Jay Duggan Process & performance Blog 2

1.
The main strategy I believe the ensemble have been working from over the last five weeks would be working on impulse. As an ensemble we have worked on creating a section of performance without communicating verbally what so ever, but instead using clapping and demonstrating improvised ideas on impulse to create the opening scene of Porto. I feel it has been an extremely effective way of working and a real learning curve. Everyone contributed and democratized a final agreed scene that really was the work of the ensemble. Individually I felt the best strategy we have employed when creating our characters is going from a neutral stance and slowly into our character, and then moving around the room in this character interacting with others paying close consideration onto the smallest thing down to weight distribution within the feet or the way we breath. Personally this tactic has really helped me explore and define my character.
2.
As Portos progress began I had predetermined my character when we had to create a departure and destination, after work began on Porto I felt what I had written had become redundant. I no longer felt that my character was relevant in this environment. I began with a small hiker’s rucksack, and my character was on a personnel mission of a physical and mental challenge. My character was at first within and didn’t want to open or interact, and demonstrated physical exhaustion with his characteristics. As time went on this didn’t feel right as I put it into practice, and almost without realising it my character drastically transformed. At first I changed my bag, and with this came a transformation of my entire character, with every lesson that goes by I feel my character constantly changing. My character has now got an entirely different persona and motives are completely different, from facial expressions to gestures it has really changed and adapted to the theme of Porto . At this present point I feel the need to change my bag again; I no longer feel it’s relevant with my new changed character. I seem to learn more about what my character wants and needs with every minute I exist as him.
3.
Currently my character has quite a distinct style, shoulders back, chest out and head held high his posture implies he’s a proud perhaps pretentious person. He often has his arms folded or behind his back and doesn’t have much time to converse with others. He gestures sometimes although he has something to prove, with a classic muscle tense, but it’s as if he has no one to prove it too. He is quite static and only moves when he must, his movements are therefore purposeful and direct making his actions profound and giving him a focussed persona, he appears untouchable. He rarely accepts others for interaction, and often ignores people around, carrying quite a sense of arrogance about him to the point of pushing people in his way. Sometimes he acts as if he is alone, despite there been so many people around him. As we see certain events unfold, his untouchable persona of hard exterior can be seen to slowly deteriorate to reveal perhaps a much more venerable side.