I would just like to express my complete disappoint and absolute disregard to those of us within porto who seemed to not have grasped what the process and performance module actually entailed...its about the exploration and understanding of what physical theatre is as a genre, resonating what's so different about physical theatre as opposed to dance and drama and binary oppositions. However i think that a lot of us are mis-reading this point and instead are imposing themselves on their character, what you want to do and what you characters feels to do are two entirely different things, and with physical theatre, simplistic is always most effective...less is more type of thing. So i don't really think that it helps that quite a few people aren't really carrying that mind set and its quite disappointing because i think if we let our ego's out of our way there really wouldn't be any negativity. I also don't think that it's the 'eyes' job to tell us what to do, we can only get out what we put in, so if you're not going to put anything in, don't expect that by turning up that will be enough and that somehow you will get something out of it. Patience is also a virtue and people are struggling to understand this, they are their as a guide, to maybe even suggest a few idea's and its up to us whther or not we take that on board and indeed whether it suits your character or not. The option was given at the start of lecture yesterday to voice any problems or concerns people had about their characters or indeed themselves within in porto, yet not many did. But as soon as people went off into their sub-sections, the negativity sprung once more, why bother saying anything at this point when you haven't said anything when the oppportunity to do so was given, and how can it be expected for the eye (royona and paul) to know that you're feeling like this if you don't tell them, after all they aren't mind readers and can only work with what they're given. I know this from my personal experience as a couple of weeks ago i felt as though my character had ventured back into her shell, and yeah for one or two weeks i did feel a bit negative but that's what porto is about, its a learning curve in many aspects. And eventually i spoke to Royona and Paul about it as i felt i'd tried as much as i could to develop something but it just didn't feel right, after speaking with Royona and Paul, they suggested that i needed to explore what it is that drives my character and so from that i found my inspiration for my character and her place within porto, and found the help of royona and paul really helpful. So i would suggest that if you're struggling, speak to both royona and paul, and for those saying that they've not had an additional rehearsal time well, why not book a room and rehearse with people within your sub-section and just play, because there isn't anything to stop you doing so, as you only get out what you put it. And, unfortunately, it isn't anyone else's fault but your own. And if you put as much effort into your physical work in porto as you do with your negative views then maybe you would have something to be positive about. Just to finish off, i thought yesterday's concentration levels in lecture were abismal, total disregard for royona, who not only had to manage on her own but also had to change her lesson plan due to unforeseen circumstance and instead of making the session more flowing and helpful towards her, our behaviour was atrocious, whether or not Paul is there, that behaviour shouldn't have to be tolerated by anyone. I find it quite hard to understand why a group of 19-22 year olds can't just shut up and stop the bits of chatter and giggling unecessarily, as its supposed to be a focused session, and Royona is trying to implement new sections into the ensemble, and its practically impossible to concentrate. And just generally i think people need to buck up their attitudes a bit...cos at the moment there isn't exactly an ensemble within porto anymore because ego's are getting in the way! but that's just my opinion! And i've voiced on the blog because i just think there'd be too much commotion and too much in one ear and out of the other motion happening. And i really don't mean to be negative about it all, but i think its all got too much, its meant to be fun and about learning new things, exploring a whole bunch of avenues, and to those that have said they're not feeling too positive about Porto, the majority haven't looked back at the slideshow, so i would suggest you do so and understand that time isn't going to stand still tomorrow, and that there's plenty of time for sub-sections pieces to evolve and develop, and i think you need to look at it that patience is a virtue, because there are so many people within our group, its quite difficult for just two people to cater to their needs every single minute of every session. And just because you haven't had additional rehearsal times that doesn't mean you can't go and rehearse yourself and then ask either Royona or Paul to look at it and give their opinion or even offer their advice. And remember RESEARCH SCORE VALIDATE before PERFORMANCE (RSVP)
PORTO SLIDESHOW...Expect...
'To become attached to the process
To feel emotionally and physically exhausted
To become annoyed/frustrated at times
Not every week to be as productive
To have to be patient
To feel out of control at times
To get annoyed at Paul and I'
Also taken from the Porto Slideshow...
'To not get possessive of your material
To not be impatient when it isn’t your time
To share an exploration to create a common vision
To use the blog to share thoughts/experiences'
“You’re going to reap just what you sow”
Investment of self
Creative and administrative responsibility
Creative freedom – within boundaries
Focus on self growth as performer
Issue of working hard
Thats all!
Thursday, 26 March 2009
Wednesday, 25 March 2009
Question Timeeeee!!!
Just something that i've been going over in my head...so ive put it into question form...feel free to answer...or not!!!
What do you think is, or have found the best way to physically communicate or express who you're character is, within porto? And whether or not you see yourself as an actor or dancer...or a mixture of the two?
And also what techniques do you think have helped in your development and understanding of it?
What do you think is, or have found the best way to physically communicate or express who you're character is, within porto? And whether or not you see yourself as an actor or dancer...or a mixture of the two?
And also what techniques do you think have helped in your development and understanding of it?
Monday, 16 March 2009
...Justitia - Jasmin Vardimon
Just quick reminder to those of you who are interested in going to see Jasmin Vardimon's production of Justitia at the Lichfield Garrick...It's on Tuesday 9th April...and the number to call for tickets etc is 01543 412121...it is the closest to the midlands, there are other dates in london, just check out their website...that is all...hope you can make it
All things Merce Cunningham
Merce Cunningham is another great american choreographer of his time, infact of any time, (who has also worked with Martha Graham), who's work i enjoy because its not conventional,as he doesn't like to interpret anything and prefers to focus on the content of the work as opposed to what it means etc. But i've put up a few pics just to hopefully shed some light on how effective his work is. And i'd strongly recommend you all to do some research into him, because im sure you'll love his as much as i do.
Porto so far...
I had an additional rehearsal last week with Royona and i must say it helped my character emerge into herself again, and i've noticed a shift in my characters overall physicality and characteristics and relationship to the floor, i think i've found that want, that something that's driving my character to break free from the past and start out again, beacuse now the movements and the way my character is feeling is making a lot of sense to me too, but it's also given me the want to interact with some of the other characters within the group. However i think through the play that will more than likely happen. But yeah just wanted to say i really enjoyed the rehearsal and just Porto is occupying my mind sooo much ha! hope you're all feeling as enthusiastic, im sure you are :)
Wednesday, 11 March 2009
Task 2
1) One of the key strategies used in Porto is the layering technique used in most of the ensembles and solo pieces of the work.
The majority of people are noticing changes in their characters because every week, they are feeling different about it as I am. Our change in characters is due to the way we are feeling, or remembering certain aspects of the character we are creating from our personal and past experiences.
Also the trust in the group has grown much more in these five weeks, thanks to the exercises and workshops we have had, to strengthen the group’s dynamics and abilities to use their body steadily without injuring themselves.
Another key strategy in Porto is the use of each individual’s stimuli, as a starting point, which challenges other members of the group to engage with the stimuli and turn it into something,
‘...people probably learn that the creation of a work of art is not hacking away at a block of wood and hoping that it turns out to be the image that you want. It actually has to be well thought through, you have to have so many perimeters and some inspiration. It’s a lot of hard work and requires technical skill creating what it is you know you want’
(John Wood, Writer in Residence, Greenwich, Young Peoples Theatre)
‘Ultimately, it is about the group discovering a relationship between itself and the product it produces’. (Alison Oddey, Devising Theatre, pg 24, 1994)
2) My reason for choosing this particular character was because he was emotional and sensitive, this for me created opportunities in my mind to create a natural stimuli and to interact with people.
The first rehearsal for Porto went quite well. I had already started to create a persona and showed some sort of emotion the character needed, when everyone had to do their opening piece introducing their character. The first ensemble seemed to be easy because I was not engaging with another person at that moment. I noticed that when I tried to interact with someone it was not working.
Forced Entertainment draws on a variety of sources in creating a work. Its devising process begins with "an almost random pile of text, images, ideas and personal experiences" collected by company members, "out of which comes the subject matter for a piece" (87). (Alison Oddey, Devising Theatre, 1994; pp.254)
My personality in the character has differed from a majority of the people in the class, I may have had an exterior view of the performance as I still saw everyone as themselves and not their characters most of the time it may have affected my communication skills. Releasing the emotional context of my character is now helping me to progress in Porto
3) Going into my character consists of having a clear mind and not being distracted. As I go into my character I notice that the majority of my weight goes into the right hand side of my body and I tend to be more tense whilst I shift my weight left and right when I walk.
The characters weight and movement seems to get more relaxed and more focused on throughout the process of Porto, as it tries to communicate to other people. The accessory that everyone is supposed to have relating to the character has also helped, because it changes the way the body is moving. My body sometimes moves at a fast pace, which is sometimes unexpected, but this is naturally happening within the thoughts of my character and how he feels.
I sometimes do not understand why my body changes speed or how much weight it puts in and why.
Doing some research leads me to understand that the character interacts to the signifier as Ferdinand de Saussure says “The bond between the signifier and the signified is arbitrary…”, (Keith Green and Jill LeBihan Critical theory and practice, pg 54, 1996) which means that I can only interact or connect with someone which gives me a sign to let me interact and will only find me normal towards them if that’s what they think I am.
‘You have to trust yourselves as artists’, trust your art. Allow a situation where the sub-conscious of the group is enabled to emerge’.
(Mark Long, founder of the Peoples Show).
My body gradually changes to what is happening in the particular context of the work, depending on what is going on around me. I try my best to let go of my own personal conscience and enter my ‘sub-conscious’ which is happening slowly with progress of the work.
Bibliography
Oddey, Alison; Devising Theatre: A Practical and Theoretical Handbook. (Published by New York: Routledge, 1994)
Green, Keith, LeBihan, Jill; Critical theory and practice: a course book (Published by Routledge, 1996)
The majority of people are noticing changes in their characters because every week, they are feeling different about it as I am. Our change in characters is due to the way we are feeling, or remembering certain aspects of the character we are creating from our personal and past experiences.
Also the trust in the group has grown much more in these five weeks, thanks to the exercises and workshops we have had, to strengthen the group’s dynamics and abilities to use their body steadily without injuring themselves.
Another key strategy in Porto is the use of each individual’s stimuli, as a starting point, which challenges other members of the group to engage with the stimuli and turn it into something,
‘...people probably learn that the creation of a work of art is not hacking away at a block of wood and hoping that it turns out to be the image that you want. It actually has to be well thought through, you have to have so many perimeters and some inspiration. It’s a lot of hard work and requires technical skill creating what it is you know you want’
(John Wood, Writer in Residence, Greenwich, Young Peoples Theatre)
‘Ultimately, it is about the group discovering a relationship between itself and the product it produces’. (Alison Oddey, Devising Theatre, pg 24, 1994)
2) My reason for choosing this particular character was because he was emotional and sensitive, this for me created opportunities in my mind to create a natural stimuli and to interact with people.
The first rehearsal for Porto went quite well. I had already started to create a persona and showed some sort of emotion the character needed, when everyone had to do their opening piece introducing their character. The first ensemble seemed to be easy because I was not engaging with another person at that moment. I noticed that when I tried to interact with someone it was not working.
Forced Entertainment draws on a variety of sources in creating a work. Its devising process begins with "an almost random pile of text, images, ideas and personal experiences" collected by company members, "out of which comes the subject matter for a piece" (87). (Alison Oddey, Devising Theatre, 1994; pp.254)
My personality in the character has differed from a majority of the people in the class, I may have had an exterior view of the performance as I still saw everyone as themselves and not their characters most of the time it may have affected my communication skills. Releasing the emotional context of my character is now helping me to progress in Porto
3) Going into my character consists of having a clear mind and not being distracted. As I go into my character I notice that the majority of my weight goes into the right hand side of my body and I tend to be more tense whilst I shift my weight left and right when I walk.
The characters weight and movement seems to get more relaxed and more focused on throughout the process of Porto, as it tries to communicate to other people. The accessory that everyone is supposed to have relating to the character has also helped, because it changes the way the body is moving. My body sometimes moves at a fast pace, which is sometimes unexpected, but this is naturally happening within the thoughts of my character and how he feels.
I sometimes do not understand why my body changes speed or how much weight it puts in and why.
Doing some research leads me to understand that the character interacts to the signifier as Ferdinand de Saussure says “The bond between the signifier and the signified is arbitrary…”, (Keith Green and Jill LeBihan Critical theory and practice, pg 54, 1996) which means that I can only interact or connect with someone which gives me a sign to let me interact and will only find me normal towards them if that’s what they think I am.
‘You have to trust yourselves as artists’, trust your art. Allow a situation where the sub-conscious of the group is enabled to emerge’.
(Mark Long, founder of the Peoples Show).
My body gradually changes to what is happening in the particular context of the work, depending on what is going on around me. I try my best to let go of my own personal conscience and enter my ‘sub-conscious’ which is happening slowly with progress of the work.
Bibliography
Oddey, Alison; Devising Theatre: A Practical and Theoretical Handbook. (Published by New York: Routledge, 1994)
Green, Keith, LeBihan, Jill; Critical theory and practice: a course book (Published by Routledge, 1996)
assesment 2- blog 2
1-The main technique that we implemented was the idea of play and improvisation. In the first couple of weeks which we had begun to use body memory and responding to the space which was very important for me as it personally gave me more freedom and it didn’t feel right or wrong. After my character was formed it became harder as I thought that I would have created a character as the process went along and had more time to develop instead of forming a character start away.
As an ensemble the clapping strategy was really effective it gave everyone more focus and a mutual understanding of what emotion we are tying to portray as a group. It is very important to be able to explain why I am doing something what is my character showing and relate everything back to my character and question weather my character would move like that? How he would respond to people interacting with him? The increase in confidence is a big step and although I am sure my character is not totally formed interacting with others has really helped and giving more which can then be taken out and rather than have nothing.
2-The process to me is twice as important as the performance the journey that I have been on physically and emotionally up to this point has not really been draining as I feel I have not yet explored all the possibilities that I can do. Although the last week I have begun to interact a lot more and build on the relationships with people whereas previously I set my character to be quite withdrawn in fact using my pop brought out another side and in fact I do need to interact a lot more with people and its my character that wants to talk to someone and not me as a person and to separate that it a really big achievement for me. My main focus from now is definitely building relationships and giving a purpose for everything I am doing its no longer about the improve strategies is its about going over gestures and movements that my character does in order to make it more convincing. The costume I have chosen shows my emotional sense of not belonging within Porto trying to be something i am not. I chose to mix the smart shirt and casual bottoms as it shows confusion.
3-My character is very definite in his approach he now has a purpose within Porto so when developing relationships and interactions I use very direct moves when i am interacting with everyone, people I have had a stronger relationships with I move a lot slower and gentle because my character would be the type to try harder with more. As my character has a relationship with god he constantly looks to the sky to ask for answers. Most of my weight is balanced on my right leg as that is the side my bag is on with the bible in it so I have made a conscience choice to do this as it represents a extra weight I am carrying not just physically but an emotional struggle. And even though it’s a small bag I want people to question the fact why it is so heavy and perhaps if someone else takes it it is light to them. Body language to me is also about facial expressions and I feel my character would hold his head down a lot of the time just watching so its more evident when I hold it up its for something I have strong feelings towards.
David Jackson
As an ensemble the clapping strategy was really effective it gave everyone more focus and a mutual understanding of what emotion we are tying to portray as a group. It is very important to be able to explain why I am doing something what is my character showing and relate everything back to my character and question weather my character would move like that? How he would respond to people interacting with him? The increase in confidence is a big step and although I am sure my character is not totally formed interacting with others has really helped and giving more which can then be taken out and rather than have nothing.
2-The process to me is twice as important as the performance the journey that I have been on physically and emotionally up to this point has not really been draining as I feel I have not yet explored all the possibilities that I can do. Although the last week I have begun to interact a lot more and build on the relationships with people whereas previously I set my character to be quite withdrawn in fact using my pop brought out another side and in fact I do need to interact a lot more with people and its my character that wants to talk to someone and not me as a person and to separate that it a really big achievement for me. My main focus from now is definitely building relationships and giving a purpose for everything I am doing its no longer about the improve strategies is its about going over gestures and movements that my character does in order to make it more convincing. The costume I have chosen shows my emotional sense of not belonging within Porto trying to be something i am not. I chose to mix the smart shirt and casual bottoms as it shows confusion.
3-My character is very definite in his approach he now has a purpose within Porto so when developing relationships and interactions I use very direct moves when i am interacting with everyone, people I have had a stronger relationships with I move a lot slower and gentle because my character would be the type to try harder with more. As my character has a relationship with god he constantly looks to the sky to ask for answers. Most of my weight is balanced on my right leg as that is the side my bag is on with the bible in it so I have made a conscience choice to do this as it represents a extra weight I am carrying not just physically but an emotional struggle. And even though it’s a small bag I want people to question the fact why it is so heavy and perhaps if someone else takes it it is light to them. Body language to me is also about facial expressions and I feel my character would hold his head down a lot of the time just watching so its more evident when I hold it up its for something I have strong feelings towards.
David Jackson
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