We have done it, show day is complete and rather successful with us selling 80% of our available tickets. we had a good audience that laughed at the jokes made throughout the show and overall it was a enjoyable experience for all involved, including us as the actors.
so what happens next. well first of all have all taken a well deserved break.. to skegvegas! I mean Skegness! (and look how cute, we got matching friendship bracelets
(Jarold, 2017)
However, what happens next for fragment theatre company and our show ‘exit this way’. In the case that fragment theatre had the chance to take a tour, the show would have to be significantly scaled down in order to fit to the Arts Council England policy of sustainability and resilience, because as mentioned in a previous blog post, this would be the way that we would get funding for the show. And due to the large set we had, the show would be impractical to tour, limiting us as a company from many venues. I would then apply the show into festivals such as Newvolutions to develop the show into something that could be toured locally and eventually nationally.
after our first successful the show, the idea would be to create more shows to take on door, of course sticking to out manifesto/ slogan ” we speak to someone, anyone, everyone”.
If you take a look at my previous blog ” applying to arts council funding” you will be able to see that maybe this isn’t the end for fragment theatre at all…
stay tuned. oh and see below a selection of pictures from our show!
(Odonell,s.2017)
Citations
Odonnell, S. (2017) Fragment Theatre Company. Lincoln: SO Photography.
Before the performance of Exit This Way, I was aware that the show contained humour and that the direct address present within the show created a tongue in cheek aesthetic. Having never performed it in front of an audience however I did not know how much this would come across. During the actual performance of the show the positive audience response brought the meta theatrical aspect of the show to the forefront. Even when lines were directed towards those characters on stage, a sideways glance to the audience successfully broke the fourth wall. When things went logistically wrong on the stage, it didn’t matter because there was a self-awareness from the performers to go along with the problem thus adding to the makeshift nature of the show.
If Fragment Theatre Company were to continue beyond the end of our degree, our next steps would be to scale down the production of the show to make it viable for touring in alignment with Arts Council England’s policy of sustainability and resilience. In its current state this would be very difficult because of the large set/scaffolding/TV’s projections etc. These elements would be difficult to tour and would limit the size of venues the show could perform at also.
Fragment Theatre Company (Odonnell, 2017)
We could look at presenting this scaled down version at a small festival such as Newvolutions to grow, develop and refine the show into something that could be toured locally and eventually nationally.
We could then look at potential future shows that continue along with our mission statement of focusing on the individual. Next year is the 100th Anniversary of the end of the First World War so we could potentially do something in relation to that. One thing is for certain, we will continue with the makeshift aesthetic and homemade props as this makes for an interesting dynamic that is also viable for a touring production.
Works Cited:
Odonnell, S. (2017) Fragment Theatre Company. Lincoln: SO Photography.
Our entire company went into our technical rehearsal day with all the enthusiasm and energy we could have. After four days of intensive, long rehearsals perfecting the show and creating our props and set, we felt ready to get into the space and see our show fully take shape with the lighting, sound and set all in place.
To ensure this day ran as smoothly as possible, I created a schedule (that can be found in our Technical Documents page) that I sent to all members of the company and the LPAC technical team the day before our technical rehearsal so that everyone involved was aware of the plan of action. I also decided to create the Qlab file in advance of the Technical Rehearsal to save time. This meant that, after we built the set, all that needed to be done to the sound was setting levels which then freed up our Technical Designer, Ben, to programme the lights.
Figure 1 – Screenshot of the first 12 cues in the Qlab file (Workman, 2017)
We faced a few obstacles throughout the day, including rescheduling, as it took longer than anticipated to build our set so a cue to cue run was not able to happen. We were also confronted with an issue surrounding the AV which was originally going to be played across multiple TV screens scattered across the stage. However, after a conversation with the technical team on the day it turned out that this was no longer possible. They gave a few suggestions on how to overcome this, which lead me to make the executive decision to have three white bed sheets rolled up and tied to the platform at the back of the stage, which were released by the cast during the final scene to facilitate the projections that made up the end of our show. I made this decision because I believed that the aesthetic of the bed sheets tied with string would contribute to the overall mise en scène of our production.
Show day ran smoothly thanks to the updated day schedule I created after the technical rehearsal. I ended up both calling the show and operating the lights, neither of which I have done before. I feel as though I did a good job at both as the show ran perfectly on time with no technical faults or missed cues. I felt so privileged to be able to sit and watch all our hard work over the last few months come together on the LPAC stage that evening. Sitting in the tech box with the cans over my head confirmed for me that a career in technical theatre and stage management is definitely what I want to pursue.
Figure 3 – Picture of Stage Manager with Cans and Book (Odonnell, 2017)
After reflecting on our own work and process and being introduced to the notion of DIY theatre, I undertook individual research in which I found a book by Sarah Jane Bailes entitled Performance Theatre and the Poetics of Failure. In this book, Bailes states that ‘The proliferation of independent do-it-yourself/home-made artistic production […] reflects the intensity of urban living and the countless subversive and often invisible ways individuals and communities are able to undermine the political, cultural, and social order propagated by hegemonic ideology (Bailes, 2011). This quote sums up the reason our show utilized DIY theatre without necessarily realising it. We wanted to create a show that spoke to the underdog, the little people in society that get overshadowed in a world ruled by hegemony.
I also found an article written by Lyn Gardener for The Guardian about DIY theatre.
DIY is often associated with an aesthetic that celebrates the imperfect and the make-do-and-mend mentality. But that’s not to mean that it is inexpertly crafted or just throwing a show together and plonking it down in front of an audience and hoping for the best. In times of financial hardship or when buildings and programmers act more like gatekeepers than midwives, DIY can be born of necessity.
(Gardener, 2014)
Following this, I realised DIY theatre correlated with the overall aesthetic of our piece, which I believe, if we were to produce the show again, we could embrace further. Gardener mentions Little Bulb theatre company in this article whom we as a company were lucky enough to see performing their most recent production Wail on 17th March 2017, which, in hindsight, set us on the path of DIY theatre before we fully realised what we were creating, as we enjoyed the make shift aspects of their production and wished to replicate this.
Trailer for Wail – (Little Bulb Theatre, 2017)
Following on from this, if we were to continue as a company with this production or any other shows we may create, to ensure viability to tour around the country where necessary, we would definitely keep this idea of DIY theatre at the forefront of our aesthetic.
Works Cited
Bailes, S. J. (2011) Performance Theatre and The Poetics of Failure. Oxon: Routledge.
“In the early twentieth century drama started to signal its dissatisfaction with its defining processes. For example, Chekhov’s plays distinctly refused to engage with ‘action’ in favour of atmosphere and mood[…] Post dramatic plays differentiate themselves from representational theatre by offering actors and audiences theatrical experiences that are not tied to the vicissitudes of either character or plot but seek to investigate broader issues, free of drama’s limitations” (Dramaonlinelibrary.com, 2017). As a company it became quickly evident that we enjoyed making jokes on the stage and interacting with our audience straight away, which is when our show took a post dramatic approach, making it easier for us to do this. So for example on the stage we have created an ‘on/off’ position, This term was given to us in Alexander Kelly’s workshop, a workshop that myself, Brodie, Joe and Ben attended and has inspired us through out our creative process.
(Odonell,S.2017)
The chairs at the back of the stage represent the ‘off’ positions for the actors. Meaning that when an actor is sat here they are just being themselves and not having to put on a character. The person sat on a chair will continue to be themselves until told otherwise by the ‘hosts’ of the show. as well as this within the show they was a constant blur between process and product. An example being in ‘the creation of Laura’ scene. As the actors brought Laura to life using lines such as ‘she loves mayo on everything’ and ‘Laura has a credit card with a high interest rate’. This is something that was played with in the process but then brought to life on the stage.
which links in to another element running throughout out show and that being ‘Metaphysical’ through the show characters would continuously jump in and out of character. Our show contained many ‘metaphysical’ elements as will be explained.
As Atraud states “What takes place in the theatre is an imitation of the “performance of being” which is taking place in nature. The theatre imitates this performance not by referring to it but by doing it”(Atraud,A,1958) theatre is traditionally used to produce a whole new imaginary world for the audience, however our show does not do this. Through out ‘Exit this way’ we make our audience completely aware that they are in fact watching a show. This is done through many means such as the costume, the actors upon the stage all wore their fragment theatre shirts, on the back on which stated our production roles, reminding the audience that we are just a normal group of people in a theatre company. we also used line within the script such as ” A show, within a show” (Atkinson, 2017). This is a portrayal of metaphysical theatre. See below a photo of us breaking from our normal show, into another show, becoming ‘Cake girls’
(Odonell,S. 2017)
Another main aspect that influenced our show was the idea of D.I.Y theatre, meaning do it yourself. Anyone that came to see our show will see that some of our props were badly made with cardboard and things that were lying around on props day. See Below images our home made props.
(Odonell,.2017)
by doing this it helped us to bring alive the ‘fun and silly’ aspect of our performance that we wanted our audience to enjoy with us.
Citations
Artaud, Antonin, The Theater and Its Double, trans. Mary Caroline Richards. New York: Grove Weidenfeld, 1958.
Dramaonlinelibrary.com. (2017). Post-dramatic theatre – Drama Online. [online] Available at: http://www.dramaonlinelibrary.com/genres/post-dramatic-theatre-iid-2516 [Accessed 20 Apr. 2017].
Odonnell, S. (2017) Fragment Theatre Company. Lincoln: SO Photography.
After tech day we were all very nervous but excited for our performance, It was amazing to see the set come together and to get a feel for the space. Yet not everything went according to plan and changes had to be made at the last minute.
Nerves were therefore running high on show day, we had all worked so hard and wanted to ensure it would be a success, however we weren’t sure how the audience would react to our ‘tongue and cheek’ style of humour. Watching the audience walk in was a mix of both extreme excitement and nerves. However, as soon as the show started and Brodie came on stage full of energy, the audience immediately responded positively and provided us with plenty of energy to bounce off. For me, it was a new experience to perform in such a Meta theatrical way and to have no real fourth wall, but nevertheless I found it a very enjoyable experience.
As with many first time shows not everything went according to plan, but due to the makeshift nature of our piece and the way in which the problems were handled, it wasn’t really noticeable to anyone who hadn’t previously seen the show.
Overall, I think we achieved our goal of creating an entertaining yet thought provoking piece of theatre, one which got our core message about escapism across to the audience.
‘Think of escapism like sugar or salt. You can sprinkle it on top of your life to make it better, but too much will ruin the whole thing’ (Allen, 2015).
Preparing for the show (Odonnell, 2017)
Brodie and the wheel of Escapism (Odonnell, 2017)
If we were to make more shows as fragment theatre company, we would stick to using dark humour in order to make our audience’s laugh, but as well as to get a deeper meaning across. This is due to the fact that we as a collective are all passionate about making positive changes to the world, but we are also accutely aware that in our current political climate we all need a good laugh to ‘get away’ for a short while. Furthermore we would keep the makeshift elements to our shows, as we are interested in the style of post dramatic theatre and the ‘manufactured performance’. This Makeshift element would also make it more feasible for us to tour.
Citations
Allen , P (2015) How to snap back to reality when “escapism” becomes “avoidance”. [online] Lifehacker. Available from http://lifehacker.com/how-to-snap-back-to-reality-when-escapism-becomes-av-1723091630 [accessed 20 may].
Odonnell, S. (2017) preparing for the show. Lincoln: SO Photography.
Odonnell, S. (2017) Brodie and the wheel of Escapism. Lincoln: SO photography.
