Wednesday 20 February 2013

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.














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