On the 22^nd May 2017 at 7.30pm we performed the show we had all been working to create. Overall, I believe it was a very successful performance with some very strong performances. The precision and accuracy of the choreography, along with the sheer brilliance of the set made a performance people would not forget in a hurry. Looking at my own individual performance, I thought it was believable and exciting. As an actor, I strive to develop a ‘role in a logical and coherent fashion, showing a linear progression through the play that allows an audience to understand the motives and emotional journey of that character and to go on that journey with them’ (Rush & Lowe, 2004, p.77). At times, I believe the stage set up hindered the emotional journey I wanted to take the audience on. This was because all the large centre pieces e.g. tree, hedge and the bike were situated at the back. If we were to perform it again, I would suggest moving the bike into centre stage facing the audience. This would allow us to eliminate the live streams, reducing the amount of upstage set. I also felt the live stream required the audience to observe to much, which may have hindered the overall perspective of the piece. On an individual level, I believe I needed to connect with the other ensemble members more through simple movements. Even-though we did this on occasions, I felt it would have benefited the audience more in establishing the link between the man and his inner demons. Despite this, I believe it was an exceptional performance with a couple of minor issues which could have been addressed if we were to perform it again.

Works Cited:   

Rush, P & Lowe, R. (2004) A Students Guide to A2 Drama and Theatre Studies for AQA Specification, London: Rhinegold Publishing.

As part of our performance, we decided to create an installation piece beforehand. This enabled anyone to come and view our ‘rubbish’ set being constructed. The set symbolised the creation of forgotten memories, along with the construction of the main protagonsits mind e.g. the tree represented the brain. Throughout the installation, I completed two tasks; looking after my orchid and preparing the bike. Despite this, upon building the set we found out it was a lot more difficult to construct than previously thought. Therefore, with my set-designer and the director, we came to the conscious decision to have the main centre pieces pre-built before the installation opened. I have always had a keen fascination in installation art after discovering Yayoi Kusama’s work infinity mirrors- The Souls of a Million Light Years Away. Installation art allows the viewer to ‘encounter the artwork from multiple points of view rather than from a single perspective more typically associated with looking at a painting’ (IMMA, 2013). This can also be related to theatre, as you have an allocated seat in which you look forward to view the artwork. Nevertheless, we aimed to create a high level of intimacy within our piece. It therefore required us to enclose the performance space, which we achieved through the thrust stage. Below is an image of our installation;

Allowing the audience to walk around the set before the performance began, enabled them to use all their senses creating a fully rounded experience for the individual. This in turn made the audience feel part of the process and allowed them to view the finer details of our set they wouldn’t otherwise see.

Works Cited:

IMMA (2013) What is Installation Art. Irish Museum of Modern Art. Available from http://www.imma.ie/en/downloads/what_is_installationbooklet.pdf

Throughout the piece it is very important for me to connect with the rhythm. Frantic Assembly, a renowned theatre company believe rhythm “carried the audience along confidently” (Graham and Hoggett, 2009, 27). Due to the bike being a central part to the performance, it is imperative to gain a simultaneous link between the rhythm on stage and the rhythm on the bike. Therefore, during rehearsals I plotted out the rhythm of each scene to date. Upon completing each graph, it was necessary to talk to the director to speak about parts of the scene where my pace on the bike greatens. After discussing and highlighting specific areas where this could happen, it was down to trial an error to see if it fit.

Above is a rhythm graph from the awakening scene. As you can see from the graph, the overall rhythm of the scene is very intense. After trying to match the rhythm on the bike we noticed it would be too hard to match the pace. Furthermore, the director believed there would be too much to observe in the scene and it would become confusing for the audience. Therefore, I suggested to juxtapose the rhythm of the bike to that on stage. Upon trying this, we found it to be very effective as when the rhythm slowed on stage it gave me purpose to pedal faster. After all, my character powers the show and projects his thoughts and imagination for the audience to view.

Above is the final rhythm graph I made for the awakening scene. As you can see from the two lines, the rhythm between what is happening on stage to that of the bike is heavily juxtaposed. (Ensemble in red, bike in blue.)

Works Cited:

Graham, S. and Hoggett, S. (2014) The Frantic Assembly Book of Devising Theatre. 2nd edition. London: Routledge.

In order to fully immerse myself into the performance, it is vital I know my character inside and out. In order to fully understand my character, I needed to do some basic ground work immediately. John Abbott believes, “actors have to understand what it is like to be someone other than themselves – and that is very complicated” (Abbott, 2015, p.86). Therefore, I decided to use one of Abbott’s exercises called ’85 Questions’. This exercise poses questions such as ‘what is your favourite food and drink?’ and allows you to gain authentic knowledge to your character’s physce.

Due to our performance being very physical with little spoken word, it is very important I connect with my body. Stanislavski states “the language of the body is the key that can unlock the soul” (Hadnagy, 2014, p.81). In order to understand my character’s inner workings, I therefore had to experiment with what my body was capable of doing. Once again, I used an exercise from John Abbott called ‘animal identification’. According to Abbott, the actor should ‘get inside the head of an animal. The way it looks at you, the way it looks at other animals. The way it tilts it head or moves its neck.’ (Abbott, 2015, p. 92). Due to my character being very vulnerable I chose to study a fox. To begin with, foxes are very light on their feet with a short burst of pace. I am hoping to replicate this characteristic on the bike, as I will be nippy on my feet but will have short bursts of pace when the tension on the stage gets higher. Furthermore, foxes are usually seen by themselves and are very apprehensive in their movement. The fox often leads with its head first, then the feet shortly follow. This characteristic is useful for when my character is caring for the orchid as he is apprehensive and unsure of the object. Therefore, leading with my head builds up a suspicion of the flower. This is important as the question becomes clearer as to whether the orchid is the object making me sane or insane.

Works Cited:

Abbott, J. (2015) The Acting Book. London. Nick Hern Books.

Hadnagy, C. (2014) Unmasking the Social Engineer: The Human Element of Security. USA: John Wiley & Sons.

Throughout the performance there are five short interludes where I get off the bike and care for an orchid. Once this happens the audience are effectively taken to the ‘real world’. As a company, we wanted to have one character who the audience could form a relationship with, whilst the others are simply an ensemble with ‘no identity’. This required me to understand my character inside and out. Konstantin Stanislavski believed “every action on stage must have an inner justification, be logical, coherent and real” (Stanislavski, 1963, p.8). It was the aim of the director from the outset to create a character who was precise in every movement. This influence was mainly drawn from Clov in Samuel Beckett’s Endgame (1957). Throguhout Endgame, Clov is meticulous and precise with all of his actions whilst caring for Hamm, which lets them ‘maintain an interdependent relationship’ (Silva da Bastos & Frias Matos, 2016, p.121) Together, the director and I wanted to achieve this relationship between my character and the orchid. Therefore, we decided to create interludes around the watering of the plant. Each interlude was consistent in content and accurate in movement e.g. how much water was applied and how the cloth was sprayed. This eventually formed a strong relationship between the man and his plant, as the interludes became almost a ritual.

The above photo shows myself and the choreographer in discussion regarding the precise movements needed in the interlude scene. Even-though we aimed for consistency throughout the short scenes, it was important we developed on the narrative. Therefore, we decided to create a slight change to each with the appearance of a faceless woman and the intergration of the creatures (ensemble). By integrating the woman and ensemble, the audience soon began to realise the two worlds collapsing onto one another and the mental deterioration of the man.

Works Cited: 

Bastos da Silva, J & Frias Matos. (2016) A Time to Reason and Compare: International Modernism Revisited One Hundred Years After, London: Cambridge Scholars

Stanislavski, K. (1963) An Actors Handbook. New York: Routledge.