14 March 2012:
LECTURE:
Today's guest lecturer was GEM RUDD-ORTHNER:
[GemSkii is a ]one woman show 'TRANSFORMATION' a true story. A highly physical retelling of [her] life and the events that led [her] to need to transform and how [she] managed to do it. Inspirational, gutsy, raw. Used now as a performance tool with accompanying issue and non issue based workshops. Fringe award winning show.
[She] do[es] cabaret and have a body rhythms performance. [She has] pieces on sexuality and love writing new things. (Gemskii, 2012: http://socialartsnetwork.ning.com/profile/gemskii)
Gemskii is a very interesting solo performer who uses her life stories within her performances. The way she expresses herself through dance, movement, song and text is fascinating to watch. She performed a number of of her solo pieces for us but the one that I felt more connected to and in a way understand was her piece called 'TRANSFORMATION. She speaks about her life from a very young age from her mother divorcing her father and how she had three other dads. Moving to Ireland and her upbringing from there, living in a huge home with many animals, being private schooled. She also speaks about serious matters of abuse, self-harming, attempting suicide and drug use and addiction.
As she begins her performances you cannot help by be drawn into her story. She graduated from East 15 and is trained in dance, ballet, acting among the rest. A three times convicted criminal she works with a lot of ex-offenders.
http://www.cleanbreak.org.uk:
An organization that [Gemskii] discovered on probation for drug possession. They were part of the beginning of her [piece] 'TRANSFORMATION.' [Gemskii] worked with them whenever possible and they champion [her]. [She is] one of their ambassadors. (Gemskii, 2012: http://socialartsnetwork.ning.com/profile/gemskii)
CLIP OF TRANSFORMATION:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HKvoDj29Vg
TRANSFORMATION INCLUDED:
Humor (I like how Gemskii took serious matters and added humor to them. People don't like hearing sad stories especially when they go see a show because they are trying to get away from the seriousness of their own lives. But the way Gemskii portrayed and done the piece still gets the message out there about what happened to her but it makes it a bit more milder because of the way she does it.
Transitions (Her transitions from one aspect of her life to the next was fluid and amazingly done. One piece flowed into the next without so much as a break between)
Stage - Use of Space (She mapped out her stage well and had a part for every element/place of her life)
Movement (She moved effortlessly and gracefully. Even though she could be portraying something that has weight she still managed to do it in a way that looks wonderful. As she used elements of dance, song, text/speech she managed to move from one discipline to the next effortlessly)
Improvisation (Gemskii talks about using a lot of improvisation within her work, like reacting to a sound or when someone enters the room. Because everyone else can hear it the performer needs to react too, this bring realism to the performance and also by being able to stay open to whats happening around it enables the performer not to get distracted and able to improvise if need be)
Universal (Her piece was universal in the sense that you could relate to what she was saying and performing. Even when she used props, if allows the audience member to be taken back to something similar, it is like a trigger)
TIMEBOMB:
Within her piece 'timebomb' she speaks about being a lesbian and how she can turn any straight girl. She breaks the fourth wall, like all her other performances but this time she actually goes into the audience and uses physicality.
LEAGALESE:
Gemskii speaks about this piece as being one of her pieces that she does not believe in. This is a song based piece and Gemskii dresses up into a costume that looks like a 'ringmasters' attire. In this piece she talks about the government and the laws that govern us all asking 'Who owns me/you?' The information is revolutionary stuff and gives the message that what ever law is written can be unwritten.
Her inspiration for this piece was due to an amount of parking tickets that she had received, she was then told by another person that she can get away with not paying them. After some research and writing of letters so realized that the person way right and she didn't have to pay the fines. In a way saying that there is always a way to get round things.
BAGS:
In this piece Gemskii comes on stage weighted down with bags and they keep falling down as she can't carry them. The bags are a metaphor for the amount of baggage that people carry around with them. She went on to describe which bag was from who and how she felt naked without them because they are a part of her. This is showing how people just keep picking up baggage in their lives even if they don't need it and they find so hard of letting go of that baggage because they are so used to having it around.
This is one of the piece that the props can spark a memory in an audience member allowing them to relate to something in their own lives. This piece was the first piece that she performed for us that made use of character and voice/accent because she was acting as someone else instead of herself.
The message in this piece:
Baggage slows you down but you need to let go of it and move on because somewhere along the way you are going to pick up more baggage.
SONG PIECE:
This was purely a song piece in which all she did was stand in one spot, kneel down and get up all the while singing. She showed us this piece in order to show us that even without movement you can still make a solo piece powerful and meaningful. This was a piece from the 'Criminal Cabaret,' that was done by women with criminal records. It was a song about addictions and she talks about how song is helpful because it still gives a piece of you to the audience.
EXERCISES:
NAME GAME:
As a warm-up exercise and a way for her to learn our names we did the 'Name Game.' However this game we had to clap our tights, and click our fingers all together to make a rhythm. As the game went on on the first click you were meant to say your name and one the second click a name of someone else in the circle. If the person is too slow they have to stand on one leg and continue the game, if they slow the next time they have to stand on one leg and close their eyes. This was a game that needed focus as well as good listening and fast thinking.
FIGHTING GAME:
Similar to the game samurai but this time you go round in the circle and have to touch the next person in one move for them to be out. However, you can move and avoided being touched to stay in the game.When you get down to the last two they have to stand back to back and a category is chosen, e.g. food. Every time a food item is said you take one step but once she says fight the first person to say 'Yah,' is the winner. This was another focus game but also you needed speed.
SOLO PERFORMANCE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGE:
WHAT ARE THE OBSTICALS OF BEING A SOLO PERFORMER?
Vision and place -turning an idea into reality
Exploring yourself- How open do you want to be/only have yourself?
Alone on stage/Self-reliance
Pressure
Vulnerability
Lonliness
Creating tension and conflict on stage
Repetition
Imagination
Restriction in Set Changes
Express the self - through movement
Develop artistic self
Multi-character restrictions
Keep it true/interesting
How to make the personal universal
Self-disciplin/motivation
self-indulgent
Challenging
Too much material/not enough
ASSETS OF BEING A SOLO PERFORMER:
Improve your own lines
Multiple skills
Your Ideas
Go to risky places
Self-disciplin/motivation
Using own talents
Freedom
Cheaper and easier
Paid more
All Applause for you
Build Confidence
Share your imagination/excitement
Self-reliance
EYE-CONTACT:
Sitting in pairs look into the other person's right eye, and for one minute without blinking keep repeating 'You have every right to be here and so do I.'
Next look in the person's left eye and carry out the same exercise.
What I got from this exercise is while I was saying the phrase I was able to not think about blinking. Gemskii said that if you right handed you are able to look into the right eye without blinking and if you left handed the left eye. However, I didn't have any difficulty looking into either eye as long as I kept focused. During the exercise my eyes were welling up with tears and because I was concentrating I could actually see the eye filling up. When looking into my partners eye I could see their pupil dilating and the iris getting bigger.
Got You Two'S:
Walk in the room make eye contact with everyone. Say your name, something people don't know about you and then perform a party trick.
Walk in the room look into everyone's right eye and once you beginning saying your name look into everyone's left eye.
IN THE MANNER OF:
When you get your text, stretch it but doing many things with it. Saying it in a different accent, loud or soft. Push yourself out of your comfort zone.
NOTES:
PHYSICAL SCORE - write it and think of action then learn it.
BELIEVE IN YOUR MATERIAL - that is the only way you will be able to do it properly and show the reality of it.
CENTER STAGE - This is the most powerful place on the stage and also allows the audience to feel comfortable.
DOWN STAGE CENTER - this is the part of the stage you can stand if you want to get in the audiences faces and make them uncomfortable.
AFTERNOON WORKSHOP:
Comments from the morning session.
1) Mapping the space - finding areas on the stage of areas within your piece e.g. house, school.
Geographical performance - as each place on stage could represent a different area/country/place of birth.
2) Objects/props - Think of how you can work with it. Start using it from the
beginning of your rehearsal process so you can get used to it.
3) Repetition - Changes from one form to the next. Movement, song, text. Where can you repeat certain things.
In solo performance you don't get feedback but in our pieces we can use the four stages of feedback.
Liz Lerman's Critical Response:
The Process
The artist offers a work in progress for review and feels prepared to question that work in a dialogue with other people.
The responder's, committed to the artist's intent to make excellent work, offer reactions to the work in a dialogue with the artist.
The facilitator's watch this process and make sure no one jumps ahead of the steps.
Four Steps of Feedback:
1) Statement of meaning (What was interesting?)
Responders state what was meaningful, evocative, interesting, exciting.
2) Artist asks questions (Responses do not contain suggestions for change)
Artists ask questions about the work. After each question, the responder's answer. Responder's may express opinions id they are in direct response to the question and do not contain suggestions.
3) Neutral Questions (They do not have an opinion couched to them)
Responder's ask questions about the work. The artist responds. (Neutral when they don't have an opinion).
4) Opinion Time (Artists have the options to decline opinions)
Responder's state opinions, subject to permission from the artist. The artist can agree or disagree to hear the opinion.
Exercise:
In groups of four, each person performing their 4 minute piece and follow the four steps of feedback with one person being the facilitator.
Notes/feedback for solo piece:
Do tasks as your alter-ego
Think about using shadowing, by using a sheet.
Think about why I have created an alter-ego.
How is the alter-ego different from me.
Choose one idea and develop it.
Baggage/heavy load.
Next week:
Bring a stage map saying what place on the stage is for your piece.
Bring a 6minute performance piece.
Objects/music that you going to use.
Bring free-writing and text.
Stage/space map
Reading One:
Merson, S. (2004) Your name here: An Actor and Writer's Guide to Solo Performance. Star Publish
In this reading it gives you an idea of what to include in a solo piece and how to structure it. It explains the differences between the different types of artists and gives useful questions to consider when making your own piece. Through examples of the writers own stories, Merson builds a visual of her own memories by talking about objects, issues that are important in the character eyes. Due to the use of intricate detail within the stories, the audience feels welcomed into the performers world and see what the performer sees. Merson talks about defining between 'I' and her/him within your piece saying that within in a solo performance the artist/performer can use both forms within their piece. When using the third person it allows the performer to take a step out of their own performance and become an observer of their piece and see what the audience sees.
... Emotionally, artistically and even politically are all states of being within a solo performance. Solo performers connect with their passion and have the guts to take the full responsibility of telling their story to the world.
The interpretative artist is the one that takes an existing idea and expresses it through the medium of his/her own consciousness, physicality and experience.
She speaks the truth from her heart against the backdrop of a clear and present World.
As solo artists, we have our own true voice and the world from which to speak.
We are always are own toughest critics. Once you know what your story wants to say you will know which events to choose. Performing any poetic language can be tough if the specific truth of the character is missing.
The responsibility of the actress to create [their] own environment as well as the character.
Marketing and audience development should always be considered when embarking on the solo path. You can use both first and third person in the same piece but be aware of the shift of point of view and what that does to you as a performer and writer.
Be aware of the language that you choose and allow it to become a character in the piece as well. The space must support you. Find the pulse of life within your performance, cast it out over those who are there to share your experience and gather them close for the ride.
Reading Two:
Govan, E., Helen Nicholson and Katie Normington (2007) 'Autobiographical Performance' in Making a Performance: Devising Histories and Contemporary Practices. Routledge. pp 60-72
Autobiographical are narratives were an individuals private stories are offered up for public consumption. Stanislavsky and Brecht (among many others) have offered up theories of acting which are concerned with how performers can apply their own experiences to the role they are playing, a discussion of autobiographical performances demands a consideration of the performance of self rather than the representation of another person. (59)
Selfhood is addressed as performers present a distinct persona to the audience; and the process of reception are heightened as they invite the audience into an active relationship with the material. (60)
Audiences for autobiographical performances are drawn into the relationship with the performer due to the authentic nature of the material and the fact that the story us being told directly to them. (61)
Memory is a key aspect in the creation of autobiographical performance. (63)
Rather working to present named characters that are distanced from themselves, performers can be seen to be performing themselves - or at least versions of themselves. Performers in autobiographical work are often engaged in presenting heightened versions of themselves. (65)
Autobiographical performance heightens an awareness of the complexity of the presentation of self and this is intentionally made explicit to the audience. The self-conscious presentation of the self draws attention of identity which is often the heart of autobiographical performance. (66)
'In a society almost obsessed with self-revelation [such work] makes for interesting alliances and strange readings,' (MacDonald 1995: 193)(71)
It appears that audiences for autobiographical performance is looking to make an authentic connection with the material it is presented with. In autobiographical performance there is always a play between what is truthful and what is make-believe. (71)
The practitioners discussed in this chapter have all created work involving a complex fusion of truth and fiction. In performance they are involved in a presentation of self which is a heightened form of an everyday persona. (72)
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Clean Break (Theater, Education, New Writing) http://www.cleanbreak.org.uk (Accessed 15 March 2012)
Govan, E., Helen Nicholson and Katie Normington (2007) 'Autobiographical Performance' in Making a Performance: Devising Histories and Contemporary Practices. Routledge.
Merson, S. (2004) Your name here: An Actor and Writer's Guide to Solo Performance. Star Publish
Social Arts Network (2012)'Gem skii's page' http://socialartsnetwork.ning.com/profile/gemskii (Accessed 15 March 2012)
Youtube (2008) 'Transformation - trailer,' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HKvoDj29Vg (Accessed 15 March 2012)
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