Category Archives: My inspirations

With a little bit of luck

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On Thursday 21st April I watched With a little bit of luck (2016), a Paines Plough production, written by Sabrina Mahfouz. Not only was the show a treat to watch, but it was also extremely influential for my own solo performance. Through spoken word, song, and poetry, it told the story of a 19 year girl, Nadia, who’s passion for UK garage music takes her into a spiral of bad decisions.

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Immersive theatre

The ‘fist-pumping euphoria […] [and] diamond-clear language’ (Pringle, 2015) transported us, the audience, into a hypnotic trance-like place, where music and energy surged through your body, leaving it virtually impossible to not dance along. It was set in the Platform, with alcoholic drinks served from the bar, and dance music playing as soon as you stepped foot through the door. It felt more like a festival gig rather than a theatrical performance. One review commented that it offered ‘an ambient trip to the recent past […]. The mingling of live music, retro call backs and creative scripting are a fun, immersive combination’ (Fountain, 2016). I really liked how it immersed the audience into the themes of the performance from the outset, even from before the performance had started.

George Home-Cook stated that immersive theatre ‘claims to break down […] the audience/stage divide, and to invite the audience to actively participate in the theatrical event. Immersive theatre thus not only promises, but trades on it’s ability to provide a particular […] all-encompassing, multi-sensory, participatory experience’ (Home-Cook, 2015, 132). This made me think about my own performance and how I could create this intimacy and immediacy into my work. Was there any way of starting the performance (via the atmosphere) before I spoke a word? I thought back to my emphasis on my cocoons and their slow paced, homely feel.

Influenced by the works of Sabrina Mahfouz, I have decided to transform the far half of studio two into one giant stylised cocoon. The audience will walk through the door to be greeted by a dimly lit studio two. The far section will be curtained off and the audience will enter this section through a small parting in the curtains. This is my cocoon. Within this section the staging will be just as before, with the projector, music equipment and family memorabilia. I wish to create more of a relaxing atmosphere when the audience arrives to represent the comfort and relaxed way of life of my cocoons. The audience will be sat on beanbags, there will be smooth jazz playing in the background and incense sticks burning. I will be sat on stage in my pjs, having a cup of tea and reading a copy of The Stage Magazine. There is not one morning in my house that my mum and dad won’t have incense burning and jazz playing in the background; therefore I wanted to recreate this for the audience. Continuing on this idea of comfort, I will perform my entire performance in my pjs. The pjs show how I haven’t got dressed and ready to face the day, and how I’m still in my comfort zone. This draws parallels with my current situation, as I feel I have yet to get ready and face the real world, and how I’m still attached to my home relationships. When the performance is coming to an end, and I am creating music, the lights will gain brightness and by the end of the performance the audience will exit the cocoon to a brightly lit studio to, symbolising the brightly lit future now they have exited the comforting cocoons.

Speech underscored by music

What I also took from this performance was the use of music throughout the entire show. There was not one moment that was not accompanied by live musical underscoring. This stood out for me as I wanted to also underscore the last section of dialogue with the music I had made. This also reminded me of my earlier research on Laurie Anderson. Much of her work consists of spoken words underscored constantly by electronic music. For example, her most famous track Oh Superman! (1982). This unusual track seemed to hit a chord with the public at the time and rocketed to number one. The success of Laurie Anderson and With a little bit of luck, therefore, suggests that underscoring can be an effective theatrical tool. Both performances show me ways of playing with the volume and timing of the underscoring track in order to effectively interweave it into the pace of the dialogue. This is something I will be playing around with more over the next week.

Work Cited 

Fountain, T. (2016) With a little bit of luck. [online] TV Bomb. Available from http://www.tvbomb.co.uk/2016/04/with-a-little-bit-of-luck/ [Accessed 26 April 2016].

Home-Cook, G. (2015) Theatre and Aural Attention: Stretching Ourselves. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Mahfouz, S. (2016) With a little bit of luck. [performance] Stef O’Driscoll (dir.) Lincoln: Lincoln Performing Arts Centre, 21 April.

Pringle, S. (2015) Latitude 2015. [online] London: The Stage. Available from https://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/2015/latitude-2015/ [Accessed 26 April 2016].

The butterfly effect & metamorphosis

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The Butterfly Effect

Whilst trying to explain to a friend what my performance is about, I found myself talking about ‘leaps of faith’ and how one small decision can effect your whole life. For example, in my case, if I choose to say ‘yes’ to opportunities that take me further afield, there may be success that could alter my life completely. This made me think back to a film I had watched, Eric Bress and Mackye Gruber’s thriller The Butterfly Effect (2004). I did some research on the actual butterfly effect theory and it seemed to link very nicely to my show. This age-old paradox suggests that even the smallest of incidents, such as a butterfly flapping its wings, can significantly alter the outcome. It can ultimately create a domino effect. All this because ‘you took the risk to flap your wings one more time’ (Russell, 2011, xxiii). Victoria Howard and Allan Jay Friedman’s book The Butterfly Effect: How To Become Who You Already Are (2011) encourages courage and wisdom in the decisions we make, suggesting that we should ‘remove the would haves and could haves from our vocabulary’ (Howard and Friedman, 2011, 21). They stress how important it is to ‘remember that you have absolutely no limitations, other than the limitations you impose upon yourself’ (ibid, 73). They state that the butterfly effect can encourage people to break free and emerge from their cocoons of content, and regain control of their own destiny. This made me consider the metamorphosis process of a butterfly.

butterfly

Metamorphosis 

Friedman and Howard also use the butterfly effect draw parallels to the metamorphosis process of a butterfly. They comment that ‘we are a metaphorical example of that creature that must go through the transformational process of shedding it’s skin (our clutter) just like a caterpillar does, in order to see the light and evolve into that beautiful butterfly it already is’ (ibid, 66). This notion of becoming the person you already are really resonates with me. I like the idea that we are all these amazing people who are just waiting to take that leap of faith in order to become the people we desire to be. I can also understand how we have an undeniable need to express ourselves, spread our wings of creativity, and fly headfirst into all the possibilities life offers us. Making one small decision could provide the opportunity to expose your true selves, ‘be the best you can be and to follow your dreams’ (ibid). Friedman and Howard state something that I found quite inspirational. They state ‘that way you can fulfill your purpose-driven destiny to be a model for other butterflies, like yourself, to emulate’ (ibid, 73). I know it is a lot to ask of a performance, but I would love to create something that may inspire others take that leap from their norm.

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Link to my performance 

The butterfly effect and metamorphosis link very well into my current state of mind, and thus my performance. I am at a position in my life where every single decision I make could influence the outcome of my life. I can’t let any of them pass by because I will live a life of “should haves” and “could haves”, and always wonder “what if”. I see my relationships with my family and boyfriend like the butterflies cocoon. They are a vital part of my life, as I cannot develop to my fullest potential without them. They provide a safe haven where life is kind and simple and, in a way, provide a place where I am blissfully ignorant and protected from the outside world. However in order for me to become this developed butterfly, I need to break free from these comforting cocoons. However reluctant I may be to leave these cocoons, I understand that it is necessary for my development in life, or fear I may stay a cocoon forever.

Work Cited

Bress, E., Gruber, M. (dir.) (2004) The Butterfly Effect. [film] New Line Cinema.

Howard, V., Friedman, A. J. (2011) The Butterfly Effect: How To Become Who You Already Are. Bloomington: Author House.

Russell, R. G. (2011) The Butterfly Effect of Grace: Simple words, Simple acts, Simply amazing. Untied States of America: Xulon Press.

Adam Page & Stomp

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Adam Page

Musician and solo artist Adam Page has provided me with an abundance of ideas for my show. He is an Australian solo performer that specialises in music looping. He performed at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2013 and it was that performance which drew my attention to him. He is an insanely talented guy who can not only make music out of the most random and bazar objects, but he can also hold the audience’s attention throughout.

(Adam Page, 2013)

The following performance shows his ability to create music out of everyday objects that were lying around, including a sweet potato. I really like the idea of using lots of items and it has influenced me to slightly alter my performance. I originally wanted to make music only from the restraints themselves. Although after watching Adam Page use a multitude of objects to create a layered soundscape, I realised this would create more depth.

(Adam Page, 2012)

Whilst watching how he uses different object it made me realised that I could use objects that remind me of my relationship with my parents, sister and boyfriend. I would have them laid out around the tv screen to create three separate areas of objects that represent the three people I speak about. This would allow the music I create to represent the whole of my relationship with them rather than only the negative restraints. I want to portray how much these relationships mean to me and portray them in a good light, rather than portraying them as a burden as that is not how I see them.

Stomp

After researching Adam Page, it reminded me of Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas’ show Stomp (1991). I have always loved this show and I jumped at the chance to incorporate something similar within my own performance. The whole show consists of the actors creating beats and music out of everyday objects such as bins, sinks, brooms, newspapers etcetera. After watching both Adam Page and Stomp I have been experimenting with beats and sounds from everyday objects in my house, for example, photo albums, mugs, letters, pens etcetera. I hope that with the involvement of a loop box, I could create a detailed soundscape similar to theirs.

(Show & Stay, 2013)

Work Cited

Adam Page (2012) Adam Page Solo in Wellington 2009 – Kumerwah. [online video] Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkRTj6YeqLY [Accessed 25 March 2016].

Adam Page (2013) ADAM PAGE at the Edinburgh Fringe FULL SHOW. [online video] Available from http://youtu.be/ivZQFIGwX4E [Accessed 25 March 2016].

Show & Stay (2013) Stomp Show Trailer. [online video] Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-KDj0AHymU [Accessed 25 March 2016].

Language & poetry

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I have been looking into language over the last week, reading books and watching plays in the hope of finding inspiration for my shows dialogue.

I watched Nicholas Hytner’s film The Lady in the Van (2015) and I was enthralled by the use of language. The words within this film were so satisfyingly beautiful, yet witty and piercing at the same time. The use of language from the character of Alan Bennett, a Northern writer, displayed much of the descriptive language I want to include in my own piece. His creative use of adjectives, juxtaposed with harsh swear words, brought something quite beautiful to the not-so-beautiful meaning of the sentence. I really liked the way that Haytner wrote the dialogue for this movie, however much of it was based on the actual writer Alan Bennett’s book titled the same The Lady in the Van (1989). I looked further into his writings and have taken a lot from the way he powerfully yet poetically describes situations.

This descriptive use of language reminded me of Chris Goode’s play The Adventures of Woundman and Shirley (2011) that we read in class. Although I don’t particularly enjoy the play, I did acknowledge Goode’s fantastic ability to bring situations to life through language. He uses descriptive detailed metaphors with a sprinkling of nonsense, for example, ‘All over his body: Weapons, sticking out at crazy angles like the cocktail sticks in a cheese and pineapple hedgehog at a little kids birthday party. His whole body a torture chamber’ (Goode, 2001, 7).

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An example of the language in The Adventures of Woundman and Shirley (2011)

(Hull Truck Theatre, 2012)

An example of the language in The Lady in the Van (2015)

(Movieclips Coming Soon, 2015)

Listening to the poetic nature of the language from this play and film lead me to look into poetry. I stumbled black upon a poem that I read during GCSE English in school, The Road Not Taken (1991) by Robert Frost and Louis Untermeyer. Whilst studying at school the poem had not relevance to me, it was simply another run-of-the-mill stock poem that all 17 year olds had to study. However after reading it again at an older age, and with the current emotional crossroads lingering in my mind, this poem suddenly makes so much sense and I would really like to incorporate this poem in the opening section of my performance:

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

(Frost and Untermeyer, 1991)

Work cited

Frost, R., Untermeyer, L. (1991) The road not taken: a selection of Robert Frost’s poems. New York: H. Holt and Co.

Goode, C. (2001) The Adventures of Woundman and Shirley. London: Oberon Books.

Hull Truck Theatre (2012) The Adventures of Wound Man and Shirley. [online video] Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ud5jsvC1x4g [Accessed 17 March 2016].

Movieclips Coming Soon (2015) The Lady in the Van movie clip – Move in day (2015) – Maggie Smith, Alex Jennings Movie HD. [online video] Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnFs3DN1eNU [Accessed 17 March 2016].

Hair Peace

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Last week I watched the fantastic Victoria Melody perform another one of her smash hit shows. Melody is an award winning solo performance artists with a background in Fine Art. What I absolutely loved about her was her personality. She was full of energy and seemed to be comfortable around everyone she spoke to. One reviewer stated that ‘she is either an idiot or a genius, it’s up to you to decide’ (Melody, 2010). Personally I think she’s a genius. Her infectious personality clearly transposed into her performance as she managed to confidently portray quite serious social issues, whilst being ‘unpretentiously funny’ (Hutera, 2015). Her background in Fine Art means she explores the scenarios and topics in great depth. She often ‘immerses herself into communities and become an active participant in the rituals as research for her work’ (Melody, 2010).Throughout her careers she has immersed herself with numerous social groups and careers. She has become a pigeon racer, a champion dog handler, a northern soul dancer and a beauty queen. It was her experience as a beauty queen that influenced her next performance Hair Peace (2016).

Hair Peace (2016)

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Hair Peace was an exploration into the origins of hair extensions. Whilst partaking in Mrs Brighton beauty pageant for her show Major Tom (2014) she wondered who the hair extensions that were being sown into her head belonged to. This prompted her to travel the world and speak to members of the hair industry, forensic scientists, and those whose hair makes the extensions. One review stated that ‘it is the journey rather than the arrival that is interesting here’ (The Guardian, 2007), which I believe sums up this performance very nicely. It was certainly interesting, as an audience member, to be taken on this journey of discovery into the profitable work of the hair market.

What I took from the performance

  • Her casual style of delivery – It didn’t seem as though she was acting at all, but rather explaining her story to a group of friends. Personally, her casual performance really put me at ease, and by the end of it I felt weirdly comfortable around someone that I met only an hour ago. I would really like to incorporate this casual delivery into my performance.
  • When asked how much she improvised, she stated that it is 70% scripted, 30% improvised – This keeps the performance exciting as it allows her to occasionally deviate off script to react to the audience. Having a strict structure can affect the relationship between the actor and audience. It can make the whole performance feel more formal. I want to create a relaxed atmosphere and connect with my audience to allow them to become part of the performance, and if they wish to engage in conversation with me, then the structure will allow for deviations.
  • The structure of the performance and layout of the set – The set was three televisions placed in three corners of the performance space. Each screen represented a separate person (her sister, the forensic scientist, and her friend in India). I really liked this layout. Three separate areas for three separate people, and the televisions representing these people. I think that I would be able to incorporate this into my solo performance with the three people I wish to talk about (my boyfriend, parents and sister).

hair 2

  • The use of media and home videos – Not only did the televisions project the three people, but also videos of her in the pageants, photos of her sister, and videos of her time in India. Such videos allows the audience to understand the backstory to her performance. The videos and pictures of her sister allowed the audience to know her as a person more than a name, which allowed them to get more involved in the narrative. The same with the videos of her in the beauty pageants. This has made me consider the use of media and video in my performance. This would complement the verbal explanation of my story and enable the audience to visibly see what I will be discussing. For this I want to use a short video compilation of my home videos that will be projected at the beginning of the performance, before the lights have come up on me, and before any spoken dialogue. I have many (rather embarrassing) home videos of me performing in my living room to my (very patient) parents. Luckily my mum captured most of my existence on video tape, so there are plenty of clips of myself performing, right up until the present day. These will allow the audience to understand that I’ve wanted to perform since a young age, thus the performance concept will hopefully become clearer.

Bringing the screen into the theatre

Using multimedia on stage is a relatively recent phenomenon in the large scale of theatre. ‘Where early television advertised itself as bringing theatre into your home, it seems now as if theatre advertises itself as bringing television or cinema into your local theatre’ (Giesekan, 2007,4). Many performers and theorist believe that the inclusion of multimedia element destroys the liveness of theatre as ‘performance gains its power from the fact that it is created as we watch’ (ibid, 1). However, I personally disagree with this as the inclusion of video can create a new layer of space and time within the live performance. Freda Chapple and Chiel Kattenbelt agrees with this concept and state that ‘the closed continuum of time can be broken, as video can introduce a different dimension of time in the performance’ (Chapple and Kattenbelt, 2006, 71). Thus through video I would be able to take the audience to different moments in time, such as my childhood, and bring external people into the performance space via digital media.

Work Cited

Chapple, C., Kattenbelt, C. (2006) Intermediality in Theatre and Performance. Amsterdam: Rodopi.

Hutera, D. (2015) Hair Peace at Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh Festival. London: The Times. Available from http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/arts/stage/edinburgh-festival/article4527528.ece [Accessed 8 March 2016].

Melody, V. (2010) Victoria Melody: About. Available from http://www.victoriamelody.co.uk/about/index.php[Accessed 6 March 2010].

Melody, V. (2010) Victoria Melody. Available from http://www.victoriamelody.co.uk/home/index.php [Accessed 6 March 2010].

The Guardian. (2007) Hair Peace at Edinburgh festival review – the secret life of locks. [online] London: The Guardian. Available from http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/aug/24/hair-peace-at-edinburgh-festival-review-victoria-melody-pleasance [Accessed 7 March 2016].

Giesekam, G. (2007) Staging the Screen: The Use of Film and Video in Theatre. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.