Revisng the Block

In this revision we are beginning to clean up some of the messy transition and add in the vocalisation of Berkoff.
We decided that the opening section was somewhat confusing and decided that it would be easier to express the sense of struggle Gregor was feeling by having this shift of positions throughout the introduction section. In order for this to work, we wanted to create this sense that Gregor was losing control, and that is family were becoming too much. By increasing the pace of the lines of the family members, we were able to begin building this cacophony of sound that we needed. We also introduced this new staccato sequence much more in keeping with the Berkoff style which prevented this overload of demands as the pace reached the point where each family member only time for a single word.

We have also introduced this idea of using hand held lights in this opening section, which would make this mass of moving shadows during the physical sequences and emphasise the sinister nature of this play that exists beneath the garish humour and costumes. It also reflects the scary nature of the  moment that Gregor wakes up in the dark and realised he has been transformed.

Creating the insect relates back to the experimentation we did at the beginning of the process. We wanted to create a smooth transition, so used the last word "insect" as the grounding for vocalisation of bug like sounds. We also began to use vocalisation for other moments such as emphasising the "click" as the light came on.

We tried to strengthen the connection between the two sides of Gregor through this proximity of movement. In the original piece, Gregor is played by one person, who the two sides of him still exist within the same body. We wanted to replicate this, creating the sense that the two actors were part of one body. We keep this connection until Gregor flings the insect out of the scene, as he returns to a moment in his life before he became the bug.

Perhaps in the sequence we begin to create it would have been better to lift the table before Gregor said "and then bed" so we could create this replicated image of Gregor falling asleep and getting up again. Also it would be nice to draw out the glugging of drinking the milk more.

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