Complicite-

Complicite 

• Formed in 1983 – Complicite-meaning that the audience is part of the creative  experience.

• “Television and film have liberated theatre in the same way that photography once liberated art.  Once you had photography and you didn’t need to record anything historically, art could be anything at all- theatre’s the same.  We don’t need to do boring thriller plots anymore- that’s done every week on The Bill.”  Simon McBurney

 

• Exercise 1: In groups we had to devise a game with the objects: a plastic fish, a piece of string and a plastic stick and we had to use all the objects in 10 minutes. We created the game ‘Wrap a fish’ which required three or more players. We tied the string to the fish, then got two people to hold the plastic stick on either side. The player holding the string and fish must attempt to wrap it round the stick the most times. The player with the most times the fish wrapped round the stick would win the game. We presented all our game ideas to the rest of the class and got feedback such as what was good about the games and why. This exercise allowed us to work together and created an idea within a short space of time, which taught me to listen carefully and consider everyone’s ideas, which is an important factor when devising.

• Exercise 2: We explored space and proximity during this workshop. We had to improvise an activity in pairs. Me and Lizzie created a scene of waxing her moustache off. We then split up, repeating the activity but with space between us and had to respond as if you are still in close proximity. This created a much more interesting scene to watch because it could present more detailed ideas of who the characters were.

• “Over the time that I have been working with Complicite what happens in the rehearsal room has changed enormously, yet certain elements are always present.  The constant fooling around; the immense amount of chaos; pleasure as well as a kind of turbulent forward momentum.  Nothing is off limits apart from not turning up.  When rehearsing a piece I do not have a method, no single approach.  Ultimately the material dictates each rehearsal.”  Simon McBurney

• All the work that Complicite do relies on the actors working intuitively as an ensemble so that they can improvise their way out of any situation.

• Exercise 3: This involved getting into groups and starting in each corner and while maintaining contact, move to the other side of the room. In the same groups, maintaining contact again, we then had to move to the opposite corner BUT only one person can move at a time. This exercise required everyone to be comfortable with their groups and really focus on things like proximity and how fast other people were moving. You need to be very focused and aware of your other group when devising to ensure that not one person takes lead and the rest just goes along with instructions because it is a group effort.

Complicite as a whole:

• The audience choosing to be involved in the collective imagination. As an audience we are involved in accepting the performers’ reality e.g. in an early show they represented the sea with a bucket of water.
• Bodies and objects can be anything. No limits.
• Work is never finished.
• ‘Seeking what is most alive, integrating text, music, image and action to create surprising disruptive theatre… what is essential is collaboration.’

 

 

  

    






                                                                        SIMON MCBURNEY

 

 

 

Punchdrunk

Punchdrunk




At the beginning of the lesson, we sat down and watched a clip from the famous Punchdrunk piece 'The Drowned Man'. The type of theatre used here is 'immersive theatre' in which the audience is free to choose what to watch and wear to go. 'The Drowned Man' is based in a 4 story house, making it a 'site specific' piece. The audience are made to wear masks, and they are taken on multiple journeys and stories around the house, with each audience member coming out with a different lead narrative, depending on the route they took.

To explore this type of theatre we were ordered to create a single file, which was lead to various places in the school, with separated groups of the class left in each location. My group were left in the locker area, with a stimulus of about 20 or so masks. We had to create a ritualistic immersive and audience engaging piece. We came up with a number of ideas, with our basis obviously the masks, and also the 200 lockers.

We finally decided on hiding masks in specific lockers, and giving the piece the theme of 'identity' relating hidden identity being behind closed doors (masks in lockers). The audience would come in, and the groups members (pre-wearing their masks) would walk up to particular people and whisper their locker number to them for example 'you're 118', while leading them to their lockers. This got the audience completely engaged and involved, and rather than being the spectator they became part of the piece- by doing this we attacked the emotions of the group and made them feel as if they were really involved in the theatre.

This type of theatre can be described as like a reality videogame, exploring fictional and worlds of performance and becoming involved in them.

Frantic

Frantic

• Formed in 1994 and hugely inspired by two companies of the most physical theatre companies working at that time: Dv8 and Volcano.
• Unique physical style which combines movement, design, music and text.
• Pursues storytelling through primarily physical means.
• Rely on physical motion of the performers rather than, or combined with text to convey the story.
• Elements: Music, dance, mime, body contact, props. 

Exercise 1: A had to jump a rhythm and B had to continue the rhythm, jumping one after the other to create a constant rhythm.

Exercise 2: We got a chair and had to create 10 movements that were quite natural – nothing too stylised. We then put a blind fold on and had to perform the same sequence. This made us aware of our surroundings.

Exercise 3: We then got a partner and performed our sequences together, making them link well with timing and proxemics with each other. We then did this with the blindfolds on which meant we had to use sound or touch to signal when to start the sequence and keep in time with each other.

Exercise 4: In our partners we did a sequence together, without chairs, using ‘around’, ‘by’ and ‘through’. After creating a long sequence of movements, we added dialogue which gave our piece a meaning and was easier for an audience to understand.

From this workshop:

·       I really enjoyed this workshop and would like to use this technique when devising

·       I found that we can communicate ideas through the use of our body without any dialogue, but dialogue does still help.

Forum/Boal

Boal



Boal's teachings

• His teachings were extremely controversial and he was seen as a threat
• 'Mainstream theatre aims to sedate the audience'
• The audience become the actors on stage

Theatre of the oppressed

• The work must wake up the spectator, and engage them through addressing social problems helping them to find strategies for change.
• Must include:
  PROTAGONIST
  ANTOGONIST (or oppressor)

Exercise 1.

First of all, we began by doing activities that were fun, as well as involving the senses. We did 'the handkerchief game' in which two lines of four stood on each side of the room with the handkerchief in the middle of them. Natalie would shout numbers, and the numbers would race eachother into the room to get the cloth first. For example is 1 picked it up, 2 would then tap 1, and 1 would have to drop it, and so on. The one that got the cloth back to 'home' gained a point. This game required listening, touch and sight as well as focus.

Exercise 2

We played glass cobra. We got into a long line. We then had to close our eyes, which removes our the sense of sight, instantly putting our trust in our teachers. The line was altered and switched around, having to remember our place by touching the person in front of us. They then placed us in various parts of the room, and told us to, without opening our eyes or talking, to make our way back to the line. We did as we were told having to use touch and listening to return. The use of the sun light was helpful as a base of boundaries. We completed the task, despite the disappointment we received about the amount of talking!

Exercise 3

For this exercise we had to create an improvisation around the stimulus of bullying- relating to the key addressing of social problems Boal talks about. We created a piece that showed a girl being attacked for her clothing, her wealth and money. We chose this as it is always a relatable situation, as in every life scenario, there is someone of more superior wealth. Natalie then introduced the boal's idea of a 'forum'. This is when a SPECTATOR intrudes in the performance by shouting 'STOP' in order to stop the protagonists actions. Frequently, people stopped the performances in order to fight back against the bullies and give various alternatives and versions. For example, I stopped the opposing groups performance, to introduce the character of a teacher, giving the reasons that 'there needs to be some control taken in the situation, and the reality of a teacher getting involved in this bullying is very likely.


TO ACT= TO PERFORM & TO TAKE ACTION.

Verbatim

Verbatim

What is it?

Verbatim theatre is 'exactly the same words that were used originally'. It is a type of documentary theatre, which aims to dramatize real life events, by using precise wording of people interviewed about particular topics. These are constructed, edited and used to a degree to create a piece of theatre.


Exercise

The main exercise we used was to create our own verbatim piece of theatre. I was given, with my group, an article on the case of Oscar Pistorius. We had to extract key moments and sentences to put into a short performance. We had no type of theatre we had to set the words to, but we decided on it being abstract, false, frequently using sentences said simultaneously to create an impact. Despite the task being tricky due to very little time, we managed to create something, that communicated the main message of the subject matter. Feedback at the end made us realise how crucial it is to inform the audience that it is a verbatim piece, as the statement of the words is so much more effective. "One of the strengths of Verbatim is the sort of rich text you couldn't make up."

Influences

The London Road

Our two main influences came from the verbatim musical 'The London Road'. This piece of theatre explores the story of The London Road prostitute murder. However, rather than exploring the main narrative, it delves into the lives of residents in the road, and their responses to the crimes. Interview recordings were taken of their opinions, and dramatized by actors so accurately to create great naturalism. Although this element is naturalistic, the fact it is put to music, makes it a lot more effective for the audience.

DV8

DV8 are an example of theatre that explore physical dance as a way of communicating emotions. They used a type of gestural language which aims to break the barrier between dance and theatre, by using a highly visual style. Gestures made by parts of the body are linked to lines in the script to communicate information through a type of sign language.



Berkoff

Berkoff

Was absent for the lesson, so have bullet pointed the power-point




 

      Back ground
      Grew up in East End of London

Jewish Roots
Studied  at Webber Douglas

Went to Paris and studied at Ecole de Jacques, with Lecoq

Vocal training= British drama school

Physical training= European traditional

Influences

Brecht

Lecoq

Grotowski

Artaud

German Impressions

Greek chorus

Shakespeare

Cockney/slang

Yiddish

Greek mythology

Idea of theatre

Heightened gesture- to communicate emotion

Rejects minimalist of naturalism,

Puts plot and meaning before character

Body is used to become set, locations and props

 

Grotowski

Grotowski


Background

• Born 1933- Died 1999
• Polish director
• Moved to Wroclaw and led a theatre company called Laboratorium under influence of Grotowski's personality.

Theatrical ideas

• He claims theatre should not, because it cannot, compete with film
• Should therefore focus on what hold theatre together: actors in front of spectators
• Theatre focuses on body and requires physical commitment
• Actor must use there own emotions, feelings (from personal experiences) and opinions.
• To do this, they must break through internal or physical blocks

In the body
           Learning to activate all of the body and move freely and fully

In the voice
Learning to breathe freely and open every resonator.

In the emotion
Letting pure emotion pour from the body and reacting with other actors


Exercise 1.
The class did a warm up session, walking around the room, walking through fog (that slowly thickens to water thickness).

Exercise 2
Changing the way their feet met the ground, allowing it the change the effect of the legs, and slowly effecting the whole of our body, creating individual characters for us. I found that walking on the edges of my feet, created a lazy natured character, that purposefully had no energy to lift his posture.

Exercise 3
We then went outside to the tennis courts and did some exercises that involved physical focus and focus. We had to run to one cone, then run backwards diagonally to another and so on, all running at the same time, haven't to concentrate on not colliding with fellow classmates. This exercise aloud us to work as a team (encouraging friends),  to warm up our bodies, and to focus fully on the exercise in order to complete it.

Exercise 4
This exercise was 'tug of war'. We began doing it in slow motion, in order to put all our energy into convincing our 'spectators' that we were effectively creating a scene that has instant more detail. We then did play tug of war, in full speed, which used skills of determination, physical strength and team encouragement.

Lecoq

Lecoq- Mime


·      Most famous for his methods on physical theatre, movement and mime.

·      Taught at the school he founded in paris, L’ecole international de theatre Jaques Lecoq – from 1965 until his death in 1999.

Exercise 1: Pushed our hands against a mirror to see what physical changes happened to our hands and body, and found that they went hard, flat, tense and fingers splayed slightly more. We then turned around and mimed pushing against the mirror, trying to recreate the physiological changes we experienced to create an accurate and believable mime. We did the same with stroking curtains. We realised that our the way our body physicalises an object, links to how the objects actually feels. For example with hair, our hands become soft, subtle and floaty- like the hair!

Exercise 2: We had to mime holding an object and the rest of the class had to guess what it was. Mine was an ironing board. My shoulders hunched over and my hands bent as if I clasped an iron, and my left hand fell flat, smoothing the 'clothing' down on the board. 

Exercise 3: We were told to say “Hello. How are you” as if we were talking to someone. The idea was that the rest of the class should be able to guess who we are talking to through the use of our body language and vocal choices. Such as if our voice sounded patronising and childish, and our body bent down, we were talking to a child; relating to again, to becoming like the person we are talking to.

Exercise 4: We were told to mime a clear task, which was short and had a steady rhythm. I chose to use the motherly mixing bowl gesture. Each time Ezra clapped we would go through a series of reactions:

First- starting with slowing our mime down

Second- slowing it down more

Third- slowing to a stop and looking round

Fourth- we stopped the move and ‘dropped’ our object.

Exercise 5: Music was played and we had to portray the music through our bodies without ‘dancing’ or trying’. 

From this workshop:

·      I found ways of how to mime and make my actions believable which will be useful when devising.

·      I found that if I practise using an object before I mime, it will give me a better and more clear understanding of how I would naturally hold the object without making my moves too over the top and not clear.