1.
The research/resource stage of Porto seems far behind us now as we start to enter the score stage of development. But as we look back it is apparent how truly crucial that research stage was, we see constant reminders in our show of how we employ that critical research within Porto during the research resource process at the beginning of our journey we used tactics such as creating a performance circle and letting anyone come in or step out as they see fit. The interactions and relationships created entirely on impulse that were built all that time ago can still be found in parts of Porto in the current score phase of development. And even the way we approach devising for the show stems right back the research resource process. It wouldn’t be unfair to suggest that we haven’t really come out of the research resource element and we are all undergoing research until the day of validation.
2.
At first I couldn’t see how the ensemble was going to collaboratively exist on a performance stage with motives and objectives that would be in anyway similar, or make sense, but the stimulus of Porto really helped give each and every characters seemed very individual, but currently the ensemble seems to of creative somewhat of a community that have one thing in common, there trapped in Porto, I have heard many people describe Porto as limbo or purgatory, but every character seems to have a reason for been on stage. There are many hidden messages throughout Porto giving it ample meaning and narrative, usually based around social issues and boundaries. Such as mundane repetitiveness of the community representing society’s ways of how people should behave, and the characters not conforming to those rules. The tear between western and eastern culture, this performance is littered with metaphors for common problems within people lives.
3.
Since the start of the creating process my character has drastically transformed every element of his physicality and motives, to adapt to the ever changing course of Porto. In the research resource stage of devising I explored what my physical capabilities were and I am now using that knowledge to apply them to the score process. My character has really grown over the past few months, and I have my own personnel challenge of connecting emotionally with my character, and to exploit a more venerable side, this really has been my goal for Porto. In the “R” phase of practice I really found myself in terms of boundaries and limits, as well as discovering other people boundaries and limits, this is what allowed me to set a target for what I wanted my character to achieve throughout the process. Upon reflecting on my personnel transition into the character I am currently exist as, I find myself pleasantly surprised at my achievements, almost without realising it I have learned so much. Now I can feel a real sense of my character starting to break down and I am keen to see how far I can push this.
Wednesday, 1 April 2009
Sean Kennedy-Lockwood Process and performance blog assesment 3
1)
Within physical theatre there are four separate stages of the devising process, "RSVP" the R stands for the research phase, this is the stage where the ensemble were given a presentation to look at and interpret certain part of different pictures which is where the idea of Porto came about. We then took this and created our own character this was taken into the workshop to use in the play sessions. The play sessions is where the ensemble could create a personality create bonds with other characters and develop a deeper understanding of who they are in Porto. Now the Ensemble are at the S phase of the RSVP model which is the score part of the work where we have to refine and developed further through the aid of the directors working within the sub groups. We are now creating scenes within Porto also introducing music into the piece giving the scenes a new dynamic. The score phase is where we are establishing the various scenes giving them a narrative for the audience to follow.
2)
A narrative of the performance is beginning to show within the ensemble however it is for the audience to interpret and decode the piece for themselves through the semiotics installed within Porto.
‘ The audience has to become imaginatively engaged in order to decode and interpret what is happening’ (Martin Lewis, John Rainer 2005)
One theme which, is running subconsciously throughout the work that is giving the performance a structure is the initial stimuli we received, which was Porto, the definition of the word and how it applies to liminal journeys. Through certain scenes there is a stronger narrative which is more apparent than others at a particular time, for example with the photo scene, where it is obvious to the audience that we all have something in common and are similar with the item we take on our separate journeys. Within Porto there is also the presence of Blake and Nicola who are noticeably different to the ensemble and their presence in Porto is throughout, with the action of everyone surrounding these two figures. Through moments of ensemble work the audience can decode a narrative seeing that we all share a common purpose and we are on a journey.
3)
With my character it has been a frustrating process, I feel that it hasn’t developed a great deal with the majority of scenes that I am present in, being choreographed structured movement my character was held back and was unable to progress. This was difficult as I was trying to find characters that I had attachments to but unable to do so. Through play sessions in the workshop however I have been able to develop bonds with other people and physically and emotionally grow new dynamics of my character, which have helped in performance. ‘Brook not only uses play as a starting point, as a basis for personal growth and self development in his actors.’ (Callery, D 2001)
Now that we have been given more freedom for improvised work within the scenes I am creating more interesting work, finding a transition of my character who is more confident with other people and is less restricted. My character has developed further with there being a new dynamic with there being two people I am working with now rather than one, making the work more creative and giving more ideas to the overall creation of Porto.
Bibliography
Martin Lewis, John Rainer (2005) Teaching classroom drama and theatre: practical projects for secondary schools, Routledge PG 43
Dymphna Callery, (2001) Through the Body a Practical Guide to Physical Theatre, Nick Hern Books
Within physical theatre there are four separate stages of the devising process, "RSVP" the R stands for the research phase, this is the stage where the ensemble were given a presentation to look at and interpret certain part of different pictures which is where the idea of Porto came about. We then took this and created our own character this was taken into the workshop to use in the play sessions. The play sessions is where the ensemble could create a personality create bonds with other characters and develop a deeper understanding of who they are in Porto. Now the Ensemble are at the S phase of the RSVP model which is the score part of the work where we have to refine and developed further through the aid of the directors working within the sub groups. We are now creating scenes within Porto also introducing music into the piece giving the scenes a new dynamic. The score phase is where we are establishing the various scenes giving them a narrative for the audience to follow.
2)
A narrative of the performance is beginning to show within the ensemble however it is for the audience to interpret and decode the piece for themselves through the semiotics installed within Porto.
‘ The audience has to become imaginatively engaged in order to decode and interpret what is happening’ (Martin Lewis, John Rainer 2005)
One theme which, is running subconsciously throughout the work that is giving the performance a structure is the initial stimuli we received, which was Porto, the definition of the word and how it applies to liminal journeys. Through certain scenes there is a stronger narrative which is more apparent than others at a particular time, for example with the photo scene, where it is obvious to the audience that we all have something in common and are similar with the item we take on our separate journeys. Within Porto there is also the presence of Blake and Nicola who are noticeably different to the ensemble and their presence in Porto is throughout, with the action of everyone surrounding these two figures. Through moments of ensemble work the audience can decode a narrative seeing that we all share a common purpose and we are on a journey.
3)
With my character it has been a frustrating process, I feel that it hasn’t developed a great deal with the majority of scenes that I am present in, being choreographed structured movement my character was held back and was unable to progress. This was difficult as I was trying to find characters that I had attachments to but unable to do so. Through play sessions in the workshop however I have been able to develop bonds with other people and physically and emotionally grow new dynamics of my character, which have helped in performance. ‘Brook not only uses play as a starting point, as a basis for personal growth and self development in his actors.’ (Callery, D 2001)
Now that we have been given more freedom for improvised work within the scenes I am creating more interesting work, finding a transition of my character who is more confident with other people and is less restricted. My character has developed further with there being a new dynamic with there being two people I am working with now rather than one, making the work more creative and giving more ideas to the overall creation of Porto.
Bibliography
Martin Lewis, John Rainer (2005) Teaching classroom drama and theatre: practical projects for secondary schools, Routledge PG 43
Dymphna Callery, (2001) Through the Body a Practical Guide to Physical Theatre, Nick Hern Books
Alex Blower blog post 3
1.
During the Process of devised work it is imperitive to organise work into sections so as to work cohesivley in the construction of a piece. Firstly as a company we had to enter the research phase of the process, this consisted of gathering knowledge through academic rescources as well as the more physically based workshops and ‘play’ sessions. The importance of this phase in the creation of a performance is outlined in Jane Millings book Devising Performance, A Critical History ‘At the core of all devising or collaborative creation is a process of generating performance’ (Milling,2006, Page 3) giving emphasis to the importance of this phase in relation to the final perofrmance as a whole.
Secondly as we enter the scoring phase, involving blocking out the devised material so the different scenes come together smoothly and effectivley. It is interesting to note that, although it is true the pieces are more refined than they were in the research phase, changes are still happening and new ways of working still being discovered. As a performer and colaborative deviser it would be be a valid comment to make that that the research phase of creating a performance is never truly left behind but rather used as a tool in the scoring phase to help smooth out links between scenes and morph the process into a complete performance.
2.
With regards to the structure of Porto, as the scoring phase is being more heavily implimented there is a clear beginning and end becoming apparent, it is interesting to note that both of these sections are ensemble work with key characters either implimenting or resolving issues. At the beginning of the piece it is abundantly clear to the audience that Blake and Nicola are outsiders in Porto as the ensembles work is fluid and clean until either Blake or Nicola move and attention is focused on them. However at the end of the piece a feeling of resolution is achieved with Nicola as Jay finally manages to reveal the true character by the lifting of the hood. As this is happening the ensemble moving in syncronisation around them supports the changes that Nicola has experienced throughout her time in Porto.
In the productions middle section however things are not quite so clear, whilst it is true each section has come a long way since the research phase there are no clear links between scenes. It will be interesting to see at this point how the benefits of keeping the research phase open as we got on with scoring will prove to be an advantage.
3.
It would be fairly accurate to say that at the end of the research phase of Porto I was feeling wholly uncomfortable with my character and the intentions behind it. I had the idea in my head that my character was young however there was an element of seriousness there that went against my characters youthful and exuberent side. As a result I found myself in a state of limbo, not quite engaging with other characters as the mix of emotions were very different from the other characters in the community’s idea of the norm. However as we moved into the scoring phase there was a link between scenes in which I found a character that was very similar to mine in the Porto community. As I have a comic book as my item and they had child’s Pokemon cards it was suddenly very easy to concentrate on my characters immature, playful nature, in turn allowing a bridge to be built and further work to develop from it.
It is also interesting to note here that although I have an established character and personality now, at the start of the scoring phase I did not, perfectly illustrating the fact that the research phase is never one which is left behind, but is instead carried through to support the development of the later devising phases.
Bibliography
Milling Jane, Devising Performance, a critical history, Palgrave Macmillan, 2006
During the Process of devised work it is imperitive to organise work into sections so as to work cohesivley in the construction of a piece. Firstly as a company we had to enter the research phase of the process, this consisted of gathering knowledge through academic rescources as well as the more physically based workshops and ‘play’ sessions. The importance of this phase in the creation of a performance is outlined in Jane Millings book Devising Performance, A Critical History ‘At the core of all devising or collaborative creation is a process of generating performance’ (Milling,2006, Page 3) giving emphasis to the importance of this phase in relation to the final perofrmance as a whole.
Secondly as we enter the scoring phase, involving blocking out the devised material so the different scenes come together smoothly and effectivley. It is interesting to note that, although it is true the pieces are more refined than they were in the research phase, changes are still happening and new ways of working still being discovered. As a performer and colaborative deviser it would be be a valid comment to make that that the research phase of creating a performance is never truly left behind but rather used as a tool in the scoring phase to help smooth out links between scenes and morph the process into a complete performance.
2.
With regards to the structure of Porto, as the scoring phase is being more heavily implimented there is a clear beginning and end becoming apparent, it is interesting to note that both of these sections are ensemble work with key characters either implimenting or resolving issues. At the beginning of the piece it is abundantly clear to the audience that Blake and Nicola are outsiders in Porto as the ensembles work is fluid and clean until either Blake or Nicola move and attention is focused on them. However at the end of the piece a feeling of resolution is achieved with Nicola as Jay finally manages to reveal the true character by the lifting of the hood. As this is happening the ensemble moving in syncronisation around them supports the changes that Nicola has experienced throughout her time in Porto.
In the productions middle section however things are not quite so clear, whilst it is true each section has come a long way since the research phase there are no clear links between scenes. It will be interesting to see at this point how the benefits of keeping the research phase open as we got on with scoring will prove to be an advantage.
3.
It would be fairly accurate to say that at the end of the research phase of Porto I was feeling wholly uncomfortable with my character and the intentions behind it. I had the idea in my head that my character was young however there was an element of seriousness there that went against my characters youthful and exuberent side. As a result I found myself in a state of limbo, not quite engaging with other characters as the mix of emotions were very different from the other characters in the community’s idea of the norm. However as we moved into the scoring phase there was a link between scenes in which I found a character that was very similar to mine in the Porto community. As I have a comic book as my item and they had child’s Pokemon cards it was suddenly very easy to concentrate on my characters immature, playful nature, in turn allowing a bridge to be built and further work to develop from it.
It is also interesting to note here that although I have an established character and personality now, at the start of the scoring phase I did not, perfectly illustrating the fact that the research phase is never one which is left behind, but is instead carried through to support the development of the later devising phases.
Bibliography
Milling Jane, Devising Performance, a critical history, Palgrave Macmillan, 2006
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