. She moves softly which carefully touching some of the stars on the wall. She moves with such grace and touches the stars just slightly as though although they are there they are just out of reach, this gives the impression of a dreamlike state. This dreamlike atmosphere is extended to the audience.
The Y couple are both sitting outside happy. They are talking about their future. The music is soft and light. The room is dark with a single spotlight on the couple. The atmosphere created is happy and hopeful.
Before the Y couples party. There are many lights with a slight yellowy/orange tinge, a colour usually associated with happiness. The music is upbeat. The atmosphere is light and jovial.

Meaning -

O man and Y man share eye contact just after the Y man takes out another girls number from his pocket. - This is almost as though the old man is seeing this version of himself and feeling shame. He regrets this moment in his life. The eye contact is almost saying, rip that piece of paper up. The Y man seems to receive this message and rip the number up. Another more open message could be, everyone makes mistakes.
Both the O women and the Y version put cream on their hands when they are in bed. This shows routine while also showing that although she has grown older in many ways, there are some things that stay the same.
The O women takes out some high heeled shoes which she used to wear when she was older, she realises that she can no longer wear them anymore. - the shoes remind her of her youth and the fact that she can no longer wear them anymore show that she has become older and frail. She can never be that young version of herself again. Although she wants to be young again she cannot.
The Y mans notion of time and time travel - basically what is happening with time in the play.

Scorch moment - The moment when the Y women holds out a peach and the older man takes a bite. It is possible to see the connection between both the older couple and the younger versions of themselves.

Year 13!

So year 13 has started and it is already stressing me out!! Over the summer holidays we each worked on our mock solo theatre piece for HL. We were tasked with creating an original piece of theatre based on aspects from Brecht's theatre.

I decided to do research into Brecht's use of placards and projection as these were the two aspects of theatre that I found to be most interesting and also the most useful.

I was pleased with my overall performance although I feel like I was over stressing too much for the performance itself, although the performance is only a small part of the project. The main bulk of the marks come from the written report which is submitted with the video of the performance.

2 good things about my performance:

The use of placards worked as planned and there wasn't any mistakes
The projection system I had rehearsed worked well and didn't cause any of the problems that I thought it might, such as skipping a slide or not changing the slide in time.

2 things to be improved about my performance:

The use of lighting was quite a key element in the design of my piece, but since we didn't have the equipment in school to be able to create the 'camera flash' style lighting I wanted to create this was not in my actual performance.
The table that I was sat behind in the performance was a school type desk, which was different to the one planned, as the one that I planned to use was a news conference style table which would of created the effect of being in a news conference.

Our Thursday double lesson:

For our two our Thursday lesson we spent the first hour reviewing all of the assessment criteria for the HL solo piece. We spent time looking specifically at what evidence was required in order to get the different marks.

I found this part of the lesson extremely useful as I was originally very nervous about the performance, but in reviewing the mark scheme I learnt that most of the marks that you get awarded are based on evidence from the formal written report, this put my mind more at ease as it took some of the pressure of the performance itself.

The second half of the lesson we moved into the studio where we were told to create freeze frames in order to represent where we feel we are in theatre now compared to the start of year 12.

Here are the freeze frames that I created:

This was the first freeze frame that I had created, for me this shows how I feel more accepted by the group than I did back in year 12. Since the start of year 12 I feel like I have become much closer with each member of the group and I no longer feel like an 'outsider' like I did at the start of last year. Since the start of year 12 I feel the group has really become a lot closer than it was, I feel this was helped by the ISTA trip at the start of year 1.

I was given 10 seconds by Mr. Fearnehough to improve my piece, this is the revised version:

This time I decided to change the look of my freeze frame. I decided to have the other three members of the group letting me in, as I felt this showed the idea of being 'accepted' better. From the two freeze frames, this was the one I preferred the most.

Following on from our individual freeze frames we were asked to do one more freeze frame as a group, to show how we feel we work as a group. Here is what we came up with:

This freeze frame shows the idea of support in our group. All of us are supporting one another in some way, you can see me and Meera are holding each other up back to back and the same is happening with Chloe and Emma, also Emma and Meera are holding hands again suggesting support.

We we're again given 10 seconds to improve on our piece and that gave us the following:

We decided to try and build on the idea of support even more and so we created the piece where we were all helping each other to stay up and help any one member of the group that is down.

Beckett's Quad:

We started work on a play by Samuel Beckett called 'Quad'. I was selected to be the director for this piece as I was the only one of the four who hasn't had a go at being director yet.

First of all we decided to look at the script given (see above) and all tried to learn our specific route that we would have to follow, similar to having to learn lines.

I found being director for this piece quite challenging as the script we were given was very primitive. This was challenging from the directors point of view as I really didn't have any information to go on as far as costume, and lighting. The one thing I was given was the fact that percussion needed to be used in the piece, but it did not say how percussion needed to be used. I had many questions about what this play could be trying to represent:

Could it be representing life?
Why is the idea of 'quad' or 4 so important?
Why is point E important?
What does point E represent?
Do the characters ever meet?
Why do characters mirror each other?
What type of percussion is supposed to be used?

Becketts Quad

On Monday we started a new performance, which was Becketts Quad. Harry was assigned to be our director as he has not had a go at being in the role of director before. We spent the first two lessons working out the movements and what each persons part was. I found this complicated at first as no one really knew what they were doing at the beginning. However after completing our routes (we each had routes in a square with no speech or particular stage directions), I found it much easier to understand. At this point we still had no idea what the play was about or what we were supposed to be showing. In some ways this made acting it out much harder as we had questions like:

Am I supposed to go through the centre of the square?
Am I supposed to have contact with the other three people ?
Why is one person doing the exact opposite to me ?
Are we supposed to mirror each other?

At the start of our double lesson on Thursday, we spent time trying to understand what the play was about. Some ideas we came up with were:

The routine of life - everyone moves at the same time stuck in a routine that is hard to escape. Everything moves in a routine, time, planets, the sun, the seasons, days, weeks... The central point being a problem which everyone cleverly gets passed. Is this a good thing?
The idea of Karma - As there is always one person who is doing the exact same thing as you but opposite. The idea of a ripple, doing one thing effects someone else on the opposite side of the world.

We then started to wonder about the formation, a square and the idea that it has four sides, and that we're walking in triangles. Does the number four have any significance? we found out:

Four is the number of creation in the bible
Four is linked with organisation and practicality
Triangles are linked with strength and support

We then started to realise that each person will also be helping to complete another persons triangle, this also fitted in with our idea with Karma. We went on to watch Becketts version of the play.

We noticed that the actors were wearing primary colours, which were just sheets. This gave the idea that they were not really humans which I think is an important theme in his piece. We were both inspired and influenced by watching this. The fact that none of the actors crossed paths influenced to do the same. We were inspired by the colours we wanted to take this idea and tweak it slightly to fit our own ideas.

Our ideas:

Using coloured rice to show each persons pathway and how they are all intertwined and sometimes even destroyed by others.
We each change each other
The use of different percussion instruments for each actor and a continuous beat like a clock in the background
A beat that sounds whenever we reach a corner

Use of Space

On Friday we played a 'game' where we had to use space to create different scenarios that we were given. We had to use both voice and movement. The spaces we had were:

An aeroplane hanger
A deserted Island
A lift
A coffin

I had number 4. I found this hard as I had to shout and project my voice really loud. I tried really hard to get over my awkwardness at doing this and stay in character. After several seconds of doing this I felt more comfortable with shouting and acting. From this experience I learnt that the pitch and loudness of voice was very important to show the size of space. Movement was also very important and remembering how big your space was, to keep it believable you have to remember where your 'space' cuts off.

This task was very interesting and helpful in exploring space.

Evaluating our progress

On the first day back we had a double lesson. We spent half the lesson talking about solo pieces and evaluating what the task actually was. We realised that most of the task revolved around the written report and, in fact, not the performance. We also went through the mark scheme thoroughly so we had a better understanding of how to get a good grade.

In the second half of the lesson we were asked to use the space to create a freeze frame, using each other on how we feel about drama now in comparison to the start of the year.

In my freeze frame I wanted to show my gaining of confidence over the last year. Here Chloe is my fear and anxiousness pulling me back and preventing me from performing. However I am turned away from her and she is turned away from me showing that this part of me is slowly disappearing. Emma is hugging me, this is showing how I feel more confident and connected to my ensemble, it is almost as though she is pulling me away from my anxiousness and fear (how they have helped me gain confidence and feel involved). Harry is a spectator, showing that this whole scene is onstage, again reinforcing the idea that I now have more confidence to perform in front of people.

I was then given 10 seconds to improve my piece.

The only thing I decided to change was Chloe holding me back. I decided to have her not holding on any more as I feel it better shows the idea that I am letting that part of me go. However she is still a big part of the freeze-frame as just being onstage shows that I have not completely let it go.

After everyone else had finished their freeze-frames, we were then told to collaboratively create a freeze-frame to show our ensemble.

In our first attempt we took the idea of support which we all agreed was an important part of our ensemble. The idea was that we were each leaning on each other for support, and without the other person we would fall. Eye contact between Emma and me was also important as it was used to show communication and the importance of this within a group. Chloe and Harry look at the camera happily to show how comfortable we are as a group.

Continuing with the idea of support we created another freeze-frame, however this time we also wanted to incorporate the idea of helping those who need help. Working as a team means helping people who are struggling this is shown through our use of levels. The circle also shows trust and communication through eye contact.

As a group we were then asked to come up with another freeze-frame showing a bad ensemble.

In this freeze-frame we decided to focus on the word chaos, we decided to use the idea of control and someone having too much and thinking they can control others. This involves lack of communication and support.

Our last task was to create a freeze-frame showing what we would like to achieve at the end of the course.

This freeze-frame shows confidence and being able to fully perform in front of an audience. Emma and Harry represent the ensemble, and the idea of happiness and friendship.

Solo Task

After presenting my solo piece I felt I was both successful and at times unsuccessful in conveying my message. I am happy with the overall performance however being that we had very little time to practice in the actual performance space and receive pier help I feel some parts were lacking. If I were to do my performance again I would change several things.

Lighting
Audience number and placing of seating
Getting the audience to decide of defendants innocence

(more details in my actual report)

My idea

For my individual piece I have decided to use placards as my chosen convention of Brecht's theatre. At first I wanted to experiment with having different characters and how they act in social situations compared to their internal emotions. However after trying this I found it hard, as I was only one person on stage and could not show the social situations well enough. From this experience I learnt that the idea of showing two different things could be an interesting concept, so I decided to look at some opposites. In the end I settled on the idea of the truth versus lies, I felt like something like this would be interesting for the audience to watch as they would have to work out for themselves whether the truth was being said or whether it was on the placards.

As I had just been to do work experience following round a barrister, and watching a trial, I thought that maybe I could incorporate this into my drama piece. I thought it would be an interesting idea to have myself as someone being prosecuted on the stand. However due to the fact it is a solo piece, I would have it as though I am recounting my side of the story. During the piece I would recount my story while holding up placards with another version of the story (this could either be the real story or not the audience would have to decide for themselves).

Because I have put the audience in a position to make a decision on whether the defendant is guilty or not, I thought I could play around with the idea of the audience being sat in the jury seats. As this is the role the jury take on in real life. This makes the audience not just spectators but as though they are a part of the trial. I would will do this by placing a placard stating 'Jury' next to the audience's seats. I will also use similar placards to show the defendants chair, the time, and the accusations against the prosecuted.

Mise en scene

I will have my Mise en scene simple, this will be done to make sure the audience are focused on the defendant and taking in everything that they say.

Set:

My set will consist of one chair, downstage centre, and the whiteboard centre stage right behind the chair. This will be done to create a sense of claustrophobia and closeness between the defendant and the audience. It will also be used as a placard to state the time of the case. The audience will be sat in chairs directly in front of the defendant, this will be done to give the sense that they are a part of the Jury and not just spectators of a performance.

I was considering having a table in front of the defendant, however after trying this out I realised that the table blocks the placards which are key, and need to be seen. I also had to hold the placards higher which then block out my face which is key in seeing emotions, such as anxiety.

Lighting:

There will be one spotlight directly on the defendant, this is to make sure that all focus is on the defendant. This will create a tenser atmosphere.

Using placards:

A placard is a sign or additional piece of written information presented onstage. Using placards might be as simple as holding up a card or banner. Multimedia or a PowerPoint slideshow can also be used for this effect. The musical, Miss Saigon, for example, used a slideshow to demonstrate the loss of lives in the Vietnam War which was highly effective. What’s important is that the information doesn’t just comment upon the action but deepens our understanding of it.

For example, a married couple are arguing and the wife is very upset. If the actress held up a placard saying ‘I’m miserable’ that wouldn’t tell us anything about the character that we didn’t already know. However, if her placard said ‘I’m having an affair’ or ‘I’ve never loved him’ the audience would be forced to consider other aspects of their relationship and to think about deeper reasons behind her tears.
Taken from

Placard examples:

Photos:

Kathakali Dance-Drama: Where Gods and Demons Come to Play

The Kathakali Complex: Performance & Structure

About us

Views

Archive