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betty246-blog · 10 years

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Contacting the World. Manchester, Corby, India <3

This month has been a whirlwind of work and preparation for going back to university for my final year. However the festival of Contacting the World has been one of the highlights so far! It involved a collaboration of different companies from across Britain and the world, including India, Jamaica and Iran. Despite not being able to perform within the festival, the Core at Corby Cube gave the opportunity to travel up to Manchester to mix with the other groups and to also watch their performances.

Bread and Butter theatre company from Mumbai were not only an amazing group of extremely lovely people (who loved to party hard!) but also amazingly talented. Their performance was based on the concept of their being no art in the world; no poetry, no music, no photography, no dance and no theatre. These artists refused to get jobs, their job was their passion. B&B were highlighting the problem I face whenevrr I tell someone that I study theatre at uni and that it is something I want to pursue further. With a mixture of beautiful music, traditional dancing and breathtaking beat boxing their performance blew the audience away and made the artists within it proud to call themselves so.

"So will I get a job as a doctor? A lawyer? Even a shop owner?

No way, No way."

http://contactmcr.com/projects/festivals/contacting-the-world/

http://contactmcr.com/projects/festivals/contacting-the-world/ctw2014/companies/bread-and-butter/

http://contactmcr.com/projects/festivals/contacting-the-world/ctw2014/companies/corby-young-actors/

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betty246-blog · 10 years

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Now second year is over...time for a pint!!!

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betty246-blog · 10 years

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Some photos from the shows! And Sarah is summing up how these past few weeks have taken it's toll!

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betty246-blog · 10 years

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The End Of Baron Munchausen...

And finally it is over! It has been a long module and not my favourite, however the performances made it all worth it. The reaction of the audience to the songs and stories was extremely satisfying!

On the first day we sadly had to cancel the shows as the weather beat us. The rain just did not let off! In saying that we were lucky the next two days and were able to perform 4 shows to full audiences. I enjoyed playing the Queen of the Moon and I was proud of my group in how we have all worked hard together and created a story which was easy to follow and typically "Baron-esque".

Photos are soon to follow...

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betty246-blog · 10 years

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This was a very expressionistic play. It told the tale of a doctor who was lying about his expertise and he was then found out. Although the story was unclear at times the actual effects used made it a clever performance. The use of make up was typical expressionism however the movements were clever for instance the use of the chairs on the table to produce a horse and cart. Also the times where dialogue would have been extensive, they broke up each sentence and spoke it and at times even sang. The use of this type of speech can be seen in Einstein on the Beach and other works of Robert Wilson. The live music showed instruments being played in an unconventional way. This was a clever method of performing music and made that aspect of the performance of performing interesting to watch.

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betty246-blog · 10 years

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A Theatre Comparison of “Tabac Rouge” by Thierrees and “Hopelessly Devoted” by Kate Tempest.

“Hopelessly Devoted” was performed at the Shop Front Theatre on 23rd October 2013.

“Tabac Rouge” was performed at Theatre de la Ville on 28th February 2014.

Both of these shows were truly inspirational for me, but for different reasons. Whereas “Tabac Rouge” was visually spell bounding, “Hopelessly Devoted” was verbally, just as astounding. However they were two extremely different performances and even the venues was on either side of spectrum. The Theatre de la Ville being a large open theatre in the centre of Paris; and the Shop Front being an enclosed, and intimate space in the centre of Coventry.

The set of Tabac was very elaborate. There was a large screen which was mounted on wheels and would spin so this enabled the performers to climb over and under it whilst in motion. It was also an indicator, for me that once it has turned it was a new world we were in. I felt that it symbolised the world of the living and the afterlife. Other than this there was the use of chairs and a piano which were all on wheels. This made scene changes slick and quick, which kept the audience constantly alert as to what would occur next and where the performance would take us. On the other hand, “Hopelessly Devoted” was a completely bare stage minus a few chairs. The women symbolised the idea of a cell by walking back and forth in a tight square, this made us feel claustrophobic in the space. It made the performance more intense as we could see the emotions on all the girl’s faces as they spoke. The bare set made us focus on what was being said as this is performance poetry and therefore it is the words/lyrics that Tempest wants us to listen to and learn from.

The use of tricks used in each performance were also contrasting but both extremely effective. For “Hopelessly Devoted” there was the use of a small handheld camera which was then connected to a projection onto the stage. This not only gave the audience a different view on the staging as we saw the protagonist’s face from a different angle which I felt was purposefully symbolic as it represented the insight into a criminal’s mind as to why they have committed their crimes. This case saw that Chess was beaten by her husband and she fought back; this monologue left me feeling sympathetic towards her. The use of the cameras meant that they could zoom into her face and the emotion in her speech made it feel incredibly real. Similarly the camera’s represented the outside world glimpsing into this tiny cell and the women who had to survive there.

The tricks seen in “Tabac Rouge” were very clever. The use of mirrors on the screen meant that the space was expanded and movement could be seen from a different angle. Similarly to “Hopelessly Devoted”, the mirrors gave an insight into another world and gave an opportunity for the protagonist to be creative as he “fought” with himself in the mirror and the mirrors also reflected the lights which made the theatre sparkle. It created the illusion of us being in a different, magical world, as also seen in “Hopelessly Devoted” as it made the performance more real. However, nothing was to prepare the audience for the climax of the performance in “Tabac Rouge” where the screen came apart and was suspended from the ceiling. All the performers scrambled all over it and climbed from section to section as it slowly spun high above the stage. It was just sensational.

The styles of each performance were extremes of the opposite ends of the spectrum. “Hopelessly Devoted” led to a Brechtian style of performance in that the performers when not on stage sat at the side of the stage, being visible to the audience still. When they entered the space they took on the character needed. There was no illusion that this was a performance and that these women were telling the story of Chess and her journey through music as she tells her story. However, “Tabac Rouge” wanted us to be taken into their world and to cross the boundary of the fourth wall. Thierree’s performance of a man fighting with the prospect of death, was made real through physical theatre. There were tricks and styles to bring the world to life.

Verbally both performances differ extremely; “Tabac Rouge” featured movement and speech was very minimal apart from one speech towards the end, however due to the language barrier this just added to the surreal performance I was witnessing. In a stark contrast, “Hopelessly Devoted” was thick with speech as this is the style, obviously, of performance poetry. The lyrics of the raps, poetry and dialogue were key to telling to story of Chess and the movement was kept minimal. It was a feast for the ears rather than the eyes!

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betty246-blog · 10 years

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Today I put some of my painting skills into practice (in theory!) and finished off the cooking animal cutlery. Just need to do an outline and then they're finished!

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betty246-blog · 10 years

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Costumes for Baron :) the ladies in their dresses and my costume as the queen. Also Zara working the basic moon costume..and that face is what makes the show.

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betty246-blog · 10 years

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Truly one of the best plays I've seen performed by students at such an wary stage in their careers. The script was written by a student and was flawless. The acting was stunning and the execution of the show was nothing short of perfection. It was gag after gag and I laughed from start to finish! 100%.

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betty246-blog · 10 years

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Truly one of the best plays I've seen performed by students at such an wary stage in their careers. The script was written by a student and was flawless. The acting was stunning and the execution of the show was nothing short of perfection. It was gag after gag and I laughed from start to finish! 100%.

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betty246-blog · 10 years

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This was a cracking show. It also was a good insight into how a children show would work within Ellen Terry as a venue. The use of music and script meant that there was a show which would have suited children. It was a fantastic example of taking a children story and taking it to the stage!!

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betty246-blog · 10 years

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