Performance Project: "Fear"

That may be a temporary name, I am as of yet uncertain.

For those of you not in the know, at the beginning of each semester I have a performance or theatre project to complete. It takes up the first month and the timetable is pretty harsh (10am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, with a performance on Friday and Saturday evenings at the end of it.) Last year the project was Beyond the Front Line which I chronicled in detail from beginning to end for your reading pleasure and found it an entirely too convenient way to put a reflective essay together in one simple evening, and so for this project I intend to do the same. You'll have to excuse me if things seem a little off, I have a hum-dinger of a cold at the moment. I have just come from warming some lovely 'Heinz Winter Vegetable Broth' for my supper, having come from the shower before doing so (I will be stopping to take a yummy bite of my soft white bread soaked in soup while I type, how distracting!)

Today was the first day, the whole year group collected into the Studio Theatre at Adelphi to organise our groups and learn of the task we had ahead, the nature of the beast. I learned that the nature of our particular beast is fear (isn't it always?) and became giddy. I have worked with fear before, in my Art perhaps, but fear and that which is encompasses is familiar territory to me. I was told that we were to devise our own piece of theatre with fear as the theme, this will involve the 'grotesque clown' and 'black comedy' concepts, and even hinted towards a touch of the macabre or even cabaret Gothic, Rocky Horror style. We then proceeded to workshop.

For those unaware, theatre workshop can seem like the height of pointless. I'll explain and you can judge for yourself how high up on the Artsy Fartsy Acting scale it lands. The game was simple, amongst other tabloid pieces and sound scapes we created the focus was a game I shall refer to as simple 'Yes.' The concept from the off is that the group stands in a circle, a person begins by making eye contact with someone and saying their name. This person must then say "Yes" which is an acceptance than the person looking at them can take their space, then the focus is put on the person who said "Yes" and the process begins again (They look at someone, say their name, wait for a "Yes" yadda yadda.)

Excuse me a second, my soup is going cold....

That's better. So the game continues like this until the pace builds up and the flaws are ironed out. The game then changes into something seemingly more difficult. The person making eye contact no longer says the recipients name. This carries on until the rules change slightly a final time, whereby the 'yes' is replaced by a nod. You can see how complicated this would get being performed amongst a year group of about forty people, a few times my poor eyesight made me the butt of a few titters for mistaking myself as someone of attention. Of course, I can take these things in my stride, being an adult (damn them all to hell.) We got the hang of it eventually.

The game is a way of finding your 'ticks' (the things you do without knowing, which make your feel safe) such as leaning on one leg, biting your nails or staring at the floor, all of which an actor needs to be aware of if they are to cast them aside in favour of the ticks of the character they are trying to portray. I noticed that I had to fight to stop playing with my hands, which is strange considering I think that particular tick is unique to that one circumstance, I don't recall ever noticing or having anyone else notice that behaviour in me. The game is also a good way to guage how a person can behave on stage. Do they leave before saying "Yes" to the person giving them the stare? Do they panic to find another person whose name they have for no reason simply forgotten? Are they quiet in saying their victims names or answering in the affirmative? All of these tell a lot of crucial, almost subliminal information for a director. I am generally a fan of improvisation and will rather leap at the chance to leap into things head first than slowly plot my path beforehand (on stage that is) and so I found this game much easier when I wasn't plotting my course. The lesson today was definately on the importance of focus in a performance. Without it, we lose where we are, we lose character, we lose faith in ourselves and our team mates and worst of all, we tense up when we struggle to regain it, leading to a world of problems.

Almost finished my soup now...

On the administrative side of things I am somewhat disappointed. There seems to be a great imbalance between the two groups into which our year group has been split for the duration of the performance projects. This could be a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, too many cooks spoil the broth (which I recommend by the way, very satisfying and currently on offer in Tesco's) certainly when it comes to a piece devised by an 'ensemble.'  On the other hand, many hands make light work, and I have no doubt that out of every group you will have your waifs and lollygaggers, your laissez-faire mentality in certain performers happy with a 'pass' which I am sure you will be pleased to know; doesn't wash with me, particularly not after last year.

Right, soup's finished. I always feel lovely and full after soup, a perfect supper as it is both filling, but not too heavy on the old tummy. I'd better get some sleep you know, not only do I have this aforementioned cold to shift which as all good small town boys like myself know can only be shifted by plenty of bed rest (and Beechams,)  but today was just an introduction. For all the ills of last nights ditch attempt at a good nights sleep, tonight I will need to knuckle down and do some serious sleeping, for tomorrow; the work begins.