Category: Directing

Ex-Wife Character Development Scene

‘Twinkle Twinkle’

Centre Stage is completely blank, no angels, no bed, piano (to the side but not in position and out of view).

Stage Blackout, 20 seconds of music playing before anything begins, sound escalating (Twinkle Twinkle Bioshock song) When the glitches in the music are heard this is when the strobe light should come on in sync with the music.

A Loud Scream from the EX WIFE in darkness

During the strobe light sequences we will see the EX WIFE being thrown into the Bloody Chamber with other bodies around her, all masked and in different positions. We will see the count throw her in, a brief glimpse of his silhouette also (as a recurring image).

There should be 5 sequences of strobe lighting and the actors positions should be as follows

Strobe 1: dead bodies in the chamber

Strobe 2: dead bodies in the chamber and the silhouette of the count

Strobe 3: Scream from the EX WIFE and the COUNT dragging her through the chamber

Strobe 4: EX WIFE alone with the bodies, beginning to mumble to herself, agitated, hands in head trying to avoid looking at the bodies surrounding her.

Strobe 5: EX WIFE laying Downstage Centre, eyes wide open staring into the audience.

The final strobe position leaves it ambiguous to the audience on whether she is alive or not, allowing suspense for her later return in SCENE 3

Housekeeper Character Development Scene

‘A Fairytale is Made’

Classic Fairytale opening music (see notes for track), is played throughout the theatre straight after the dark opening to create a stark contrast.

The HOUSEKEEPER enters in fine dress with nicely styled hair. This scene is meant to be seen as your classic fairytale setting, and the audience physically see the set being created and bought on just the way the HOUSEKEEPER wants it. In her eyes everything should be perfectly positioned.

The Angels come on first and we are not hiding the fact that we are using stage hands, as it adds to the liminal effect of two worlds and the physical creation that we have made.

‘We are not pretending that we are not pretending.’

The bed then follows.

Followed by fairy tale props e.g. hairbrushes, mirrors etc

Whilst this is happening the HOUSEKEEPER is acting as almost a conductor to the stage hands who are moving in sequence, almost mechanical. Reflective of your classic fairytale scenes such as Cinderella having her dress made by animals working in sync.

As we begin to see the set come together, the mood starts to change when the stage hands start bringing on dead plants, bramble, broken mirrors, wonky pictures, broken china … ruining the image of the fairy tale that the housekeeper has tried so hard to create.

The HOUSEKEEPER is frantically trying to fix everything and put things right – whilst this is happening the stage hands start to tear at her clothes and ruin her hair. We see from this how the HOUSEKEEPER came to be.

The scene will end at the end of the song with just the housekeeper DS Centre surrounded by a decayed and corrupted set.

Blackout – signalling the end of the fairy tale world.

Countess’s Character Development Scene

‘A Dream’

The COUNTESS at the end of Scene 3 is still in the woods heading back to the castle.

There will be a huge shift in action during this scene from a bleak setting to a dream sequence. This is signalled to the audience through the beginning of ‘Mr. Sandman’ playing, it will seem so out of place it is almost comical. This is reverting back to a glimpse of a fairy tale setting, where the trees/statues will come alive, moving together with a pleasant atmosphere.

Smiling and waving to the countess, handing her flowers etc as she walks through the forest. She then finds the COUNT who is also acting out of character and like the traditional prince charming. This is representative of the life she could have had.

As the COUNT and the COUNTESS are waltzing through the forest the music will suddenly start to change, the same song but incredibly slowed down to represent the corruption and unreliability of fairytales. Very carnival. .

The trees/Statues will start to close in on the COUNTESS as the COUNT disappears, circling and enclosing the COUNTESS symbolising her feeling of entrapment. This will escalate until the COUNTESS finds it unbearable and the trees and statues claim her – resulting in the countess herself becoming almost puppet like and a part of the forest, like the previous wife she has met.

Scene ends with the trees back in original SCENE 3 positions, THE EX-WIFE, SNOW CHILD and the COUNTESS are now all part of the forest covered in dead plants and disfigured imagery.

 

Count’s Character Development Scene

‘5 Stages of Grief’

Throughout all of this scene there is a voiceover from a ‘self-help: dealing with grief’ video. Building up through the 5 stages: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. Leading to a resolution in the voiceover.

However, in contrast to this we will need 6 spotlights spread across the stage each representative of a stage of grief, when each stage is mentioned 5 lights will come up in sequence, housing one of the counts dead wives. Representing how the count has dealt with his own personal childhood traumas [SD1] .

Whilst the lights are coming up you will see the silhouette of the count slowly walking behind the bodies – to give the audience the feeling of his presence there.

In the end there should be a final resolving sentence in the speech and the final spotlight will come up on the count in the middle, surrounded by his 5 dead wives representing his five stages of grief. A Paradox is created between what we are hearing and what we are seeing.

The count is staring ahead blankly, almost on the verge of tears, to see a more emotional side of the count – contrasting with the character we are represented with in the play.

Voice over dialogue:

Thank you for choosing a practical guide to overcoming loss and bereavement.

Just take a few moments to breathe deeply and calmly. Feel yourself letting go and relaxing.

The bereavement experience includes the concept of grief, as pain and suffering must be experienced in order to heal and resolve the loss event.

Loss is an integral part of life. It is not something that happens to us as we live; rather, it is life itself. In our view any events that involve change is a loss that necessitates the process of grief and transition. A loss event requires that some part of the individual be left behind and grieve before the process of transition and rebuilding can occur.

-The first assessment starts with a request from the client seeking counselling services. A pre counselling intake form is used. An initial assessment in necessary to determine if the statement is within the normal grief experience or if there is a level of lethality to the suicidal ideation.

– Guilt is the other very strong emotion that the grieving feel. Some guilt will be justified or appropriate, for most of us will be aware of times when we hurt someone we loved and are aware that we can no longer repair or heal the hurt.

Denial of all feelings may lead to persistent depression.

-Trauma can also be experienced through violent acts such as murder, rape, war, hijackings, and varied forms of attack and destruction.

– Moreover, counsellors need to know when a client’s issues are beyond their professional scope and a referral is indicated. Despite disagreement in some areas there is general agreement that unresolved grief which becomes diagnosable as a syndrome or as a mental or physical disorder can have social, psychological, and medical implications for the larger society, and warrants intensive professional intervention.

– Eventually you will get to the point where you know deep down that you have to do something to regain a sense of control in your life. Regaining a sense of control will help your waves of grief lessen in intensity and frequency.

-The pain, experience, and resolution of grief takes place on two levels: within oneself and within one’s environment. It involves many changes and reflects many dimensions. The process of grieving is healthy and adaptive. It gives you the time and space to adjust to the many changes that result from the death of your loved one, both at a physical and emotional level. Even though you may never ‘get over’ the death of your loved one, it is possible to learn to live without them physically in your life and to find meaning again.

 

 

 

Rehearsal Notes Reflection

The documentation and delivery of rehearsal notes is something that I really struggled with achieving the right balance between. On the one hand I did not want to overwhelm the actors with vigorous notes straight after an intense rehearsal however, I did feel this was necessary in order for the actors to go away and think about the notes I had provided.

The rehearsal process was long and I found it important to document the whole process from its initial conception to the final few days. It is interesting looking at my original posts (see character development workshop) to see what the actors and director were doing whilst waiting on the finalisation of the script. I thought it was important to keep momentum and to not simply wait for a script to be handed to us, as it is devised we needed to create back stories to the character which is why I produced the document with my initial ideas that the actor’s could then go away and develop, I even made sure to include questions they should be able to provide answers for in our next workshop. Those who embraced this task produced an excellent character profile that you can tell really helped them with their role in A Gothic Tale. (See blogs of particular characters)

Overall if I am honest I believe the rehearsal notes worked for some of the actors, and perhaps not others.  I initially started working one on one with a few characters on any particular scenes they were having trouble with, or struggling to find their characterisation in. This also happened on rehearsal days where perhaps not all actors had arrived or were absent, one example would be the monologues of the Ex Wife and the Countess, these were especially difficult to stage and required more time and dedication from the actors and director when taking these from page to stage. The Ex Wife’s monologue for example  required intense movement and planning that obviously with a completely new script, had no stage directions. I found that when working one on one with a character in a more calm environment the actor really found their characterisation and from then on performed wonderfully in every rehearsal with clear intention throughout, this in turn spurred other actors on to do just the same.

There were a few occasions where the rehearsal would be not be as productive and i had to decide quickly how to deal with this. I then decided to post rehearsal notes on the blog with out any editing to show the amount of times people came out of character, were on their phones or just generally talking off stage and disrupting the rehearsal process (*Appendices Rehearsal Notes 17/05/2013 Studio X).

Overall the notes I have taken were for both actors and the tech team, they were a time saving technique in those rehearsals where we had run out of time and the efficiency of the tech and set design team especially was noticed when they would come to the next days rehearsal with answers to any questions I had asked. They are also there as a reminder to actors to look back over when they are feeling confused or have any questions when I am not available to answer straight away.

On Reflection

Looking back at the whole process of our production, I am extremely pleased with how A Gothic Tale turned out. The team found a way to work efficiently together in producing a completely original piece of devised theatre. We forget we had substantially less time to take it from the page to stage as we had to allow time for the script to be written; only having the final fully edited script by Easter.

As director I feel an honest approach is needed when reflecting on our production. It was not easy taking a completely original script devised from within the group as it is understandable that people will come with different visions – I did not want to take anything away from the script writer’s hard work, but at the same time I felt like I had to put my own stamp on the production.

I had always been interested in creating the impression of two worlds, so the audience can leave the production wondering why the fairytale they were used to have been corrupted – as a reflection of the process of growing older and leaving the fairy tale behind. It was not meant to leave a deep and lasting impression, but rather create that small thought in your head as to why they chose to come and see this corrupted fairy tale. This is where the audience divided; it was interesting to see in certain scenes half the audience laughing, some cringing and some genuinely gasping.  The audience seemed to develop relationships with some of the characters very quickly e.g. the Piano Tuner and took comfort in the comedy styling’s of the housekeeper – even when she did turn evil!!

If I am honest taking the role of director I feel I had been a bit naïve. I had directed a Shakespeare play before and felt I had learnt a lot from the directing module however, nothing could have prepared me for directing a completely new devised piece of theatre in such a short amount of time! One of the main hurdles I came across was the constant need for script editing to expand the story and create more character depth; this is where I suggested the introduction of the character development scenes. These comprised mainly of dance numbers and self help recordings! I feel I have learnt a lot with this process, worked with a fantastic team, and one of the main things I have learnt is to ask for help when I need it – there is a fantastic team of cast, crew and teachers that can offer guidance and insight in times of confusion and panic!

 

Finding space was another huge obstacle – especially with our production being as tech heavy as it was, it was difficult to keep a vision in your head that no one else could see up until the day when we finally got the tech! I learnt to start every rehearsal with an explanation to what will be on stage eventually and briefed the actors on what to expect, creating the vision in their minds was key so the scene could make sense to them! Spending months pretending there was a lifting angel with top lights, haze and a huge silhouette was no easy task!!

 

To be completed.

I have been considering carefully what we truly mean when we say children’s theatre for adults and how exactly one would go about directing such a concept. I first considered our audience and then the perception of contemporary theatre as a whole.

I recently read an article from the guardian website titled ‘A grown up attitude to children’s theatre – and not a fairy tale in sight.’ Although the main focus of the article is aimed at representation of children’s theatre and the exploration of it, I found myself thinking about what I aimed to achieve in Progeny Theatres production, an essential reverse of children’s theatre. Although I agree with what David Harradine’s has to say about the experimental new wave of children’s theatre being exploited out there, I do disagree with his expectations of audience.

Given the extraordinary ways in which children engage with performance, it’s also surprising that there isn’t more of this already. I’ve always revelled in the freedom that comes with making work for children. When you’re making a show for, say, a three-year-old, you know that person doesn’t know – and doesn’t care – what “theatre” is. Unlike adult audiences, children come with no expectation of what they’re about to see.[1]

I disagree here with Harradine’s narrowing of audiences imaginations, he seems to claim that children are the only audience that come with no expectation – that it is impossible to surprise an audience. As a director, I want to create something unexpected and exciting, which is where Progeny Theatres concept of children’s theatre for adults was born. I can see why Harradine has got this opinion of children’s perception of theatre from and to an extent I agree with the freedom of thought children come to the theatre with however, I believe this is something we can recapture within in the adult audience. I ultimately believe this is one of the fundamental reasons we all visit the theatre, to recapture a feeling or experience the new and the unknown. The ‘expectation’ that Harradine talks of here is almost in a negative light, but new age contemporary audiences are not always seeking to watch a production full of confusion and philosophical insight.

I have aimed to produce a piece of theatre that like child audiences, the adult audience will come with no expectation of what they’re about to see, or even if they do – the expectation will never be met. It is almost a piece about expectation, about what we expect from the theatre, I aim to have the audience asking the wrong questions. I want them to feel uncomfortable at how much expectation they place on themselves when they come to the theatre. In this high spectacle I have created two worlds to feed a liminal space that the audience feel caught between. The fairy tale elements will hopefully take them back to a memory of child hood and the feeling of freedom that they no longer associate with the theatre. I believe this feeling is never lost, rather they have been told this cannot be recreated in such articles such as Harradine’s. This is why I have incorporated the abrupt, corrupt nature of our play with huge stark contrasts, the audience almost are emerged in a confusion between what is heart breaking, humorous, imaginary and real. I hope to have mixed reactions from the audience in our production, some people feeling uncomfortable, others laughing at moments they feel they should perhaps not be and a wanting for empathy that never comes from a production such as A Gothic Tale.

I read another article asking the question ‘How far should theatre push us?’ by Maddy Costa and she brought up some interesting points about the type of experience audiences can take and whether or not the theatre should be pushing the boundaries of their audience more. She remarks on a company at the in between time festival in Bristol,

What Cole and her team understand exceptionally well is the need to challenge audiences – whether with work of quiet fragility, or work that is aggressive and contradictory. More than that, they understand that challenging art needs protection: the fragile, to ensure that its voice can be heard in the push towards art that is easier to consume; the aggressive, because it antagonises social boundaries and questions the limits otherwise placed on freedom and imagination.[2]

I agree here with the expectation and the need to challenge audiences through performing arts. The idea of antagonising ‘social boundaries’ and questioning the limits placed on ‘freedom and imagination’, I feel that although new age shocking theatre is becoming more acceptable and almost expected, it is something that can be created in even the most ‘fragile’ performances. This is how I vision A Gothic Tale coming together, Costa’s description of a ‘quiet fragility’ is what is hidden in the soul of our high tech production. It is contradictory and at some points aggressive, but it is the subtle message, the irony and the limits and boundaries we have created and also destroyed for our audience that will make this piece of theatre a unique, uncomfortable and thrilling experience.

As a director, I have even tried to recreate this in the rehearsal environment among actors, taking them from a dark, sexual and graphic scene straight into a fairy tale dance number that makes them feel uncomfortable.

When I first read Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber I was a sixth form student at a time where I was being introduced to writers such as Sarah Kane, Sebastian Faulks and Andrea Levy. In such an eclectic mix it was Angela Carters works that caught my over analytical eye. When reading her work I didn’t feel like I was searching for a meaning but rather simply just experiencing the terrific feeling of the unknown, which is what we at Progeny Theatre have created in A Gothic Tale.

When Progeny Theatre first formed we all came in with the belief that children’s theatre for adults was something that creates excitement and endless opportunity to experiment with creating a world separate from our own. It is a form of escapism in its own right, we are giving the audience back their freedom to interpretation. This is not a play with a political message, it’s not something that asks you take sides, to question where you stand on an issue or to evaluate how you feel at the end. It is a play where we remove the structure of tradition in the theatre, and produce our own Gothic fairy tale world to take you out of your own, where you feel comfortable experiencing the perfectly imperfect.

We have adapted Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber and The Snow Child and combined them into a piece of theatre. I have focused on the exploration of liminality and the feeling of being on the threshold between two places of being, what you see in this high spectacle and visually exciting piece  is the collision between the border of our subconscious and the reality we live in.  An exploration of what is fairy tale, imaginary, beautiful and sublime.

A Gothic Tale as Progeny Theatre’s first production presents a corrupted, challenging and sometimes uncomfortable version of reality versus fantasy. It ignites controversy, excites the feeling of the unknown, corrupts the imagination and asks the question of what we see as truly monstrous. A Gothic Tale creates, a world which combines the absolutely great and the infinitely grotesque.

We aim to produce theatre that recaptures the awe and freedom children associate with fairy tales and bring this to the adult world, reproducing the feeling of the sublime and visual splendor – removing you from the fast pace of the world we live in and offering an escape for an hour to the unscheduled world of Angela Carter.

 

– Stephanie Doe, Director.