Category Archives: Development

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].

“Boys in books are better”

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Telling a story, or even living through one, is one of the most human creative and personal experiences. Be it either told through word of mouth or written on a page, storytelling is, in my opinion, one of the most magical capabilities of the human imagination. Although the words on a page remain the same, they hold the power to affect everyone who reads those words differently; holding an imagination to ransom while sculpting emotions and individual responses, creating an fully fledged world which we inhabit while the book is open. Making us fall in love with the villain or protagonist, cry over those who came to be out best friends when they die or meet an untimely end and ultimately leave us screaming out in frustration while we wait for the sequel to be published because we need to know if the uprising will be successful/who will survive/will they fall in love/when will the zombies appear. All this because of a connection to created to the words placed in front of us.

I am not alone in my love of books (and indeed their respective protagonists). From early literary characters such as Mr Darcy (Pride and Prejudice) and Mr Rochester (Jayne Eyre) to modern ones such as Augustus Waters (The Fault in Our Stars) and Charlie (The Perks of Being a Wallflower), our expectations of men has been forever tainted by these dark, mysterious and ultimately heart-melting fictional characters. While also challenging our perceptions of male characters and healthy relationships, literature also allows  room for role-models to emerge with strong female leads such as Hermione Granger (Harry Potter), Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games), Jayne Eyre (Jayne Eyre), Celie (The Color Purple) and Hazel Grace (The Fault in Our Stars). So while encouraging the imagination through the creation of new worlds, reading can also help craft and construct consciousness, developed, independent and strong personal qualities.

books-fall-open-mary-engelbreit

To fall head over heels with a fictional character to then have t0 finish a book and leave them in their universe leaves a strange void in a readers life (well, mine anyway). Trying to cherish the last few pages of a story, knowing that as you turn the last page your adventure in the created universe will come to an end. Yet knowing you can pick up where you left off, having the option to re-live the entire adventure by simply opening the book again. The opportunity will always be there.

Creating their own worlds, within their own genres, authors allow their readers to live multiple lives through the lives of the characters. Jumping from monster to pirate, heaven to a dystopian future, running from an infectious virus to worrying about passing an exam. Living in different decades and places, books offer you the gift of time-travel, giving you the chance to become completely immersed in a new/old time period of your choice.

The immersive world of a book is something which amazes me, and an ability which I am grateful for when reading. It is this immersive atmosphere which I want to create during my solo performance – allowing the audience to feel comfortable and at home in a space where they can become engrossed in a story, surrounded by images from different stories and created worlds, being welcomed into a space where characters and fiction collide with reality.

Works Cited
Fletcher, Carrie Hope (2013) Boys In Books Are Better, dir Carrie Hope Fletcher, Online: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80r-ifiy53U (accessed 18 February 2014).