Posted on No Comments on My Tech

My Tech

Spotlight

Lights:

As my performance was set out as a conversation between peoples i.e. one person telling a story to another, I needed to make my space able to echo this idea. I decided that the best way to do this would be with a single spotlight shining on the wall that I was going to build – owing to the theatricality of the performance space and that of my performance. Simultaneously, I wanted to keep the houselights on during the whole of the performance – which allowed for the spotlight to be seen vaguely – thus adding performance elements to the show – whilst also having a laid back, warm and comfortable feel that meant a conversation could take place as I was occupying the same space that my audience was.

Sound:

Alongside these simple elements of tech I wanted to use lots of sound to add further theatricality to my performance, I wanted to use songs about theatricality and Rotherham in order to further push my methodology on my audience.

I was born with a smile on my face – Stephanie de Sykes

I wanted to use this song as the audience walked in in order to create the atmosphere of a performance about to happen, when in fact I was merely sat eating a sandwich alongside a half-started brick wall – further cementing the idea that the performance is anti-theatrical.

There’s no business like show business – Ethel Merman

I wanted to use this song whilst I was reliving Madame Arcati’s persona – her character was an over the top, theatrical character and she needed a suitable song to accompany her unique style. I also wanted to use songs like this in order to pinpoint the parts of my performance which were fictional. As this song, and the songs that accompany Billy Elliot and Billy Casper also do.

Dancing for Dad – Stephen Warbeck

I simply used this composition by Stephen Warbeck in order to reenact the dance that Elliot does for his dad during the sports hall scene in the film. I wanted to stay close to the original dance as it would further add to the comedic value of the dance when I reenact it badly.

Billy, Don’t Be A Hero – Paper Lace

I wanted to use this song to add to the Billy aspect of my performance – as well as utilising the songs message of ‘don’t be a hero’ which added to my show’s focus on ambition within the working classes. I also wanted to use it because alongside the speech about Casper, when nearing the end of the performance, it allowed for the speech to have a bigger meaning – almost churchill-esque in manner.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4H7jGzc8QQ

Fake Tales of San-Francisco – Arctic Monkeys

Finally, I wanted to use a song that encapsulated my shows meaning, the feeling of wanting to be bigger than you are but at the same time being looked down upon by the people around you. Specifically just for the line “You’re not from New York City, You’re from Rotherham” – it adds more meaning to my performance. I want to use the song to create a strong, nostalgic ending for my audience that ties in with my overall theme and thinking – hopefully it might just work.

Works Cited:

Arctic Monkeys (2006) Fake Tales of San Francisco. [CD Track] 2 mins. 55 secs. Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not. London, England: Domino.

jazzyclassicjazz3. (2011) Ethel Merman / There’s No Business Like Show Business. [Online Video] Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVMXw_y7jyI

Movieclips. (2011) Billy Elliot (7/12) Movie CLIP – Dancing for Dad (2000) HD. [Online Video] Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CH8HV5gXQB4

MrPurser. (2013) Paper Lace – “Billy – Don’t Be A Hero”. [Online Video] Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4H7jGzc8QQ

Season1Steve. (2011) Stephanie de Sykes – Born with a Smile on my face. [Online Video] Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeKfBXoUf7M

 

Posted on No Comments on Images – How my show should look.

Images – How my show should look.

 

Solo Logo FInal Final

In the build up to my show, I needed to ensure that my show had the look and feel that I wanted it to. I wanted to create a show that was stripped back whilst also having a strong visual aid to help the narrative. This is why I created the above images in order to give off this feel, before people saw my show whilst also setting them up for the feel it should have.

Staging Ideas.Birdseye.

As the images above demonstrate, I wanted to present my show from the confines of a brick wall – with a particular focus on the building of the wall as I performed. It was with this image I would create a focal point for the audience whilst also keeping my show minimalist so that the main focus of the performance becomes my stories rather than my actions.

(Wood, 2016)

I was inspired by Jamie Wood’s O NO! when thinking of these ideas as his set was striking and simple, visually that is. It allowed for moments of the performance to have a backdrop to the conversation Wood was having with the audience without allowing the distraction of extravagant set – which could take away from the performance Wood was trying to create.

(Wood, 2016)

“It’s messy and fractious, and it’s punctuated by the gunshots that rang out on a cold New York evening 35 years ago. It builds to a cacophonous re-enactment that knocks the final bars of A Day in the Life into a cocked hat. Wood’s hat is permanently cocked, like a readied gun. He breaks rules, smashes comfort zones, and all the while knocks out a cheeky, irreverent love letter to a much maligned artist of continued relevance and impudent profundity.” (Pringle, 2015)

It is without a doubt that Wood’s work has influenced my own to no end – from his laid back, humourous approach to performance all the way down to the relationship he has with the audience. In the end, I hope that my performance will be what Wood’s and so many other solo performer’s works will be: something that “cannot exist without an audience” (Gardner, 2015)

Works Cited:

Gardner, L. (2015) Going solo: how the one-person show is gazing beyond the navel. The Guardian, 2 September. [Online] Retried from http://www.theguardian.com/stage/theatreblog/2015/sep/02/solo-one-person-show-edinburgh

Pringle, S. (2015) Jamie Wood – O No! The Stage, 10 August. [Online] Retrieved from https://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/2015/jamie-wood-o-no/

Wood, J. (2016) O NO!. [Performance] Jamie Wood & Wendy Hubbard (Dir.) Lincoln: LPAC, 4 February.