Session 1

This session we were introduced to what the stimulus of our final common ground physical theatre performance would be - world war 1. We were also given the task of creating a solo or duet based on some element of this stimulus, like a book or poem, for an assessment at the end of term. This presents a new challenge as we have not yet performed physical  theatre in pairs or on our own before. I have opted to devise and perform a duet with another member of my class.

In class we looked at an exercise where we had to act within a small square space on our own. We were given the situation of being in a broken down lift. I found this quite simple. The main challenge is to not overact a situation and to feel it and react instinctively. I found myself getting panicked at first at the unusual event of a lift breaking down. Then over time I got bored as all I felt I would be doing at that point would be waiting for help. Some of the movements I was doing in the lift initially involved a lot of pacing and button pressing. As it went on and the boredom of the situation kicked in the movements got slower and more tiresome  until I eventually found myself sitting on the floor, and then lying down waiting for time to go by. This exercise was interesting to help you think about the benefits of working with small spaces and the different meanings these spaces can convey.

We developed on from this exercise to being in a situation where we were in a confined space with another person. The setting was a prison cell. We were still working on our own within this confined space. We were told not to necessarily interact with this other but be aware that they are there. This also allowed for more internal acting as opposed to external. I found it hard to not embody a stereotype of a prisoner. I found myself having my guard up quite high and being confined within a small corner within my small square space. I was aware of there being another person in the room however I didn't interact with them. I got the idea that I was scared of them. This exercise was interesting as it allowed us to focus on how a space changes or how we change within a space when someone else is there. Especially confined spaces.

We were then shown a series of objects: A banana peel, a plastic bag, a ball and a feather. We were then told, within our space, to embody this object and how it moves through the air and develops. I chose the banana peel. When it was dropped on the ground it fell quite sharp and direct. When it reached the ground it didn't really move. This wasn't particularly dynamic or interesting in my opinion. I decided to embody the banana peel molding and folding over time. My movements were floor based and slow. They required a lot of effort and involved me slowly crumpling inwards. Using objects to inspire movements can be a useful devising technique. It allows you to automatically find movement qualities which can be applied to different circumstances and stories.