Today I finalised the Devising Theatre Company Written Assignment on the Theatre Company Gecko. Even though I had already completed a first draft and thorough research on what was essential to describe the company and its processes, I wanted to find more. This time I let myself get carried away with research not looking for something specific, while also noting down relevant information and facts.

This way I got to truly understand the company and their intentions. I felt like theatre is so much more than just a subject. One should never focus on just the grades but rather immerse into the world of theatre and explore as much as possible. After one has done that, only then it is possible to enact and perform theatre with the condition that you’re fully devoted to it; every aspect of you is present in the process without meaning that you overthink but rather that you concentrate.

I feel motivated to be in the world of theatre which is so much more than just being a good performer. I am now able to say that theatre is a holistic experience and involves lighting, movement, choreography, sound, etc.

Love,
Konstantina

This post is just going to be an update of what has been happening in my life lately. Don’t worry, just my theatre life.

So lately you may have noticed even though I still post somehow often, I do not reflect upon my theatre experiences that often. But I am here to make up for that and share with you, my experiences through this time.

So even though I have not been documenting everything I have tried to enrich my theatre-related actions as much as possible. From attending DP2 Solo Performances to helping organise Mama Mia the musical, I have witnessed enough material to enlighten my own individual journey.

I shall start with the

DP2 PERFORMANCES

which succeeded in changing my perspective. The once terrifying and intimidating act of creating your own performance from scratch now became for me a renowned and creative journey that can be made possible with effort and meraki.

Now getting into the details I would like to write down a few of my notes during their performances that I found interesting. It could be elements that impressed me, details that surprised me, or movements that I found puzzling.

In order to avoid personification, I will not be mentioning the performer’s names.

So the first performance I watched was a really symbolic piece that involved different characters and often changes of setting elements.

The movements being harmonic added fluidity in the performance piece,
while the facial expressions added clarity
Symbolism was profound throughout the performance, maybe to an extent that the meaning was too deep for the audience to identify
Different characters enriched the actions and added meaning, but in combination with the extensive symbolism, it resulted in confusion.
The emotion that was intended to be created on the audience failed as observed from the questions in the end. The audience deep into trying to understand the meaning was unable to be emotionally taken away with the Solo Performance.

Shelves form restrictions possibly of society
Books could represent knowledge

The second performance was performed to extenuate the effect of religious compression.

After a few minutes of technical difficulties, it was obvious that the performance was going to be using multimedia.
Once the projector and sound were ready the performance set off.
It all started with a really powerful detail. So after the really characteristical church music started playing the image of a cross appeared on the fabric besides. The powerful detail that I am about to share is about the placing of the projector and consequently the light. Not knowing whether it is indeed intentional or not I was impressed when the base of the cross originates from the performers back. This could have so many connotations such as that religion is based on humans, religion is a human invention and so on. Here is a drawing to demonstrate that:
The performance overall was extremely interesting which was intensified by the fact the performer developed a personal relationship with the audience by intending the monologue to them.
Lastly, the audibility levels were not always kept at a satisfactory point since there were moments in which the audience could not hear.
A detail that should be noticed is the choice to place flour on top of a box, so when the person kicked it there was dust everywhere nd the effect was intensified.

Now let’s move on to

MAMMA MIA

Image result for mamma mia the musical

Mama Mia was the zenith of setting, design and lighting.
With the focus not being on creating a deep meaning but rather an entertaining atmosphere, different elements of singing, dancing and one-line jokes were incorporated. The costume designing managed to use a low budget and turn it into wonders by playing with light and neon lights.

Being an usher I had the privilege to watch the play thrice!

So the No 1. thing that I would take out from this experience would be how the performances and the entire show changed from night to night. In the first night where staff and workers compiled the audience the cast was nervous and appeared inexperienced in a way that they were exaggerating certain parts and pulling them off hilariously well but in other parts, the insecurity blended in and there were awkward moments.

It was not only for performers and cast members but also the light crew which had difficulties identifying the moments which required lighting and which person to light each time.

The next night everything run surprisingly smoothly. The performers got over their first-time anxiety and performed marvellously on the Greek style stage. They had the confidence and the skills to ensure that the microphones were on all the time and their performance was on point. The performance was impressive, to the extent that an audience member who had attended the Broadway production shared the surprising resemblance of the two.

The third night, I would say came out better than the first one but a little less energetic than the second one. Small mistakes due to coordination were replaced with mechanical synchronisation of all. The crew was though less energetic not putting 100% effort.

This is really interesting to observe because unless you’re an audience member for 3 consecutive nights you cannot point out.

It is definitely a lesson I will have in my head for future chances I get to make more than one-time performances.

But not to come off as rude or unappreciative, the overall musical was mouth-dropping with new elements of homosexuality that gave the play a newer feel.

These and more theatre chances have encouraged me to get back into the creative world of theatre with a new area and determination to perform and communicate meaning but also to dig deeper and unravel the magic of artists’ work.

Month: April 2017

Lighting in Theatre

Realism:

Naturalism:

REALISM:

COLORS:

PIGMENT:

R; Devising Theatre Company

Exposed to Theatre Outside of Class

DP2 PERFORMANCES

MAMMA MIA