Leigh-Anne Gilbert - Assessment Blog 2

1. From the concept of Porto as a starting point we began to use somatic improvisation, adopting the ‘play’ technique to produce material. We have worked collaboratively sharing ideas, movements and research – a method favoured by many devising theatre companies and practitioners such as DV8, Theatre Workshop and Etienne Decroux who believed it should be the actors that “take control of the creative process.” (Callery, D., 2001, p159) Since there is no outright director, we as performers create our own work, and have the freedom to draw upon personal experiences and emotions.

Individually through the weeks, we have each attached a physicality to our characters. We have done this by beginning in the neutral stand, going into the spinal roll then when coming back up, adjusting our position muscle by muscle. This has not only helped shape our characters, but also enhanced the use of body memory as the muscles remember how they felt each week.

When creating ensemble routines we have used the ‘clap’ method, which gives the opportunity for any one person to demonstrate an action for the group to follow. This has proved very successful in intensifying everyone’s focus, and strengthening the company.

Devising a piece of theatre is very process orientated. The focus remains in the present as Oddey suggests that from the beginning it is an open-ended process of which the end product is not known until the very end.


2. Throughout the first 5 weeks of creating Porto my character has gone through a number of changes. I began my journey as a very introvert character who didn’t want to interact with anyone. There was something holding me back, I felt self-conscious, isolated and had an innate fear of rejection.

The week where we were put into smaller groups and began to ‘play’, there were two people who tried to get me to come out of my shell. The first character intimidated me and confirmed my feeling small, but the second (Piotr’s character) got my attention initially by mirroring my movements. As we improvised, my character began to trust him and I allowed myself to interact and even depend on him (using him as a table). However as the session continued, his character became intrigued by my suitcase and he tried to open it. As he got closer to the object inside it was as though he was getting too close to me so I instinctively backed off and reverted back to how I started.

Since Nicola’s character has been introduced, there seems to be a new emotion in my character – the longing for the closeness that she has (welcome or not) with other characters. Although my character feels her trust has been broken once already, there is a more determined feeling to let go of insecurities and try again, however hard it might be.


3. My character is very introverted and self-conscious and when standing still my weight is shifted onto one leg, and my spine bent so that my posture is slightly slouched with my shoulders forward and my head down. I fold one arm across my body with the other resting on it by the elbow – this hand is usually up by my mouth, or covering part of my face, I don’t want people looking at me. I rarely have open palms, my hands are closed in a loose fist, never entirely relaxed, and if I’m not gripping my suitcase a repetitive gesture I make is pulling my sleeves down over my hands.

My character was drawn to a chair facing upstage, which means my back is to the audience. For a lot of the time I don’t actually look at the audience, much like I try to avoid eye contact with other characters. Gravity plays a big part in how my character moves. Most of the time I keep low to the ground, if I stand on a chair for example, the openness of that position is quickly suppressed by the feeling of vulnerability and I return to the floor, or a far more closed position.

Body language says so much more than words could ever say, and my interaction (or avoidance of interaction) with other characters shows my fear and uncertainty whether I can truly trust anyone enough to let them into my world.



Bibliography:

Callery, D., (2001) Through the Body: A Practical Guide to Physical Theatre. London: Nick Hern Books Ltd

Marshall, L., Oida, Y., (2002) The Body Speaks. USA: Palgrave Macmillan

Oddey, A., (1996) Devising Theatre: A Practical and Theoretical Handbook. New York: Routledge


DV8 Physical Theatre (Artistic Policy page) [online]. http://www.dv8.co.uk/about.dv8/artistic.policy.html

Theatre Workshop (Values page) [online]. http://www.theatre-workshop.com/aboutus.asp?page_id=3



Leigh-Anne Gilbert