Devising Assignment Week 7 - Part 2

Two Days To Go

Tuesday 24^th February 2015

Q:           How has this rehearsal session helped for our main performance?

A:                 In this rehearsal session we have successfully run through the entirety of our new and official performance structure.  Today we focused on the entire performance, from start to finish, looking particularly to how we could devise the performance to an independent and professional standard.

Q:           What did I personally achieve?

A:                 Throughout today’s rehearsal, one key area of devising that I found entertaining was my improvisation/presentation of ‘Doctor Joe’ expressing his stress and depression physically. 

     In my blog post showing the official performance structure in the final scenes of each act, we took the opportunity to show the audience physically the stress ‘Doctor Joe’ is going through, throughout this performance.

     What we devised so far, was mainly myself improvising the character stressing and almost panicking over what will happen to him, and how he doesn’t see a future for himself.  But through my improvisation, all I managed to construct had a very natural flow to it, reflecting no physical theatre elements.  But in today’s session I felt I devised these scenes to a better standard.

     My particular area of inspiration, when it came to devising the physical aspect of the scenes, I looked particular to our overall practitioners of inspiration, ‘Steven Berkoff’ and ‘Frantic Assembly’.  My initial goal when improvising/devising these scenes of mine, I began with “wanting to combine the two practitioner styles together”.  Therefore I kept hints, with my naturalism, when performing, yet referencing as well with abstract turns and near clockwork actions, referencing ‘Berkoff’.  But when it came to exploring my character’s mental state I turned to ‘Steven Berkoff’ for inspiration.  I knew that ‘Doctor Joe’ at this state would have mixed emotions and would have no real goal when entering this scene, and I found this reflected a quote from ‘Steven Berkoff’ himself: “These characters have no particular pattern.” – Berkoff, ‘Shakespeare’s Villains’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Py9CMN3TYyM&spfreload=10 

     I felt this quote particularly justified my character.  As ‘Doctor Joe’ has no pattern to his actions, in these scenes, and he has no set emotions, he’s worried, concerned, confused, stressed and emotionally trapped all at the same time.  Plus I feel it also backs up my mixture of both physical theatre practitioners’ styles. 

     Not only that, but with usage of props (the Dictaphone), we changed the scripted dialogue to come as the act ends (instead of the beginning) to foreshadow ‘Doctor Joe’s’ loss of professionalism in his job status and descending into depression and nothing.

     I personally feel that this was a huge step forwards in the final devising/rehearsal stages, and these are elements I strongly hope to project for the main performance and indicate all these emotions towards our future audience.

Q:           What is the plan for tomorrow’s rehearsal session?

A:                 Concluding the day with a clear vision for lighting and music cues, plus with the entire performance devised, once again the plan is to just rehearse “like mad” and wrap up any final details so we and the main performance is prepared.