1) Reflecting back on Porto it was evident that all the characters created, at some point shared their own individual story and experiences. From the validation phase to the performance itself, it was clear that there were similar themes and issues that began to emerge. Characters seemed to have an erg to belong and to be included in a group or click, although still stuck in their individual routine and world. Characters found it difficult to comply and conform to the majority, yet it is still what they desire. An example of this is made known in the opening scene; the ensemble performed a sequence in unison. This was a shocking, very tense and a powerful scene. The entire cast did the same movements which demonstrated the world we live in, the constant routines caught up in the fixed ways of society. However, with some of the characters striving to escape; the frustration and sense of individuality was established through the characters bodies and positioning, implying their state of mind. Because of the notion of belonging and acceptance the characters are constantly pushed back to the everyday custom. Porto is like a reflection of the world we live in, a copy of real life. We are persistently reminded that there are rules, laws and obligations that restrict us. “The body is the direct point of connection between our inner self and the outer world” (L. Marshall, 2001: pg. xii preface)
2) The transition of Porto from the drama studio into the Arena Theatre had its strengths and weaknesses. The fact, the cast had a chance for a complete week to practise in the professional space was an advantage. The company had the chance to adapt to the space, new surroundings and the working environment in which the performance was to be held. The theatre was not a familiar space, therefore meant the rehearsals and practises enabled the theatre to become a positive aspect to the performance. This helped us to feel comfortable and confident. During the transition we had to take into consideration and be sensitive to the lighting and technical crew, where in the studio it was not a necessity.
As well as our first time undertaking a run- through in the Theatre space, it was to the technical crews. This meant the run- through may not have been as smooth as it should, seeing that there where stops and repeats. As a company we had to be professional and deal with the fact that we were all a team and on the same journey. We had to show the qualities of a true professional company and endured the long, demanding, repetitive days of rehearsals. From this process it demonstrated how much of a close group we actually are and how fine we bonded collectively.
Reflecting back on the transition, the feel of the periphery in the theatre seemed to be very spaced out. This however turned into a positive, initially the space of the periphery in the studio became a complication as it was apparent that the periphery was not being sensitive and therefore took the main focus centre stage. “The key to good responding is remaining in a place of constant alertness and sensitivity to the movement.” (L. Marshall, 2001: pg. 157) Nevertheless when the action moved to the theatre space, the characters became more aware and the space was larger to work with, opening the action in the middle. This created less attention to the periphery, with also the main lighting not on them, focusing the audience’s attention on the main performance, which therefore in turn produced the periphery to work well.
3) The growth of my character was major. Even until the last stage of the RSVP model my character was growing, improving and learning new information.
The ‘R’ stage is a very important period to the development and growth of any character. In my case, was highly significant. This phase helped me to firstly appreciate and understand the field of Physical theatre, the historical context and the genre aims and intentions. Secondary the ‘R’ stage assisted my understanding of my character and helped me become aware of the skills and techniques needed for the world of Physical Theatre. For a character to be convincing and true, it is important that research takes place and the actors understanding of their individual character and genre is clear. This means the audience’s signals will be comprehensible and their understanding and emotional connection to the play will be on a next level. “Out of what we offer them, they ‘create’ meaning and interpretation” (L. Marshall, 2001: pg. 138) Many theatre companies believe that research is important and assists the development and growth of a character. “I am not interested in making work that does not focus clearly on content. Content, rather than style drives DV8’s work.” (DV8 Physical Theatre, 2008) In order for there to be a strong content there needs to be some sort of research. A task that facilitated my research was the letter; we were required to send a letter to the lecturer from our character. This was useful because it required me to use my mind and think about my character, not only physically but intellectually and mentally. To write the letter there had to be some independent research on the type of character I wanted to portray. Even though all that was found and discovered was not written in the letter, I still had points wrote down for my own purpose to refer to during the process. Points which made me think about the characters movements; how she would walk and move, the characters thoughts, how she might think, what would create an impulse for her to move. “I seek movement with intention and purpose” (DV8 Physical Theatre, 2008) the characters style of dress “You should think carefully about how your character would dress” (L. Marshall, 2001: pg. 172) All these points had to be taken into consideration when creating my character. Reflecting on the final three shows, individually I felt that my acting was consistent. I can truly say my all was given in the three shows and considering the role I played, nothing more could have been given.
“Time doesn’t stand still. You change, Theatre changes [...] what works for you today may not work in five years. So keep exploring” (L. Marshall, 2001: pg. 218)
My character had its ups and downs, there were days my character felt no emotional connection and days when it was never better. If a character is meant to be real, then a character should never really safe, as life isn’t. As human beings we are always taking in new information and never are at the same emotional level. Therefore let our work be natural and not falsified to create an artificial character, but allow growth and development to take place.
Bibliography
Marshall, L. (2001). The Body Speaks- Performance and Expression. London: Methuen Publishing Limited
Other Sources
DV8 Physical Theatre, 2008, Lloyd Newson in Converstaion with Jo Butterworth. Available at: http://www.dv8.co.uk/about.dv8/LNbutterworth.html [Accessed 11th May]
Friday, 15 May 2009
Thursday, 14 May 2009
Tonia Shepherd: Final Blog Post!
Question 1:
My role within the process of Porto was to document the process making specific reference to the RSVP model, looking in on Porto as an outside eye. Initially the cast found it hard to spontaneously interact with other characters within Porto, as they had not yet familiarised themselves with their own character. It was evident that in order for the characters to create a genuine bond with another character, the actor had to first understand their purpose within Porto. Looking in on Porto made it easier to identify the different relationships established within and although there where numerous relationships throughout, characters still seemed to conform to the routine of the Porto community. Each and every character although at times seemed distant from one another, had a strong bond based upon the fact that the community was built through a shared experience that gelled the characters together. In Carri Harpers report titled 'What Is Community?' she say's:
'The various aspects of our daily lives that are intrinsically linked with the people around us. It is our shared identity, our culture, heritage and language that bind people together to form strong communities.' (Carri Harper)
To depict the characters unity as an ensemble, the characters shared similar characteristics that portrayed an emotion that every character embodied. A example of this is during the scene where Blake's character (disturbed by his obsession with his suitcase) is sat stage right totally uninterested with the community around him, performing a sequence that all but a handful of characters are drawn into.
Question 2:
Up until the V and P process of the performance all the steps towards devising and creating the performance where based in the drama studios. Although at times the cast would split up into smaller groups to work upon their sub sections and their relationships with specific characters, the studios became Porto. On leaving the Ma209 room (used mainly to store the casts outerwear) when the characters stepped into Ma208 it was as though the characters had stepped into Porto. Once the piece moved into the Arena and the characters ran through their performance it seemed as though the character became lost within their new space. it was almost as though Porto no longer existed. the characters no longer seemed to be the characters they had developed since January and in turn they lost many characteristics. however this didn't last as the characters soon regained their sense of being and adapted to the Arena space.
The drama studios are smaller in size, compared to the amount of space the Arena has to offer. so filling the space with the already devised movement was initially a problem, but once the characters had time to adjust the placing of items and where and when they need to be for a particular section the Arena became Porto.
Apart from the weaknesses detailed above there were also some strengths that arose after moving the ensemble into the theatre space. One in particular was the fact that the characters had allot more space in the periphery to interact within the community, although not creating a distraction of the main scene.
Question 3:
As I didn't have a character and saw only 2/3 shows I am unable to answer this question.
Bibliography:
Other Sources:
http://www.infed.org/community/community.htm
My role within the process of Porto was to document the process making specific reference to the RSVP model, looking in on Porto as an outside eye. Initially the cast found it hard to spontaneously interact with other characters within Porto, as they had not yet familiarised themselves with their own character. It was evident that in order for the characters to create a genuine bond with another character, the actor had to first understand their purpose within Porto. Looking in on Porto made it easier to identify the different relationships established within and although there where numerous relationships throughout, characters still seemed to conform to the routine of the Porto community. Each and every character although at times seemed distant from one another, had a strong bond based upon the fact that the community was built through a shared experience that gelled the characters together. In Carri Harpers report titled 'What Is Community?' she say's:
'The various aspects of our daily lives that are intrinsically linked with the people around us. It is our shared identity, our culture, heritage and language that bind people together to form strong communities.' (Carri Harper)
To depict the characters unity as an ensemble, the characters shared similar characteristics that portrayed an emotion that every character embodied. A example of this is during the scene where Blake's character (disturbed by his obsession with his suitcase) is sat stage right totally uninterested with the community around him, performing a sequence that all but a handful of characters are drawn into.
Question 2:
Up until the V and P process of the performance all the steps towards devising and creating the performance where based in the drama studios. Although at times the cast would split up into smaller groups to work upon their sub sections and their relationships with specific characters, the studios became Porto. On leaving the Ma209 room (used mainly to store the casts outerwear) when the characters stepped into Ma208 it was as though the characters had stepped into Porto. Once the piece moved into the Arena and the characters ran through their performance it seemed as though the character became lost within their new space. it was almost as though Porto no longer existed. the characters no longer seemed to be the characters they had developed since January and in turn they lost many characteristics. however this didn't last as the characters soon regained their sense of being and adapted to the Arena space.
The drama studios are smaller in size, compared to the amount of space the Arena has to offer. so filling the space with the already devised movement was initially a problem, but once the characters had time to adjust the placing of items and where and when they need to be for a particular section the Arena became Porto.
Apart from the weaknesses detailed above there were also some strengths that arose after moving the ensemble into the theatre space. One in particular was the fact that the characters had allot more space in the periphery to interact within the community, although not creating a distraction of the main scene.
Question 3:
As I didn't have a character and saw only 2/3 shows I am unable to answer this question.
Bibliography:
Other Sources:
http://www.infed.org/community/community.htm
Leyna Bansal Final Blog
1. During the transition stage from ‘validating’ to ‘performing’ Porto, it became visible that each individual character had a specific issue or problem they had to deal with throughout their journey through the liminal space. Each character had luggage, personal items as well as emotional baggage, with the common theme being whether or not characters wished to share them with others. Other themes such as loneliness, jealousy and wanting to belong became more apparent with particular reference to Sarah, Gavin and Amy’s characters, as they seemed to have been continuously struggling to fight for each other’s attention throughout the performance.
The opening ensemble section in which we all repeated a series of gestures were all based on ‘waiting’ and how we all had something in common with each other, being stuck in this unknown place.
A theme I noticed during the process was the curiosity of many of the characters. My character was adamant to find out what the contents of Nicole and Sarah Pierpoint’s bags were, as well as the community as a whole constantly wondering who Nicola’s character was and why she behaved in the way she did.
A minority of the group dealt with memories and life before Porto with great imagery of Sandy’s character tearing apart her photo album. This was followed by each character in the photo group walking over those photos and also reminiscing on the past with their individual photo’s and memories.
The idea of loneliness and not being able to fit in occured with some characters such as Waqar, Natalie and Sandy. These characters seemed to go on their own individual journeys but didn't seem to be able to mould in and interact with others.
The main common ground which all the characters related to was the importance of their items and as Porto progressed each individual's connections to their belongings changed. Personally I became more erractic and possessive over my camera nearer to the end of the performance.
2. Moving from the drama studio’s into the Arena Theatre was fairly challenging, mainly due to the fact that we were all used to the routine of performing within a smaller space. Being able to have 2 days in which we were able to perform and rehearse before performing to the public enabled us to explore and block the space in relation to where each character was placed onstage during moments in the periphery. We also made sure we knew how far downstage we were able to go in relation to the audience’s perspectives. It was evident that the Arena space was much more suited to Porto as with so many cast members it meant that sections such as the 2nd ensemble piece were much more precise. The depth to the Arena space meant each character had more space to move their bodies around freely without worrying about injuring anybody else.
From a scenographical view, the performance only required our chairs and lighting so we had more time to rehearse and get used to having more space to explore. A weakness of the transition was staging the chairs in the correct places for each particular section that was taking place centre-stage. Transitions from one section to another were difficult because at times chairs were not in the specific places they should have been, making it look untidy when characters had to move chairs quickly so that the following section could be performed. Even during the final peformance characters were having to travel across the whole of the stage to get chairs for the ensemble reprise.
When exploring the technical side of Porto and sorting out all the cue’s, it meant that some characters had to leave from centre-stage into different areas of the periphery implicating that they may have had to sacrifice smaller interactions.
Dymphna Callery states 'When everything comes from the actors, what happens in performance is determined by what happens in rehearsal, and accidental discoveries are part of that’ (D, Callery, 2001, p168)
For me although I lost some minor interactions, I was also able to discover completely new interactions with Zara and Emilia’s characters during the initial rehearsals within the Arena space. This gave me the oppoutunity to explore my character in much more depth and experiment with my characters persistent picture taking within the periphery with these characters who actually wanted to be photographed.
3. It was evident to me that over the 3 shows the ensemble had grown dramatically and performers had become more confident in their characters. There was a stronger sense of ensemble during the final performance because we had all gained a better understanding of the community and the rountines we were performing.
Personally I was still learning new things about my character during the final show for example why my character was so interested in photographing intimate moments? I came to the conclusion that my character had no real concept of reality and was living her life through these photo’s which also lead me to believe she was a very lonely individual with her only real comfort being her camera.
Characteristics and nervous idiosyncrasies that I had employed on my character, such as scratching and playing with my glasses began to get more erratic and I really began to embrace and explore different physical behaviours of my character. My character was never a highly physical character, I don’t think it was ever in my characters nature to be particularly close to anyone and I felt like my character was somewhat more expressive with her eyes and facial expressions. Through the journey my character has evolved from someone who was quite hard to understand into someone who's intentions became more clearer and her dependancy on her camera being the focal part of her existence. My character was obsessed with prying into the relationships of others and whilst in the periphery kept a firm watch over the sections happening centre stage that she would later on photograph. As I was taking pictures throughout the performance on my digital camera within the periphery, I was still forming new relationships with people based on whether they were happy or not with me taking their photos and it was interesting and exciting for me as a performer to be constantly challenged by other characters reactions.
At times I felt a high ammount of pressure on my shoulders as a performer because the flash of my camera was a cue and a catalyst for some transitions from one scene to another. During each peformance there were some camera flash malfunctions which were worrying and off-putting at times but these were put aside and I carried on with the performance trying not to let these problems affect me too much.
Overall I believe Porto was a wonderful physical theatre production and the process was one of the most rewarding journey’s I’ve ever been on. The Vincent Dance Theatre Company state that 'Using their imaginations, bodies, voices and their developed sense of ‘play’ they aim to create work that will draw you in, move you, engage you, entertain you, make you feel something and make you want to know more about who we are, where we are and why we are here, taking up your time’ (http://www.vincentdt.com/faq.html#twentyone) I felt like we were able to fulfil the aims of Vincent Dance Theatre company as the feedback from audience members and their individual interpretation and opinions of Porto made me realise that the themes we portrayed were well received and as an ensemble we gave the spectators plenty to contemplate.
Bibliography
Callery, D (2001). Through The Body - A Practical Guide To Physical Theatre. Great Britain: Nick Hern Books Limited.
Other Sources
Anon. (2008). Vincent Dance Theatre Company. Available: http://www.vincentdt.com/faq.html#twentyone. Last accessed 14 May 2009.
The opening ensemble section in which we all repeated a series of gestures were all based on ‘waiting’ and how we all had something in common with each other, being stuck in this unknown place.
A theme I noticed during the process was the curiosity of many of the characters. My character was adamant to find out what the contents of Nicole and Sarah Pierpoint’s bags were, as well as the community as a whole constantly wondering who Nicola’s character was and why she behaved in the way she did.
A minority of the group dealt with memories and life before Porto with great imagery of Sandy’s character tearing apart her photo album. This was followed by each character in the photo group walking over those photos and also reminiscing on the past with their individual photo’s and memories.
The idea of loneliness and not being able to fit in occured with some characters such as Waqar, Natalie and Sandy. These characters seemed to go on their own individual journeys but didn't seem to be able to mould in and interact with others.
The main common ground which all the characters related to was the importance of their items and as Porto progressed each individual's connections to their belongings changed. Personally I became more erractic and possessive over my camera nearer to the end of the performance.
2. Moving from the drama studio’s into the Arena Theatre was fairly challenging, mainly due to the fact that we were all used to the routine of performing within a smaller space. Being able to have 2 days in which we were able to perform and rehearse before performing to the public enabled us to explore and block the space in relation to where each character was placed onstage during moments in the periphery. We also made sure we knew how far downstage we were able to go in relation to the audience’s perspectives. It was evident that the Arena space was much more suited to Porto as with so many cast members it meant that sections such as the 2nd ensemble piece were much more precise. The depth to the Arena space meant each character had more space to move their bodies around freely without worrying about injuring anybody else.
From a scenographical view, the performance only required our chairs and lighting so we had more time to rehearse and get used to having more space to explore. A weakness of the transition was staging the chairs in the correct places for each particular section that was taking place centre-stage. Transitions from one section to another were difficult because at times chairs were not in the specific places they should have been, making it look untidy when characters had to move chairs quickly so that the following section could be performed. Even during the final peformance characters were having to travel across the whole of the stage to get chairs for the ensemble reprise.
When exploring the technical side of Porto and sorting out all the cue’s, it meant that some characters had to leave from centre-stage into different areas of the periphery implicating that they may have had to sacrifice smaller interactions.
Dymphna Callery states 'When everything comes from the actors, what happens in performance is determined by what happens in rehearsal, and accidental discoveries are part of that’ (D, Callery, 2001, p168)
For me although I lost some minor interactions, I was also able to discover completely new interactions with Zara and Emilia’s characters during the initial rehearsals within the Arena space. This gave me the oppoutunity to explore my character in much more depth and experiment with my characters persistent picture taking within the periphery with these characters who actually wanted to be photographed.
3. It was evident to me that over the 3 shows the ensemble had grown dramatically and performers had become more confident in their characters. There was a stronger sense of ensemble during the final performance because we had all gained a better understanding of the community and the rountines we were performing.
Personally I was still learning new things about my character during the final show for example why my character was so interested in photographing intimate moments? I came to the conclusion that my character had no real concept of reality and was living her life through these photo’s which also lead me to believe she was a very lonely individual with her only real comfort being her camera.
Characteristics and nervous idiosyncrasies that I had employed on my character, such as scratching and playing with my glasses began to get more erratic and I really began to embrace and explore different physical behaviours of my character. My character was never a highly physical character, I don’t think it was ever in my characters nature to be particularly close to anyone and I felt like my character was somewhat more expressive with her eyes and facial expressions. Through the journey my character has evolved from someone who was quite hard to understand into someone who's intentions became more clearer and her dependancy on her camera being the focal part of her existence. My character was obsessed with prying into the relationships of others and whilst in the periphery kept a firm watch over the sections happening centre stage that she would later on photograph. As I was taking pictures throughout the performance on my digital camera within the periphery, I was still forming new relationships with people based on whether they were happy or not with me taking their photos and it was interesting and exciting for me as a performer to be constantly challenged by other characters reactions.
At times I felt a high ammount of pressure on my shoulders as a performer because the flash of my camera was a cue and a catalyst for some transitions from one scene to another. During each peformance there were some camera flash malfunctions which were worrying and off-putting at times but these were put aside and I carried on with the performance trying not to let these problems affect me too much.
Overall I believe Porto was a wonderful physical theatre production and the process was one of the most rewarding journey’s I’ve ever been on. The Vincent Dance Theatre Company state that 'Using their imaginations, bodies, voices and their developed sense of ‘play’ they aim to create work that will draw you in, move you, engage you, entertain you, make you feel something and make you want to know more about who we are, where we are and why we are here, taking up your time’ (http://www.vincentdt.com/faq.html#twentyone) I felt like we were able to fulfil the aims of Vincent Dance Theatre company as the feedback from audience members and their individual interpretation and opinions of Porto made me realise that the themes we portrayed were well received and as an ensemble we gave the spectators plenty to contemplate.
Bibliography
Callery, D (2001). Through The Body - A Practical Guide To Physical Theatre. Great Britain: Nick Hern Books Limited.
Other Sources
Anon. (2008). Vincent Dance Theatre Company. Available: http://www.vincentdt.com/faq.html#twentyone. Last accessed 14 May 2009.
Wednesday, 1 April 2009
Blog Task
1. The ‘R’ (research/resource) in Porto is the stage of discovering your character within the piece.
In means of discovering your character in Porto you need to look back at the ways which help the individual find it, discovering the character development is done through their personal memories, and also building the characters heightened emotions by engaging with other people in the devised work. A majority of Porto’s research is mainly from everyday life experience.
‘To value theatre is to value life, not to escape from it. The everyday is at once the most habitual and demanding dimension of life which theatre has most responsibility to.’ (Read A, Theatre & Everyday Life, pg 103)
The ‘S’ (score) in Porto is using the research in the development stage for the character. The people in Porto have o make the stage they are on their world, a sense that the outside world does not matter anymore, but what is going on inside the space that is being used.
‘Each person must become an ingredient in the mixing of a piece…Social conventions, routine habits of polite or impolite daily life; suppress the sensory and imaginative world from which this begins. Normal social selves must be shed and attention re-directed to the work as a whole’.
(Tufnell, Crickmay.C, Body Space Image, pg 73).
2. As Porto is starting to be scored, there is a narrative emerging from the work. The original idea of people engaging with other peoples stimuli is because of the similarities between them which creates a relationship. There are two ensembles within the work which give examples of these, the first which is the Train scene.
The train scene involves people who can only show a relationship with each other, this is done through body language and eye contact. Although the particular scene it may be based on a train, it may also relate to other things such as relationships and arguments being in a house, on the street. These everyday movements (pedestrian) are used vastly.
The second ensemble is of the Photo group. A character only seems to communicate with another, if they share the same type of relationship between the photo and themselves. All the characters in the Photo group have the same similarities between themselves and the photo they hold, but only communicate through an emotional awareness.
‘For the phenomenologist, the human body is not in space but of space , a crucial perception from which it follows that an individual’s relationship with the world is manifested not as a series of linguistic signs, but as sensory, somatic and mental phenomena.’ (Murray.S, Keefe.J, Physical Theatres, A Critical Introduction, pg 25).
The work seems to offer a rather productive way of beginning to grasp a deep structure within the work of Porto.
3. With my own character in Porto, I have learnt to release my emotion. Whilst I was in the ‘R’ phase of the work, I was able to grasp ideas of what I wanted to do and how I wanted to communicate but I was not able to do neither because of my thoughts being so exterior and not making my characters relationship in the space I was given.
The result of my ‘R’ stage in Porto has affected my ‘S’ stage in Porto drastically, ruling out a majority of my emotional development to nothingness and starting all over again, which has made it harder for me to catch up with in the devised piece.
My change in character within the work is due to the stimuli I have, this is because my character is destined to be alone as I am already uncomfortable with being in my characters skin, because of the contents in my bag.
The work which I am now developing is not what I am able to do physically but how the character can function emotionally, this will be a much bigger challenge for me, as I am already uncomfortable in front of everyone with my Prayer Mat and Book, it is a very private part of my life which is already within its emotional context.
Bibliography
Murray Simon, Keefe John (2007), Physical Theatres - A Critical Introduction: Routledge, USA.
Oddey Alison, (1994), Devising Theatre – A practical and theoretical handbook: Routledge, London.
Read Alan, (1993) Theatre & Everyday Life, An Ethics of Performance:
USA, Routledge.
In means of discovering your character in Porto you need to look back at the ways which help the individual find it, discovering the character development is done through their personal memories, and also building the characters heightened emotions by engaging with other people in the devised work. A majority of Porto’s research is mainly from everyday life experience.
‘To value theatre is to value life, not to escape from it. The everyday is at once the most habitual and demanding dimension of life which theatre has most responsibility to.’ (Read A, Theatre & Everyday Life, pg 103)
The ‘S’ (score) in Porto is using the research in the development stage for the character. The people in Porto have o make the stage they are on their world, a sense that the outside world does not matter anymore, but what is going on inside the space that is being used.
‘Each person must become an ingredient in the mixing of a piece…Social conventions, routine habits of polite or impolite daily life; suppress the sensory and imaginative world from which this begins. Normal social selves must be shed and attention re-directed to the work as a whole’.
(Tufnell, Crickmay.C, Body Space Image, pg 73).
2. As Porto is starting to be scored, there is a narrative emerging from the work. The original idea of people engaging with other peoples stimuli is because of the similarities between them which creates a relationship. There are two ensembles within the work which give examples of these, the first which is the Train scene.
The train scene involves people who can only show a relationship with each other, this is done through body language and eye contact. Although the particular scene it may be based on a train, it may also relate to other things such as relationships and arguments being in a house, on the street. These everyday movements (pedestrian) are used vastly.
The second ensemble is of the Photo group. A character only seems to communicate with another, if they share the same type of relationship between the photo and themselves. All the characters in the Photo group have the same similarities between themselves and the photo they hold, but only communicate through an emotional awareness.
‘For the phenomenologist, the human body is not in space but of space , a crucial perception from which it follows that an individual’s relationship with the world is manifested not as a series of linguistic signs, but as sensory, somatic and mental phenomena.’ (Murray.S, Keefe.J, Physical Theatres, A Critical Introduction, pg 25).
The work seems to offer a rather productive way of beginning to grasp a deep structure within the work of Porto.
3. With my own character in Porto, I have learnt to release my emotion. Whilst I was in the ‘R’ phase of the work, I was able to grasp ideas of what I wanted to do and how I wanted to communicate but I was not able to do neither because of my thoughts being so exterior and not making my characters relationship in the space I was given.
The result of my ‘R’ stage in Porto has affected my ‘S’ stage in Porto drastically, ruling out a majority of my emotional development to nothingness and starting all over again, which has made it harder for me to catch up with in the devised piece.
My change in character within the work is due to the stimuli I have, this is because my character is destined to be alone as I am already uncomfortable with being in my characters skin, because of the contents in my bag.
The work which I am now developing is not what I am able to do physically but how the character can function emotionally, this will be a much bigger challenge for me, as I am already uncomfortable in front of everyone with my Prayer Mat and Book, it is a very private part of my life which is already within its emotional context.
Bibliography
Murray Simon, Keefe John (2007), Physical Theatres - A Critical Introduction: Routledge, USA.
Oddey Alison, (1994), Devising Theatre – A practical and theoretical handbook: Routledge, London.
Read Alan, (1993) Theatre & Everyday Life, An Ethics of Performance:
USA, Routledge.
Assessment Blog Task 3 - Sandy Pooni
During the devising process of Porto, we’ve implemented the RSVP framework, with the ‘R’ standing for research/resource, which for me was initiated through the making of our palette where we had learnt our techniques and forms, from this I gradually started to mould myself into my character, through acting on our impulse ‘The first step in exploring your physicality should be awareness.’ (Marshall, L, 2001…pg 11) , and the smallest things such as slouching my back, or a gesture that represented something about my character and what it is that motivated her ‘…sense how you actually move, what your patterns are, where the automatic responses are’ (Marshall, L, 2001…pg 11) . This was part of my research to help me develop my understanding of where my character had come from, what her intentions were, and how she was aiming to reach them within Porto, and whether or not this could be achieved, however I could only enable and certify that once we’d moved into the ‘S’ phase of our RSVP formation, which is scoring, whereby its beginning to allow a narrative of some sort to start to appear and is more structured and less to do with having elbowroom to do just anything, the intensity and meaning is now the focus. It’s the developing and refining of what you have, and yet still allowing for fundamentals to be added in, or taken out. The objective of this is for the growth of the character and allows for them to continue their journey to their destination is and also to add intensity and give it depth and help to develop the emotional aspect of that character, ‘There is simply no place for physical muttering or meandering; no room for haphazard movement, made in hopes that the audience will be able to second guess the meaning of the moment’ (Dennis, A, 1995…pg 18). Although this isn’t completely set in stone, but as an overview for the character allows you to understand where your character is coming from, and wanting to go to.
I think that now through the scoring process of Porto, a structure is evidently shown, but in many different ways, the community within Porto all have a common ground in the sense they’re all on a journey, but however they aren’t much of an entity in other sense however, as individually each character is overcoming a different barrier but yet are all striving for a similar resolution. This is evident in the switching in and out of the ensemble and the breaking into sub-sections and then the explorations of the relationships within those sub-groups. And through the costume, there is nothing as of yet that each member of the community are wearing that represents anything about us as a community, i.e:- all wearing black, all wearing a bracelet, instead the costume is another form of visual representation of their identity.
At the ‘R’ stage my character wasn’t one to express any sort of emotion whatsoever, and would consciously be submissive to other members within the community during the improvised ‘play’ sessions, and I think that was down to her own state of mind, because she herself didn’t know whether she served a purpose in life, whether at home, work or anywhere and so its almost that she felt she couldn’t connect with others because she didn’t know how to convey this. In terms of the physicality of my character during the ‘R’ phase, she was very rigid and everything was pushed forward, downward to the ground, and she very rarely looked up, and this is just what my body sort of told me to do, ‘In any situation, you will begin to ‘hear ’subtle physical reactions, and become aware of half-formed urges within your body.’ (Marshall, L, 2001…pg 31).
But now through the scoring phase, she’s breaking free from her past, and by disposing of the photo’s ‘…a stimulus that will provoke an impulse for us to follow.’ (Marshall, L, 2001…pg34), to her it symbolises starting a fresh and enabling her to re-discover who she is again and connecting emotionally with others, now she’s open to engaging with others within the community, and in terms of her physical stance its less taut, she’s more relaxed, the shoulders are now soft and light and more freely moveable, and the pelvis is pushed slightly more backward. Also through the scoring, the ability to add that emotional content has amplified what she is about and I think that is evidently projected now. ‘If your body does not truly reflect the world of the world of the performance and the complexity of the people and ideas in that world, the audience cannot experience it’ (Marshall, L, 2001…pg 9)
Bibliography
Alberts, D (1997) The Expressive Body: Physical Characterization for the Actor
Dennis, A, (1995) The Articulate Body: The Physical Training of the Actor
Keefe, J & Murray, S, (2007) Physical Theatres: A Critical Reader
Marshall, L, (2001) The Body Speaks: Performance and Expression
Zarrilli, P (2002) Acting (Re-Considered) – A Theoretical and Practical Guide
I think that now through the scoring process of Porto, a structure is evidently shown, but in many different ways, the community within Porto all have a common ground in the sense they’re all on a journey, but however they aren’t much of an entity in other sense however, as individually each character is overcoming a different barrier but yet are all striving for a similar resolution. This is evident in the switching in and out of the ensemble and the breaking into sub-sections and then the explorations of the relationships within those sub-groups. And through the costume, there is nothing as of yet that each member of the community are wearing that represents anything about us as a community, i.e:- all wearing black, all wearing a bracelet, instead the costume is another form of visual representation of their identity.
At the ‘R’ stage my character wasn’t one to express any sort of emotion whatsoever, and would consciously be submissive to other members within the community during the improvised ‘play’ sessions, and I think that was down to her own state of mind, because she herself didn’t know whether she served a purpose in life, whether at home, work or anywhere and so its almost that she felt she couldn’t connect with others because she didn’t know how to convey this. In terms of the physicality of my character during the ‘R’ phase, she was very rigid and everything was pushed forward, downward to the ground, and she very rarely looked up, and this is just what my body sort of told me to do, ‘In any situation, you will begin to ‘hear ’subtle physical reactions, and become aware of half-formed urges within your body.’ (Marshall, L, 2001…pg 31).
But now through the scoring phase, she’s breaking free from her past, and by disposing of the photo’s ‘…a stimulus that will provoke an impulse for us to follow.’ (Marshall, L, 2001…pg34), to her it symbolises starting a fresh and enabling her to re-discover who she is again and connecting emotionally with others, now she’s open to engaging with others within the community, and in terms of her physical stance its less taut, she’s more relaxed, the shoulders are now soft and light and more freely moveable, and the pelvis is pushed slightly more backward. Also through the scoring, the ability to add that emotional content has amplified what she is about and I think that is evidently projected now. ‘If your body does not truly reflect the world of the world of the performance and the complexity of the people and ideas in that world, the audience cannot experience it’ (Marshall, L, 2001…pg 9)
Bibliography
Alberts, D (1997) The Expressive Body: Physical Characterization for the Actor
Dennis, A, (1995) The Articulate Body: The Physical Training of the Actor
Keefe, J & Murray, S, (2007) Physical Theatres: A Critical Reader
Marshall, L, (2001) The Body Speaks: Performance and Expression
Zarrilli, P (2002) Acting (Re-Considered) – A Theoretical and Practical Guide
task 3- David Jackson
1) Porto is about a journey and the first stage of our journey was the research the group’s main focus within this research period is really just playing getting to know our individual characters how we interact with one another and mainly to test our physical abilities with in an open space. The research part is very important as it is about increasing the identity further and getting us to the same level and understanding and finding out naturalistic interactions and making the Porto community grow. This is the time within a piece to not be safe in what we produce “physical training is the process leading to creative freedom rather than perspective set of techniques. Its purpose is to enable actors to become more transformable and more expressive”. Callery D2001 page 1: practical Guide to Physical Theatre (Theatre Arts (Rutledge Paperback). So it is our chance to be creative whilst in the process and research phase
Then once the research/resource stage is completed we move onto the score stage when outside eyes and the ensemble begin to develop the interactions also reassessing individual parts and group collaborations. Effectively the piece begins to take form and Porto has a stronger identity
2) The structure of the piece seems to be about different characters, personalities and relationships confined within one space, being brought into somewhere but somehow not being able to get out. The main narrative within Porto I feel is between Jai and Nicolas character and Blake and Amy here there situation seems a lot more complex and their relationship throughout is quite fast paced loud which brings a different element to Porto and seem more surreal. The use of repetition within the sections also shows unity within the ensemble and that new characters are falling into a way of life losing personal identities. Further more this helps make the narrative clearer that we are all the same we all came in here with a problem and are looking for a way out; even though some of us try to break out we get bought back in. The main focus is around relationships at the moment s like mine, Gina and Antoinette’s love triangle and Gavin and Amy’s which are quite similar which again shows we are all the same. We need to be clever when doing this as with physical theatre “The key distinguishing factor is a focus on narrative, character and storytelling”.
3) From the research stage I thought that I had a strong character. However through the ensemble work and group work my character has changed a lot. On the contrary I was not thinking about my emotional side very much I was stuck in the trap of thinking if I walked a certain way or interacted with another person then I would be conveying what was on my mind but I was not being true to myself so I went back to the research stage
and questioned myself and literally asked myself what is my character feeling within Porto if I felt distant from everyone else maybe its my character that feels separate so I when we went back to the ensemble pieces I knew to show I alone within a mass and it related to Paul's voice over when he said “Have you ever felt alone in a crowd?”. Which is what my character truly believes? Because no one relates to his message I am trying to share. So for now on I will ask myself would my character do this. Who would he talk to within the ensemble? And then through interactions with others my questioned will be answered. I feel that I need to get into my character more take risk and let go.
Bibliography:
Callery, D. (2001) Through the Body, A Practical Guide to Physical Theatre. London, Routledge
http://www.blackfishacademy.com/physical.htm
Then once the research/resource stage is completed we move onto the score stage when outside eyes and the ensemble begin to develop the interactions also reassessing individual parts and group collaborations. Effectively the piece begins to take form and Porto has a stronger identity
2) The structure of the piece seems to be about different characters, personalities and relationships confined within one space, being brought into somewhere but somehow not being able to get out. The main narrative within Porto I feel is between Jai and Nicolas character and Blake and Amy here there situation seems a lot more complex and their relationship throughout is quite fast paced loud which brings a different element to Porto and seem more surreal. The use of repetition within the sections also shows unity within the ensemble and that new characters are falling into a way of life losing personal identities. Further more this helps make the narrative clearer that we are all the same we all came in here with a problem and are looking for a way out; even though some of us try to break out we get bought back in. The main focus is around relationships at the moment s like mine, Gina and Antoinette’s love triangle and Gavin and Amy’s which are quite similar which again shows we are all the same. We need to be clever when doing this as with physical theatre “The key distinguishing factor is a focus on narrative, character and storytelling”.
3) From the research stage I thought that I had a strong character. However through the ensemble work and group work my character has changed a lot. On the contrary I was not thinking about my emotional side very much I was stuck in the trap of thinking if I walked a certain way or interacted with another person then I would be conveying what was on my mind but I was not being true to myself so I went back to the research stage
and questioned myself and literally asked myself what is my character feeling within Porto if I felt distant from everyone else maybe its my character that feels separate so I when we went back to the ensemble pieces I knew to show I alone within a mass and it related to Paul's voice over when he said “Have you ever felt alone in a crowd?”. Which is what my character truly believes? Because no one relates to his message I am trying to share. So for now on I will ask myself would my character do this. Who would he talk to within the ensemble? And then through interactions with others my questioned will be answered. I feel that I need to get into my character more take risk and let go.
Bibliography:
Callery, D. (2001) Through the Body, A Practical Guide to Physical Theatre. London, Routledge
http://www.blackfishacademy.com/physical.htm
Task 3: Posted on behalf of Natalie McCalla
During the devising of Porto we have been working through a process. This process consists of different stages of the RSVP model. Porto has developed from a series of images that were introduced to us at the beginning of our journeys. Currently we have been working on the ‘R’ stage of the model. The ‘R’ represents the research phase of the devising process; so far a lot the research has been individual and has consisted the development of our own personal journey of our character through out Porto. Also within this journey we have been asked to work in small groups, the group that I am in has been formed because we are linked together by the item in our bags. As oddey states:
Devised theatre can start from anything. It was determined and defined by a group of people who set initial framework or structure to explore and experiment with ideas, images, concepts, themes, or specific stimuli. (Oddey, 1996, p.1).
This quote helps to define our journey of Porto from the begging, where we started by using different images as a stimulus to now where we are experimenting with different ideas. Now that we have grasped the `R` phase we can move onto `S` phase of the model. The transaction from `R` to `S` seems to be not to be done chronologically, but this direction of work as seemed to work out in our favour.
As a whole I would say that there is not yet a structure to what we are doing. As I am in the photo group we are beginning to form stories and relationships together. Currently at the moment we are having a few problems as a group with trying to create a structured narrative. Once we have a concrete structure, it will be easier for our characters to develop to a much higher level than it is at the moment. Within Porto there is a substantial amount of ensemble work. The ensemble work at the moment seems to be one of the strongest sections at this point. This may be because we have spent a bit more time rehearsing and developing this, and because we are doing certain sections together it is looking very affective. Characters within the ensemble work are looking much clearer. In the individual sections we just need to rehearse a lot more for us to become more familiar with what we are doing. As we do this our characters and relations with others will become far more in-depth than it is at present.
My character has taken long to get to where it is now, and there is still a lot of room for my character to grow. The growth of my character will come with more rehearsal and as I take time to think about the journey of my character. My transaction from the `R`to `S` phase has happened gradually. This didn’t happen as quickly as I would have liked it to. I began to notice the transaction from one phase to another after I had a tutorial. After this it made me a wear that I had to think about where I was going with my character, what was my purpose, and I began to think about If I interacted with others, and if I did interact with them why and how was this done. As I took time to focus on these points my character began to develop much faster. I could now see physically that my character was changing and the more I was in character the easier this became; I am also beginning to feel an emotional connection to my character.
Bibliography
Oddey, A (1996).Devising theatre practical and theoretical hand book/
Devised theatre can start from anything. It was determined and defined by a group of people who set initial framework or structure to explore and experiment with ideas, images, concepts, themes, or specific stimuli. (Oddey, 1996, p.1).
This quote helps to define our journey of Porto from the begging, where we started by using different images as a stimulus to now where we are experimenting with different ideas. Now that we have grasped the `R` phase we can move onto `S` phase of the model. The transaction from `R` to `S` seems to be not to be done chronologically, but this direction of work as seemed to work out in our favour.
As a whole I would say that there is not yet a structure to what we are doing. As I am in the photo group we are beginning to form stories and relationships together. Currently at the moment we are having a few problems as a group with trying to create a structured narrative. Once we have a concrete structure, it will be easier for our characters to develop to a much higher level than it is at the moment. Within Porto there is a substantial amount of ensemble work. The ensemble work at the moment seems to be one of the strongest sections at this point. This may be because we have spent a bit more time rehearsing and developing this, and because we are doing certain sections together it is looking very affective. Characters within the ensemble work are looking much clearer. In the individual sections we just need to rehearse a lot more for us to become more familiar with what we are doing. As we do this our characters and relations with others will become far more in-depth than it is at present.
My character has taken long to get to where it is now, and there is still a lot of room for my character to grow. The growth of my character will come with more rehearsal and as I take time to think about the journey of my character. My transaction from the `R`to `S` phase has happened gradually. This didn’t happen as quickly as I would have liked it to. I began to notice the transaction from one phase to another after I had a tutorial. After this it made me a wear that I had to think about where I was going with my character, what was my purpose, and I began to think about If I interacted with others, and if I did interact with them why and how was this done. As I took time to focus on these points my character began to develop much faster. I could now see physically that my character was changing and the more I was in character the easier this became; I am also beginning to feel an emotional connection to my character.
Bibliography
Oddey, A (1996).Devising theatre practical and theoretical hand book/
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