We began by looking at the work of Brecht who uses exaggerated theatre to convey issues. He uses techniques such as placards, the V effect and gestus. I enjoyed exploring Brechts techniques as he opened up other ways to appeal to audiences and how sometimes this can be comedic (using the intelligent effect of slap and tickle). This got the group thinking about what our play can be whilst keeping it loud and informative, therefore we were driven by the basis idea of a game show.
Our play is about:
- Austerity
- The cuts
- The media and how they present people
- Humanity and its matter
- What really matters in society e.g The blind, the poor etc.
- Consumerism
- Growth for the capitalists
- Opinions and statistics on society today
- Professionalism
- Partnership
- Microcosm of society
- The wrongs and rights
We then read both plays Indulge and The Price and fed back on our ideas of these plays. I enjoyed reading The price more as it was informative using the slap and tickle effect. It was an unsettling, gritting play which explored a couple in a supermarket and their financial issues however them wanting to buy a baby off the counter for as cheap as possible. Although i preferred The price, i found Indulge was more informative by highlighting capitalism and the deluded way people see the wrong things in life such as money, competition etc.
Our scenes were casted within each play where we also had the opportunity to create adverts for in between the scenes and game show parts. Our devised scene was based on a focus group who are conveyed differently by the media. Inspired by the work of Brecht we created large, superficial characters and used placards to outline their inner self. For example: my character was the Essex bimbo porn star who's inner self is actually a virgin. To commit to the diverse opinions within a focus group one of the characters are a nerd who disagrees with all of the products. The host chooses to ignore her thoughts and opinions by getting the audience to make noises over her talking.
During the rehearsal process it was difficult to imagine it all coming together and basing it around a central piece (the table) , however once we got it up on its feel in the space we chose to use it was much easier to see a structure to the show. I found it challenging to keep a clear structure and also join in everybody's ideas to make it fair. However as the process went along we were able to add in gestures, movement and lines where necessary to make it more interesting.
Having a symbolised part of the costume to create characters is appealing as it distinguishes characters from one another and also plays a part on how the media represent members of the public. For example the bimbos in the focus group will wear stiletto heels and red lipstick whilst the wife in the price wears a casual scarf. However not only is costume good for creating clear, diverse characters but so is characterisation. Therefore to create my characters I made them bold and exaggerated stereotypes of society (this is to reflect the wrong way the media represent the public).
The day of Indulge in the price:
The day of the final rehearsal was challenging as we set out the space and used props we had planned. The most challenging part of the day was working with another director who hadn't seen the play before, however once he came to terms with the piece and the atmosphere of it we were able to get constructive criticism as an ensemble to improve the final performance. Much of the improvements were for volume and energy, i found that i was consistently able to give this throughout the day however it was challenging remaining focus to commit to the scene changes, furthermore it was a lot to remember as the entire show switches between a game show, two scripted plays and short devised scenes.
The rehearsal process dragged and each time we did a run through the pace was slow and the duration of the play lasted over an hour. On the positive side, we were able to take advice in speeding up the play and making it slicker. I was able to remember each scene change and urge others to know theirs too which helped the speeding up process. Therefore for our actual performance it moved quickly and the energy levels remained high. The duration of the performance was just over half an hour which was effective as the audiences attention remained throughout to understand the issues we wanted to convey.
I believe each devised scene worked well as they were informative and energetic. Clearly a lot of research and preparation had gone into these short scene as they never became stagnant and the audience laughed at moments we had hoped, moreover they had understood each hidden meaning without it being fed to them. Furthermore each group created ambitious scenes which worked well within the entire play. In my focus group scene we used symbolic props such as stilettos and lipstick to convey a certain type of character. We also participated the audience into making noises over a character to highlight the way we perceive people based on how the media represent them. All of our ideas had come together effectively for this scene.
Each scripted scene worked well and lines were picked up by one another's energy and focus. A big help during our performance was the ensemble being quiet and focussed on the scenes happening on stage, this prevented any distractions. During my scripted scene my partner lost a line where we were able to pick it up swiftly by knowing the structure of our scenes and characterisation to improvise. The audience didn't notice as we made it clear and our characterisation was bold and strong enough to proceed. I enjoyed the audience reaction where i said the line "What about the baby?" it was a true 'slap and tickle' moment where the audience hadn't expected it coming and could comprehend the severity of what our scene was conveying in reference to a political issue.
To finish our piece we effectively calmed the piece down by showing the effect our political issues raised are doing. Our 270 word monologues overlapping eachother was a beautiful moment for the audience as they could tune into individual stories. The symbol of placing a single flower onto the table is a representation as to what people see as importance, to highlight this further we announced the price of each flower and concluded our piece by saying "Love is priceless" as an ensemble.
If we did the show again I would make the ending clearer with a final Brechtian technique of slap and tickle. I found the audience wasn't entirely sure when the play was over as it just came to an end rather suddenly after all the chaos of energetic scenes. Furthermore i would have a roller-coaster of emotions throughout so the audience comprehend the different opinions and thoughts of the issues in society today.
Overall i believe Indulge in the price went far better than planned and we bought it together effectively as an ensemble. For stronger ensemble work in the future i believe we need to sustain our focus and be able to get more done in rehearsals to fulfil our potentials for the final show. I enjoyed the tacky props as it all linked in with the game show and unrealistic style of acting. This play tested me as an actor as i had to bare in mind Brechtian techniques of acting. Usually i am used to naturalism therefore this play allowed me to experiment more with bolder characterisation, wacky ideas and Brechtian style placards and props.
The day of the final rehearsal was challenging as we set out the space and used props we had planned. The most challenging part of the day was working with another director who hadn't seen the play before, however once he came to terms with the piece and the atmosphere of it we were able to get constructive criticism as an ensemble to improve the final performance. Much of the improvements were for volume and energy, i found that i was consistently able to give this throughout the day however it was challenging remaining focus to commit to the scene changes, furthermore it was a lot to remember as the entire show switches between a game show, two scripted plays and short devised scenes.
The rehearsal process dragged and each time we did a run through the pace was slow and the duration of the play lasted over an hour. On the positive side, we were able to take advice in speeding up the play and making it slicker. I was able to remember each scene change and urge others to know theirs too which helped the speeding up process. Therefore for our actual performance it moved quickly and the energy levels remained high. The duration of the performance was just over half an hour which was effective as the audiences attention remained throughout to understand the issues we wanted to convey.
I believe each devised scene worked well as they were informative and energetic. Clearly a lot of research and preparation had gone into these short scene as they never became stagnant and the audience laughed at moments we had hoped, moreover they had understood each hidden meaning without it being fed to them. Furthermore each group created ambitious scenes which worked well within the entire play. In my focus group scene we used symbolic props such as stilettos and lipstick to convey a certain type of character. We also participated the audience into making noises over a character to highlight the way we perceive people based on how the media represent them. All of our ideas had come together effectively for this scene.
Each scripted scene worked well and lines were picked up by one another's energy and focus. A big help during our performance was the ensemble being quiet and focussed on the scenes happening on stage, this prevented any distractions. During my scripted scene my partner lost a line where we were able to pick it up swiftly by knowing the structure of our scenes and characterisation to improvise. The audience didn't notice as we made it clear and our characterisation was bold and strong enough to proceed. I enjoyed the audience reaction where i said the line "What about the baby?" it was a true 'slap and tickle' moment where the audience hadn't expected it coming and could comprehend the severity of what our scene was conveying in reference to a political issue.
To finish our piece we effectively calmed the piece down by showing the effect our political issues raised are doing. Our 270 word monologues overlapping eachother was a beautiful moment for the audience as they could tune into individual stories. The symbol of placing a single flower onto the table is a representation as to what people see as importance, to highlight this further we announced the price of each flower and concluded our piece by saying "Love is priceless" as an ensemble.
If we did the show again I would make the ending clearer with a final Brechtian technique of slap and tickle. I found the audience wasn't entirely sure when the play was over as it just came to an end rather suddenly after all the chaos of energetic scenes. Furthermore i would have a roller-coaster of emotions throughout so the audience comprehend the different opinions and thoughts of the issues in society today.
Overall i believe Indulge in the price went far better than planned and we bought it together effectively as an ensemble. For stronger ensemble work in the future i believe we need to sustain our focus and be able to get more done in rehearsals to fulfil our potentials for the final show. I enjoyed the tacky props as it all linked in with the game show and unrealistic style of acting. This play tested me as an actor as i had to bare in mind Brechtian techniques of acting. Usually i am used to naturalism therefore this play allowed me to experiment more with bolder characterisation, wacky ideas and Brechtian style placards and props.
Indulge in the Price
"Love is priceless"
