Had the most awesome day ever. Went on a 6 hour walk with a couple of friends. Will do a big photo blog tomorrow. Had the best time.
Just to say I'm absolutely knackered. But would do the same tomorrow.
Off to bed now,
F
Sunday, 28 February 2010
Friday, 26 February 2010
Stumbling - SU
So ever since the summer I've become addicted to stumbling. Basically for those who don't know stumbling is a cool little thing where you enter all your interests and it saves them and then when you click the "Stumble" button it gives you cool little random websites fitted to your interests.
I've managed to find some pretty cool things on there so yeah I reccomend you have a go.
Go for it!
I've managed to find some pretty cool things on there so yeah I reccomend you have a go.
Go for it!
Thursday, 25 February 2010
ReAlity - Bacchus
So, I wrote this a while ago and figured that I might as well post it.
Since I wrote this as academic work it is solely read only. If you wish to use it in anyway to gain credit please ask permission.
University of Hull, Scarborough Campus
Performance Studio 2
October 09
In a dimly lit room, with rectangles marked upon the floor containing various objects, ReAlity invites the spectator to interact with items, participate in activities, engage in chat and to experience a taster of contemporary theatre. Among other activities, one can write upon the floor with chalk, enjoy tea and biscuits with their friends or even tell everyone a little about themselves using a microphone placed under a spotlight. ReAlity is, essentially, unlike most other shows and performances because, rather than merely breaking the "fourth wall" that is so highly valued by naturalistic practitioners such as Stanislavski, ReAlity obliterates it and turns conventional theatre on it's head by inviting the spectators to become the performers, and the performers to become facilitators.
ReAlity was held together by how much participation it required from the audience. This became obvious as one explored it’s stage and started to notice inviting messages placed in the rectangular boxes, encouraging the spectators to engage objects within them. The performers in the room also encouraged one to interact by engaging in conversation and explaining what ReAlity was, thus helping one to become more comfortable and therefore more likely to participate. This gentle encouragement by either messages written on the floor and the members of Bacchus helped one to commit to taking part and engaging with the items placed around the room.
The performance was what many might describe as disturbing due to its slightly Brechtian nature - it was trying to convey a message that was not shrouded in naturalistic and highly detailed sets, costumes, action or music. However, from a critical point of view, what made it most disturbing is how much it relied upon the participation of the spectators as it was it’s weakest point. If a spectator did not feel comfortable taking part in the action then the performance had failed, because it had not engaged a spectators attention. This failure was furthered by the fact that ReAlity is a contemporary piece of theatre. This could add to how uncomfortable people might feel due to either lack of knowledge about and/or lack of admiration for contemporary theatre. However, as highlighted earlier, this also attributes to the performance’s strongest feature, which was its ability in persuading the spectators to interact with the items within the space.
The space presented in ReAlity was devoid of decoration or set and was purely functional having been divided up into sections in order to accommodate different activities. In lieu of stage or setting, the properties or the objects placed inside of these rectangles is what was important and what set the scene. This meant that a spectator’s attention was stripped from sets or costumes and instead placed upon the properties. One could say that the space was divided into ‘mini performances‘, and the action of spectators stepping into these spaces initiated a purely improvisational, personal, piece of performance. For example, in the “iPlay” section, spectators were allowed to choose their own music using either an MP3 player that was already there or their own. This created a personal experience related directly to that spectator and the objects - the speakers and the MP3 player - that didn’t depend on scene or set. This non-reliance upon set or scene to portray meaning is exemplified by the lack of colour seen in the performance. Black walls and floors with vivid white rectangles shows that ReAlity has no dependence upon set or scene and therefore only relies upon properties, performers and the spectators in order to assemble a performance. This non reliance upon set could be seen as one of ReAlity’s strongest points as it makes the performance an extremely versatile piece, which is in stark contrast to the absolute dependence upon spectator interaction highlighted earlier as one of the performances weakest points.
Whilst not relying at all upon set and scene, ReAlity had some rather simple, yet effective lighting. This consisted of what appeared to be very low hanging domestic lamps that were lowered to a rather dim glow. This dim glow seem to serve two purposes. One was to make sure that the power of the light didn’t overpower that of the projector which, routed to a computer, allowed spectators to access Facebook or any social networking website of their choice. The other, was to provide a relaxing source of light. Low power lamps that display a warm glow are more likely to appear relaxing because they are not harsh upon the eyes. This warm glow is simulated within ReAlity in what could be perceived an attempt to relax the spectators in a calming atmosphere, thus lulling them into a sense of security, making them more likely to engage with the objects and properties placed around the room. This lighting is another of ReAlity’s strongest points as its function is to increase spectator participation which is the glue that holds the elements of ReAlity together in order to form a cohesive performance.
As mentioned briefly before, in tandem with the spectators, the stage properties are the most important element of ReAlity. They help to form the glue which holds the performance together. The stage properties, in this case, are the objects in the rectangles and included costumes, cameras, televisions, a microphone, a table and chairs, a computer, books, a post box, and chalk. These items were there for the spectators to engage with and use in order to initiate a series of what one might describe as ‘mini performances’ as highlighted earlier. The placement of properties helped to make the stage resemble a social networking site which helped to display one of the main themes that was present in ReAlity; exploring and celebrating the impact that social networking sites have had on human social interaction, on both virtual and physical levels (ReAlity 31/10/2009 ReAlity Facebook Page n.d.) The use of stage properties then help to both hold the performance together, but also to display one of it’s main themes and therefore can be seen as extremely important within ReAlity.
In conclusion, one can see how the various elements of theatre within the performance come together to display the main topic of ReAlity, which is to see what impact that social networking sites have upon human connections and social interaction. This guides one to the question - is the interaction of man becoming the interaction of screens? (van Koten 20/10/09 - The Digital Image and the Pleasure Principle: the Consumption of Realism in the Age of Simulation, 2005) ReAlity rather points one to the answer ‘yes’ as it endeavours to portray that social networking sites have become a rather compressed reality in which smaller, more compact versions of life take place. This is reflected in the mini performances that can be seen taking place in the black box theatre in which ReAlity was housed. This idea can’t help but make one think maybe, as a society we should be spending less time interacting through screens, but rather interacting upon a physical level - something which modern technology seems to have taken away from us.
Copyright - Freddie Porter
Since I wrote this as academic work it is solely read only. If you wish to use it in anyway to gain credit please ask permission.
University of Hull, Scarborough Campus
Performance Studio 2
October 09
In a dimly lit room, with rectangles marked upon the floor containing various objects, ReAlity invites the spectator to interact with items, participate in activities, engage in chat and to experience a taster of contemporary theatre. Among other activities, one can write upon the floor with chalk, enjoy tea and biscuits with their friends or even tell everyone a little about themselves using a microphone placed under a spotlight. ReAlity is, essentially, unlike most other shows and performances because, rather than merely breaking the "fourth wall" that is so highly valued by naturalistic practitioners such as Stanislavski, ReAlity obliterates it and turns conventional theatre on it's head by inviting the spectators to become the performers, and the performers to become facilitators.
ReAlity was held together by how much participation it required from the audience. This became obvious as one explored it’s stage and started to notice inviting messages placed in the rectangular boxes, encouraging the spectators to engage objects within them. The performers in the room also encouraged one to interact by engaging in conversation and explaining what ReAlity was, thus helping one to become more comfortable and therefore more likely to participate. This gentle encouragement by either messages written on the floor and the members of Bacchus helped one to commit to taking part and engaging with the items placed around the room.
The performance was what many might describe as disturbing due to its slightly Brechtian nature - it was trying to convey a message that was not shrouded in naturalistic and highly detailed sets, costumes, action or music. However, from a critical point of view, what made it most disturbing is how much it relied upon the participation of the spectators as it was it’s weakest point. If a spectator did not feel comfortable taking part in the action then the performance had failed, because it had not engaged a spectators attention. This failure was furthered by the fact that ReAlity is a contemporary piece of theatre. This could add to how uncomfortable people might feel due to either lack of knowledge about and/or lack of admiration for contemporary theatre. However, as highlighted earlier, this also attributes to the performance’s strongest feature, which was its ability in persuading the spectators to interact with the items within the space.
The space presented in ReAlity was devoid of decoration or set and was purely functional having been divided up into sections in order to accommodate different activities. In lieu of stage or setting, the properties or the objects placed inside of these rectangles is what was important and what set the scene. This meant that a spectator’s attention was stripped from sets or costumes and instead placed upon the properties. One could say that the space was divided into ‘mini performances‘, and the action of spectators stepping into these spaces initiated a purely improvisational, personal, piece of performance. For example, in the “iPlay” section, spectators were allowed to choose their own music using either an MP3 player that was already there or their own. This created a personal experience related directly to that spectator and the objects - the speakers and the MP3 player - that didn’t depend on scene or set. This non-reliance upon set or scene to portray meaning is exemplified by the lack of colour seen in the performance. Black walls and floors with vivid white rectangles shows that ReAlity has no dependence upon set or scene and therefore only relies upon properties, performers and the spectators in order to assemble a performance. This non reliance upon set could be seen as one of ReAlity’s strongest points as it makes the performance an extremely versatile piece, which is in stark contrast to the absolute dependence upon spectator interaction highlighted earlier as one of the performances weakest points.
Whilst not relying at all upon set and scene, ReAlity had some rather simple, yet effective lighting. This consisted of what appeared to be very low hanging domestic lamps that were lowered to a rather dim glow. This dim glow seem to serve two purposes. One was to make sure that the power of the light didn’t overpower that of the projector which, routed to a computer, allowed spectators to access Facebook or any social networking website of their choice. The other, was to provide a relaxing source of light. Low power lamps that display a warm glow are more likely to appear relaxing because they are not harsh upon the eyes. This warm glow is simulated within ReAlity in what could be perceived an attempt to relax the spectators in a calming atmosphere, thus lulling them into a sense of security, making them more likely to engage with the objects and properties placed around the room. This lighting is another of ReAlity’s strongest points as its function is to increase spectator participation which is the glue that holds the elements of ReAlity together in order to form a cohesive performance.
As mentioned briefly before, in tandem with the spectators, the stage properties are the most important element of ReAlity. They help to form the glue which holds the performance together. The stage properties, in this case, are the objects in the rectangles and included costumes, cameras, televisions, a microphone, a table and chairs, a computer, books, a post box, and chalk. These items were there for the spectators to engage with and use in order to initiate a series of what one might describe as ‘mini performances’ as highlighted earlier. The placement of properties helped to make the stage resemble a social networking site which helped to display one of the main themes that was present in ReAlity; exploring and celebrating the impact that social networking sites have had on human social interaction, on both virtual and physical levels (ReAlity 31/10/2009 ReAlity Facebook Page n.d.) The use of stage properties then help to both hold the performance together, but also to display one of it’s main themes and therefore can be seen as extremely important within ReAlity.
In conclusion, one can see how the various elements of theatre within the performance come together to display the main topic of ReAlity, which is to see what impact that social networking sites have upon human connections and social interaction. This guides one to the question - is the interaction of man becoming the interaction of screens? (van Koten 20/10/09 - The Digital Image and the Pleasure Principle: the Consumption of Realism in the Age of Simulation, 2005) ReAlity rather points one to the answer ‘yes’ as it endeavours to portray that social networking sites have become a rather compressed reality in which smaller, more compact versions of life take place. This is reflected in the mini performances that can be seen taking place in the black box theatre in which ReAlity was housed. This idea can’t help but make one think maybe, as a society we should be spending less time interacting through screens, but rather interacting upon a physical level - something which modern technology seems to have taken away from us.
Copyright - Freddie Porter
Hypothermia
Where: Stephen Joseph Theatre - Scarborough February 19th 2010
Director: Vanessa Brooks
Writer: Vanessa Brooks
Cast: Full Body and Voice Theatre
The third piece of theatre that I was to view in the round was one that I had been informed about by friends who had heard that it was quite good and had read reviews of past productions on the tour stating that it was well worth watching, so at £6 a ticket we would had to have been stupid to pass up on the opportunity. Especially considering it was only in Scarborough for two nights!
Upon walking into the auditorium one could see the set sat waiting. It appeared to be cold and clinical and was cast in a small amount of blue light. This was coupled with eerie music to give a wintry and cold atmosphere to the auditorium in order to set the tone for the rest of the performance.
The story follows the plight of, a doctor, a secretary, a patient with Downs Syndrome, a Nazi SS officer and a Fuhrer following Mother as they slowly realise the effects of Hitlers rule upon the country. As we move through the play we realise that Hitler is killing of those who Eric, the doctor is taking care of and as Katsch, the Nazi officer progresses throughout the play he does his best to try and rid the hospital for the terminally ill of its patients by sending them to a larger 'health institute' where they are starved and incinerated. Once the doctor finds out about this he is prompted by his secretary Lisa to do something. She screams at him "Now that you know, what will you do?!"
It is here that the first act ends and we make the transition to the rather more tense second act in which the actors are slightly more frantic and erratic with their characters to give this air of hurriedness as they struggle against Katsch whilst he tries to rid the hospital of its patients, including Oskar, the Downs Syndrome patient of whom Eric and Lisa are extremely fond. In the end Oskar is given the choice to either kill himself or to kill Lisa. A decision which has the whole of the audience perched on the end of their seats waiting with baited breath.
In all the production itself was extremely proffessional and very well thought out. It was obvious that the director had thought about what she wanted and had directed accordingly to actors who were willing to listen and do as she asked. Eric and Katsch, two of the three main male parts, were extremely talented and quite energetic in their delivery. However, at times I do feel that some subtlety would have been nice as a rather large portion of their speech was shouted. Oskar, played by Ben Langford - an actor with Downs Syndrome, gave me something I had never experienced before. The chance to see a disabled person in a cast. I have to say that his performance was quite delightful and that he was extremely confident and managed to remain rather playful within his character. His lack of speech on stage meant that at parts he was extremely subtle which contrasted with his shouting when he repeated what people were saying. All in all a formidable actor. Lisa was convincing and strong with a lot of interesting dialogue and some extremely weighted acting. The part comes into it's own in the second act and the actress took care of this effortlessly it seemed. Finally, Frau Poppendick was extremely good and reminded me of a character I had seen on television both in face and voice. Whilst doing some strange things on stage (such as screaming "maaaaaaaaah" when Eric was talking to her) the character was well developed and perfectly beleivable.
On the whole this performance was very much enjoyable and as it was placed in the round, it was rather intimate yet powerful. The characters and storyline were well developed and disbelief was suspended throughout! A success for Vanessa and her cast.
Wednesday, 24 February 2010
Masterclass with Johannes Berringer
Today I took the opportunity to participate in an audiovisual dance masterclass at the University with Johannes Berringer, proclaimed professer of Brunel University. It was in all, an entirely exhausting and interesting experience. We started by introducing ourselves and laying out our reasons for coming to the Masterclass which ranged from "I love dance" to "I want to experience the interactivity of technologies within a traditional theatre space." We then progressed into a rather boring, yoga-based warm up and then got down to the task in hand.
The first hour of the session was focusing on the relationship between performer and camera to explore how one can use the camera to both document and to perform as we use the different aspects of film to highlight different parts of the body and to explore movement and filming techniques in an entirely improvisational manner. Wanting to be quite selfish in this session as we were working with a man who was a master of his field, I took as much of the limelight as I could. At first I explored filming and wanting to be quite artistic, I moved the camera around quite a lot in order to follow the movements of the performer. However as this was improvisational, I couldn't quite sync with what she was doing and it resulted in the camera angles looking odd and off focus as well as the fact that I didn't stand in front of her because I didn't want to intrude upon her performance and also block the audience's view of the performer. Of course, this is all valuable experience and whilst I was annoyed that I hadn't performed to my full potential with the use of the camera, I can put this down to the fact that I was working with brand new technology and my inexperience with filming technology anyway.
After this experience with the technology I then took it upon myself to dance, to perform. Dancing is not something I am comfortable doing without alcohol and a nightclub so this was a real test of confidence for me. I wasn't dancing in a hip-hop "Single Ladies" manner, but rather in an erratic exploration of the space. I was the first member in the group to be given music as a part of my performance which I was both anxious and excited about as it meant that I felt my performance had to be more dancy, but also that the music would provide a more definitive stimulus. The music I had was of a sort of technologic, grungy type music. Well, it was more soundscape-y. So I immediately thought of robots and proceeded to move about in a "manic" manner as instructed by Johannes, with my arms moving like that of a robot. Being an improvised piece I didn't have time to think about utilising my body to create impressive shapes but instead I just ran about. However I was joined by a second year dance student who promptly showed me up. Fantastic. However the movement kinda worked and I was rather proud of the piece. One thing that did kinda make it difficult for the camera man was that I was moving quite rapidly. But hey, that was the point of the exercise. Right?
After this we then had to mix all the old material into new material with a live feed being shown on one projector screen and then another of the old material on another screen and then one camera filming the whole thing in process. This was an entirely complex process as fat as I was concerned. However, now, rather than using just one or two members of the group, all 20 of us were now involved in either lighting, sound, documentation, voice, performance, editing and filming. My task for this last hour was to provide voice with a friend. A sort of extraneous voice over from the performance. Since Johannes was really bad at telling the people involved exactly what he was looking for in the performance my friend and I just made up what we were going to say on the spot and ended up conversing alongside lift music. However we were told that this was not what he wanted and we therefore had to work on making what we were saying more of a commentary on the performance but with more of an argumental edge to it. Once again, this was not what Johannes wanted and he informed us he was instead looking for more poetic work.
This is where the session ended. After three hours what did I feel I had learned? Not a lot. Did I feel it was worth my time? 100%. It was not meant to be educational but rather informative and inspiring. I now have much more to take away for my performance and documentation module and am therefore much happier for the record. I feel without this experience I wouldn't have developed my documentation skills as much either. Kinda a win win situation really. Apart from how 'prima donna' Johannes was. But hey, I guess he has the experience to be... demanding.
Catch y'all sometime soon.
The first hour of the session was focusing on the relationship between performer and camera to explore how one can use the camera to both document and to perform as we use the different aspects of film to highlight different parts of the body and to explore movement and filming techniques in an entirely improvisational manner. Wanting to be quite selfish in this session as we were working with a man who was a master of his field, I took as much of the limelight as I could. At first I explored filming and wanting to be quite artistic, I moved the camera around quite a lot in order to follow the movements of the performer. However as this was improvisational, I couldn't quite sync with what she was doing and it resulted in the camera angles looking odd and off focus as well as the fact that I didn't stand in front of her because I didn't want to intrude upon her performance and also block the audience's view of the performer. Of course, this is all valuable experience and whilst I was annoyed that I hadn't performed to my full potential with the use of the camera, I can put this down to the fact that I was working with brand new technology and my inexperience with filming technology anyway.
After this experience with the technology I then took it upon myself to dance, to perform. Dancing is not something I am comfortable doing without alcohol and a nightclub so this was a real test of confidence for me. I wasn't dancing in a hip-hop "Single Ladies" manner, but rather in an erratic exploration of the space. I was the first member in the group to be given music as a part of my performance which I was both anxious and excited about as it meant that I felt my performance had to be more dancy, but also that the music would provide a more definitive stimulus. The music I had was of a sort of technologic, grungy type music. Well, it was more soundscape-y. So I immediately thought of robots and proceeded to move about in a "manic" manner as instructed by Johannes, with my arms moving like that of a robot. Being an improvised piece I didn't have time to think about utilising my body to create impressive shapes but instead I just ran about. However I was joined by a second year dance student who promptly showed me up. Fantastic. However the movement kinda worked and I was rather proud of the piece. One thing that did kinda make it difficult for the camera man was that I was moving quite rapidly. But hey, that was the point of the exercise. Right?
After this we then had to mix all the old material into new material with a live feed being shown on one projector screen and then another of the old material on another screen and then one camera filming the whole thing in process. This was an entirely complex process as fat as I was concerned. However, now, rather than using just one or two members of the group, all 20 of us were now involved in either lighting, sound, documentation, voice, performance, editing and filming. My task for this last hour was to provide voice with a friend. A sort of extraneous voice over from the performance. Since Johannes was really bad at telling the people involved exactly what he was looking for in the performance my friend and I just made up what we were going to say on the spot and ended up conversing alongside lift music. However we were told that this was not what he wanted and we therefore had to work on making what we were saying more of a commentary on the performance but with more of an argumental edge to it. Once again, this was not what Johannes wanted and he informed us he was instead looking for more poetic work.
This is where the session ended. After three hours what did I feel I had learned? Not a lot. Did I feel it was worth my time? 100%. It was not meant to be educational but rather informative and inspiring. I now have much more to take away for my performance and documentation module and am therefore much happier for the record. I feel without this experience I wouldn't have developed my documentation skills as much either. Kinda a win win situation really. Apart from how 'prima donna' Johannes was. But hey, I guess he has the experience to be... demanding.
Catch y'all sometime soon.
Saturday, 20 February 2010
The Swimmer - Rachel Kirsche.
This was performed in Performance Studio 1 - University of Hull, Scarborough Campus at 7:30pm on the 17th February 2010.
In a rather weird performance, Rachel Kirsche threw herself rather energetically, around the space she occupied. This was not my most favourite performance ever because of one main flaw of the performance, I had no idea what was going on.
Essentially we spent twenty minutes watching what appeared to be improvised movement which was accompanied by rather odd sounds. I felt it was a waste of my time and I was dissapointed with the University once again for providing theatre which was useless in our acquisition of skills.
In a rather weird performance, Rachel Kirsche threw herself rather energetically, around the space she occupied. This was not my most favourite performance ever because of one main flaw of the performance, I had no idea what was going on.
Essentially we spent twenty minutes watching what appeared to be improvised movement which was accompanied by rather odd sounds. I felt it was a waste of my time and I was dissapointed with the University once again for providing theatre which was useless in our acquisition of skills.
Lazy Saturday
So, it's Saturday. And not far off from being the last one in February. Time really does fly when you're at university. It's strange. The weeks seem to just mould and melt into one long blurry stretch of time, the details of which are almost unintelligable. I like to think this has nothing to do with the copious amounts of alcohol that I consume. I know it's been bloody ages since my last update. But I couldn't be bothered half the time because my body clock is all wrong and I'm tired all the time. Not any more though.
I'm not going to give a whole "this is what I did" blog. But I'll let you all know whats been going on in brief terms.
Where to start? Probably from my last update. So, the biggest thing that has happened is probably the fact that I got my grades back both on my Perspectives essay and on my Performance Practice assessment. I'm happy to announce that I did quite well in both. For the second time in a row I received a 68% in my Perspectives essay, and whilst rather annoyed that I was so close yet so far (2%) from receiving a 1st, I was very happy with my high 2:1. However, to my delight I recieved a 76% in my Performance Practice assessment and therefore received a 1st class for my work.
This, I was very proud of.
Since then we have started new modules including Performance and Documentation and of course, Acting. Both of which I am extremely excited about. Performance and Documentation involves basically devising a performance and then documenting it, and all the while being told about the different ways in which we can document performance. In Acting we are obviously focusing upon Acting. Including Body, Voice, Movement and moving from rehearsal to performance. At the moment we're working upon a few of Alan Ayckborne's scripts as they are fairly modern and quite naturalistic. I'm pretty much enjoying this.
Whilst missing being in Essex, I am having a great time up here in Scarborough and have managed to secure a house for next year in a beautiful location just under Valley Bridge. It's lovely there and about a 10 minute walk from the beach as well as being 15 minutes from Uni and 5 from town. All in all, pretty perfect. The interior is pretty damn good as well and the garden is mahusive.
I have seen quite a few plays recently of which reviews are to be posted. Whilst being quite weird, they were all entirely watchable. Especially Hypothermia which I and friends had the chance to view in the round at the Stephen Joseph Theatre.
As well as this I had the pleasure of meeting Sir Alan Ayckborne, the most accomplished living writer there is when he gave a seminar/guest lecture thing at the University. It was basically a chat about how he approaches writing and it was really interesting to see how one of the greatest of our time goes about preparing to write his plays.
One of my new years resolutions was to learn to play guitar in order to be able to play at this years "Keys and Strings" concert in Essex, however whilst progress is good, it doesn't look as if I'll be prepared enough to do so. However, I'm really enjoying learning but have, with the help of mates from Uni, been able to train my voice slightly at Open Mic Nights here at the University.
For now that's all I can think to say, so on that note I shall let you go and sign off until next time. (Whenever that may be)
I'm not going to give a whole "this is what I did" blog. But I'll let you all know whats been going on in brief terms.
Where to start? Probably from my last update. So, the biggest thing that has happened is probably the fact that I got my grades back both on my Perspectives essay and on my Performance Practice assessment. I'm happy to announce that I did quite well in both. For the second time in a row I received a 68% in my Perspectives essay, and whilst rather annoyed that I was so close yet so far (2%) from receiving a 1st, I was very happy with my high 2:1. However, to my delight I recieved a 76% in my Performance Practice assessment and therefore received a 1st class for my work.
This, I was very proud of.
Since then we have started new modules including Performance and Documentation and of course, Acting. Both of which I am extremely excited about. Performance and Documentation involves basically devising a performance and then documenting it, and all the while being told about the different ways in which we can document performance. In Acting we are obviously focusing upon Acting. Including Body, Voice, Movement and moving from rehearsal to performance. At the moment we're working upon a few of Alan Ayckborne's scripts as they are fairly modern and quite naturalistic. I'm pretty much enjoying this.
Whilst missing being in Essex, I am having a great time up here in Scarborough and have managed to secure a house for next year in a beautiful location just under Valley Bridge. It's lovely there and about a 10 minute walk from the beach as well as being 15 minutes from Uni and 5 from town. All in all, pretty perfect. The interior is pretty damn good as well and the garden is mahusive.
I have seen quite a few plays recently of which reviews are to be posted. Whilst being quite weird, they were all entirely watchable. Especially Hypothermia which I and friends had the chance to view in the round at the Stephen Joseph Theatre.
As well as this I had the pleasure of meeting Sir Alan Ayckborne, the most accomplished living writer there is when he gave a seminar/guest lecture thing at the University. It was basically a chat about how he approaches writing and it was really interesting to see how one of the greatest of our time goes about preparing to write his plays.
One of my new years resolutions was to learn to play guitar in order to be able to play at this years "Keys and Strings" concert in Essex, however whilst progress is good, it doesn't look as if I'll be prepared enough to do so. However, I'm really enjoying learning but have, with the help of mates from Uni, been able to train my voice slightly at Open Mic Nights here at the University.
For now that's all I can think to say, so on that note I shall let you go and sign off until next time. (Whenever that may be)
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