Blog Task 3 - Luke Manley 0705972

[1] In order to talk about the ‘R’ (research/resource) and the ‘S’ (score) when creating Porto, we must firstly identify the meaning of them, when relating them to devising.

“Research - Organized study: methodical investigation into a subject in order to discover facts, to establish or revise a theory, or to develop a plan of action based on the facts discovered.“

“Resource - 5. Talent drawn on when necessary: an inner ability or capacity that is drawn on in time of need, or such abilities considered collectively.”

Before undertaking a position in Porto I found in necessary to research the origins of physical theatre and elements of dance theatre, in order to broaden my knowledge and understanding of the subject, which helped me to take a serious role and undertake an emotional roll as I knew I would be giving 100% effort.

With resource I was able to undertake much more difficult physical movements then I had previously been thought I would be able to carry out, using elements of dance to help create certain movements, and finding myself creating a narrative for certain segments during the early creative stages of Porto.

“Source - 8. copy of choreographic notation: a written record of the choreography for a dance or ballet.”

Although actual written notes were not taken on my characters movements for Porto, I did however make mental physical notes on them, which allowed my body memory to repeated the movements I had previously done again and again, with some slight movements, due to my character being in a different frame of mind on that certain day.

[2] As Porto is progressing i personally cant see any narrative within the piece, as it’s all been developed through uses of play and instinct, each person has gone into Porto stripped of any knowledge of what is happening. I personally don’t think the performers have crated a narrative for Porto, but from the outside eye, Porto could be seen as having a narrative, but that is clearly up to an audience members perception of Porto and what they want to get out of it.

There can be some elements of narrative in Porto through the use of the performers interaction with one and another, which may or may not tell different audience members a different story. For example my relationship with someone else in Porto could be a very loving and caring relationship, but because of the way it may be presented another audience member may see this relationship as being detached and unwanted by the other.

As for structure within Porto, I do feel a sense of it here as we have a strong beginning, with a very powerful opening ensemble, which shows practices and structure to the piece. As for having structure in Porto I don’t think there is any evident evidence to the audience of structure as it seems to be natural and flowing, as if the characters are brining Porto to life as it progresses.

[3] Through out my personal process of Porto I feel that my character has developed emotionally ahead of physically. Although my character does have a physical presence in Porto, I feel that because I am too emotionally in touch with my character, I am finding it hard to explore and develop new physical skills and even go back to explore previous physical techniques learnt through out the process in Porto. Maybe if I was to become a little more emotionally detached from my character it would help to me progress physically?

“The inner necessity determines the quality of the energy …”

The above quote relates to my character immensely. As the character himself, is shy, timid, embarrassed, lost ECT. But it is me personally who wants him to be more physical, I would like him to break away from his natural side and use the skills I have learnt, but within doing his, I wouldn’t be staying true to the character, I would be doing movements for just wanting to do them.

So throughout the process of Porto so far my character has developed emotionally immensely, but has not developed as physically as I had previously hoped. But each show is going to be different, and depending on the atmosphere, circumstances may change for my character.
Bibliography

[1] Bausch, P - The grain of the voice
[2] Barba, P - Words of presence
[3] Sa’nchez-Colberg, A - Altered states and su’bliminal spaces
[4] Microsoft Word dictionary look up - 20/03/09
[5] www.dv8.co.uk

Michaela Lloyd 0709448 Blog Post 3

1. In the creative journey of Porto we have been using Halprin’s RSVP model of devising- a four-stage cycle that aids the creation of performance. The initial ’R’ stage is the ‘Resource/Research’ phase by where both human physical and material resources and their potential motivations are called upon to create a base that will enrich the creative process. During this stage the ‘resource’ is explored to discover its potential performance possibilities before the ‘S’ stage of the model begins- ‘Scoring’. Bennet has employed the RSVP model with his own work and describes the Scoring stage as ‘ a theatrical development of image, characters, action [and] theme’ [www.puppetcentre.org.uk]. Essentially the Scoring stage refines the work developed during the Resource stage of Halprin’s model.

Initially we used the resources of our bodies and their relationship with other characters in the cast. This created our base for Porto that was refined with the help of Paul and Royona as our ‘outside eyes’, who could see the performance possibilities. They layered scenarios such as members on a train exploring the space restrictions that occur on top of our existing characters. This was the beginning of the Scoring of Porto. The piece is now beginning to take shape as our characters further develop through play sessions and exploration of this new theatrical development, the scenario that evolved through exploration of the initial resource- the body.

2.As Porto follows Halprin’s model a structure is beginning to emerge steadily. Porto itself has been described as paying ‘homage to the physical-theatre genre’ [http://www.arena.wlv.ac.uk]. As such, it is evident that the piece utilises the body as a signifier. According to Marshall, ‘The body is the direct point of connection between our inner self and the outer world’ (Marshall 2001 p xii) and that though our mind may be involved, it is our body that ‘lives our life’ and is the ‘sole mediator of human experience’ (Marshall 2001 p xii). With Porto now being scored, the bodies within the community have begun to take on much more than actions. They now have a connection with one another and have consequently begun to live a life within Porto. This has resulted in relationships emerging through the scoring phase and the creation of a narrative as these relationships develop and coincide with other characters. The complicite between the cast has concluded which characters want to socialise, want to fight or want to spend time together. The body continues to act as a mediator for human experience creating a stepping-stone for structure and narrative to be determined as the lives of each individual character strengthen in their own mission and their relationships with others in the on-stage world of Porto.

3.As Oddey explains, 'the research material formed the basis for an examination of the subject' (Oddey 1996 p xii). The Resource/Research phase of the process resulted in my character developing stock gestures and basic characterisation. She also had a core motivation within Porto: to find somebody or something that can settle her and keep her grounded. This was my basis for development and refinement of my character that is occurring within the Scoring phase of the process. Chekhov teaches that the more a gesture is repeated, the stronger the performers willpower grows and the greater depth a character is able to achieve. He also states that a performing space '...is an entire world permeated with an atmosphere so strong, so magnetic that [the performer] can hardly bear to part with it' (Chekhov 2007 p 41). As the process has developed the performance-space of Porto has evolved to evoke an atmosphere that immediately impacts every character that enters the space. As scenarios and situations have developed within the scoring phase my character has also developed.

When I enter Porto, the stock gestures I discovered within the Resource/Research phase of the model are no longer merely actions. They are carried out with motives and intent and I feel an emotional connection with every gesture I conduct. The space itself now impinges on my character as the intent and emotions of others within Porto exude adding to the atmosphere, as though each character is breathing life into this space that had previously been nothing more than a blank canvas. My character now acknowledges these other people and has begun to respond and react to their motivation and their purpose. She is more aware of those around her than her initial intent.


Bibliography:

Chekhov, M To The Actor On The Technique Of Acting London: Routledge 2007

Dundjerovic, A The Theatricality of Robert Lepage McGill-Queen's University Press 2007

Halprin, L The RSVP Cycles G. Braziller 1970

LeCoq, J Theatre Of Movement And Gesture London: Routledge 2006

Marshall, L The Body Speaks: Performance and Expression Methuen 2001

Oddey, A Devising Theatre: A Practical And Theoretical Handbook London: Routledge 1996

http://www.arena.wlv.ac.uk/Porto.htm (accessed 26th March 2009 13.00)

http://www.puppetcentre.org.uk/animationsonline/aonineteen/playprocessproduct.html (accessed 26th March 2009 13.40)

http://redseven.wordpress.com/rsvp-cycles-lawrence-halprin/ (accessed 26th March 2009 13.51)

Hannah Page.

Task 3.

1.) When beginning the process of devising for Porto we were introduced to the RSVP model of working. Within this model the R stands for research/resource, the S for score, the V for validate and the P for performance.
During the devising process so far we have worked through the R and S phases of the model. The R phase being when the process starts off with an idea or a movement and the performers explore this notion, adapting it and experimenting with it. This is then moved onto the score where the material devised in the R phase is shaped and refined and put into context so it fits smoothly into the performance.
When moving into the score phase of the devising process the performers have refined their work by using play to find ways of connecting already refined pieces smoothly so it doesn’t look like they are moving onto another section of devised work with no motives.
In the score phase we have also started to add music to the pieces to add more depth to the movements on stage. This is done during the scoring so that the performers do not just move to the music instead of an impulse, like they do in the original devising process.

2.) As Porto is developing into the Score stage of the devising process it is apparent that narratives are forming in small sub-groups as well as in the main focus of a piece. These narratives may not always be clear to the ensemble because the pieces were created in a non linear manner and then connected together at a later date, but to an audience member watching the piece they will see a narrative because they “want to get to know your characters as well as they know their own friends, their own family.” (Scott Card, 1988,). a clear dialogue is apparent between characters and situations. For example, I am in the ‘photo section’ of the performance and our piece was created outside of the ensemble pieces and when we created it we had no sense of where to fit it in, but as we moved onto the score stage we decided to separate ourselves during one of the ensemble pieces to show that our group was somehow connected and we were all doing the same actions. This repetition slowly fades as we fit back into the ensemble but is brought back at a later stage to fit in with our ‘photo section’ these simple movements at two different stages produce an inner monologue of similarities between strangers.


3.) My character at the beginning of the devising process was a shy character who wanted to be left alone. I remember at the beginning of the process my character would stay away from every other character in the piece. Throughout the devising process however my character was met by many impulses to interact with other characters, and I went with these impulses despite my characters shy characteristics. This made me think that if my character can get swept along through impulses to interact then maybe it isn’t a shy character at all.
“If readers don’t care about (or at least feel interested in) a story’s character, they likely won’t care what happens to them.” (Valerie Bodden, 2008) This quote made me also think about the fact that if my character was a shy one that sticks to the sides then their would be no monologue because the audience wouldn’t care. Although this wasn’t the main reason for my character change it helped me to progress my character from the R stage to the S where she went from shy, to a character that wants to be liked by everyone. She is not as outgoing or as comfortable as the others but she wants to be. During the scoring phase of an ensemble piece a key moment for my character sticks out where she tries to befriend a mean character. The rejection strikes my character as strange, yet she doesn’t give up and starts to copy this character to get her acceptance.

Bibliography.

BODDEN, V. 2008. Creating a Character: Dialogue and Characterization. The Creative Company

Callery, D. (2001): Through the Body, London. Routledge

Scott Card, O.(1988) Characters & Viewpoint. United States of America: Writer’s Digest Books.

(1)



From the beginning of creating Porto we have been introduced to Halprin's devising technique of RSVP, meaning Research,Score,Validation and Performance. With this technique it felt appropriate to understand the meaning of each part, for example;





The Oxford English dictionary describes the word re-source as;











'An available supply that can be drawn on when needed. Often used in the plural.'




And the meaning of research is described as;




'Research is a systematic, formal rigorous and precise process employed to gain solutions to problems and/or to discover and interpret new facts and relationships. '









After finding the meaning we must then relate it to the piece. When describing research in Porto we refer to the creation of our body memory. Learning each technique adds to our 'research' which then becomes a 're-source' every time we want to come back to a movement for a particular emotion.



Now that we have done the 'research' for both our characters and physical awareness, we are now currently working in the 'score' part of the piece, this is where we can now develop relationships and emotions with each other, adapting what we have already created in the research part of the devising model. By adding such things as objects and music the devising stage becomes personal to each person. As a ensemble we can now work through the new adaptations creating an in-depth performance.





(2)


Now that we are firmly scoring Porto, you can see clear relationships that have developed within in the group, however apart from the actual starting point of Porto meaning 'journey' I do not feel that there is a clear narrative, there are too many bonds and individual journeys that i feel an audience would become distracted by to realise a particular story line or plot.When working outside of the ensemble you can see small narratives within each relationship, these narratives however are not always apparent to the large group because they have been created at different points.


My character is involved in the 'photo section' of the piece. In this, my character has been able to develop a strong relationship with another character, which is then picked up upon again later in the group ensemble, it's in these small sub-groups that characters develop personal structures and stories.

The piece itself began with a strong theme in the research stage, it was then after moving into 'score' we were able to create the powerful ensemble moments, however I do not feel that we would of been able to get to this position without separating into our smaller groups giving us the chance to focus on our characters journey.



(3)

At the start of creating Porto, I began by researching for my first character choice; the ditsy, forgetful, happy go lucky girl, her movements were sharp and bubbly, emotionally my character did not seem connected to any one, so most of the research made went into finding something to focus on, this was how I found my new character with Edward. This character has evolved in the last few weeks of devising Porto, everything about my first character and this one are completely different, physically she begins by moving slowly and at times menacingly, yet all her movements are still naturalistic. Emotionally the character changes within the performance, her opinions change towards her friend realising that she is being alienated by the Porto 'society' because of him. Gradually I see myself on the outside of interactions and it is here that i feel my emotions are at the highest most visible state.

I have always enjoyed the devising process, the idea of starting from something small which is then developed to become something with a story, is a fascinating way to get to a finishing point, and to me always seems to be the best way to involve a cast. In Porto I have discovered by letting myself go and letting the situation decide what emotion or physicality should happen i can create a more believable, deeper, more enjoyable character, for me to play and for the audience to watch.

"Ideally preparatory training should be a process of self discovery as well as an opportunity to master skills for the individual"
(Dymphna Callery,pg1,2001)

Bibliography

D.Callery, pg 1,Through the body, published in 2001 by Nick Hern Books.

Oxford English Dictionary (www.wikipedia.com) 'resource' the meaning of.

oxford English dictionary (www.wikipedia.com) 'research' the meaning of.

we are currently working through the R and S stages of research and score.

At the begining of Porto i thought it would be beneficial to research other physical theatre companies to better prepare myself for the process, mainly focusing on the the work of DV8, purely because of their surreal way to show emontion through the body.

Blog Post 3

Deadline: Wednesday, 1^st April 2009, 5 pm

Word Count: 600 words total (200 + 200 + 200 words)

Task:

• There are 3 questions you need to answer as part of this task.

• The questions relate to the ‘R’ and ‘S’ phases of Porto’s development in the RSVP model of devising

• Conduct wider independent reading and use quotes and examples to support your views.

• Present your writing in academic language with Harvard Referencing and a Bibliography presented alphabetically at the end of your post.

Questions:

1. Critically reflect on how the ‘R’ (research/resource) phase of devising has moved onto the ‘S’ (score) phase of devising in the creative journey of Porto.
You might need to briefly establish what is meant by ‘research/resource’ and ‘score’ within the devising process before you discuss its place within Porto’s development. (200 words)

2. As Porto is starting to be scored, discuss if there is any structure or narrative that is beginning to emerge through it. Give reasons for your answer. (200 words)

3. Discuss your own character’s transition from the ‘R’ phase to the ‘S’ phase of devising Porto. How has it grown, adjusted and become more tangible (physically and emotionally) through the progress of the devising process? (200 words

Voice over for start of Porto

Have you ever felt the urge to travel?
So strong an urge that it didn’t matter where you went as long as you kept going.
Have you ever felt like you don’t quite fit into your skin anymore?
Like you have outgrown its reach in search of things beyond.
Have you ever felt alone in a crowd?
Wondering what you have in common, if anything, with those around you?
Have you ever felt that the present is no longer where you belong?
That you need to make it your past in order to live the future you desire.

blog 2

1 When creating any devised piece of theatre, there are many strategies that could be put into place. In the fist weeks when starting the performance of Porto the tutors wanted to be quite strict with how material was created. This was put into place so that we wasn’t wasting time and used our time wisely creating new material.

The two devised strategies that were put in place was the clap method and the improvisation stage. this is what I refer to as "play". The play method I thought was the most hardest thing for me to over come, I was shy and nervous and didn’t know how to act around everybody. Improvising within the space around different people and not knowing how they will react is a risk you have to take. Using the use of play made me extend the characteristics of my character and understand her more. Using the Clap method for me I felt was not as effective as the play method, it may be effective because it is disciplined but I feel that my character was not explored more when using this technique.

2 When given the task of establishing a character there were many elements that I thought about. Elements such as should I include characteristics of my own personality or create a complete different person to who I am as a individual. My character is completely different to me and I think that's why it can be hard at times to perform and is a challenge. My basis for my character was that she was lost and I used this as my starting point. I started to perform as this character and I thought I need to add more detail to her as a character. I explored many ways of developing her as a character and thought a lot about the details that would make her as a character. If I was to describe my character I would say she was lost, alone, distant, drawn to things, shy, unapproachable, scared, always looking back. Picking up on always looking back she has a item in her bag , this a photograph. This photograph is made up of family, friends and a partner. In this present time where she is in Porto she is always looking back at this photo to remind her what she has left behind.

3 The physicality of my character can change depending how she is feeling and what situation she finds her self in. When establishing my character I came up with her characteristics and then decided how would she move bearing her quality’s in mind. My character as explained above was started with the word lost, with this I thought she should always seem enclosed and not let people in. My movements as a character are arm movements mainly and head movements. My arms movements of my character are always reaching out or blocking her face in some cases. My head movements are always turning of my neck or always looking back or her head is down and doesn’t want to interact with people.

When people approach my character depending how she feels, she will either look at them and go to interact or she will run away with fright. Her body posture is very simple she stays straight but sometimes she will lean to either side and slouch and look around her surroundings.

When using her bag she places it on her shoulder but she always messes with the straps and fidgets with it.

Hannah Page.

In the first five weeks of crafting Porto I feel that we have used two main devising strategies. The first being just moving through body impulses to create meanings. This process, being somewhat difficult as the basic instinct is just to move for the sake of moving to make it ‘look pretty’ helps to create movements when working as an individual or in small groups. When working as an ensemble this sense of devising through play could become sloppy and overcrowded.

The second devising strategy is the ‘clap and move’ strategy, used when moving as one in the ensemble. This method gives people a chance to add their own input in a quick and efficient way. This method however is maybe the least effective in creating meaning for individual characters as a movement that one character suggests in the ensemble might have no meaning to another.

For me the first strategy has helped my character to grow and change more than the ensemble work strategy. This is because I am able to move as I want, as my character would and have no limitations in finding my character.

At the beginning of Porto my character was a shy, detached person who was aware of everyone around her and just wanted to be left alone and not move unless she had to.

This character had to change slightly when we started working as an ensemble. I found that my body wanted to move in ways that would not suit my character and found when working in our small groups that my character was not doing anything, just sitting on a chair, and for me this wasn’t the direction I wanted to go.

For a few weeks I was uncertain of my character, and went into the devising process as a blank character and seeing where the sessions led me. It wasn’t until recently that I found my character. We were doing a group play session and I had and impulse to go up to someone and shake their hand. I repeated this movement with other characters until I found a character much like myself. I was then able to move through their body impulses and define my character once again as someone who is looking for that one person, and along the way wants to be liked by everyone, yet has been hurt in the past so us very uneasy and uncertain of those around her.

My character uses the repetition of a hand shake to show how eager she is to make friends. She stays away from many of the other characters in the ensemble and is very wary of the audience. She won’t make eye contact with the audience or certain other members of the ensemble. And those characters who she does feel comfortable with she sticks herself too, feeling accepted. Although she feels acceptance with these characters though she is also still wary. For example, she makes friends with Dan, Rich and Lizzie, and they end up in a line all hugging each other. I end up at the front of the line, this is uncomfortable for my character and this is apparent by the fact that she is shifty on her chair and won’t touch Lizzie. She doesn’t move though because she wants to be accepted.

Throughout these past 5 weeks the most prominent and affective devising technique we have used, is the use of 'play', it was from here the group have been able to develop characters, relationships and their own personal journeys.

By starting each session by walking round the space and becoming our characters, the group have been able to find their personal boundaries which has then as a result started the creation of the group ensemble. Together, with this, and the introduction of objects, as a group we have created our world within a world.From using these strategies we have then been able to split off into smaller ,more personal groups, which have been created due to the similarities our personal object's have. It is in this space that we explore our characters to their full extent, as this object is to everyone the starting point of their character.
I feel it has become the most productive way to start a session as each person comes into the space as the person they have created, leaving behind the person they naturally are. Also you can see how each relationship develops and what emotions are attached to it, the longer this play continues.



'Training is a process of self-determination' (Eugenio Barba,1972,pg47)


I have found that in every 'play' session another part of my character develops, from the first, to where i am now, i can see an increasing shift from me naturally as Roxanne, to the horrible dark person that is now my focus, at first i was uncomfortable with this change, as it's far away from the original person i wanted to be, I soon realised that to become this character I did not have to change me, just my physicalisations, by using the simplist gesture i can show a dark side, and this evil personality, one which can make the entire group feel uncomfortable. By realising this i found my purpose or 'journey' in the piece, I would begin as being this nasty person who mocks everything she sees, to someone, who then craves the affection that so many share with each other.
This process however has been alot easier knowing that i have started it with someone else.By working with Edwards character I have been able to become this person who is so despised by their community, this is due to the fact that I know these sort of people often associate with others like themselves, by biggest worry was that i was not going to be able to put across this 'bitchy' person if at any point i was seperated from Edward, but I now feel that when the time comes for me to be seperated from him i would have enough strength as my character to break down my barriors and become more social, and perhaps at some point join in someone else's journey.






Physically, i do feel a change in my character, one that started slow at first, but is gradually becoming more apparent, at first I found that my physicality could at times be a bit manic, I always seemed to be rushing, and fighting for the attention of whoever i happened to be with, i often made sharp small movements when trying to involve myself in a situation, at times I felt quite clumsy in my appraoch to things. This in turn, I think, stoped me having full concentration at all times, because i did not feel that i had a purpose, i didnt have a bond with any one in paticular, so therfore could not see a path that i needed to follow.
Now i can see that my entire body languaged has hifted into becoming slower, less abrubt, more casual. Since my change in character, i have taken most of my influence from the mannerisms of a fox, an animal which is known to be sly and cautious, an animalk which at times can go un-detected, but when it leaves the damage is obvious. I now at first move around the group demanding my space alerting them in a very subtle way to move. My character begins with not wanting to know, or even care about what is going on, to being someone who's purpose is to a part of anything that might happen.



Barba,E (1972) The drama review, Words of presence.

Blog Assessment 2

Blog Assessment 2
Emilia Breadon

1) The devising strategies that we have been using through the first 5 weeks of creating Porto has taught us that there are lots of ways to devise a piece and that it can be done without needing discussion and without depending on a script. An example of this is we created sections of the piece when working in ensemble with a clapping method where one person would clap show their physical movement (their own idea) and the rest of the class would copy, this allowed us to see other characters emotions and take them on board in our own way.
“For the individual, it is time dedicated to developing and exploring performance potential. For a company, training is time spent working to a common purpose.” (Callery, D. 2001 p. 17)
The growth and development of the piece has come on a long way from our very first class, the atmosphere when working in ensemble can be so intense that at the start of the piece when we are all just sitting on our seats in neutral you do feel as if we are all one big family, a community. When working individually, you can concentrate on yourself and develop your characters feelings further reflecting this through movement. It also allows you to take time and practise the techniques in your own character.


2) ‘Have you ever felt alone in a crowd?’ (Mitra, R, 2009)
Looking back to when we had our first lecture creating Porto, I struggled with my character as I did not really feel that my bag or item I choose was right to reflect how I wanted my character to be and so this held me back a little until I found the correct things to suit my character’s personality. To me the play sessions we did really allowed me to discover different things because at the start of the process I thought my character would be alone and like it that way keeping myself to myself and that if anyone were to try and interact with me I would simply react as if I saw nothing there. However after the play sessions I realised that even though I feel like I am alone there is something inside of me that wants to go and interact and perhaps end up making a friend but its the initial taking that step that I need develop. I feel now at this stage that I am happy with how my character is and that in future lectures when my item comes into the piece I will have the option to open my character up a lot more.


3) My character’s physicality in Porto is quite negative and hidden to reflect my emotions an example of this is when we do four repetitive movements on a chair, my four movements are very closed and reserved I move remaining on the chair scrunching my whole body into a ball as small as I can with my head down not being able to see as if I am trying to block out the world my whole centre of gravity is pushed down onto this chair so much so that if someone were to push me I would not move. When I do come off the chair I am either stood straight but with a physicality showing I want to be left alone for example I stretch my right arm out but with my palm facing out wards like this is a barrier I do not want people over stepping, my left leg is knelt on the chair with my weight relying on the chair to be there.
My body language has changed since the start of creating Porto, at first I would never look up always held my head down and clutching onto my bag like there was something in it no one could see, but after discovering my character more, I stand more up right I shift my weight onto my right hip and my left leg crosses the right, my arms are folded still holding onto my bag however I have my right arm up towards my face with a repetition of a gesture being my fingers taping my bottom lip.



Bibliography:


ARTAUD, A. (1993) Theatre and its double London: Caldar.

Callery, D. (2001) Through the Body: A Practical Guide to Physical Theatre: Routledge.

GROTOWSKI, J. (1975) Towards a poor theatre London : Methuen.

http://www.jasminvardimon.com/index.html

Porto (2009) [Home page] [online] [March 10, 2009.]
(http://processandperformance200809.blogspot.com/ )

Blog Post 2: Michaela Lloyd

1) Oddey believes that the process of devising is "so special" because through a collaborative work process it gives a performer freedom that enables "creative solutions" to be produced (Oddey 1996 pxii) . She also states that a performers spontaneity and will to act on impulse is strengthened through "practical on-the-floor" work and play, whilst promoting the reviewing of work to further develop a piece (Oddey 1996 p3). Throughout the creation process of Porto, these two key strategies of devising have been paramount to enabling the growth and development of both individual characters and the ensembles idiosyncrasies. The ensemble warm-up together each session and begin with a play-session where we walk as our characters through the space and develop ourselves through spontaneous interactions. This practical work aids our growth as an ensemble and an individual as we learn how our character would react to specific bodies and situations. We have continued to review our scenarios within Porto questioning if we felt they were contextually accurate or just to refine them, again as a group. This has empowered the trust within the company and allowed development of new gestures and a greater emotional commitment to the work collaboratively, with the awareness that we are free to develop whichever solutions would marry with our character in any given situation.


2) Stanislavsky famously described that an actor's character should be seen as a "physical score to be specifically crafted" (Zarrilli 2001 p 13). Since the beginning of Porto my character has grown significantly in purpose and confidence. Each session my character is being crafted as a result of both the characters surrounding me but also by a technique Chekhov students know as the Psychological Gesture.

Every lecture we conduct an exercise whereby we roll down our spine and as we roll up we adopt our characters physicality and mannerisms. Chekhov teaches that the more a gesture is repeated the stronger the actors willpower is to embrace the gesture. According to Chekhov, prolonged repetition of a given gesture or mannerism induces the performer to evoke greater emotion until they can simply adopt a gesture and be totally in character. The roll-up/roll-down exercise allows me to do this and by interacting with other characters in the space during the rehearsals of Porto and play sessions, my character gains confidence and determination in her purpose throughout the piece. Initially my character was quite apprehensive when meeting new people in the space created in Porto. She was also quite unsure of who she was and what she aimed to find. As the process has developed my character has been crafted indirectly through the relationships with the company and directly through the increasing stability of her gestures.

3) Le Coq describes the human body as being in alignment with the laws of gravity that pull it down creating weight and that opposing this, life pushes the body upwards making us move away from the equilibrium gravity gives us when lying down. The body stops itself from falling by acting and reacting: receiving and giving information (LeCoq 2006 p 82). Throughout Porto my character acts and reacts to her physical attraction to one character and her emotional attraction to another though she cannot settle with either character. This complicite has altered my character's physicality. Rather than standing still and weighted as she should do when upright she shifts unsteadily from foot-to-foot as though playing with the idea that even gravity could not keep her grounded. She consistently sways her head as though searching for something even in situations that are quite personal and where it may seem inappropriate to the cast for her to still be looking for something. My character conveys her innocence, naivety and shyness with repeated tugging of her bag strap and rubbing her hands. This anxious gesture defies her body's stance that -though swaying- is quite a tall, strong and confident position. Disregarding her uncertainty over which character she should be with, her spine remains in a constant parallel with gravity because she is focussed in her search and determined to find a resolution within Porto.


Bibliography:

Brook, P The Empty Space Peter Brook Penguin Modern Classics 2008

Chekhov M To The Actor On The Technique Of Acting London: Routledge 2007

LeCoq, J Theatre Of Movement And Gesture London: Routledge 2006

Marshall, L The Body Speaks: Performance and Expression Methuen 2001

Oddey, A Devising Theatre: A Practical And Theoretical Handbook London: Routledge 1996

Richards, T At Work With Grotowski On Physical Actions London: Routledge 2001

Zarrilli, B.P Acting (Re)Considered Theories and Practices London: Routledge 2001


Zinder, D Body Voice Imagination A Training For The Actor David Zinder London: Routledge 2002

Luke Manley: 0705972 Task 2

1] The first 5 weeks on the process of creating Porto was a very difficult time for myself, as I was not 100% happy with my character, but when developing Porto over the first 5 weeks, it has really helped me bring a character to life.

The interaction with other peoples characters help a lot, as then I was able to think as the character in a more comfortable point of view and think as the character himself, how would he react with these people? Who would he interact with? How would he get out of or change the situation? These questions really helped me to develop my character and bring a more honest character to life.

Also when interacting with other people in Porto, I would find my character connecting with people more then I first thought, and finding certain people who he connects with, and possibly who he shares something in common with. Can someone bring out something inside him?
I also find the use of my characters object very good within the devising process of Porto, as it helps my character interact with others, and possibly could be the key to his journey.

[2] I have really struggled with my character during the process of Porto. It has taken me a long time to find a character that I honestly connect with and fell comfortable with. I felt that my previous characters was just an extension of myself (I see myself as the goofy guy and my characters was an extension on that) so I wanted to change my character completely as not to be stereo-typed as that certain performer.

I feel that in previous weeks my concentration was not imbedded within the process, but that was mainly due to my character. So with this in mind I thought hard about what I wanted to show, and I came up with the answer, show people the real me, the me that no one sees, the person that is kept inside, so I did. I have been developing a character that is an extension of Luke Manley.

I feel that changing my character has brought out a new side to me, it has brought out a more focused and mature side. When I walk into the room I am my character from start to finish.

[3] I personally don’t fell as though my character has developed any sort of major physicality yet, as I am still in the process of emotionally finding my character. But I can see changes during the process, my body language has changed immensely, its not as open as it once was, its more closed and personal, as though as if he’s trying to hide from people.

My character uses the space well, in relation to others. He’s not afraid to adventure out, as he’s not lost, but undiscovered, he wants to be found, so the space is used affectively.
He dose have repetitive movements, almost like the moments of an OCD sufferer, he will keep looking into his bag to make sure his object is there. I also feel like I have developed some sort of tick for my character.

The weight is shifted around a lot within my character, as he’s always curious, and when he’s not moving he is perfectly still, no movement, not even blinking as he doesn’t want to miss what he’s looking at, as if he would miss something beautiful if he was to even blink.

Blog Assessment - Task 2

Deadline: Wednesday, 11th March 2009, 5 pm
Word Count: 600 words total ( 200 + 200 + 200 )

Task:
There are 3 questions you need to answer as part of this task.
The questions relate to the last 5 weeks of Porto’s development through the ‘R’ phase of the RSVP model of devising

Conduct wider independent reading and use quotes and examples to support your views.
Present your writing in academic language with Harvard Referencing and a Bibliography presented alphabetically at the end of your post.

Questions:

1. What are the key strategies of devising that have been used through the first 5 weeks of creating Porto?
Reflect briefly on how these strategies have enabled the growth and development of both individual characters and the ensemble’s idiosyncrasies. (200 words)

2. Analyse the growth of your own character from the beginning of Porto to where you are at in the process now. State the reasons for its development/change/refinement. (200 words)

3. Identify your character’s physicality through detailed analysis of its body language. (For example describe your character’s use of spine and its relationship to gravity, its shift of weight in the pelvis and even the repetition of a key gesture) (200 words)