We have decided to use an extract of metamorphosis for our
final piece, as we believe that it will best suit the capabilities of the
group. We feel that Metamorphosis will better allow us to push our strengths in
the physicality, whilst working on bringing vocalisation and character into the
piece without being overly dictated by the emotive language used for example in
East.
The first thing we decided to do was to pick out key scenes/
images from the extract. We thought that with physical theatre it was best to
first play with different ideas so that we could create a bank of them when
trying to fit ideas to the script. These were:
Setting the table
Ballet of the stools
The insect
We chose to explore the way we could incorporate the insect Gregor into the families daily life. We began to experiment with ways we could move the table with the insect. We wanted to present this idea that Gregor was attached to family, and that no matter how much they wanted to, they could shake him. He was a part of their lives and a great obstacle in trying to live their daily lives.
We found that we could actually be quite versatile with the table, considering the size and weight of the object and that it didn't actually require much of the person attached to the table to hold onto it while others moved it. This experimentation proved that play at the beginning of the devising process can be a very useful thing. Creating movement sequences and images at the beginning prevents the later stress from impacting on our creativity and I found that we were able to come up with movement much quicker and more easily as we already understood the capabilities and limitations of the set we were using. We found that it was possible to flip and spin the table with ease, which led to Gregor's daily life sequence being heavily centred around the table as the train and bed. The transition that we placed in after the warehouse scene was possible as we knew that an actor could attach themselves to the table and that it was possible to carry that weight. The Insect We also experimented in the ways in which we could create the insect as a group. Exploring the use of sequenced movement we created a piece of physicality which showed the evolution of Gregor into the bug. We began with just one person beginning their sequence and then adding in person by person until we were all doing the sequence. The idea was that we would slowly merge together to create one large insect. We drew on our experience of Frantic Assembly for creating the bug, by each choosing three points on the central actors body to move between. The idea was to replicate the skittering movements of the bugs legs on the insects body. We found ways of moving around each other to reach the points in a way that created this sense of the writhing insect. Finally we introduced the movement of jerking our arms out into the air at random times in order to imitate the insects legs. I found this useful when later being cast as the insect, as the image of the larger insect give me ideas of the way in which I should move. In the piece I wanted to create the sense of these angular but also erratic movements, turning out my elbows and walking hands over each other to get this idea of the wriggling insect.
Using the mundane scene from last lesson, we decided to expand this by introducing the contrasting setting of night time. We experimented doing this using a split stage, looking at the character running in-between these two different worlds. We created a nightlife scene within a tiny area, and this emphasised a sense of a crowded bar without the need for loads of people on stage. The two actors made a physical sequence which explored the different areas of the bar that you would use on a night out. The fast pace and close movement emphasised the heightened atmosphere of a night out and formed a really nice contrast with the repetition of the mundane scene. By creating this split staging, we began to think about this journey the main character made from one side of the stage to the other and this introduced the idea of this in-between place. We decided that rather than being a physical space, we wanted to link the two extremely contrasting worlds by this area where we could...
This Unit we are exploring physical theatre, acting and the style of practitioner Steven Berkoff. In five mins with Steven Berkoff, he describes how he sees himself first and foremost as an actor, as it allows him to play and experiment with theatre. This is seen in the different influences for his work- Plays such as East and West take inspiration from the poetic style of Shakespeare and plays such as Metamorphosis are adaptions of other writer’s works. He also takes inspiration from other actors and practitioners. Edmund Kean (1787-1833) performed Shakespeare and had a flair for melodrama. This may have had an impact on the exaggerative style of Berkoff. Jaques Le Coq and his pupil Claude Chagrin studied alongside Berkoff. Le Coq’s use of mime, movement, masks and ensemble are all characteristics that can be seen in Berkoff’s work. Berkoffs style almost works to strip down a work and centre it on movement and experimentation of voice. He places these two things above th...
Today we looked at refining the work scene, as we felt we were missing some of the things we wanted to convey. First of all, we altered the conveyer belt so that instead of using computers, we used paper instead. This allowed us to create a more simplistic paper shuffling movement that we could use to create a beat. The organising of the paper made a much louder and more easily controlled sound than the keyboards, so the repeated sound was more defined which I think helped that sense of monotony we wanted to give the audience. Two of the cast also created a night out scene between the main character Jack and his best friend Dan. The scene had an upbeat and fast paced energy which I think well reflected the chaotic nature of nightlife culture, although I think a few aspects concerning mask technique could have been more defined. For example, sometimes it was difficult to tell what it was they were doing, such as when listening to music on the jukebox. I think this was just a case...
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