Last night our theatre company attended Wail (2017) by Little Bulb Theatre at the Lincoln Performing Arts Centre. This performance involved actors Clare Beresford and Dominic Conway, playing a multitude of instruments which were pre-set on the stage and utilised when needed, whilst delivering information to the audience about whales and humans.
Figure 1 – Wail at the Lincoln Performing Arts Centre (Exeunt Magazine, 2016)
The actors did this in a playful manor through the adoption of exaggerated characters with signifying props and costumes. This performance is described by the company as ‘[part] gig, part lecture’ (Lincoln Performing Arts Centre, 2017), which included direct address to the audience and a ‘purposely childlike aesthetic’ (Exeunt Magazine, 2016), resulting in an overall energetic and comical tone to the performance.
(Little Bulb Theatre, 2017)
The influences from this performance, in conjunction with the current progression of our ideas throughout rehearsals, has led our company towards the idea of producing a post dramatic, postmodern styled performance which integrates direct audience address and focuses on the ‘materiality of performance [… and] challenges to the dominance of the text’ (Jürs-Munby in Lehmann, 2006, 4).
As both a writer and actor, I am aware that the process of devising a post dramatic, postmodern piece may include creating a script that functions as a documentation of the devised work, with dialogue being written after the idea of a scene has been formed, to establish scenes and characters where necessary. With the text being ‘just one element in the scenography and general ‘performance writing’’ (Jürs-Munby in Lehmann, 2006, 4), of the piece.
This form of devising and scripting is one which we have already established and will continue to build upon as more material is created. An example of this from our rehearsal process can be seen through the devising of our ‘music section’ which is being generated through experimentation with the cast ‘moving in time with music’ and undertaking daily routines with music.
(Anthony, 2017)
Once these ideas are fully formed as a scene, they will then be scripted and finalised.
During rehearsals and production meetings this week, we have also confirmed the name for our show as ‘Exit This Way’, with alternate names such as ‘Pie in the Sky’, and ‘Pipe Dreams’ being amongst the suggested options.
For my role as digital executive I have also advertised our recent marketing event of a Pub Quiz on the blog’s ‘Get Involved Page’.
Figure 2 – Promotion of Fragment Theatre Company Quiz (Anthony, 2017)
I have since removed this event now the ‘Upcoming Events’ section, and I will update this segment if it is required before, or once the event for our final show has been created by our marketing team.
Works Cited:
Anthony, R. (2017) Moving to Music [online video]. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=097_jyVir-U [accessed 16 March 2017].
Exeunt Magazine. (2016) Review: WAIL at BAC. Exeunt Magazine. Available from http://exeuntmagazine.com/reviews/review-wail-at-bac/ [accessed 18 March 2017].
Jürs-Munby, K. (2006) Introduction. In: H. T. Lehmann Postdramatic theatre. Oxon: Routledge.
Lincoln Performing Arts Centre (2017) Wail. Lincoln: Lincoln Performing Arts Centre. Available from https://lpac.co.uk/event/wail/ [accessed 18 March 2017].
Little Bulb Theatre (2017) Wail [live performance]. Performed by Little Bulb Theatre. Lincoln: Lincoln Performing Arts Centre, 17 March.
Little Bulb Theatre (2017) WAIL – UK TOUR 2017 [online video]. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8U7zBYhNS3k [accessed 18 March 2017].
Figures:
Figure 1 – Exeunt Magazine (2016) Wail at the Lincoln Performing Arts Centre. Available from http://exeuntmagazine.com/reviews/review-wail-at-bac/ [accessed 18 March 2017].
Figure 2 – Anthony, R. (2017) Promotion of Fragment Theatre Company Quiz. Lincoln.
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