The 30 minute taster

Today we performed a taster of what is to come to the Age Uk centre. We Performed the beginning section to them and received great feed back, all encouraging the message we want to send out, "that the elderly community are here and should not be forgotten about, that their ordinary is extraordinary, their memories amazing"- especially through the period of history that they lived through.

The performance i felt went well but it did point out some things that we need to improve on, such as;
line security, projection of voice, to double check each venue size and space and to keep an eye on the detail to make sure nothing is lost.

After our performance we had to write a reflection from a series of questions, here is mine:

1.       What did you learn about yourself during the journey so far?
   So far I have learnt that in order to be a cohesive group you have to be able to communicate clearly, only nearer the end did this actually start to happen and I must say that I did find it to get ideas across to the group as a whole.  I have learned that I do work better within a smaller group than a bigger one which is great when just those who are playing the Librarians work together. However I must open up towards the group as a whole in order for there to be clarity and a cohesive story line. Also during this project I took it upon myself to produce some costumes for some of the characters in the show, I have learnt that I am able to produce a costume from scratch (creating the pattern) and fitting it to the actor taking into account the movement they do as they perform.
   
   
   2.       What have others helped you to know about yourself during the process?
   Others have helped me realise that I can write parts of the script. I had always thought that scripting wasn’t my strong suite but with the help of others towards the end of the process so far I was able to produce a scene for the librarian’s at the beginning.
   
   
   3.       What are you grateful for that happened in the process?
   I am grateful for the fact that the group has realised that in order to compile a comprehensive story line and to work effectively as a group we need to communicate as a whole entity not just go off in separate groups and decide things without consultation something which I believe we were all guilty of.
   
   
   4.       What challenges still remain for you?
   The challenges that still remain for me are the other librarian scenes and the rest of the detail we have to put in, going from being an antagonist in charge of time to a librarian of the library and losing the scenes we had already was frustrating and now we have to figure out how to replace them.
   
   
   5.       How did you feel before the performance and how did those feelings change throughout and after the performance?
   My feelings towards our production before the performance were that I felt we had a great storyline I was just concerned about how it would come across, whether it would be clear, suitable to those that attended age uk’s Christmas party (bearing in mind that they are not our target audience). As a Whole during the performance I felt it went well and that we dealt with the lack of space and vast carpeted floor in a good manner. However I do feel that in the future we will have to double check our venue and make sure that lines and dance routines that are needed are learnt. During the performance I suddenly started to feel really guilty due to the fact that a member of the audience had started to become distressed and cry, however it became apparent that our piece had reminded her of her memories of sending love letters to her husband during the war. It was at this point that I began to realise that our piece is not only there to show others what extraordinary lives these people have lived but it also serves as a reminder to induce those memories so that they are not forgotten.
   
   
   6.       What were you thinking about when the performance was over?
   I began to think about how we could make the other half of the show as detailed as the first and how we could go about doing it. Performing the first bit created an enthusiasm to finish the rest of it and to take it on tour.
   
   
   7.       What was it that surprised you during the performance process?
   I was surprised at just who professional our group was, getting set up quickly, getting ready to perform ( having to deal and make do with where we were placed changing entrances and exits to suit) and getting out quickly too. We had become the theatre company working together to get things done so that everyone was ready and prepared. This was surprising because it was so instinctive, only the other week we hadn’t been a cohesive group, now we had been stuck together going through every experience together and not alone.
   
   
   8.       How did this performance fit in with other kinds of performance you have been involved with in your life?
   Firstly we have incorporated some mask work into the piece at the very beginning to present how an elderly person is viewed by society. I first performed mask in my first year of Btec performing arts taking the physicality of a character and portraying them through exaggerated gestures and mime. Secondly the incorporation of the librarians and the fact that the act as narrators, breaking the fourth wall by interacting with the audience adds in a Brechtian element, having those figures as elemental forces giving the piece a similarity to the visit Christmas show during my second year in the Btec course (With the two pieces both having an exaggerated epic theatre element).  
   
   
   9.       How do you see the value of performance in your own life as a result of this experience?
   The experience of creating outreach drama for a specific demographic is something that I have become really interested in. the fact that theatre can help relay and emphasise a message to the community about a specific problem shows the power performance can have if used effectively as a device. Performance has been given a new value not only for entertainment but as a way of problem solving and communication.
   
   
   The Performance:
   
   
   10.   What did the group learn from the audience response about how well everything was working?
   We learnt that as a whole the begging was very well put together, quite a few people came up to us and told us not the change it. Some had been quite moved by what we had shown them taking into account that it had been their stories that had inspired it. On an improvement note we as a company will have to be a lot louder and increase our projection as many at the back of the room were unable to hear us. It was also suggested to us that we increase the happiness in our older couple as growing old is not all dull and solemn but instead add in some comedy moments surrounding growing older.
   
   
   11.   What element seemed most successful, why?
   In my opinion the most successful elements where the movement and dance pieces as we had a great reaction from the audience filled with oohhsss and ahhhhs as lifts where carried out.  I believe it was successful due to the fact that we were being daring, showing the audience something new and dynamic, re-introducing them to a form of entertainment that they may have been well accustomed to which has now lost its popularity.
   
   
   12.   What might we have done to enhance the other effects?
   I believe that confidence in your character is key and that now we have tested the water we can now concentrate on creating and producing the perfect and detailed characters for this piece, adding in voice and more physicality in order to be secure and prepared for the next time. Enhancing the characters will bring the piece closer as a whole and the audience will then be able to connect with them more.
   
   
   13.   When we revisit and extend this performance project, what might we wish to add or change?
   I would like to add in and figure out the rest of the librarian’s part as I have stated before because we now have a relatively new purpose in this production then as before when we were the antagonist. I would also like to play around with any comic moments with the elderly couple while Evie’s health is deteriorating it doesn’t always have to be depressing for instance in the start of dementia and elderly person may forget something of importance which then evolves into a comic situation.
   
   
   14.   How might the work have been affected by the presence of people who had not been part of the process?
   By showing a snippet of our piece to those that had not been part of the devising process allows us to have a new fresh set of eyes on to our piece to critique it and suggest new ways of presenting things, solving problems and being able to see if the story line is clear for the audience.  In terms of teachers joining the lessons after another lesson has just gone by it could become quite confusing, for example: if one teacher clarifies a scene and starts to help us direct it and is then taken over by another teacher who may not understand what went on during the previous lesson and also starts to re-direct the same thing it can get confusing for us as actors on which way we should performing it. Also, when we arrived at the venue it became clear that there had been a lack of clear communication as they stated we would meet them at the day centre and not at the chequer Mead theatre (which was where we performed it in the end). As a company we then realised that those that organised this viewing did not realise the type of space we needed and the fact that we had bought set items. We were then stationed in a corner of the room where half the audience where unable to see- being blocked by a Christmas tree. In the future I believe we will have to try our best to communicate our need clearly instead of the expectation that they would realise what a theatre performance would need.
   
   
   15.   How did the pre- performance stage of the performance go (get in)?
   As we arrived at the day centre where we had arrange the performance in east Grinstead there had been no sign of any living soul on the premises, it took a number of phone calls to get through to pam only to discover that they had planned to meet us in the theatre down the road. When we arrived we realised that no space had been put aside for our performance so we had to make do in the corner meaning that unfortunately many people were unable to see us. As far as the get-in was concerned I felt that everyone conducted it in a very professional manner getting the set in quickly and communicating with everyone about where to put everything with the support cast helping the main cast to get everything where they need it to be in order to start.  
   
   
   16.   What dramatic skills might we wish to work on when we start back in January?
   I would wish to work on the characterisation of our specific character when in our main role. Specifically for me I would like to do more work on voice as I tend to perform using my higher register and I would like my character to voice herself much lower. I also feel that physicality is a major point especially when distinguishing the older couple from the younger, I would also like to explore the physicality of the librarian’s and to see whether they are ethereal like creatures or more grounder as beings.
   
   
   17.   What gets lost and what is gained when we share our work with an outside audience?
   After performing it on Friday I believe that the group on the whole has gained the confidence and even more enthusiasm for this piece (I certainly have). We have gained the advice of those that watched and now understand how the audience might view the piece in the next performances to come.  For example we now know we have to make sure we know the size of the venue and where the audience will be sitting so we can provide them with the best view. In terms of what got lost during the sharing of our work I believe the lift during the love letters scene will have to be re-looked at and the dynamic of the two elderly people in order to incorporate and comic touch to them.
   
   
   The Group:
   
   
   18.   What were the strengths of the group that developed over time?
   As a group we were able to create and compile a lot of work really quickly which we could use within our piece or use as a starting point, what let us down initially was lack of communication as a whole group instead we mixed up into several groups producing work which hadn’t been communicated back as a whole. However during the run up to the performance our communication skills got a lot better and we developed into a team, working closely together to create a success.
   
   
   19.   What were the key moments when participants felt the group cohere, or when they felt more sense of truth and belonging within the group?
   When we were able to sit down together as a group to discuss our aims and views on the piece and that they were all similar to each other was when we felt the group cohere to a common goal, with the guidance and assistance of our tutors were began to communicate in a better way. For me personally I felt I belonged to group when we started to add detail into the librarian’s role and that I started to have a clear aim for what I was doing in the piece other than just feeling lost.
   
   
   20.   How did the space(s) we worked in, and the environment around us have an effect on our process?
   The spaces we were in at fist seemed great, we had our own space we were separate from the rest of the college and felt like we could get stuff done. However as time when on we grew accustomed to the rooms and each other, they soon began to grow smaller and as we are constantly in those rooms cabin fever set in, if you aren’t able to get out and move around you begin to get stuck and blocked from what your original goal is. In a positive view the spaces reflect what we will be eventually being performing in in terms of size, which has given us a great way to prepare for our tour. I am now realising that you have to take it upon yourself as an independent individual to know your limits and if you are finding the space to cramped and the environment to busy you should go outside and change your surroundings for a bit and re-fresh your mind.
   
   
   21.   What did we discover working in a collaborative dramatic group process that could be applied to our lives and the society we live in?
   Something I shall apply to my life from the devising process is the ability to listen and take everyone opinions and ideas into account, I will also take the knowledge of having the communicate within the group as a whole and in detail into every part of my work whether I’m working in a small group of big. In terms of society today I feel that everything has become one mass race towards a never ending finish, people rush and hurry, no longer taking the time to think and listen to our surroundings and community. I believe we have to revert back to a time where communication was more verbal then technological as I have found things often get lost in translation.
   
   
   22.   What do we understand about drama and dramatic process as a result of this experience? How has this changed from your initial understanding?
   From this experience I know that there are many varieties of drama and theatre work, and that outreach theatre is just one of the many avenues you can venture down. It has opened me up to the different things drama has to offer, the fact that it can be a pivotal part of the community and that performance has the power to convey any message.  I used to think that when acting you’d be showcasing the piece of theatre you were in, the play, playwright, even yourselves, but know my understanding is that drama has the ability to be so much bigger, to bring communities together and to be able to be used as a device where problems of difficulties can be solved.