On Thursday 4th February I witnessed the most bizarre yet enjoyable solo performance. John Wood’s show Oh No! (2015) was a homage to Yoko Ono and John Lennon. I don’t think I’ve had so much fun during a show before! When I arrived in the auditorium I was greeted by Jamie dressed in a robe with wind chimes hanging from each finger and his ears. Straight away I knew I was going to love it. Greeting people as they arrived was something I really liked. I felt it really welcomed the audience and puts them at ease, breaking that ‘audience vs performer’ divide. If I decide to do a lighthearted theme then this is something that I would really like to incorporate.

There was a lot of audience interaction, a lot to the extent of an audience member taking all their clothes off and sitting in what looked like a duvet cover with Jamie. I think this alone symbolises just how well Jamie managed to make the audience feel comfortable. Within her review, Lyn Gardner commented that ‘by the end, Wood has got the entire audience making music and probably doubled the amount of happiness floating around’ (Gardner, 2015). I think making an audience feel comfortable is something that all performances should strive for. The audience go out of their way and sometimes part with their hard earned cash to watch a performance, so making them feel welcome and comfortable should be top priority. I really admire him for being able to do this, and again, this is something that I want to incorporate into my final piece.

After enjoying Oh No! so much, I researched into Jamie Wood’s past solo performances and stumbled upon his show Beating McEnroe. This performance ‘was seen from a perspective of a six year old watching the 1980 Wimbledon final’ (Vile, 2015). I really like the idea of maybe performing a well known situation from a unexpected point of view. Perhaps even from several points of views. Something for me to keep in mind and potentially explore further.

Jamie Wood’s Oh No! (2015) has turned out to be an unexpected influence in my devising process thus far. It’s shown me another side to solo performing that I hadn’t considered.

Work cited

Gardner, L. (2015) Oh No! at Edinburgh festival review – The Yoko Ono route to enlightenment. [online] Available at http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/aug/14/o-no-edinburgh-festival-review-yoko-ono-assembly-roxy-jamie-wood. Accessed 7 February 2016.

Vile, G. (2015) O No, It’s Dramaturgy: Jamie Wood @ Edfringe 2015. [online] Available at http://vilearts.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/o-no-its-dramaturgy-jamie-wood-edfringe.html. Accessed 8 February 2016.

Woods, J. 2016, Oh No! [performance] Lincoln: Lincoln Performing Arts Centre. 4 February 2016.