Performance Evaluation

Our performance of 'The Nerve Meter' was successful, I believe it was successful because we applied everything we had explored over the weeks, body over mind movement, mask work and our group interpretations of the actual poem, and it all pieced together to form a very effective piece of theatre.

Our performance was definitely experimental; we magnified our actor audience relationship, by actually giving them the power, the performance was carried by the audience, having them coming up to pop the balloons, was really effective because everything that happened was determined by them, so we were kept as the actors was kept on our toes. I loved the idea of not having a linear narrative, it was very unconventional to traditional theatre's, it was effective because it left the audience asking questions, and a lot of it was based down to their interpretation. Our final sequence worked very well, the way we embodied the poem through our physicality, I think it was experimental because it wasn't naturalistic, it was a representation of the poem, and having the voice over instead of us saying the lines, created a reflective atmosphere within the room.

Our performance was full of very great moments, I think the use of visual imagery, having all the videos and voice overs and the music intertwined within our performance, worked really effectively, because of how they were used to aid us, in creating this dark, intense atmosphere. I especially liked the moment where we created the web, as a representation of the nervous system, because it linked in with the whole idea of the nerve meter, it gave the audience a great visual image of the nervous system, which was supported by the facts, and the end product looked really effective. I also really liked our relationship with the audience, they were active members of the performance and it worked so well, I think connection was sustained throughout, I could see this by their reactions to some of the moments. Throughout the whole performance they were so engaged, to a point where I didn't feel nervous, or like I was performing, there was this false sense of reality, and I became lost into the idea of the club.

I think our performance was an overall success but there were things that could have been improved. I think involving the audience was great however; we needed to make sure that they weren't left in an uncomfortable position; as performers we still have a duty of care. I think when we had them pop the balloons, we were so focused on the transitions and getting prepared for the next scene, that sometimes we forgot to take the audience back to their seats, so they were left to make that decision for themselves, so I think if we done the same performance again, we need to make sure whenever we use an audience member that they should always be accompanied or given some sort of direction whenever they are put on stage. Another thing we could have improved was our focus whenever we were on the sides, I personally did sometimes find it hard to stay in character, so I think all of us just needed to fully commit and be aware that we don't drop the energy. I think the masked actors were good, but they needed to be more spatially aware, I think some audience members got more out the masked actors than others, so they needed to make sure they played to the audience. Once you touch your mask to adjust it, instantly that connection is lost and it just seems like an actor in a mask, so for future performances involving a mask, they would just need to be aware of that and try not to touch their mask at all, once they're in action. I think our performance was very well put together however, we were working with this idea 'not to entertain nor to instruct - to affect' but our performance had so much going on, that I think the audience were caught up in the performance itself, the visual imagery, rather than thinking about what was actually happening and this was evident in some of their reactions, to the scenes, I could see that it wasn't always clear to them, and with an audience who has no theatre knowledge, it's our job, to make it so it's clear to them what is happening whether, we have a linear narrative or not.

Personally I think I performed well, I think the moment where my character was held back to watch the clip of their fear worked really well, because it felt real to me; I committed to it fully. I think my scene was successful because, I made it clear to the audience what was actually happening, and I tried to give them a more intense insight into my character by going up close to them and interacting, and I think I made a distinct choice in terms of physicality to show the effect of my character taking the pill. If I was to do it again, I would make sure there was more of a build-up leading into the moment between me and Jonah as the masked character, I also think that moment could have been played out more. I think my group done well in terms of being spatially aware, and the relationship we built with the audience was evident through our scene.

Overall I think our performance went very well, I think the whole use of space, visual images, text, music, masks all pieced together like a jigsaw puzzle and I liked that the performance was formed by us the students, rather than being directed by the teacher the whole way through and I think it all worked well, it was very fluent, and everyone always knew what they were doing, and I think we got an overall positive reaction from the audience which is what we were working towards.

Antonin Artaud

Antonin Artaud was born on the 4th September 1896; he was a French playwright, poet, actor and theatre director. Antonin Artaud associated himself with Surrealist writers, artists, and experimental theatre groups in Paris during the 1920s. Many believe Artaud's most noted contribution to drama theory is his "theatre of cruelty," an intense theatrical experience that combined elaborate props, magic tricks, special lighting, primitive gestures and articulations, and themes of rape, torture, and murder to shock the audience into confronting the base elements of life. Artaud spent nine of his last eleven years confined in mental facilities but continued to write, producing some of his finest poetry during the final three years of his life.

Progress report...

Mask workshop

The mask workshop was really interesting, because I have never worked with masks like the ones we used. I found it very challenging, because the masks had a set emotion, and you had to bring this emotion to life through use of physicality. I think the masks that had an obvious emotion of being sad, or really happy were easier to bring to life, but some of the masks with a more subtle emotion had to be manipulated, and you had to work a harder to get it to come to life.

 
I found that the masks were quite bizarre and scary, and I think it would work very well in our piece however, it could only work properly if you fully commit, to taking on the role of the mask. I think another challenge was the staging and you positioned yourself, because the audience became so immersed with the performance, that as soon as it is noticeable that it was just a mask, you immediately lost connection with the performance, so actors have to make sure the mask is a part of them, and take on the mask. they need to make sure they're not sideways on, and that their eye level is always up because if you're always looking down, the story and the character is lost, so as an actor you have to be conscious of not only yourself, but also spatially aware.

 
Personally I would find it difficult to incorporate it into our performance, because I think mask would only work with full commitment, but also it's something that would need to be played with for a long time, in order for me to actually fully engage with the character that comes with the mask, and I think it would take time to fully develop the skills in order for me to fuse with the mask, and rather it being just a mask, making it a part of me, so that it is just natural. I feel like when I'm wearing the mask, it feels very forced when it shouldn't, I think it should feel like a natural fluent movement.

Body over mind dance

In this exercise we stood with our eyes closed, listening to music on a loop. We were instructed to just go with natural impulses rather that thinking about the movements we were making, we would just let our body naturally move.

When we first started, I found that it was just natural for me to think about the moves, and because my eyes were closed I found I was more conscious of my movements because I couldn't see what was going on around me. I felt like I was restricting myself from moving, and it my mind was superior to my body, my movements were influenced by a thought process. After a about ten minutes, the music started to put me in a sort of trance, I felt really dazed and tired, but I found that I started to drift away from the room, it became a sort of outer body experience, and I started to loosen up and I stopped thinking about the moves, I started to let my body lead me instead.

The moves I was doing weren't big explosive moves, they were very subtle, there wasn't a real thought process behind it, due to the fact that the music was very hypnotic. There were a few moments throughout the exercise where something clicked and I realised I was in the room, and instantly I closed up and became conscious of what I was doing, at one point I started thinking too much, and I thought that everyone in the room was looking at me, so my mind had taken complete control of my movement.

The music that was playing was on loop, it worked very well, and it created a false sense of time, I was lost in the music, mentally, so I wasn't aware of how long I was actually standing in the same spot, and when we finished the exercise I was really surprised to know that we had been standing there for thirty minutes, I believed we had been there for approximately ten minutes, and I think it was the effect of the music playing on loop, it was very hypnotic and it put us in a trance.

I found the exercise overall quite uncomfortable, and it showed me that my mind is superior to my body, all my movements are pre-determined, and I'm very self-conscious of what I'm doing.

Mini Workshop - Grotowski

When doing our miniature workshop on Grotowski’s, I learned that Grotowski focused on the actor and their relationship with the audience, through emotion. His rigorous training exercises, helped to heighten an actor’s emotion, through physical exhaustion, which I thought was very interesting. He wanted actors to rid themselves of everything going on outside of them, this way they could be fully engaged with their emotions. This is where the idea of 'not to entertain, nor to instruct - to affect' comes in play, I believe the way to really affect and audience is through an emotional connection, because that way we can get them to really question.

I think Grotowski's ideas and what he wanted out of an actor would be beneficial to our piece, stripping back to a bare minimum takes away this element of trying to entertain, it becomes something on a deeper level, and I think we could use some of his techniques in order for us to fully engage with our emotions, but then also affect our audience and give them an experience where they are left in a reflective mood.

I will take away Grotowski's idea of this 'holy actor' will be really useful to me; I believe the way to create a relationship with your audience is through emotion.

Nerve Meter; Initial Response

When I first read the Nerve Meter I was very puzzled by the poem’s ambiguity. I found it quite dark and very intense; it had a very raw feeling to it, as if someone was giving us an insight to their internal being. I found that a lot of it was down to personal interpretation, and it isn't a straight forward poem, it has to be analysed and stripped down bit by bit.

Some lines really stood out for me such as 'lost in the shadows of man' and 'sleep came from a shifting belief' I got the idea of a person being trapped in between reality and a dream, but it also made me question reality itself, how do we define reality? I believe the poem has so much potential in terms of using it as stimulus, it definitely links in to the quote 'not to entertain, nor to instruct - to affect' because it's so dark, and it doesn't have a straight forward narrative, it's enveloped in metaphors and some of the lines sub-consciously force you to look within yourself, for example 'I am the witness, I am the only witness of myself' I think this line is so powerful; it put me into deep thought about limitations. I am the only one who can limit me, for I am the only one who really knows who I am, and I think that could have been used for the basis of our performance.

The poem leads to ask many questions which I why I think it would work so well as stimulus, i think the best plays, performances derive from a question, and it's always interesting to see how a question can be interpreted and how it's answered.

The Nerve Meter is definitely a poem that can be misunderstood, it requires you to look beneath the lines, and see it from a different angle. It's definitely based down to interpretation and opinion and what you think, but I think it's the perfect stimulus, because ultimately it will aid us in affecting our audience.

Exercises

Impossible Task

Everyone was given a piece of paper with an impossible task, which they had to carry out. My impossible task was to pull of the radiator. I found it physically demanding and in order for it to work I had to fully commit, even though I knew there was a very slim chance of actually accomplishing the task. It linked in with Artaud, and how he wanted to actors to be physically engaged, and push themselves to the limit. Even though I knew the task was practically impossible I had to believe and this gave me the momentum to carry on. I think the aim of the task was to show us that we as actors need to push ourselves, in order to reach our full pontential, and it's alo about pushing past the mental boundaries of doubt, telling yourself you can't do something.

 

Walk the Grid

In this exercise we had to focus on an objective, and walk in straight lines, only turning on a 90 degree angle. I found this exercise was down to mind over body, because even though I was so physically fatigued, I was so focused on achieving this objective, that it pushed me to carry on; I found that without an objective this exercise would have been challenge, because my walk would have had no purpose. After a while, I became so enveloped in achieving my objective, that everything around me became more distant. I think this task, showed me that we need to play to our objectives and use it to our advantage, work with it, give ourselves a purpose even with the smallest of actions.

 

Slow Motion Tennis

In this exercise we had to play a game of tennis in slow motion, I found it quite physically draining, but in contrast to the 'walk the grid' exercise this one was down to body over mind. even though I was thinking I'm really tired, I still kept pushing and after a while I shut off mentally, so the moves became instinctual rather than thinking about what position I'm going to next. This exercise taught me about discipline and in order to get the best out of our bodies, we have to push the boundaries, and push past the pain, because pain restricts us from fully committing. This exercise has taught me that I shouldn't let pain limit me, and that my body can endure more than I think.

 

No language argument

In this exercise we had to have an argument without using actual words. I found it very useful in terms of enabling me to use my body more to help communicate, and this was the first exercise which I thought was really experimental, because it is such an unusual way to communicate. I found that using sounds and our body, we could put across a message just as we would when we speak, but body language is a universal language that anyone could understand, and sometimes the use of no words, can be so much more effective.

 

We then repeated the exercise, but using only one word. My partner and I used the word 'fuck' however I think we could have used a better word, that could have been manipulated into various scenarios,; I thought my word only worked best in an aggressive situation. I found the groups that were the best were the groups that used a word that had nothing to do with their situation, because they manipulated it and made it work, however on a whole I found it better with no words, because it was a lot more powerful, and I found that sometimes less is more.

 

Emotion Line

In this exercise we stood in a line and we had to portray emotion on a scale, from 1 - 9 (depending on how many people were in the line) with the increase in number, the emotion built up in intensity. What I learned from this exercise is that emotion can be pushed so much, and I believe as actors, we may believe we're fully committed but there is so much more we can do, and sub-consciously we're holding back.

Expectations of Experimental theatre

When I think of experimental theatre, I think of improvastion, I think it's about trying out unconventional material. I believe it's a type of theatre, where anything counts, nothing is unusual. I envisage the process to be an ongoing trail and error, trying things out, seeing what works and what doesn't. I think ideas will come from a range of different stimulus, and our performance will be a block of ideas that have come from various different places.

I think experimental term is all down to inspiration, and how we interpret things, but also having quite unconvential material in our performance that we wouldn't usually have in any normal performance.

 

What theatre is to me...

I believe Theatre can be many different things, it can be as simple as just having a performer and audience, or as complex as having an stage, lighting, costumes, music etc. I think theatre is something thats open to discussion, and ulitmately doesn't have a particular definition, it will always be based on interpretation and opinion.

To me theatre comes from the audience, I think audience is the source of theatre, and I think theatre is built around it. You could have one audience member, and one person speaking and that could be interpreted as a piece of theatre. I don't believe location has much to do with theatre, I think theatre can happen in any space, I think all the things associated with theatre nowadays such as like an actual stage, costumes, proffesional actors, are all additions to make theatre enjoyable. In terms of invisible theatre, It supports my point that as long as there is an audience theatre exist, if you don't have an audience there would be no point is theatre.