Frantic Assembly utilizes physical theatre to create contemporary performances aimed at a modern audience.
We began with a variety of focus and physical exercises to warm up the body and mind for the intensity of the workshop. This included trust exercises; with my partner I held my hand on top and Lady Pearl placed her hand underneath mine, so that we had constant contact as I lead her around the room. Whilst leading, I explored the use of levels by moving my partner at a variety of heights. I also adjusted the speed at which I lead, to see how pace can have an affect on physicality. Once Lady Pearl had to close her eyes, I was entirely responsible for her and had full control of where she moved. By having to avoid collisions and move around the room safely, the exercise gave me a sense of spatial awareness and concentration. Once the roles were swapped, I found closing my eyes to be interesting, as I was completely reliant on my partner to lead me around the room; trust was built as a result of this. Also, I felt that closing my eyes helped me focus on where exactly I was being lead because I wasn't aware of my surroundings.
Following this, we explored how lifts can be used to create physical theatre in a dynamic and modern way; working with Demi and Shameika, we took it in turns to lift each other in a variety of ways, (demonstrated by the teacher). This again built trust within my group as we had to rely on one another to lift us safely and correctly. Although it took a few attempts, we successfully recreated the lifts. When performed accurately, this can create an interesting visual on stage and can also be used with music to create physical theatre which resembles dance. Choreography is something I have never explored before in performing arts, and is a new skill I would like to take to my final performance to give a different dimension to my existing knowledge of physical theatre.
Billie and I worked together to place transitions between the lifts, creating choreography around them. This process required both concentration and also the willingness to go out of my comfort zone and experiment with different ideas. The most challenging aspect of the task was having to create smooth transitions between the lifts and deciding how we will move from one position to the next. To overcome this obstacle, we used shifts to move one another to the place we needed to be; moving each other was more effective than moving ourselves, as it indicated a relationship between Billie and I, whilst also allowing for a smooth transition into the next lift.
When asked to perform this to the class, the teacher told Billie to remove herself from the performance so that I was performing the choreography alone. Whilst this was daunting, it was very interesting to see how the absence of a character can create a narrative. When I watched Billie perform the choreography alone I was given an external perspective as a member of the audience; Billie performing alone was surrealist but also conveyed a sense of absence and loneliness. The removal of a character halfway through can be even more effective in conveying this loneliness, as they are physically removed from the other person. Personally, I felt that this indicated a narrative of grief or mourning of a loved one.
Finally, Pamela and I paired up to create a short piece of physical theatre. Having to perform this to the beat of the music tested our rhythm and also required our full concentration to work co-operatively. Both of these skills are essential for physical theatre and group work in a general sense. Teaching Pamela my choreography was helpful, as Pamela was able to extend on my ideas and visa versa; we worked collaboratively and bounced off one another's ideas. By incorporating the 'dance bar' within our performance, we felt more spatially aware; we were free to move around more. Pamela and I swapped places, alternating sides of the bar but keeping constant proxemics between us to maintain symmetry. We incorporated eye contact at specific points, (for example, when tying our capes), to portray a relationship between us. We chose an upbeat 'slapstick' soundtrack to incorporate with this eye contact, as we wanted to show a friendship and also create humour. Music can be greatly influential on a performance, as Pamela and I naturally performed in a more slapstick style, (by exaggerating our physicality and facial expressions), once the music was incorporated. The strain on time meant that we had to work quickly and efficiently, which is a useful skill to apply to any rehearsal in the future.
We began with a variety of focus and physical exercises to warm up the body and mind for the intensity of the workshop. This included trust exercises; with my partner I held my hand on top and Lady Pearl placed her hand underneath mine, so that we had constant contact as I lead her around the room. Whilst leading, I explored the use of levels by moving my partner at a variety of heights. I also adjusted the speed at which I lead, to see how pace can have an affect on physicality. Once Lady Pearl had to close her eyes, I was entirely responsible for her and had full control of where she moved. By having to avoid collisions and move around the room safely, the exercise gave me a sense of spatial awareness and concentration. Once the roles were swapped, I found closing my eyes to be interesting, as I was completely reliant on my partner to lead me around the room; trust was built as a result of this. Also, I felt that closing my eyes helped me focus on where exactly I was being lead because I wasn't aware of my surroundings.
Following this, we explored how lifts can be used to create physical theatre in a dynamic and modern way; working with Demi and Shameika, we took it in turns to lift each other in a variety of ways, (demonstrated by the teacher). This again built trust within my group as we had to rely on one another to lift us safely and correctly. Although it took a few attempts, we successfully recreated the lifts. When performed accurately, this can create an interesting visual on stage and can also be used with music to create physical theatre which resembles dance. Choreography is something I have never explored before in performing arts, and is a new skill I would like to take to my final performance to give a different dimension to my existing knowledge of physical theatre.
Billie and I worked together to place transitions between the lifts, creating choreography around them. This process required both concentration and also the willingness to go out of my comfort zone and experiment with different ideas. The most challenging aspect of the task was having to create smooth transitions between the lifts and deciding how we will move from one position to the next. To overcome this obstacle, we used shifts to move one another to the place we needed to be; moving each other was more effective than moving ourselves, as it indicated a relationship between Billie and I, whilst also allowing for a smooth transition into the next lift.
When asked to perform this to the class, the teacher told Billie to remove herself from the performance so that I was performing the choreography alone. Whilst this was daunting, it was very interesting to see how the absence of a character can create a narrative. When I watched Billie perform the choreography alone I was given an external perspective as a member of the audience; Billie performing alone was surrealist but also conveyed a sense of absence and loneliness. The removal of a character halfway through can be even more effective in conveying this loneliness, as they are physically removed from the other person. Personally, I felt that this indicated a narrative of grief or mourning of a loved one.
Finally, Pamela and I paired up to create a short piece of physical theatre. Having to perform this to the beat of the music tested our rhythm and also required our full concentration to work co-operatively. Both of these skills are essential for physical theatre and group work in a general sense. Teaching Pamela my choreography was helpful, as Pamela was able to extend on my ideas and visa versa; we worked collaboratively and bounced off one another's ideas. By incorporating the 'dance bar' within our performance, we felt more spatially aware; we were free to move around more. Pamela and I swapped places, alternating sides of the bar but keeping constant proxemics between us to maintain symmetry. We incorporated eye contact at specific points, (for example, when tying our capes), to portray a relationship between us. We chose an upbeat 'slapstick' soundtrack to incorporate with this eye contact, as we wanted to show a friendship and also create humour. Music can be greatly influential on a performance, as Pamela and I naturally performed in a more slapstick style, (by exaggerating our physicality and facial expressions), once the music was incorporated. The strain on time meant that we had to work quickly and efficiently, which is a useful skill to apply to any rehearsal in the future.
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