the Happy Ending!!

1. The transitions towards the final stage of the performance turned out to be a very backward route towards the final footsteps in the process of Fractal, the weakness that I felt disheartened about was, at the start of the week a very doubting part to the final path leading to the performance, there was an outburst in the Saturdays session with people getting at each other and instinctively then felt that we all were in for a terribly bad bumpy ride. When the problem was resolved around the ritual there was then a sudden change into the atmosphere around this part to the performance it was then quicker, better and more synchronised than it had ever been. The best strength I have enjoyed in this is the way we have grown more as friends but as a team together, and through the toughest bit of the process we have managed to remain friends and have gelled well within our ‘TEAM FRACTAL’. I feel that at the start I was quite self reflected towards the process and found it quite hard within the first 10-11 weeks of the training process, then as if the coin dropped after our Christmas break I felt really then emotion involved and the quickly began to find the first instinctive meaning to my character. Then when we had to choose what groups we had to work within I was chuffed with the group I got put within with Alex and Joe and so feel within this team I really dug in and created a whole different character that was a little reflective towards me myself.


2. I feel that the growth of the performance part-took ion these three shows. I felt really nervous in the first showing and second performance then again I felt more nervous towards the last one, but also as if from nowhere I found energy in my body that I thought had disappeared from both a physical and emotion drain. I feel that my character and the growth of it has been very enjoyable for me and for other’s somehow I could come to the lessons feeling down or drained and found myself within an environment I wanted to become a bigger part of. I remember one morning on finding the growth of my character I was flexing in a self contained warm up finding myself rolled over backwards and the when Royona came in I felt an urge to stay like I was rolled over and turn over when I was ready this was the character I wanted to build on. In the performance a feel that I was pushed to explore a physical state of a male role as what could be perceived a homosexual, I found it hard at the start to focus on this soon changed as my emotion input become more efficient, I became reliable on both Joe, and Alex with pushing myself to do lifts and catches with Joe, but my favourite was my superman jump and in the second show when I did it the woman in the front row flinched. My role within fractal became efficient five or six weeks prior to the performance, my role was to be a male feature but explore roles within them through the use of others in the community. My part in my emotion exploration was I undertook something that as soon as I became focused found to be more intense every time, my relationship with Joe, and a question I world frequently ask myself is ‘how far will I go’? We pushed the male bonding role really well and from the input of Joe I found to see him more as the bigger brother role and I always wanted to be cheeky but get his attention more when he was neglected from Alex. My relationship with Alex was again a playful role for me but with Alex was more mischievous, he always showed to Joe that he was a little jealous of what me and Joe had but the when his attention was drawn to Rachel me and Joe could easily be persuade that he didn’t need Alex because he had me. I have enjoyed undergoing building the foundations to my character and I further more enjoyed building my character and so I have enjoyed the journey that I have come on.

3. Well September 2007 seems a pretty long off now and I feel that I have been on an adventure to a creative process in the community and world of fractal that I am so proud to be a part of. The blog has created a sideline to our work as our community and has intertwined within the process from the very start. Using the blog gave me the understanding and the knowledge that I needed to create my character and so from this is where the foundations and morals for my character were interpreted. I feel that the blog is the script of our journey that we couldn’t speak a part of in our performance. The community has evolved now within three shows and it is going to be greatly missed by all. Thank you all for a lovely journey but it is now time to leave the adventure and return to the natural surroundings within us. However this is not GOODBYE!

A big Thank you from me to PAul and Royona!!

final blog

Final Blog
Emily Stephens

Evaluate the transition of the final stages of the process into performance, paying attention to strengths and weaknesses encountered by the company.

During our final stages of fractal we have had to draw on what we have learnt during the process and incorporate it into the performance. We had all come so far through this process however we still had techniques that could still be polished. As we had the week within the arena to set the space and do dress and technical rehearsals it helped we were able to modify the performance to the space and get used the new staging with all the props and staging in the correct places. I think the strengths as a company were we all co-operated as one and helped each other out by supporting each others sections and being able to give feed back on what we thought on different sections within the piece. This was one on the most physical and emotional draining weeks it took everything out me however it was extremely enjoyable.

Due to circumstances we couldn’t control we had the chance to write a letter to one person we had an interaction with. In this letter we could write anything that we wanted to say through the performance that we couldn’t say to their face, this was so beneficial to me I felt such a stronger connection with my partner it gave me more intentions and emotional feelings behind my character and answered questions I was asking myself. This help in the final bit of the week by performing.

The company overcame setbacks within the week as we had to call an extra rehearsal on the Monday due to us not getting a full run on the Saturday. We also had to pick up the pace of the piece as it was running far too long and also people had to work on their individual pieces to get more emotional connection.


Evaluate the growth of the performance over the three shows, with particular emphasis on your own role within it.

The three shows that were performed in the arena changed every show we had the three days before to run through and get ourselves ready to perform to our first paying audience. Thursday matinee was not the best one for me it was good and every thing went well, however I didn’t feel as connected to the piece I was there in the body but my character wasn’t there in spirit. After the first performance had finished we all got to sit in and speak to each other and sort out little things that had gone wrong we were told it was good however we could put in more emotional clarity with our duets and trios and I knew I had to do that already as I didn’t feel emotionally connected through out with both of my partners. During the time between the two shows I got to go through parts with both partners and we gained a greater connection from just changing little parts and interactions in our duets.

The second show came and I felt more prepared as soon as we had warmed up I was ready coming onto the stage just lifted it more connections I had with people were stronger and different thing happened. The whole performance felt a lot smoother and stronger bits were just gelling together transitions between sections were ironed out. After the section with the whole community Liam and myself focused on our part it started out well and when I came if stage I felt a lot better than I did in the previous show I had felt more in sync with Liam and it felt in control. As the bowl section came up I was focused I was so lost within the bowl it was every thing on the stage I had impulses of emotions I hadn’t had before I went into other lights and had contact with other people’s bowls. When the community came back on I was with Craig the feelings and emotions were so tense our hands touched at one point where they hadn’t before and the initial though was so strong there was a moment we just looked at each other with tears in our eyes and then when we moved we did it in sync every step. After the community dispersed and Frankie and Glenford duets took place I felt so emotional and thinking about what had just happened with Craig. This felt my best performance as I was so much more focused.

Friday’s performance came and we prepared as usual we had all come so far from the beginning of the year to this point of our last show. I knew I had to give it every thing I had left in this performance, every thing seemed even more polished and smooth it just seemed to go so quickly even thought it wasn’t rushed. Everybody was so focused on this last performance. The cast had developed so much we had all learnt the new skills and techniques and brought them altogether in different ways all that had help us all perform different sections of fractal. Each performance seemed to get better, others may think different ones were there strongest performance however I feel that the final one was the best as every one was really up for it and determined.




Comment on the effectiveness of the blog as a reflective means of charting your journey through the entire process which began in September 2007.
During the process we commented and left our thoughts on the blog I found this very helpful and also effective. We got to see how each other was feeling and thoughts on the process we were taking during the lectures. Looking back on comments I see how much progress I made within the time

“I trusted my partner in the fact that she could hold me and support my weight but i myself wouldn’t fully commit to letting myself go, and trying new things.”

Em, 06 November 2007, 14.44.
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1616443755140753940&postID=7371696554138292007

if I was told six months later I would have performed duet with a partner on stage allowing him to catch me and pick me up I wouldn’t have believed it. I find it interesting looking at the comments of how every one felt and then think what they did in the performance and the blog was like our personal diaries that you will look back in years to come and remember the certain lecture and the process we have all made.
Being able to look back makes you think of what you as an individual has achieved in the space of a year doing process and performance all the blood, sweat and tears that have gone into the final piece and the journeys we have all experienced as a company and grown as performers.

Frankie Meredith-final assessment

1.The week building up to the performance was one of extreme physical and emotional exhaustion. Starting off from the working weekend on the Saturday it felt like we did not stop until our bow on Friday night. For me this final journey was one of the toughest parts of the whole process. I still could not grasp the emotional connection to the other characters that was an essential part of my journey through Fractal, up until the second performance I was still questioning myself as a performer and whether or not my character had any true emotional depth or connection to the piece. As a company we encountered many set backs during the week, such as the first run through on the Saturday morning. This initial full company run through lacked any real emotion and pace, two essential components for a physical theatre piece. It felt as if Fractal had lost its originality and the movements whether pedestrian or technical were not organic anymore and were being done for the sake of it as opposed to still having that element of being moved for a reason. Luckily this was overcome and I think it is down to people re-establishing their emotional connections with their own characters, where they fit in within the community and the ones closest to them. 'There is something alive in every individual which makes him capable of giving outward manifestation, to his feelings, or rather, to that which inwardly stirs him’ (Wigman, 1996 p.364) In parts of the final week I felt extremely distant from any part of Fractal. There was a session in which we were told to write a letter to a person we feel closest to in Fractal. During this exercise I felt the same as I did at the beginning of the process, lost, alone and wondering why everybody else seemed to grasp the concept and emotion of the piece except for me. I did not write a letter to anybody. Although reflecting on this I have come to the conclusion that we all would have had obstacles to overcome during the process and this was one of mine on the journey through Fractal, without these set backs my character would not have been the same and my Fractal experience completely different. 2. ‘A word does not begin as a word, … it begins as an impulse’ (Brook,1968 p.72) The impulses used in physical theatre are what start off the process ‘in physical theatre, whether the performers are dancers or actors, the process is still the same: ideas are scored in rehearsal through the body. Everybody starts by searching for the somatic impulse.’ (Callery, 2001 p.8) this impulse is carried on up until the end of the final performance. It is what physical theatre is built upon, impulses and feelings. I had to put a strong emphasis on my own natural instincts during the performances in the final pond scene. Earlier on in the day I had rehearsed for the first time my submersion into the tank and explored the most effective ways of conveying my characters last movements and moments. By playing around and trying out different ways of conveying these final moments I tipped the water out into the pond from my glass. Paul and Royona seemed to think that this was an interesting and meaningful gesture that should be used, and against my own impulse to not do this during the performance, I did. For me it shattered the illusion and broke the near silence that was essential part of the final scene. Although I trust Paul and Royona one hundred percent and have done throughout the entire process, this one time I was glad to go back to my own initial instincts of how to enter the pond and convey my characters and the final moments of Fractal. There was an exercise which Royona led after the warm up that really helped me get into the mind and body of my character. It started with the use of a gesture that was prominent in our characters journey through Fractal ‘Actors who try to play the feeling first will be invariably less successful than those who try to find the physical configuration of the face and body’ (Callery, 2001 p.151) it showed how through starting the process of getting into character could be achieved by a small gesture was much more effective than just sitting in the wings ‘thinking’ about how our character would be feeling, this would not only defy the whole purpose of physical theatre but also I do not feel is an effective way of getting in to your character. During the first performance I was constantly worrying about if I would remember the duet or get any of the techniques correct, this affected my performance but also reinforced to me that the body does memorise just as well, if not more than the mind, ‘It is clear that muscles remember. Actors and dancers remember the physical sore of the action just as pianist fingers remember the notes’ (Callery, 2001, P. 149) by the second performance I was not worrying about the moves or techniques but fully concentrating on my characters emotional state, and this led to a much more effective and emotional-driven performance. I found the audience on the second performance gave a lot more back to me, as opposed to the afternoon. This gave me the confidence to realise that I was a part of Fractal (if not the community) and I had a responsibility to let the audience members into the world of Fractal and take them on the journey with us. ‘If I want someone to be touched I have to find out how I find movement that will truly touch someone, as opposed to just doing pretty movement.’ www.dv8.co.uk 3.I have never taken part in a module where a blog has been such an important means of communication and development. It allows us to leave the workshop for practical sessions and the theory and discussions to take place in an environment made for just that. The Fractal blog has aided me immensely and was a very important part of establishing my character. It was on the blog that I initially felt like I was not grasping the genre of dance-theatre, while it seemed as if everybody else was thriving and becoming deeply connected to the work and process I felt secluded and isolated. It was not obvious at first but Royona and Paul really did use the blog as a means of bringing in scenarios and helping us become connected to our characters as they read and acted upon what was written by us on the blog. And one final thing, thank you Royona for persuading me not to become a sceneographer.

final blog

Joseph Williams

1. Evaluate the transition of the final stages of the process into performance, paying attention to strengths and weaknesses encountered by the company.

We as a company encountered several problems during the time of putting the process into the performance but also achieved several successes. One of the major areas of focus during the performance week came from the scenographic aspect as the first viewing of the stage and set gave the company a new sense of focus as we could define where our characters journey began. This aspect clearly aided the strength of the piece in helping with the characterisation and the companies drive as the work during undertaken during the workshops leading up to the performance week became very much about ‘cleaning’ the work and at times nature of the work required an almost mechanical process to ensure aspects such as entrances and exits were arranged. Other strengths of the piece came in its overriding sense of achievement that was felt by the company after achieving the high amount of emotional intensity required to convey the various stories. This may sound like a superficial strength but what gives the achievement substance is the fact that everyone had so much input into their work in terms of its initial creation, is editing and its at times hard to take moments of honest reflection where sections had to be scrapped so we therefore gave the characters a real personal touch.
An area of weakness perhaps amongst the company was perhaps the shock level encountered when taking the work into the theatre as the processes flowing nature was halted and was at times required to be almost mechanical to iron out the details and whilst a warning about this was given the frustration I felt people had was bubbling under the surface as their focus was distracted by the arrangement of various cues for example. What could perhaps be perceived as another area of weakness (in the few areas that there are weaknesses in) is the time of reflection offered to others. The reason I say this may be perceived as a weakness is the fact that it wasn’t of vital importance as everyone was given feedback in the form of notes and would the time had permitted such a response I would say that a group discussion about where the work was going during the performance week would have been beneficial.

2. Evaluate the growth of the performance over the three shows, with particular emphasis on your own role within it.

In terms of my own growth throughout the three shows I would have to say that the emotional input was definitely intensified upon entering the ‘Fractal environment’ a feeling that I feel was mutual among the cast and I would say was particularly evident in the relationship between Alex, Ashley and myself. My own journey throughout the production explored an interesting dynamic in its exploration of male bonding, the most uncomfortable being what could be perceived as a homosexual relationship explored physically by the lifts and catches me and Ashley undertook. Looking at the shows chronologically, the first one if I was being honest was predictably the first show as I was very much about finding myself in what was in effect a new environment having left the comfort of the drama studio. Again I would include a discussion about the scenography of the piece as the emotional intensity required from us as performers came from all aspects of the piece, this inevitably included the scenography, particularly the lighting which set a suitable mood for each ‘story’. Where my own journey was complicated was in how much development I had to decide was required in the relationships I had established with Alex and Ashley. What made this interesting to explore was how varied the relationships were in their dynamic as with Ashley (as previously mentioned) it would be fairly accurate to say there was a sexual undercurrent throughout the meetings a venture that was unable to be encountered by the counteracting laddish behaviour me and Ashley undertook. In Alex’s case our relationship was much more strained and our section as a trio was about regaining Alex’s friendship whos interest in me and Ashley was either fading or becoming jealous and separated as me and Ashley were very much a duo throughout.
Emotionally my journey as a character was an attempt to get what I want without having to look like I care too much about it but at the same time the worry was there when the situation changed. This was demonstrated practically in my first meeting with Alex where we shake hands and seem content with each others company I therefore don’t have that much interest in Ashley initially as I feel he is needy and I don’t need to do anything to gain his friendship. This however changes when I realise Alex has other interests and I therefore look to Ashley for support and reassurance, this then forms the basis for any further exploration of our relationship.

3. Comment on the effectiveness of the blog as a reflective means of charting your journey through the entire process which began in September 2007.

The blog has been very beneficial in terms of the opportunity it presented us with to self reflect on the work we had created and the process in general. This was important as it was outside of the workshop arena and was a chance to analyse the work academically which inevitably presented the company to describe the journey or perhaps explain where they anticipated or wanted their journey to go in words should they struggle to convey this physically. What also made the blogs a valuable part of the process was the fact that it offered the company the chance to get an insight into where people felt they were at with the work and with the benefit of this knowledge people could see areas in which people struggled or enjoyed. I would also say this helped develop people’s interactions as characters an awareness of what connection people felt with your character could help us as performers decide if these interactions were worth exploring.

Scenographic Blog Three - Phoebe Elliott

1. My process as a scenographer has been to plan, design, observe and consider many ideas for the performance of Fractal over the previous months and during last weeks preparation our ideas came alive. It was invigorating being a part of the production team as I gained a very different experience to the performers; whilst they worked on the finishing touches of Fractal, the scenography team and I were hard at work rigging lights, building the pond, buying and setting props and generally preparing the performance space accordingly to the plan designed for the piece.

We encountered problems just like any other process such as finding the correct props for the piece; this took up a lot more time than I would have liked however, the performers personal props had so much significance it was important we chose the correct style, weight etc in which the performer felt comfortable with but also corresponded well within the piece. Some last minute lighting changes were needed and at the time it seemed we would not have much room for last minute sound and lighting rehearsals, however when you are passionate about the work and willing to find the time everything seems to fall into place.

I had the role of the Stage Manager within the production team. A quote taken from Careers in technical Theatre states, “Stage Managers as a group find it difficult to fully detail what their duties actually are because they do everything.” Mike Lawler (2007, Pg 14)
This wasn’t strictly true in my case however I had many responsibilities throughout the production, from calling cues, photographing performers to setting props and washing the lunch boxes. I was kept busy most of the week and I loved every minute of it. I had my insecurities at first, I questioned how reliable I would be at remembering my duties but after the production week, by the time the first performance came along I was too busy doing my duties to worry about not doing them.

When the time came for the performers to see the work we had achieved I felt extremely pleased and proud when they saw it. We had to lose many of our original ideas due to time and circumstance but I would not change a thing about our end product. We received positive feedback from the cast which was exactly what we had hoped for as the space was created for them and I would like to think that it was reflected throughout the performance.

2. I felt much more confident within my role as the Stage Manager each time Fractal was performed. Before our first rehearsal, our tech run Paul stated; “The performers have has the past year to prepare for this performance whereas the tech team have just one morning,” hearing this certainly put things into perspective and sent nerves running up my spine. Each of my duties up to that point had been very relaxed and no large amount of pressure was given to me and it was at that stage I realised actually how much the entire cast and staff were counting on me to make everything run smoothly within the productions. I have to say I think if anything the pressure only helped my motivation, it certainly kept me alert and engaged within every performance and rehearsal.

There were minor problems in Thursdays Matinee performances such as a slow sound cue during Ross and Ruth’s lunchbox scene, the music is supposed to begin just as they open their lunch boxes and during the rehearsals it seemed to run smoothly however getting the timing just righted deemed much more difficult under pressure. By Friday’s performance it came quite naturally I think the reason being I felt much more confident in the role by then whereas Thursdays first performance was only my second time at calling the cues and the nerves were still quite fresh.

By the time Thursdays evening performance came along I was feeling very positive and it must have seemed obvious as the lighting technicians were talking over cans much more, which was pleasant at first as I felt calm in my role however at the end of the performance a vital lighting cue was triggered early due to a mix up over the cans and we had to slowly take it out again. I felt was so disappointed, the only good part about it was that Craig was centre stage and so it seemed as if we were highlighting him so the audience was non the wiser, but I knew it was a mistake and I left that performance on a real low.

I thought about it overnight and if anything it inspired me more to get our last performance of Fractal spot on. I was extremely pleased with Fridays performance the performers were at there best and there were no technical difficulties. I felt confident each rehearsal at setting and preparing the props as I have been working on and with them throughout this entire process I know where each prop should go and where was bought however the technical work was brand new to me therefore it is understandable there were problems and I am pleased to have worked in such an important role. I received great feedback from my fellow performers and lecturers which I am very thankful for I had an amazing team to work with who supported me throughout and I could not have done it without any of them.

3. This is the first chance I have had to record my thoughts and feelings of a lesson and listen to others who share your same opinion or even debate. I have found the experience extremely effective from the beginning when we all took the physical and emotional journey learning the different techniques and approaches to the work it was helpful and interesting to see how others around you were feeling. This was a module in which I had interest in but no previous knowledge or experience therefore by reading the work of others and noting down my own journey, it was a great way to see if I was developing a good understanding or simply getting it all wrong.

The more recent blogs gave us a chance to learn from others for example; after we shared some of our earlier scenographic ideas with the group, the initial response at first was very positive and everyone seemed to like our work. However the comments on the blog gave people a chance to share details they were not comfortable to talk about in class. This was a step in the right direction for our development as our design work was created for the performers and it was necessary they felt comfortable within their performance space.

I have enjoyed reading the blog this year it is interesting to understand the work we are covering from someone else’s perspective.

Scenographic Images

Lanterns

Grand Piano with photo frames

The pond

An example of a photgraph that will be placed on piano, displaying the performers relationship

Blog 2

Joseph Williams

The uses of pedestrian gestures in Fractal play a key part in establishing relationships and can be an indication of where characters journeys are or have been going. Areas in which these gestures become useful is with the clarity that they can convey, the benefits of which are felt and seen by cast and audience members, for example something as simple as turning away from a character can symbolise the breakdown of a relationship this is an experience my character suffers when trying regain Alex’s focus during his initial sighting of another character. What makes this more poignant is the fact that there is no exchange of dialogue in this instance so the audience are asked to read the body and feel the emotion rather than simply listen to dialogue. This ties in with Broadhurst’s point of gestures originating directly in real life as the small movement of turning away does suggest a lack of interest on the person’s behalf and the fact the audience are required to interpret the gesture without dialogue follows Broadhurst’s point stating that “art and everyday life become merged.”
The body’s licence to become art is exploited further within the genre of physical theatre the reason for this could simply be that the body needs to do the talking the lack of dialogue doesn’t in Fractal. To take the term art literally in the context of the body as art you could look at it traditionally in terms of pictures and sculptures for example, but there is evidence of these in Fractal particularly in the use of pauses where the action is momentarily frozen and we see the story of relationships in ‘pictures’ ranging from an emotionally engaging hold in an intimate, two person relationship to a powerful stopping of the action examples of which are seen in the scene between the females and James. These scenes are a prime example of how simple, pedestrian gestures within the realms of physical theatre convey meaning “Physical theatre is more than simply abstract movement – it includes some element of character, narrative, relationships, and interaction between the performers, not necessarily linear or obvious.” http://nycphysicaltheatre.com/definition.aspx. This quote further relates to the world of Fractal where the narrative isn’t always apparent or linear and as the opening of the previous quote states physical theatre isn’t simply abstract movements. In fact the magic that can be experienced when watching a piece of physical theatre can be as much about a simple, pedestrian gesture as it can be about a challenging sequence of movements.