Monthly Archives: March 2014

Redrafting structure

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Just like every good book needs a redraft before publication, the structure of my performance piece is need of a redraft. Transitions within any performance -be it performance art or a fully fledged theatrical production- are vital as they weave different elements, ideas and scenes within the piece as a whole. For this performance idea to have a more structured feel in order for the audience to really experience the transition from ‘reality’ in the ‘imagination’, the physical structure of the piece has changed. Rather than involving the entire room, the performance space has now been separated:

SET SCAN

As the diagram shows, the space will be divided into ‘reality’ and ‘imagination’. Stepping from one world to the other, showcasing what happens when you read; becoming immersed in a new world – a new space. Rather than remaining passive/stationary throughout the performance (as was in my previous performance concept), I plan to explore the space in the highlighted sections, just as one explores a book. Reading is different for each person, however, to be able to have something  tangible, to touch the story you are reading would be any reader’s dream. As I walk around the space, lead by the narration and action of the story, I will encounter different props from the story and interact with them (all made from book pages, of course).

 

PhotoScan

 

Choosing different sections for the performance is proving a challenging task. The book I have chosen to explore is The Fault in Our Stars (2012) by John Green. The difficulty has not arisen because the book it too two-dimensional or because the narrative has limited options of where it can go, but because the text is so rich of roller-coaster and contrasting moments. Choosing sections of the story which convey the important mile stones within the story, while offering contrasting moments is difficult because there are so many to choose from, and above is a potential short list of the sections I plan to use.

TFIOS TFIOS

 

 

 

Condense.

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Choosing a novel/story which is contained within a 10 minute period, especially while read aloud, is near enough impossible – unless the book in question is a child’s book.

To create a world within 10 minutes from an existing book is hard. The 10 minute adapted story needs to be able to stand alone within its own merit, while still containing the through-line of the original story. So, although it won’t be as extensive as The Adventures of Wound Man and Shirley or the same length as an actual audio book, the atmosphere created should be more intimate and more immersive – with the world of story coming to life within the space. The atmosphere created by the sound and lighting in the performance space will become more rushed and intense as the performance progresses – mimicking the mental engulfment and obsession with a text whilst we are reading. Sounds and lights will both intensify in volume and speed allowing the story to inhabit the space in a more three dimensional manner and allowing the audience to really step into the world of the book without moving from their seats. It is this physical development of the space which restricts me to just one text. Before this idea developed I was going to use ipods/CD players to act as audio books to give the audience as a collective a different experience from one another by giving them the option to listen to different tales. However, with this idea the audience will be listening to one story as a collective, experiencing the space together, delving and falling deeper and deeper into this fabricated world. If the text chopped and changed between multiple texts, the essence of ‘falling’ into a text would be lost, as the establishing of the world would have to begin again with each new tale, thereby drawing the audience away from the world they had just been welcomed in to.

The idea to juxtapose the story with the space is overwhelming. Introducing a story meant for a child into a more mature space is an interesting idea, and one which I want to explore further.

When reading a child’s story you automatically become more animated -both physically and vocally- to ensure the child stays attentive and understands what is happening. If the same story were to be told to adults, would the animation cease? Would it be important for the expression to lose excitement? If The Gruffalo were to be told to a group of adults in a more sombre tone, would it change the message of the story?

These are questions which I think need exploring and working through. Especially when placed within a more mature environment.

Works Cited
MagicLightPictures (2011) The Gruffalo – Official Trailer, dir. Jakob Schuh and Max Lang, Online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVkj4McR1Fo (accessed 13 March 2014).

Audience issues.

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Due to the tech reliance I hope to have in my solo performance, my audience capacity will be severely limited. With the world and atmospheres I hope to create within my performance it would be a shame for the involvement and extension to a larger audience to be limited because of certain technical elements.

From the initial idea of having a varied amount of books, a different book for each participant, this became condensed to the idea a maximum of 5 books which then controlled various lighting states in the studio space. Here is a diagram to show this:

s. 2Each number represents a different section of audience, and each section will contain 3 people.
The different coloured lines represent different lights directed at the different groups, which change at certain points within the piece.

Each section of audience will be given a different book to read/listen along. To create a different experience for each for each audience member – as well as each section reading a different book – the lights will also effect each audience member differently within each group. Depending on where they decide to sit within the space, the lights will affect and light each audience member in a different manner, giving them a new and different experience while still enjoying the space as a whole.

The books:
The Gruffalo
Harry Potter
Pride and Prejudice (or another classic like Jane Eyre)
Elsewhere
A horror?

By choosing different genres of books the experiences within the space will vary. Especially if some of the books (well, sections of books) finish before others, therefore allowing those audience members to enjoy the space which has been created around them – with the sound of a page turning every time I turn a page, accompanied by light changes effecting my space while I continue to read in silence, with the constant background sound of what I consider my reading list.

The only difficulty with this concept is that is relies greatly upon the live technical element. With having 5 groups having all different experiences at different times within the space, to make sure that each group has as substantial and immersive experience then becomes difficult.

The concept of hanging different iconic characters from the rigging alongside origami characters still stands, creating a more dense and fictional world the further we venture into the space. Physically walking from ‘reality’, through a curtain of ISBN numbers and entering a ‘fictional’ world, surrounded by items which I associate with reading while creating a world at which the audience feel comfortable in – giving them the chance to for the time of the performance, to live within this fictional world.

Creating a world with origami characters.

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Trying to create a space which retains the essence of reading while making it a more immersive event without entering into a ‘circle time’ idea of relaying a story was one of my initial stumbling blocks. I initially looked at such practitioners as Chris Goode, Laurie Anderson and Tim Crouch, and although they all have different outcomes of their story-telling, they are still essentially ‘story-telling’ (albeit breaking the natural connection we have of being told a story). By creating characters or a narrative, these practitioners mix both music and speech to relay their tales. So, rather than personally telling a story live, I want to create a reading atmosphere by using my recorded voice, the use of music, alterations in light and the use of set.

Recorded voice: when a person reads, they read in their own voice – the descriptions and the dialogue. Rather than myself reading aloud, I want to involve audio books. This way the audience can be told a story on a personal level, but rather than hearing it in their own voice, they are hearing it in my head voice.

Staging idea #1 Staging idea #2
Set idea #1 Set idea #2

Initially I wanted to separate different performance elements. The idea of moving from the real world into a more fictional, personal world.

In idea #1, the space is separated into the real world, a comfortable reading world and an internal world. Moving from the harsh realities of numbers (ISBN numbers), to an idea of an ideal reading world- pillows, blankets, fairy lights- which then contains elements of fiction: hanging cut out images of iconic characters and the opportunity to listen to certain chapters from books. The audience members would then progress into a more internalised space which is centred around a hug book rug which I would be sitting on, reading a book. The space would be lit in a white wash around the space, with colours (pink, yellow, purple, green, orange) which are introduced towards the centre of the space which focus on the rug.

Idea #2
I wanted  to see what would happen if I combined all of these elements into a singular space. The elements remain the same; the audio books, the use of colour, the hanging elements and the creation of a comfortable space but the composition of the space would make the piece more immersive, and overall a more active performance. Personally I like the 2nd idea better as it allows the audience more freedom, while also creating a more dynamic space; with the ideas overlapping and crossing each other’s domains it creates a more intelligent space while allowing a more colourful experience for the audience; allowing them to inhabit one space more fully, allowing them to become more comfortable within it, also allowing them more freedom to own the space as much as I will.
Owning the space won’t come through the domination or interruption of the piece, but by the opportunities given to them. There will be books scattered around the book rug, increasing in density the closer to the rug they get. Hopefully with the space created and after being invited to listen to various audio books, alongside me reading, the audience might feel inclined to pick up a book themselves and involve themselves in my space.

Book rug: I want to make a book rug! A massive rug made from materials, bed sheets, even paper, which is big enough for me to sit comfortably within. When you read, you enter a new world, but by using the rug I can literally enter a new space created by a book! As well as aesthetically looking like a book, it will also work like one with pages that turn!

Sarah Lewis is a theatre maker and designer who works primarily creating set, costume and props for the Nottingham Playhouse. Her designs encompass some of the ideas which I hope to create in my final performance; her use of draping and hanging materials/objects, with her unobtrusive use of lighting lends her designs to a feeling of natural growth, one which is welcoming to the audience and almost has a reach beyond the set rules of stage/spectator. Below are a few images taken from her portfolio which lend themselves towards my imagined image (Lewis also works extensively with puppetry, although those ideas will be ignored for the purpose of ‘creating a world’ here).

TEMPEST 4

Lewis, Sarah (2011) The Tempest, Online: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t4tb0FeMEfU/TvDh3HsG1NI/AAAAAAAAAk8/iUsbqCbtqmg/s1600/TEMPEST+4.jpg [accessed: 1 March 2014].
jar proression

Lewis, Sarah (2010) Memory of a Day, Online: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_d1oG1XYSxOg/TJoTl-eqmCI/AAAAAAAAAH4/gCkcOBHuaKM/s1600/jar+proression.jpg [accessed 1 March 2014].
thousand cranes scale model

Lewis, Sarah (2013) A Thousand Cranes, Online: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8eWeQDkriK8/UVQXA89tCZI/AAAAAAAACYY/fr0XOdIBGJo/s1600/thousand+cranes+scale+model.jpg [accessed: 1 March 2014].
mnd pics

Lewis, Sarah (2010) A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Online: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_d1oG1XYSxOg/TJoTl-eqmCI/AAAAAAAAAH4/gCkcOBHuaKM/s1600/jar+proression.jpg [accessed: 1 March 2014].

tumblr_mnoniiSzo11sn0w0io10_r2_1280

Lewis, Sarah (2013) A Thousand Cranes, Online: http://25.media.tumblr.com/3bfebab1ddd44a61e3b6fb60c3994303/tumblr_mnoniiSzo11sn0w0io10_r2_1280.jpg [accessed: 1 March 2014].